Product Trends Magazine

About the company: “With interest rates at historically low levels, you can refinance your existing home loan and save thousands of dollars a year. Current rates available from some of our partners are under 4.5%, and reducing your interest rate a few points can be worth tens of thousands of dollars over the life of your home loan. With GetLower.com approved lenders competing for an opportunity to service your loan needs, we put you at the head of the pack. Get started refinancing your home loan needs today or to find out what rates are currently available visit our resource center.”

 

The big pitch: Multiple Offers. Get Lower Rates. Get Started Today.

GetLower.com provides a wide range of financial services including home loans, personal credit, banking, real estate, insurance, utilities, and a ton of other resources. You can learn more about each financial category on the site itself, and should you decide that you need a little help in that area, they will find you the best deals in the marketplace.

Looking for a Real Estate agent in your area? GetLower.com will help match you up with the best agents available. Their search engine simply asks you the geographic location in which you want to search for a home, number of rooms in the home, price of the home, and the like, and they then do the busy work for you.

If you have questions about a loan, GetLower.com provides online loan calculators that can help you determine the amount of payment on a loan based on the amount of the loan, term of the financing, and the annual interest rate. Just type in the information and - bam! - GetLower crunches the numbers so you don’t have to.

Have you moved to new area and are in need of utility services, or do you want to see if there is a better utility plan available in your area? GetLower enables you to search for utility companies for long distance, broadband, local, and media services. You can even search based on the extent of options you desire, if you want to combine services, and the state in which you live.

Bottom line, we see a whole lot of these ‘lender search engines’ at Product Trends Magazine, and many of them are no more than a portal to other companies with not a lot of value added. With GetLower, we see enough content and information present to make this a definite first stop. It’s worth your time, and that’s more than many of its competitors will be able to say.

The Product Trends rating: GetLower.com provides a robust, extensive list of resources that ranges from loans and credit cards to real estate and utilities. The online calculators and service locators serve as comprehensive, useful resources to any visitor, and we like the way it all comes together. To top it all off, GetLower is approved by the Better Business Bureau. Five stars. –Reviewed by Jillian Dobbs

To try GetLower for yourself, click the image below:

About the company: "Your orders at InkBlvd printer cartridges are always RISK FREE! We offer an unconditional 30 days guarantee on all of our products. If you are not 100% satisfied with the performance of any product you buy from InkBlvd, you may return it within 30 days of the purchase date, and we will replace or refund your order. We guarantee our products to be free from manufacturer defects.”

The big pitch: Save up to 85% on inkjet cartridges and laser toners! Save an additional 5% when you buy twin or combo packs.

Inblvd.com is an online-only service that will find you the printer ink you need at a great price. You can search quickly and easily for the appropriate ink cartridge for your printer, or you can fill in the printer model and click search to find the exact printer cartridge. Not exact enough for you? Fine, then fill in the SKU number for your printer and click search to find the exact printer cartridge you require.

Inkblvd.com provides extensive details regarding each printer cartridge, including availability, list price, and the price Inkblvd.com offers (which is usually substantially cheaper than the list price). Inkblvd.com is obviously very interested in providing you with a good deal, so they eagerly point out how much money you will save compared to the list price by using their online service.

Another positive about this company is that they provide an overview of the printer cartridge itself. For example, the printer cartridge overview lists whether the printer cartridge is new or remanufactured, and you can find out the shelf life and estimated number of pages that your printer cartridge will print before it runs out. This is really great information to know, as printer cartridges can often run dry at the most inopportune times and you just never know when it’ll happen. Use the info on InkBlvd and stock up on the printer cartridges you’ll need to get you through the next year.

Inbkblvd.com has information on many different printer models. In fact, they have information pertaining to 27 different printer companies, which is handy to look through before you actually buy a printer. They have printer cartridges for Apollo to Xerox printers and everything in between.

On the negative side of InkBlvd, we have seen a few consumer reviews online that have mentioned problems with customer service, so make sure you’re ordering the right cartridge for your needs, and look for a deal that makes the risk of online buying worhwhile. You shouldn’t have to look hard…

The Product Trends rating: You are sure to find your printer model on this website, and the search engine helps you to find your printer cartridge in a snap. You can find significant savings on the cost of printer cartridges, and anyone who has been told they have to spend $50 to change their cartridge will welcome such a service. Four stars. –Reviewed by Jillian Dobbs

To try InkBlvd for yourself, click the image below:

About the company: “With PaycheckToday, even if you have bad credit, you can still get quick cash for emergencies. Payday advances, also called payday loans, cash advances, instant cash loans, payroll advances or paycheck loans, are short-term loans that can be taken against a future paycheck. If approved, your loan proceeds will be deposited directly into your personal bank account. When your loan payment is due, the finance charge will be automatically debited from your checking account unless other payment arrangements have been made. Cash Advance Network loans require no faxing. Just fill out the online application for instant pre-approval.”

