Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

cdnpinhead

snakeweasel said:

Happy New Year to all.

Indeed -- year of the pig.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

sda said:

oldfarmer50 said:

stickguy said:

glad the polar vortex apparently went back to where it came from. Got 2 increadibly dirty cars washed this afternoon (daughter's Jetta was the dirtiest car I think I ever had the privilege of washing). that and the RDX and shiny now. TLX needs a bath too, but that will get done tomorrow.

I took the two summer cars out into the driveway to charge the batteries but I wouldn’t dare take them into the salt. Sat in the Ford and revved the motor so I wouldn’t forget what the Borla sounded like.

I have to take the wife’s car to get washed soon, it looks like a block of salt.

Did you have the PT repaired after the bump up?

Yep, looks good as new.

Does it ride like new too?

It never did.

Even when it was new, it didn't ride like it was new?

It’s basically the cheapest Chrysler you could buy. It performed well as a grocery getter that my wife could get in and out of without trouble. Beyond that I didn’t expect much.

jmonroe1

graphicguy said:

So, our beloved forums come in after “Road Noise, Affordability Calculator and Pre-Production Models”? At the very bottom of the page? Last link?

That doesn’t bode well for us.

Yep, one step closer to the door.

jmonroe

imidazol97

jmonroe1 said:

Yep, one step closer to the door.

Sounds like a song title. Maybe country where it tells a story in the song
of a long, hard life that's coming to a bad end?

henryn

Back in the early 2000’s, my then wife had a rental car every 3 weeks for a business trip. She was doing business with Enterprise, and they gave her all of the “frequent flyer” discounts and special promotions and whatever else. It got to where she was making a fair bit of money by getting rental cars virtually free and collecting mileage from her employer.

Getting the rental units for super cheap, she couldn’t be picky, and took whatever they had. And Enterprise in those days had a real variety of units, and I checked them out whenever a different unit passed through her hands.

She only had a PT Cruiser once, and hated it. It didn’t seem particularly bad to me, driving it once around the block. But she had to do 300 miles in 2 days, and she hated that car with a passion. As I recall, that was the only one she really disliked, and she drove a lot of econoboxes over the period of 2 or 3 years she was doing this.

fintail

I think the PT was a love it or hate it thing. Seems plenty of people loved them, along with the haters.

My mom had a late run example as a rental in 2009, when her car was rear ended. She hated it, the window switch placement drove her nuts. They shouldn't have let it wither on the vine as they did.

Mr_Shiftright

driver100 said:

snakeweasel said:

driver100 said:

I didn't think it was from utensils, but, I didn't want to say anything. I was once a teen-ager and young guy too!

BTW what was like growing up with George Washington?

Well, Georges teeth were really made out of metal, that wood story isn't true. And, although he was very honest, the story about cutting down his father's cherry tree is a myth.

I always liked Mark Twain's comment about that, and how he was a better man than George Washington:

"George Washington could not tell a lie. I can, but I choose not to".

snakeweasel

imidazol97 said:

Yep, one step closer to the door.

Sounds like a song title. Maybe country where it tells a story in the song of a long, hard life that's coming to a bad end?

well add 2 more steps and you have a Lynyd Skynyrd song.

Mr_Shiftright

No one wants to hear a story about someone's life getting better and better.

jmonroe1

imidazol97 said:

jmonroe1 said:

Yep, one step closer to the door.

Sounds like a song title. Maybe country where it tells a story in the song
of a long, hard life that's coming to a bad end?

I think we are being challenged.

jmonroe

henryn

Mr_Shiftright said:

No one wants to hear a story about someone's life getting better and better.

Not true. A lot of pop music, back in the day, was exactly like that. Remember Captain and Tennille? (ducking and running for cover)

Mr_Shiftright

henryn said:

Mr_Shiftright said:

No one wants to hear a story about someone's life getting better and better.

Not true. A lot of pop music, back in the day, was exactly like that. Remember Captain and Tennille? (ducking and running for cover)

Like I said, no one wants to hear that

driver100

Muskrat Love!
Now, I don't even want to know what that was about.

berri

Just remember all...love will keep us together

ronsteve

First Super Bowl in 42 years that I didn't watch a single down, a single commercial, or a single note of the halftime show. The participants had been all but pre-determined 3 weeks prior and I wanted no part of it.

bwia

Well, advertisers paid $5¼ million for a 30 second commercial and there were 53 of them. Too bad you didn't see them nor the pitiful halftime show.

explorerx4

A local article about repair or replace an appliance.

