European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 28, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 16 the stars and stripes june consumer watch credit problems biggest consumer complaint by Randolph Schmid associated press citing credit problems As the 1 source of consumer the Federal Trade commission is launching a Campaign to make americans More aware of their rights in seeking being planned Are pamphlets for news re leases and information provided to the major credit bureaus around the according to Anne associate director for credit practices at the commissions Bureau of consumer by the time people Contact their car has been repossessed or they have been turned Down for a Mort Gage or other she theres a lot of Educa Tion that needs to be and the complaints Are Only the tip of the she since most people who have problems with creditors dont Contact the Federal government for help or More than seven out of every 10 americans use credit cards or other with some 700 million Active accounts across the Fortney so the problem is establishing dealing with a bad credit history and solving debt problems Are the most common areas of she and the commission has a series of booklets containing advice on handling these prob the All available at no charge from the Etc Public reference 6th and Penn Sylvania Are solving credit fair credit equal credit credit and charge card credit Billing fair credit fair debt collection and women and credit in a series of helpful pamphlets is also Avail Able from the association of credit the firms that keep records of credit those available at no charge from associated credit Box Are what is a credit what is a debt credit bureaus and the fair credit report ing credit bureaus and the equal credit Opportunity collectors and the fair debt collection and bankruptcy some things to women who Are divorced or widowed May face prob lems getting for because they often have no credit for married creditors have been required since 1977 to keep credit files in both but that was not always the Case in the so a married woman May have no credit record of her divorced or widowed women can get their own Histo Ries by informing the credit Bureau of their past marriages and asking for a listing in their own problems May also occur either because of errors or slow or nonpayment of past most creditors ask a credit Bureau for a history of the individual before making a decision on a and a bad history can result in a credit histories Are kept in the records for seven bankruptcies for 10 and can be used in making future credit Fortney suggested that people planning to apply for a mortgage or other major credit Check their history at a credit Bureau ahead of time to avoid problems in obtain ing the under the credit bureaus must Tell individuals what is in their and some will provide copies of the although that is not required by some credit May charge a fee for providing file but mint disclose this in there k no charge to the consumer for this information if the individual has been denied credit during the past 30 Days because of a credit people who Are turned Down can ask the Lender the f the rejection if based on an the Sumer can then go to the credit Bureau and ask that the problem be corrected although they May have to find a Way to prove the record is while negative information in a credit history can result in a people who do pay on time will have plenty of positive information in their credit Bureau and that will help Fortney besides Many other factors can also be considered in decision to Issue credit but some things May she most firms either have a scoring system in which they assign Points to things such As length of employ and the score determines whether credit is or they rely on the judgment of a credit the final decision cannot consider whether someone is married or if some income is from for Fortney on the other loan officers have considerable latitude and can make a subjective decision that some one seems like a bad a decision that May seem unfair but which is she in addition to its consumer education the commission is also sending information to credit firms to encourage them to follow the and it is testing testing Means the commission sends people to apply for credit using nearly identical with Only one difference Between then the com Mission studies whether Loans Are approved to see if decisions Are based on Legal or illegal the commission noted that unexpected illness or Job loss can Burden Consumers with debt problems they cannot help May be available from the consumer credit counselling which has More than 200 offices in 44 the a nonprofit helps individuals negotiate with their creditors to set up a repayment plan the consumer can anyone interested May Contact the service through its National Headquarters at the National foundation for consumer credit suite 8701 Georgia Silver a critical look at american to if you Are unable to get american to and feel badly about Here Are some gloomy reports about television As see in the that May cheer you As reported by some of the print the commercialization of the Boob tube is getting out of for according to the Washington Post Many childrens programs Are nothing but ads in by next its Likely that 20 of the saturday morn ing not to mention assorted will be program length Scon any product that Doest have its own kid Vid promotion will have to be labelled cartoon not Raymond vice president of marketing for the Tonka corporation is quoted As you have to figure out How to capture a Childs they have to know just How to think about the Stonkas notion of consumer the Post would never be tolerated in adult imagine a weekly adventure show in which things go better with imagine a sitcom in which every shot of the heroine focuses on her Calvin Klein the american Academy of paediatrics task Force also took a critical look at childrens As reported in it said that television can promote obesity and indirectly encourage the use of alcohol and among the groups findings learning from television is passive rather than to promotes ethnic and racial stereotypes and does Little to promote a sympathetic of the it also pro motes an unrealistic View of problem solving or conflict and increases the prevalence of obesity by promoting the consumption of often sugary snack As Well As reducing the time a child spends playing Active physical Ralph Nader also got into the act in an article in the new York he winced at the sight of Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin doing Bank he bristled at Abraham Lincoln reflecting on a Large corporations Wisdom and and he was livid to see George Washington on television trying to sell wrote Phil noting that Nader knows of no other country that exploits its political heroes in such a said i cannot imagine mexican merchants using Benito Juarez to sell tamales or bolivian stores using Simon Bolivar to sell tourist he said one effect of such advertising has been to taint historical figures in the minds of in he noted that first graders being shown a picture of George Washington identified him to their teacher As someone who Sells things on More House brands for aah cafes is planning to expand the num Ber of its House these which carry an cafes offer savings of 20 to 30 percent Over name Brand the move toward House brands began with vitamins and the go Power both proved such Good Sellers that cafes officials decided to Branch out to other products lotions and paper prod now a total of 212 primarily in the health and Beauty aids carry the cafes according the Ken chief of cafes testing and All these products Are Laboratory tested before a manufacturer is awarded a some of these products Are manufactured by Nam Brand or subsidiaries of Nam Brand said noting that More Safe Brand items Are already being readied for car shipper expands services a car shipping firm under contract to has expanded service and now delivers cars to America directly from installations throughout the service is Only available to those whose care Are not entitled to shipment at government cafes at an example of trans car charges to ship a Mercedes 280se from Munich to Houston and for that same car from Munich to los prices do not include Marine cars can be dropped off at trans car offices in shop Ping centers at Frankfurt Heidelberg Kaiserslautern Fuerth Rhei main a Pendleton Giessen Benjamin Franklin Mannheim Warner bar Bamberg Hindenburg Ansbach Ledward Schweinfurt and Robinson other trans car offices Are in downtown Munich and Kaiser Lautem vehicles can be shipped to Baltimore Wil Houston los Angeles san Francisco and the transatlantic car shipping service began