The big pitch: Applications are pre-approved in just 30 seconds! Based on your application, you may qualify for a payday loan up to $1000 - Your credit rating just isn’t important!”

As a rule, we don’t really like the payday loan industry. It seems that there are just too many outfits out there preying on the desperation of people with poor credit, charging them an arm and a leg, and leaving them worse than when they started out. That said, some payday loan companies seem to be working hard at making sure that their service is one that their customers an rely on - and PaycheckToday is just one such company.

If you are between a rock and hard place for money, a cash advance can sometimes be a necessity if you are living paycheck to paycheck. Cash advances are often used for rent and other life expenses, but as the holidays near, many people need just a little bit of credit to help them over the hump.

www.paychecktoday.com provides lightning fast service - you can be approved within the hour and the money is deposited into your bank account the next business day. This process is dependent upon PaycheckToday receiving all the required information, which makes it essential to supply the proper information so the process won’t be delayed.

What type of information is required when you apply for a cash advance from PaycheckToday.com? They will require personal, employment and banking information. Personal information includes such things as the loan amount (up to $1,000), name, social security number, address, etc. Employment information includes such things as the name of your employer and whether you work part time or full time. Banking information is necessary so they can put money into your account - and take that money back when your loan is ready to be repaid.

Worried that your credit rating blows? Don’t worry. PaycheckToday doesn’t run a credit check on you before deciding whether you should qualify for a loan. All they need to know is you have an income, and you’re basically good to go.

So if you need a cash advance, and you’re fully aware what a payday loan entails, take a look at PaycheckToday and give them a try. As always, we recommend you read all the fine print and ONLY take on a payday loan if you feel confident about the company you’re dealing with, but we’ve seen plenty of lenders out there with a lot less to boast about than PaycheckToday - so make them your first step.

The Product Trends rating: If you need a cash advance of $1,000 or less, then this is a great website to check out. You can be approved within one hour and have the money deposited in your account within one business day. As far as payday loans go, that’s a great start. Four stars. –Reviewed by Jillian Dobbs

To try PaycheckToday for yourself, click the image below:

About the company: “NetZero offers easy-to-use, reliable Internet service with thousands of access numbers nationwide, fast connections, feature-rich email and Email on the Web, and instant messaging compatible with AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, and Yahoo! All for less than 1/2 the cost of AOL®, EarthLink or MSN!”

The big pitch: Sign up for NetZero Platinum, HiSpeed 3G, or Free Internet Access today!

Netzero.net is an internet service provider that originated as a free ISP, but now also offers low cost premimum internet services such as high-speed dial-up and broadband access. There are several different levels of internet service that you can purchase; you can have access to free internet service, as long as you only use 10 hours per month. A step up from this plan is the unlimited internet access starting at $9.95 per month, which is a heck of a deal. A third internet service option is to go for NetZero’s fastest, cutting edge technology internet service, called NetZero HiSpeed 3G for Broadband.

Netzero.net also offers a range of internet-related add-on services, including pop-up blocker, spam protection, and email virus protection. Additionally, you are allowed up to 1GB of email storage, which is a significant amount of space for most people.

NetZero.net has plans available that are geared towards families as well. For example, NetZero.net offers “NetZero Premium Content Family Pack”, where your family can have access to the Encylopaedia Brittanica, Shockwave.com Gameblast, AmericanGreetings.com, and Clever Island for as little as $4.95/month.

NetZero.net has jumped all over the free internet phone-calling bandwagon with their “NetZero Voice” voice-over internet (VOIP) service. Features of this free voice over internet technology that works over dial-up or broadband include unlimited computer-to-computer minutes, encompass caller ID, call waiting, and call blocking - and you can also send instant messages and email on the web. Voicemail is also free, and there’s an online message center, which is convenient. In short, NetZero is a full-bodied voice-over internet service, and all for just $14.95 per month!