Buying big appliances can be a really big investment, but when they break, many people wonder if it's better to repair it or buy a new one.

Doug Scheer at Action Appliance Repair in Manchester says the average lifespan of an appliance now is about to 10 to 12 years.

When it's 3 to 5 years old, that's when things start to break, like the control board on a stove, and that's when it's time to decide whether to fix it or buy a new one.

“It really dictates on your desire for features and the price you pay, which kind of controls your emotions on whether you should fix it or not,” Scheer said.

Therefore, it’s important to think about how much you paid for that stove or refrigerator and how much it would cost to fix.

Kevin Burzycki at S.K. Lavery in West Hartford said there are some times when it's worth repairing.

“I’d say when it's less than half the cost of a new one and its less than six years old,” Burzycki said.

However, sometimes a repair is not worth it.

The cost of having a repair person come out to look at the appliance is about $99, and then the average to repair is about $200 to $250.

Then maybe you never liked the appliance to begin with.

“But, if you don't like the way the dishwasher loaded from day one, that's when you say, ‘you know what it's broken now, and I couldn't load in my dishes properly so I’m cutting my losses and I’m buying new’,” Burzycki said.

He added that certain appliances, like microwaves, are never worth repairing.

“This is as close to a throwaway product as you can get over the range microwave, because 10 years ago, they were $500, now you can buy them for $200,” Burzycki said.

Before you decide to buy any new appliance, it’s important to find out what the cost of fixing it is and the cost of a new one.

tjc78

Good article. 

When we gutted and redid our small kitchen in 2011 we bought a matched set of appliances.  All displays match, handles etc.  

If one of them broke now I’d probably try and fix it to keep the matched set.   If it happens a few years from now and they are all 10+ I’d probably just bite the bullet and buy a new matched set and sell the working old ones.  

driver100

explorerx4 said:

The cost of having a repair person come out to look at the appliance is about $99, and then the average to repair is about $200 to $250.
Then maybe you never liked the appliance to begin with.

Good solid info Explorer, more or less confirms what I have been thinking. If something is more than 5 or 6 years old, might as well get a new one with latest features and with a warranty. Cost of repairs are too much in relation to the possible use you may get....and two or three repairs will pretty well cover the cost of a new appliance.

driver100

We were talking about a lexus Rx300 SUV....it was better to buy the SUV than sedan. But, I saw one today and I wasn't too impressed by the looks. All kinds of swoosh-y lines that don't really go anywhere. I think the older models looked better...nice neat coherent design.

2012

berri

The inside of these new Lexus are also kind of different including a sort of joystick controller. I dunno, not for me.

stickguy

the touchpad on the NX300 was not the best solution, but for the amount of times I would need to use it, I am sure I would have made do.

for appliances, it does seem that some of those package deals, if you happen to like all the components, can be a really good buy. And matching is nice. though right now we have different brands for range, fridge and DW, but the range and fridge match fine, and the DW is a panal ready so you can't see it anyway. But if I have to replace that, most likely will go with a stainless unit. A lot cheaper.

berri

I get it Stick; if they give you the Lexus for the price of a CRV you might take it, but only after a little arm twisting me too!

driver100

Some people, if they replace one appliance change them all at one time. That way the colors match, even blacks, stainless and whites can look different if they are different brands.

I don't think I would worry about it unless it was a noticeable difference...but, some people are really bummed out if the colors are a little difference.

Then there is jmonroe...he can live with every appliance being a completely different color.

suydam

I’ve got 3 different brands in my kitchen, all stainless, and they all go together well. The range and over the stove microwave are both LG ( I did think those should be the same as they function as one unit visually), the fridge is Samsung, and the dishwasher is Bosch.

jmonroe1

driver100 said:

Some people, if they replace one appliance change them all at one time. That way the colors match, even blacks, stainless and whites can look different if they are different brands.

I don't think I would worry about it unless it was a noticeable difference...but, some people are really bummed out if the colors are a little difference.

Then there is jmonroe...he can live with every appliance being a completely different color.

