Council on Aging Answers 2015 - 80

Always Read the Small Print

FINANCE & LEGAL

COUNCIL ON AGING - ORANGE COUNTY

Be sure to read the small print before you sign a
contract and buy a product or service. Small print is a
standard advertising practice, commonly used to misrepresent total costs.
Small print often contradicts larger print in ads, such
as when an ad says "pre-approved" but the small print
says "subject to approval." In pharmaceutical ads, small
print often contains serious health warnings. Small
print in television ads is designed to be overlooked, since
it is briefly displayed at the bottom of the screen and is
difficult to understand.
CREDIT: A credit card may advertise "0"percent interest, but the small print reveals this will apply only for
a few months. After the introductory period, the interest rate will steeply increase, and rise even higher if you
ever make a late payment.
FREE TRIALS: Free offers and "free trials" are frequently misleading. Small print may reveal expensive
shipping, handling and processing fees, and that the
product will be automatically shipped to you if you do
not unsubscribe. Check your bills to make sure you are

not charged for products you are not willing to buy.
WARRANTIES: Warranties for many costly items,
such as cars or computers, may seem to cover likely malfunctions. But the small print reveals that regular maintenance and most common major repairs are excluded.
CELL PHONES: Cell phone ads may offer "low
monthly cost" but the small print reveals extra fees,
taxes, and costly additional services such as texting. Cell
phone contracts commonly lock you in for two years
and are usually expensive to cancel. The contract may
automatically renew if you upgrade phone equipment or
don't cancel the contract within a short timeframe.
Small print is controversial because it is often deceptive, designed to make a consumer believe that an offer
is great even when it really isn't. You can protect yourself by reading the small print and noticing if something
is too good to be true.
Reprinted from the CA Department of financial Institutions. For additional information call 1-800-622-0620
or visit www.dfi.ca.gov

Free Tax Return Preparation is Available
The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)
and Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Programs
offer free tax help for taxpayers who qualify.
VITA Program
Orange County United Way partners with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), nonprofits, and other
organizations in offering free tax preparation assistance through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
(VITA) program. The VITA program offers free tax
help to hard-working individuals and families with
household income of less than $58,000.
Tax preparation services are provided by trained,
IRS-certified volunteers in a number of languages,
including English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Free
tax sites are located at various nonprofit organizations, schools, and community centers throughout
Orange County.
80

Answers Guide 2015

To find a VITA site near you, visit.irs.gov or a call
1-800-906-9887.
TCE Program
The TCE Program (known locally as Tax-Aide) is
an AARP Foundation program that is available to
low-to moderate-income taxpayers by assisting with
them with tax services and ensuring they receive applicable tax credits and deductions.
Tax Aide is available without charge to these individuals, with special attention to those 60 years of age
and older. Through a cadre of trained, IRS certified
volunteers, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide has helped
taxpayers for more than 40 years.
Tax-Aide sites are generally located at senior centers, libraries and other convenient locations. To find
an AARP Tax-Aide site near you, visit
www.aarp.org or call 1-888-227-7669 for more information.

COUNCIl ON AGING - ORANGe COUNTY IS A 501 (C)3 NONpROFIT CORpORATION. TO DISTRIbUTe ANSweRS FRee OF COST, we mUST Sell ADveRTISING SpACe. wHIle we AppReCIATe THe pAID lISTINGS IN ANSweRS, THeIR
Aging and Disability Resource Connection | 800-510-2020 | www.adrcoc.org
INClUSION does not imply a recommendation or endorsement of products or services by coaoc. AlwAYS be A vIGIlANT CONSUmeR. veRIFY INFORmATION AND SeeK ReFeReNCeS wHeRe AppROpRIATe.

http://www.dfi.ca.gov http://www.irs.gov http://www.aarp.org

Council on Aging Answers 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Council on Aging Answers 2015