So what’s the downside? Well, if you’re using the free NetZero service, you’re going to have to deal with minimal online time, because ten hours, free or not, is pretty slim pickin’s. Additionally, download speeds can be pretty darn slow, and you lose a portion of your screen to a NetZero ad banner, but hey, you get what you pay for. The NZ folks need to pay their rent somehow, you cheap bastards!

The better deal is the Platinum package, which gives you unlimited dial-up net access for $9.95 per month. You still get the NetZero ad banner, and you’re still on dial-up, but you don’t have to trim you online time with this option, and $9.95 is dirt cheap compared to the prices rip-off merchants like AOL charge for similar services (and it goes down to just $6.95 if you pay for six months at a time!).

The Product Trends rating: NetZero.net is an extremely viable option for free or low cost internet service. It is a perfect internet service option if you have a small budget for computer and internet services. Plus, you can save loads of money by using free calls over the internet. NetZero.net is an affordable way to take advantage of the internet super highway. Four stars. — Reviewed by Jillian Dobbs

To try NetZero for yourself, click the image below:

About the company: “IPOWERWEB, Inc., The Power Behind eBusiness ™, is the worlds leading eBusiness Website Hosting provider. Our Internet based end-to-end solutions enable small and medium sized enterprises (SME’s) to build, promote, manage and profit from their online presence.”

The big pitch: Serving over 300,000 members with affordable, reliable web hosting solutions. Completely reloaded! More space! 10,000 MB Hosting, 2,500 Email Accounts, Website Builder, Free Domain, Host 6 Domains in 1!

Ipowerweb.com is a web hosting service that offers a variety of web hosting plans. Each web hosting plan ranges in the levels and variety of features included - for example, the different website hosting services include: domain registration, web hosting, windows hosting, and dedicated server. iPowerWeb reaches out to the average internet surfer that wants their own website, while also serving top level e-commerce businesses that need a dedicated server.

Domain registration starts as low as $2.95 per year, and the web hosting service starts as low as $7.95 per month, both of which are very affordable rates when it comes to web hosting services. There is a $30 set-up fee, but that is waived if you pay for a year of hosting in advance, which is fair enough.

You may think that since the price is so affordable that there aren’t many features available, but you’d be completely wrong. The $7.95 per month web hosting service is called “Business Pro”, which offers the following features: 10,000 Megs of disk-space, 2,000 Email addresses, Secure Socket Layering (SSL), CGI-BIN, MySQL, and unlimited email. Plus you get free setup, dynamic content, and a marketing package. thrown in to the deal You can find more technical details on their website, because frankly there are way too many to list here.

If you aren’t familiar with what is required to create your own website and deal with web hosting issues, then you will be happy to know that iPowerWeb.com has an extensive customer support center. This customer e-service allows you to ask questions, provide feedback, and learn about additional features without racking up big tech support fees. In addition, iPowerWeb offers an interactive tutorial site which demonstrates how to setup and configure your website, so even a dummy can do it.

The Product Trends rating: iPowerWeb can meet your web hosting needs whether you want to create a new web domain or transfer your current domain to their services. You can transfer your domain name for free and take advantage of their content and promotion packages within 24 hours - not a bad deal at all. Five stars! — Reviewed by Jillian Dobbs

To try iPowerWeb for yourself, click the image below:

About the company: “AngelBeds.com was established with one purpose in mind: to offer the highest quality mattresses at affordable prices. Our dedication to quality craftsmanship and materials, combined with our dedication to responsive customer service, has helped us to become the premier vendor of premium sleep products on the Internet. Every mattress is shipped directly from the factory, and comes with free shipping. We’ll even install your mattress for you if you select our white-glove delivery service option."

The big pitch: 90 Day Sleep Trial, 20 Year Warranty, and a Lowest Price Guarantee!

The average person spends one-third of their life in bed, so a good mattress is essential to maintaining a healthy body, productive worklife, and happy hours of snoozing. Angelbeds.com offers memory foam beds, based on NASA developed memory foam technology, which they claim are better than anyone else’s, including the much beloved Tempur-Pedic™ mattresses that are all the rage.

Angel Beds provides detailed information regarding their various mattresses and mattress accessories on their website. They have five beds to choose from that range in size from 8” to 16”, and pictures of each mattress are available that can be enlarged for a better examination of the mattress. You can see pictures of what each mattress is composed of, plus the handy bit of info that the mattresses are dust mite-resistant and easy to clean.

www.angelbeds.com offers a “sleep trial”, which we think is just great. What that means is you can try out your mattress for 90 days, and if you don’t think it’s a great night’s sleep, return it for a 100% refund. Angelbeds also offers a 20-year warranty and free shipping, which basically means if anything ever goes wrong with your bed - ever - you’re sorted.