Hey, we started out with a matching washer and dryer (avocado green) in 1969 when we built our first house but in the early to mid 80's the washer quit, so we had to replace it. Avocado green was no longer available (let's give thanks to the appliance gods for that) so we had to buy a white one. Lived with those appliances until we moved back to the Burgh from SC in 1997. We now have the same colored laundry appliances (white) although they are different brands and different years. That is too long of a story so I won't get into that but they both still work, so they ain't going nowhere. Our 3rd and now final house had/have first floor laundry rooms off the kitchen, WITH DOORS, so what is wrong with closing a door?

FWIW, in January of 2010 we redid the kitchen so now we have all stainless appliances but not all are the same brand.

jmonroe

driver100

We have black appliances at home...each appliance is a different brand. The house was built about 12 years ago, the builder is an excellent one, but, he gets deals on appliances and buys whatever he can get. No one would know they are different by the looks and I don't care. But, a repairman told us some people want all their appliances to be the same brand.......and some will toss out good appliances so they can buy all new ones-of the same brand.

If you look closely, blacks, stainless and white can be slightly different, depending on the brand.
btw...we have different brands in Florida too, all white, but the washer and dryer are both white and are matching Maytags.

ab348

Amazing development this morning - the ability of the forums software to recognize a board as having no new posts if you use the back button after reading it has been RESTORED! Will wonders never cease?

abacomike

driver100 said:

We have black appliances at home...each appliance is a different brand. The house was built about 12 years ago, the builder is an excellent one, but, he gets deals on appliances and buys whatever he can get. No one would know they are different by the looks and I don't care. But, a repairman told us some people want all their appliances to be the same brand.......and some will toss out good appliances so they can buy all new ones-of the same brand. If you look closely, blacks, stainless and white can be slightly different, depending on the brand. btw...we have different brands in Florida too, all white, but the washer and dryer are both white and are matching Maytags.

The Maytag repairman is much busier nowadays - the brand is not as good as it used to be - but neither are Whirlpool, Amana or GE.  

jmonroe1

ab348 said:

Amazing development this morning - the ability of the forums software to recognize a board as having no new posts if you use the back button after reading it has been RESTORED! Will wonders never cease?

It about time they put our dues to good use.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

We have black appliances at home...each appliance is a different brand. The house was built about 12 years ago, the builder is an excellent one, but, he gets deals on appliances and buys whatever he can get. No one would know they are different by the looks and I don't care. But, a repairman told us some people want all their appliances to be the same brand.......and some will toss out good appliances so they can buy all new ones-of the same brand.

If you look closely, blacks, stainless and white can be slightly different, depending on the brand.
btw...we have different brands in Florida too, all white, but the washer and dryer are both white and are matching Maytags.

The Maytag repairman is much busier nowadays - the brand is not as good as it used to be - but neither are Whirlpool, Amana or GE.  

I don't like talking about appliances that are still working but since our old mis-matched white washer (1987 Maytag inherited from my Mother after we moved back to the Burgh in 1997) and a1997 Kenmore dryer, I am heavily leaning towards replacing them with Speed Queen when the time comes. Around here they seem to be available only from mom-and-pop aplliance stores. They are not cheap but I have read some very good reviews about them.

I think I just jinxed myself.

jmonroe

driver100

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

We have black appliances at home...each appliance is a different brand. The house was built about 12 years ago, the builder is an excellent one, but, he gets deals on appliances and buys whatever he can get. No one would know they are different by the looks and I don't care. But, a repairman told us some people want all their appliances to be the same brand.......and some will toss out good appliances so they can buy all new ones-of the same brand.

If you look closely, blacks, stainless and white can be slightly different, depending on the brand.
btw...we have different brands in Florida too, all white, but the washer and dryer are both white and are matching Maytags.

The Maytag repairman is much busier nowadays - the brand is not as good as it used to be - but neither are Whirlpool, Amana or GE.  

Guess that is why they don't have those ads anymore......with the lonely Maytag repairman.

driver100

jmonroe1 said:

abacomike said:

driver100 said:

We have black appliances at home...each appliance is a different brand. The house was built about 12 years ago, the builder is an excellent one, but, he gets deals on appliances and buys whatever he can get. No one would know they are different by the looks and I don't care. But, a repairman told us some people want all their appliances to be the same brand.......and some will toss out good appliances so they can buy all new ones-of the same brand.

If you look closely, blacks, stainless and white can be slightly different, depending on the brand.
btw...we have different brands in Florida too, all white, but the washer and dryer are both white and are matching Maytags.

