The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

PAGE 12 WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14,.1987 T'OP 10 consum er concerns.of '861 Fitness clubs, uaed cars and talent agencies were among -the top 10 consumer concerna of 1986,. according to Dave Mitchell, director of consumer services at the Minlatry of Con- sumer and Commercial Relations.' Although shoddy work and excessive prices for home and car repaira continued to draw the largest number of com- plaints, 10 other trouble trends were: Fltness clubs - Con- sumera were left with worthless long-term membershlps when fit- ness clubs .-went bankrupt. Although legislation, on prepaid services like this will be introduced next spring. Mitchell advlses con-, sumera to avoid signing long-term contracts. Used cars - Cars that wereni't'so 'kently used as their sellers claimed were a continuing sour- ce of consumer wbeq. "Make . sure you're dealing with a reputable seller, especially if you're buying through a classjfied ad, " warns Mitchell. 1"And, check ou~t the history of the car, including liens." Talent and modelllng agencles - Promises of fame and fortune lured many consumera into paying big'money to agencies that could not deliver the. jobs or photographa that were promised. I"Investigate the track record of th e business. and verlfy in advance any promises that are' made," suggests Mitchell. Cottages - Vacation dream homes turned in- to nightmares when consumera paid for cot- tages that were never built. "'Don't pay more than a small deposit, unless the money la repairs. "'Know who you're dealing with, especially when YOU're making arrangements over the telephone." Vacuum cleaners - Excited by the prospect of winning a conteat, many consumera yielded to higb-pressure sales tactics and bought over-priced compact vacuum - cleaners. "Shop around and you won't be vuinerable to this typeof sale," ad- vises Mitchell. SEE PAGE 18 DurhaM Counsellin servie FROM PAGE 6 being held in trust," and the'area north of counsela Mitchell.. Whitby Made up 14'per r'ent. Furnace cleaning - . Clients have a wide When the "gas com- range of incomes, from pany" cailed, many less than $6,000.to more consumera thought they than $45,O00 annually. were dealing with their Almost haif of clients regular utility cornpany are married, while the and ended Up paying too average age ia 35 and much for cleaning and average education, Gr. often unnecessary '11. Br~k1in.. Bylines* B y BETTY-JEAN BLYTH ~Cal 655-3679 wlth Items for this column BACK AGAIN To all my faithful readers and contributors, I would like to apologize' for the lack of a column in recent weeks. The. problem was that due to the holiday pressures of business and home I was unable to check my drop box so I appointed a "gofer" to take care of it for me. Said gofer merely reported that there were no news items which didn't really sur- prise me since everyone has extra demanda on their time during the YuIe season. What the gofer failed to report was the fact that the drop box itself had mysteriously disappeared. I have now replaced it with an envelope securely taped to the front window of the IGA. just left of the doora. Hopefully this willput us ail back in business. 0f course, short items may still be called in either to the above home phono niumber or to 666-1133 durlng business hours. CUPID'S DESSERT ANDCARD PARTY The Friendship Unit of Brooklin United Church ha planned this event to take, place on Feb. Ïl. Fl'lhave further 'detais i the. coming weeks. PRAYER SERVICE On Jan. 18 at 7:30 an ecumenical service of prayer wfil be held, in Brooklln United Chur- ch. This 18 JOlntly ,spon8ored by Brooklln United and St. Thomnas' Anglican churches. The speaker wlll be Rev. Stuart MclntYre, pastor of Burns' Presbyterlan Church ln Ash- burn. Everyone is welcome and refreshmen- ts wllbe served. POTLUCK AND GAMES NIGHT Brooklln United Church Sociables are plan- ning the annual potluck supper and games might for Friday, Jan. 23. If you are planning to attend, please note that If your surname initial la somewhere between A and L, you are asked to bring a dessert. Ail others are to bring some sort of entree (main course) cisb. Inorder to ensure that everyone attencling wiil be able to join in the fun and to ellminate cleanup chores, everyone is requested to bring their own plates and cutlery. The fun begins at 6:30 p.m. OUTREACH SUNDAY' On Feb. 8, the Very Rev. Clarke McDonald, former moderator of the United Church, will, grace the pulpit of Brooklin United Church for this special service.- In honor of this noted personage, it la hoped that everyone wil turn out to provide a ful house. PRE-SCHOOL STORY HOUR The next session of this popular library program begins on Tuesday, Jan. 20 from 12:30 - 1:30. As only 20 children can be ac- commodated early registration la urged. MYRTLE LIBRARY VISITS' Beginning on Wed., Jan. 21, the library wil again viait Myrtie Umted Church every other week until March4. The Urne is 12: 30 - 1 :30 p.m. CUPID'S DESSERT AND CARD PARTY The Friendship Unit of Brooklin United Church has planned thia event to take place on Feb. il. l'Il have further ýdetails in the coming weeks. TRUCKLO(iqquumwAD ýles. Ë*l e à s'Ir