S36 E1 • New Home Nightmares & Busted: Ticket Takers Update

Think you're safe from problems when you buy a new home? Think again. Dave Prosser and Sylvia Potter bought their brand new home just three years ago, for a few hundred thousand. It was supposed to be their dream home, but instead they're living a new home nightmare.

Première diffusion : 9 janvier 2009

S36 E2 • The Secret History of Cars & Busted: Product of Canada Update

Thinking of buying a used car? You're not alone. In this slowing economy, people are looking to save cash whenever and wherever they can. But when you're looking for a bargain vehicle, you also want to make sure it's safe. Used car dealers know that and if you've dropped by a dealership lately, you may have been offered a free vehicle history report. In Canada, the most popular vehicle history report is called Carfax. For about $40, you can run unlimited checks on vehicles for a month. But if you rely solely on that report, you could be steered in the wrong direction. As Erica Johnson's report reveals, there can be big problems with Carfax. So when you're searching for the secret history of a used car, it's probably wise not to put all your trust in one vehicle history report.

Première diffusion : 16 janvier 2009

S36 E3 • Generation Cellphone

What you need to know... about kids and cellphones. Need a cellphone for your kids? Marketplace has uncovered new evidence about possible health risks linked to kids and long-term cellphone use. So if you're shopping for a cellphone for your child, or if they're already using one, we have some tips to keep in mind. Also: Do you really need to pay $150 to clean your food?

Première diffusion : 23 janvier 2009

S36 E4 • Miracle Makers or Money Takers?

Searching out an alternative therapy or health remedy? Ailing Canadians are spending up to $200 a session in clinics and even buying the $20,000 "miracle" machine called the EPFX for home use. It's name is as intriguing as its health claims. For those suffering with a serious illness, they are desperate for a miracle cure. Erica Johnson shows how to avoid getting taken advantage of during a time of ill health.

Première diffusion : 30 janvier 2009

S36 E5 • Easy Money

We're all looking for a quick financial fix in these tight economic times. Canadians are buying into new schemes that promise fast cash through high-return investments. Marketplace investigates a company called BIM (Business in Motion) that claims big returns once you buy in. BIM's main product is the UltraLife Club, a travel package that promises vacation deals. Attend a presentation and you're pitched a membership for $3,200 and are told you can earn thousands in commissions by becoming a distributor and selling to others. But is BIM really selling access to vacation deals or are they profiting primarily from new memberships? If it's the latter, what kind of a scheme are people really buying into?

Première diffusion : 6 février 2009

S36 E6 • How Not To Win $500,000 & Busted: Colon Cleansers

Who doesn't want to win $500,000? That's why so many Canadians are playing the Reader's Digest sweepstakes. But now some of those people feel confused by the sweepstakes' marketing. The letters from Reader's Digest use language like "completed cash release confirmation," "cash guaranteed for award…" and "a prize reference code." And the envelopes are stamped with words like "urgent," "reply immediately," "don't delay!" The sweepstakes mailings come with brochures, advertising products for sale -- like CD's, books and DVD's. Now, you don't have to buy the products to play the sweepstakes, but some Canadians have been confused and spent thousands, thinking they're days away from winning the big prize. As Erica Johnson reveals, the U.S. has cracked down on the sweepstakes' marketing, but in Canada, it's business as usual.

Première diffusion : 13 février 2009

S36 E7 • Credit Card Catch & Busted: Gas Gadget

You might find you're paying for something known as "credit balance insurance." Depending on your credit card, it could be called "BalanceProtector" or "Account Protector," but the idea is the same: for a fee, credit balance insurance promises to cover your monthly minimum credit card payments in case of loss of income to due job loss or extreme illness. But is it worth the cost? Wendy Mesley investigates. Also: Does this $200 gas-saving gadget work?