The Maytag repairman is much busier nowadays - the brand is not as good as it used to be - but neither are Whirlpool, Amana or GE.  

I don't like talking about appliances that are still working but since our old mis-matched white washer (1987 Maytag inherited from my Mother after we moved back to the Burgh in 1997) and a1997 Kenmore dryer, I am heavily leaning towards replacing them with Speed Queen when the time comes. Around here they seem to be available only from mom-and-pop aplliance stores. They are not cheap but I have read some very good reviews about them.

I think I just jinxed myself

.

jmonroe

According to Clark:
When you look at brand reliability, the most reliable HE washing machine brand is Speed Queen, followed by Roper, Maytag and Samsung. Further down in reliability, it’s Whirlpool, Kenmore, GE and LG.

For front-loading washers, there were only two best buys: The LG WM3170CW ($720) and the Maytag Maxima MHW5100DW ($750).

When it comes to front-loading reliability, LG is tops, followed by Samsung, Amana, Kenmore and Maytag.

In the world of electric dryers, it’s a two-horse race. Consumer Reports gives recommended buy marks to two models from Samsung and two from LG.

For Samsung, it’s the DV56H9100EG ($1,200) and DV56H9000EP ($1,200). For LG, the magazine likes the DLEX8500V ($1,450) and the DLEX7700VE ($1,200).

On the question of brand reliability for electric dryers, LG takes first place. After that, you have Maytag, Kenmore and Whirlpool.

Interestingly, washers and dryers fail more than other common electronics purchases. About one in eight washers will fail over the first few years of ownership. With dryers, you get more reliability on average, with only one in 16 failing during that same time period
FULL ARTICLE

driver100

Took the MB C250 to the dealer in Sarasota for recall work....a harness that goes on the steering column and prevents the airbag from going off accidentally. Delicious freshly baked chocolate chip cookies right on the premises, and good coffee. Work was scheduled for 2 hours but took 90 minutes, and they washed the car beautifully......inside was done too - 1st class wash job.
I was impressed that they didn't try to sell me anything extra, not even wiper blades. Staff were all friendly and they were very nice to Trixie.
A very nice experience overall.

ab348

jmonroe1 said:

I don't like talking about appliances that are still working but since our old mis-matched white washer (1987 Maytag inherited from my Mother after we moved back to the Burgh in 1997) and a1997 Kenmore dryer, I am heavily leaning towards replacing them with Speed Queen when the time comes. Around here they seem to be available only from mom-and-pop aplliance stores. They are not cheap but I have read some very good reviews about them.

I think I just jinxed myself.

I think you did too.

A couple of years ago Speed Queen decided to update their old tried-and-true model and the results are a disaster:

https://www.cnet.com/reviews/speed-queen-tr7-washing-machine-review/

Like the TR7 car, it seems the TR7 washer disappoints.

Maybe you can find the old models on the sales floor too, I don't know. Or maybe you can buy Mrs. JM a coin-op commercial washer which will last and have the added benefit of paying you back.

PF_Flyer

graphicguy said:

So, our beloved forums come in after “Road Noise, Affordability Calculator and Pre-Production Models”? At the very bottom of the page? Last link?

That doesn’t bode well for us.

We've only just begun
-Karen Carpenter

We were NOWHERE for a little bit, so we're moving in the right direction

bwia

I am a victim of bank fraud and I feel so violated. :@

Needless to say, I am vexed and extremely unhappy. Pissed off. This morning when I checked my Citizens Bank savings account $25,500 of my money was gone missing. I called my bank and they said the money was credited to Coinbase.com account drawn on Chase Manhattan Bank. But they also brought to my attention three smaller transactions with Valley Credit Union. A $0.75 debit and two credits of $0.42 and $0.33 respectively. They said the fraudster used these small amounts to test whether this was a valid and active account.