Angel Beds also provides information about mattress accessories, such as adjustable frames, memory toppers, mattress pads, and pillows, which makes them the complete one-stop shop for everything sleep-oriented.

On the negative end of things, AngelBeds has been said to have occasionally made it hard for customers to return their mattresses, so do ensure that before you buy, you check out the AngelBeds site and be sure you’re buying what you really want.

The Product Trends rating: All your bedding needs in one website, order by phone or purchase online, detailed pictures and product descriptions… It all looks great to us, and we’ve not found a whole lot of dissatisfied customers out there. Four and a half stars. —Reviewed by Jillian Dobbs

To try AngelBeds for yourself, click the image below:

About the company: “Planet Loan is the 100% advertiser supported loan search engine. We are not a lender or broker. When you choose to inquire with a lender or broker who advertises on Planet Loan, your information remains between you and that lender(s). Advertisers are solely responsible for keeping their information current.”

The big pitch: Purchase, refinance, cash out your home’s equity, loans for those with damaged credit, get a personal loan…it’s your choice!

Planet Loan is an online loan search engine where you can search for financial information regarding home loans, mortgages, debt consolidation, personal loans, auto loans, commercial loans, credit card finder, and student loans.

Using this website, you can get a quote on all different types of loans from home equity loans to construction loans. Specify your location and you’ll receive a free quote in hours. You can also search for loans based on your credit standing, or find information on loans available to you whether you have good credit or damaged credit.

Have you been thinking of getting a credit card? Do you need a personal credit card of business credit card or both? Either way, you can find information regarding credit cards at www.planetloan.com using their “Credit Card Finder”, which allows you to search by credit card type, including: standard credit cards, specialty credit cards, secured credit cards, platinum credit cards, student and business credit cards.

PlanetLoan is 100% advertiser supported, which means that when you do a search on credit cards, for example, a listing of the advertisers that pay for this service will display advertisements for their credit cards. Now, that means your results may skew a little towards their partners, but it also gives you a lot to choose from in terms of applying for the credit card by simply clicking a direct link. You also have the option of seeing if you are eligible for instant approval, and if you are, who cares whether the company bought and ad or was simply listed there as an option – the point is, you’re gonna get your loan!

Speaking of credit cards, www.planetloan.com provides a listing of vendors that offer credit repair and credit report services. Check out your credit before you apply and you just might save yourself some time trying to figure out your financial situation.

Planet Loan, like most websites of its ilk, offers an online financial calculator to help you solve your financial questions, including calculators that aid you with home and personal financing, investment loans, and retirement calculators. The calculators are presented in a format such that they match frequently asked questions, and in our experience testing the website out, we found it pretty darn useful.

The Product Trends rating: This website provides a myriad of information that may take some time to sift through. However, it is a great way to have a bunch of different options presented to you in one simple table format, which allows you to comparison shop between different financial providers, all in the one website. Four stars. —Reviewed by Jillian Dobbs

To try Planet Loan for yourself, click the image below:

About the company: “LoanHounds brings new mortgage, refinance, debt consolidation, home equity and other mortgage loans to you through a network of the country’s largest lenders and top mortgage professionals who compete for your business. LoanHounds mortgage lenders have processed more than 2.1 million mortgage loan requests and have facilitated over $10 billion in closed mortgage loans. Fill out one simple form and request up to four mortgage lenders in our network to contact you. It’s that easy. No wonder LoanHounds is the fastest growing mortgage loan quote site on the internet.”

The big pitch: Four LoanHounds mortgage lenders will contact you within 24 hours with an offer of a loan. No commitment, no fee - just mortgage lenders fighting over your business!

LoanHounds makes the process of finding and acquiring a loan very easy. The LoanHounds.com website enables you to find a quote on several different types of loans, from a vareity of options.

Do you need a quote on mortgage options? Loanhounds.com saves you time and money by bringing the different lender quotes right to you, so you don’t have to scour each of the lender’s individual websites.

When you put your details into the LoanHounds website, a maximum of four LoanHounds lenders receive your contact information and get busy offering you a great deal. That’s the concept, but the question for us was, how do we know these lenders are any good? LoanHounds says, "The LoanHounds mortgage lender network is comprised of the top professionals in lending. Each company must respond within 24 hours, provide competitive rates through volume pricing, correspondent lending, or warehouse credit lines, and have a track record of closing loans on time with no hidden fees."