Première diffusion : 20 février 2009

S36 E8 • The Trouble With Fake Guns & Busted: EPFX

In a split second, do you think you could tell the difference between a real or an imitation gun? Imagine if that gun were pointed in your direction in what could be a life-or-death situation. It's not a pleasant scenario, but unfortunately it's becoming a familiar one for police. Imitation guns, designed to look like the real thing, have been used in home invasions and robberies. Kids have even brought them into schools - with predictably terrifying results. At a time when a climate of fear and danger exists around guns, Erica Johnson investigates how accessible imitation handguns are and how Canadian laws are ineffective when it comes to cracking down on this problem.

Première diffusion : 27 février 2009

S36 E9 • How Not to Buy a Puppy & Busted: The Price is Wrong

We've all heard puppy horror stories about sick dogs from bad breeders, but many pet stores promise problem-free dogs from first-rate breeders. They claim the dog was raised in optimum conditions, with room to run free and healthy surroundings. But that isn't always the case. Some pet store dogs come from less than ideal places, and as Wendy Mesley discovers, it's a long and surprising journey from the breeder to the buyer.

Première diffusion : 6 mars 2009

S36 E10 • Lawless Loans & Busted: Kids' Cereal

Need a loan? As the economy continues to shrink, banks are becoming more and more reluctant to approve new loans -- especially if your credit rating is less than stellar. But if the big banks can't help, it seems that a number of other companies will. A crop of legitimate-looking loan companies are appearing online and in newspapers, advertising a fast financial fix for those with bad credit or no collateral. However, these kinds of loan companies could be out to scam you when you need your money the most. That's what happened to Floyd Girouard, a trucker from Abbotsford, B.C., who turned to an online loan company when his bank turned him down. To his surprise, he qualified for a $30,000 loan. The catch? He had to wire a $3,000 deposit before they'd release the money. He reluctantly wired the deposit -- and never heard from the company again. Girouard fell for an increasingly common scam called "Advance Fee Loan Fraud." Advance fee loan fraud is when an upfront payment is required for a loan -- a practice that's illegal in both Canada and the U.S. Last year, Canadians were bilked out of an estimated $60 million using this scheme. As Erica Johnson reveals, it's all too easy to fall prey to online fraudsters, but not so easy to track them down to get your money back.

Première diffusion : 13 mars 2009

S36 E11 • Power of Persuasion

Like any commodity, electricity and natural gas prices go up and down with the markets. In some provinces, you have a choice when it comes to who will supply your power -- a public or a private utility. Ontario and Alberta have deregulated both utilities, and in Manitoba and B.C., you can pick your natural gas provider. But since deregulation, consumers have complained about pushy door-to-door sales from utility marketers, leading some to enter into contracts that have raised their bills by hundreds or even thousands of dollars. With so much at stake, the sales people are supposed to follow provincial codes of conduct governing their behaviour during the sales pitch. The rules state they can't mislead consumers, make false statements, misrepresent who they are, nor can they exert undue pressure. But as Wendy Mesley reveals in a hidden camera investigation, every sales agent we tape appears to be overstepping the rules.

Première diffusion : 20 mars 2009

S36 E12 • The Price Cut Promise

Thinking of renovating your home? As resale prices and new home construction drops due to the recession, more and more people are staying in the homes they have and trying to improve upon them. If this sounds like you, you've likely already heard of a company called DirectBuy. In their ads and infomercials, DirectBuy promises "manufacturer-direct wholesale prices on practically everything you need for your home," and includes glowing testimonials from people who say they've saved thousands of dollars by becoming a member. And while some people are happy with DirectBuy, a lot of complaints have flowed into Marketplace about the company. The most common complaints are about their high-pressure membership sales techniques and the high extra costs when buying products from their catalogue. So how much is too much to pay for everything from curtains to the kitchen sink? Erica Johnson investigates.

Première diffusion : 27 mars 2009

S36 E13 • Seven Sins of the Marketplace

Marketplace has seen it all when it comes to bad service, unsafe products and schemes. Over the years, we've seen companies come up with all kinds of tricky ways to separate customers from their cash. We call them the seven sins of the marketplace; a list of how companies try to reach into your wallet.

Première diffusion : 3 avril 2009