In the meantime, they will create a new savings account for me with a new user name, password and security questions. That will take about two days. But as to the returning of my money, that might take a while as they must do their own investigation and refer the case to the FBI, not to mention the endless paperwork and affidavits I will have to sign.

suydam

Wow. That’s just awful. I’ve had fraudulent credit card transactions. Once we did get money withdrawn from a savings account. It turned out that account was unknowingly linked to my debit card, which had been used by a gas station skimmer. I cut that link, and also now pay cash for gas everywhere we go. I think it took about a week to get the $ back.

henryn

The good news is that you will get your money back. The most interesting question I would have, "How did they get your account information?" Do you have a debit card tied to that account? Do you use that account to pay any bills electronically?

jmonroe1

ab348 said:

jmonroe1 said:

I don't like talking about appliances that are still working but since our old mis-matched white washer (1987 Maytag inherited from my Mother after we moved back to the Burgh in 1997) and a1997 Kenmore dryer, I am heavily leaning towards replacing them with Speed Queen when the time comes. Around here they seem to be available only from mom-and-pop aplliance stores. They are not cheap but I have read some very good reviews about them.

I think I just jinxed myself.

I think you did too.

A couple of years ago Speed Queen decided to update their old tried-and-true model and the results are a disaster:

https://www.cnet.com/reviews/speed-queen-tr7-washing-machine-review/

Like the TR7 car, it seems the TR7 washer disappoints.

Maybe you can find the old models on the sales floor too, I don't know. Or maybe you can buy Mrs. JM a coin-op commercial washer which will last and have the added benefit of paying you back.

Thanks for that info. Now I'm back to square one. It looks like I have to do some more research.

As for giving Mrs. j a bag of quarters and telling her to go do the wash, that ain't gonna happen. However, if you're game you can come over anytime and try for yourself. I'd even make a car payment for you, just to watch that event. Hint, bring along your best running shoes for a few laps around our dining room table.

jmonroe

PF_Flyer

100%, let's hunt the fraudsters down :@

You made me go check MY Citizens accounts

stickguy

The only thing I ever use my debit card for is taking out cash at the ATM at my bank. I would never link it to anything.

I also pay cash at gas stations, but I can easily do that since in NJ the attendant pumps the gas. When I am out of state, I do have to use a card, because I am not dealing with going inside, prepaying, then going back for change.

what I did do was sign up for gas cards at the major stations so I had plenty of choices. Also gave a set to my daughter at college. E/M, sunoco and Shell. Used that instead of a real card, or cash. As a bonus, usually got a discount. Of course, recently almost all of those stations got sold and all new brands moved in. Oh well. back to cash, and on the road, I can usually still find one of them to go to.

jmonroe1

bwia said:

I am a victim of bank fraud and I feel so violated. :@

Needless to say, I am vexed and extremely unhappy. Pissed off. This morning when I checked my Citizens Bank savings account $25,500 of my money was gone missing. I called my bank and they said the money was credited to Coinbase.com account drawn on Chase Manhattan Bank. But they also brought to my attention three smaller transactions with Valley Credit Union. A $0.75 debit and two credits of $0.42 and $0.33 respectively. They said the fraudster used these small amounts to test whether this was a valid and active account.

In the meantime, they will create a new savings account for me with a new user name, password and security questions. That will take about two days. But as to the returning of my money, that might take a while as they must do their own investigation and refer the case to the FBI, not to mention the endless paperwork and affidavits I will have to sign.

Man that is some BAD stuff. We don't do any online banking of any kind so that might help us but to be sure, I think I will follow up with a thought I've had for a while now and that is, going to the bank and setting up a, "no withdrawals via online transactions, only in person transactions", like we have always done. I don't know why that can't be done.

Don't take this the wrong way but it could have been done by a Rams fan while you were watching the Pats Superbowl Parade on Tuesday.

jmonroe

driver100

Bwia, thanks for the warning. I would think we all try to be as careful as possible so we aren't scammed, but, some things you can't defend against. I guess you have no idea how they got the information they needed to get into your account?

I just read about a banking scam in this area. They call and say they are checking because you have an account at BofA or Chase. If you say you don't they hang up. If you stay on the line they give you an 800 number to call, but that is their number. They say your card is compromised, they will send a driver around to pick it up. They take it, give you a receipt, and they know they can bill up to $500 at one store on a card and most places won't check it. They do 5 a day and then ditch the card.

henryn

Pretty much everywhere that I buy gas accepts my American Express card, which makes life simple. On average, about once every 24 months I have to get a new Amex card and number due to some problem. Which means I have to reset all of the automatic bill payments which come off the card, which is a bit of a pain. But still better than automatic payments coming out of my bank account (Credit Union, really).

American Express really does take care of their customers. I swear by them, and have no other credit cards these days. I can remember having a billfold full of cards, Mastercard, Visa, Chevron, Exxon, Sears, Firestone, Texaco, god only knows.