That’s good enough for us!

LoanHounds strives for 100% customer satisfaction and tells their customers to stay in touch and let them know how their lenders perform, so as to ensure they always keep a good crop of agents.

If you are looking for credit card information all in one place, LoanHounds provides links to several different credit card lenders. You can find the right credit card for your needs by clicking on direct links to credit card lenders where you can apply online and may be eligible for instant approval.

Lastly, LoanHounds.com features a home loan blog, where you can find current news regarding mortgage rates, loan advice, refinancing, and debt consolidation. In our testing of the company, we found the information on this blog to be great all by itself, even if you don’t use the loan finder service.

The Product Trends Rating: If you are looking for a way to access several financial lenders all at one website in the comfort of you own home then www.loanhounds.com is for you. Find mortgage, credit card, personal loan, auto loan, and payday loans all in one stop. Four stars.

To try LoanHounds for yourself, click the image below:

About the company: "AbsoluteHome.com is another store brought to you by Home Décor Products Inc. Home Décor was started in 2000 because the company believed (and it still does believe) that is a better way to buy fixtures for your home than in a crowded store with limited selection and unknowledgeable sales people. The business has grown to over $55m in sales and has over 50 employees."

The big pitch: The Champion Toilet; Ten year worry-free warranty.

AbsoluteHome, a Home Decor company, has a nice shiny website and a big range of products, which would make most people think that they should be trusted with their money. But we’re not so sure.

From all reports we’ve heard, and it’s our job to dig up as many as we can find, AbsoluteHome.com is an utterly horrible company to deal with. Complaints range from orders not being received in a timely fashion to awful customer service, and others have whined that it takes a long time to get through to them on the phone. If customers do get through, they are on hold for at least 20 minutes.

According to reports, AbsoluteHome.com doesn’t keep in contact with its customers well. People aren’t told that there is a problem with their order until they contact them asking where their delivery is. and although, AbsoluteHome.com does have a wide selection of products for the bathroom and kitchen, quite frankly, if what we’re told is true, you may never get your merchandise. They have many lighting fixtures… if the order doesn’t get lost.

It would be one thing if all of these complaints were indicative of a company struggling with its own growth, or trying to figure out ways to improve itself, but if customers return AbsoluteHome merchandise, there is a 25% restocking fee applied to the order - something that is downright nasty, and not made clear up front. In addition, it seems that the restocking fee comes into play often, because many customers have alleged they received their items damaged, missing parts, and in poor working order.

AbsoluteHome.com’s products are reasonably priced, but that won’t do you much good if you don’t receive them in good condition.

The Product Trends rating: Our lowest rating is zero stars. AbsoluteHome.com gets one star. Its owners and employees should NOT be proud of that fact. — Reviewed by Rachel Heller

To try AbsoluteHome for yourself, click the image below:

About the company: "Birkenstockcentral.com is a licensed dealer of Birkenstock footwear. It is one of the largest dealers of Birkenstock footwear in the United States. Birkenstock Central has been selling comfortable Birkenstock footwear since 1986, which means that Birkenstockcentral.com has a great selection of sizes and styles that are available for immediate delivery."

The big pitch: Up to 50% off Birkenstocks. 100% satisfaction guaranteed.

Birkenstockcentral.com has great prices and incredible deals. For, example getting $300 worth of shoes for $ 103, including shipping; the Birkenstocks on Birkenstockcentral.com are cheaper than buying them from most stores.

Birkenstockcentral.com’s customer service is good with handling problems. They credit customers very quickly when they ask for a different size, if customers receive the wrong size. In addition, customers receive their orders very quickly.

The website is easy for people to use who have a limited time to shop. I was also impressed that customers have 60 days from the day that the shoes are shipped for a full refund; no questions asked.

Birkenstockcentral.com has many styles to choose from They have a great selection of both causal and professional shoes. I was pleasantly surprised that the website carried Birkenstock’s for kids. The only compliant about this site is that the pictures of the shoes could have been bigger. But that’s a fairly small complaint about a company that seems determined to win your business by doing things the right way. We like it!

The Product Trends rating: Birkenstockcentral.com gets a big five stars. This is a great site with a great selection of products for all ages, and a reputation for great customer service. Big recommend. —Reviewed by Rachel Heller.

To try Birkenstock Central for yourself, click the image below: