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My column last Wednesday on this subject drew lots of comments. This is one of my favourite hobbyhorses, since I now know (from my experience with Rogers) that you can get deals just by asking.

The Star’s new series, Personal Bailout, is about getting smarter with your money. So, my first contribution talked about whittling down your cellphone bills, which tend to be pure discretionary spending.

I got a few helpful suggestions from readers which I’m posting below. Now I want to hear from you about the best ways you’ve found to reduce those hefty monthly costs.

Have you switched from paying after you talk to paying before you talk? This is a big trend in the U.S. and there are deals to be ..read more

It’s a rare day when I don’t get any complaints about energy marketers. Bad enough they push you into getting a long-term contract based on false promises of savings or mispresentation. Worse that these contracts can be rolled over automatically if you don’t take action to cancel them.

Direct Energy is the worst offender when it comes to auto-renewal. They have the nerve to charge 49.9 cents a cubic metre for a one-year natural gas contract, more than double the current utility rate. Enbridge and Union Gas are both charging about 23 cents a cubic metre (before adjustments, which bring down the cost further).

I sent four auto-renewal complaints to DE today, more than the usual amount. They’re posted below. You can see the outrage when ..read more