These days I have the Amex, and a debit card, which I hardly ever use except at the ATM.

stickguy

one thing good to have is alerts set up. So you get a text or email whenever a transaction happens. I have that set up on my credit cards I normally use. ANything over $20, I get an email. That was the card our daughter hat at school for certain "stuff". Took her a while to figure out how I knew so quick when she bought something.

henryn

I thought I would give my thoughts on the washing machine I wound up with.

GE, top load, with agitator, model # GTW460ASJWW


It seems to get my clothes clean, and do it in a reasonable amount of time. Which is really all I was looking for. It lets you set the water level yourself (or it can do it for you).

I was curious what it sounded like, after reading some complaints in the user reviews. It does sound a little strange, if you’re standing there listening to it. But mine is in the garage, so I could care less.

I have no idea how long it will last. Based on the things I have read, probably none of the newer machines will last as long as the older models.

jmonroe1

driver100 said:

Bwia, thanks for the warning. I would think we all try to be as careful as possible so we aren't scammed, but, some things you can't defend against. I guess you have no idea how they got the information they needed to get into your account?

I just read about a banking scam in this area. They call and say they are checking because you have an account at BofA or Chase. If you say you don't they hang up. If you stay on the line they give you an 800 number to call, but that is their number. They say your card is compromised, they will send a driver around to pick it up. They take it, give you a receipt, and they know they can bill up to $500 at one store on a card and most places won't check it. They do 5 a day and then ditch the card.

As always, it seems like the bad guys are smarter than the good guys. Then the good guys find ways to stop the bad guys and then the cycle starts again. Of course, courts that use bullets to get rid of the bad guys would slow this stuff way down but that wouldn't be PC. So, the game continues.

jmonroe

PF_Flyer

My brother had a credit card number stolen at a gas station 2 blocks from his house in NJ. When you used a card to pay, the attendant had his hand held card reader. The information was being sent to someone who then was making purchases in the Carolinas, 5 minutes after his fillup. Credit card company caught it immediately since the transactions happened so close in time and so far apart.

Nobody in my house is allowed to say the word YES on the phone. I got slammed by a long distance carrier scam. Phone rang, asked if I was a customer of XYZ long distance and did I like the service. Yes. They then had my voice saying YES to whatever question they wanted to cut and paste it to. They changed my long distance carrier and I didn't find out until the billing cycle when there were about $300 in "fees" for the switch. Of course their contact info went inactive. I DID get to talk about it with every local TV news station who came to my living room after I let them know about it.

Don't know if anyone ever got got, but it reinforced a life lesson.

dino001

bwia said:

I am a victim of bank fraud and I feel so violated. :@

Needless to say, I am vexed and extremely unhappy. Pissed off. This morning when I checked my Citizens Bank savings account $25,500 of my money was gone missing. I called my bank and they said the money was credited to Coinbase.com account drawn on Chase Manhattan Bank. But they also brought to my attention three smaller transactions with Valley Credit Union. A $0.75 debit and two credits of $0.42 and $0.33 respectively. They said the fraudster used these small amounts to test whether this was a valid and active account.

In the meantime, they will create a new savings account for me with a new user name, password and security questions. That will take about two days. But as to the returning of my money, that might take a while as they must do their own investigation and refer the case to the FBI, not to mention the endless paperwork and affidavits I will have to sign.

Man, this really sucks. 25 grand is no chump change to lose, even if only temporarily. I hope you've got other funds in the meantime. The worst that happened to me was my Amex and my Visa were fraudulently charged in the past - both times the process was quite painless, although Amex made me do it twice (first they credited the account, then they sent me "my" receipts, to which I had to make a statement that these weren't mine. I also had couple of unsuccessful attempts on my finances, one was a fraudulent tax return (IRS stopped it before it went anywhere) and one other credit card was attempted, but declined. The tax thing was a hassle - I had to do an affidavit, police report and other things, just to create a paper trail for the crime. IRS made me send a paper return, but handled it OK (got my money back in just a few weeks longer than computer) and now I'm getting a special PIN from them for electronic returns. This is still nothing close to money stolen from my savings account.

You may also want to check your computer (it might have been hacked), review your online desktop and cell phone activity. In my old country there are plethora of schemes taking money from people, mostly involving some kind of phishing email, text messages, even breaking two-layer security systems (when people have to confirm the number from cell phone text message).