Obviously, with a service like this, there are bound to be some ifs and buts. The Bucks blog at NYTimes offers a nice long critique of the service discussing a lot of points which is beyond the scope of this article. It is recommended that you give that a read too before making your purchase.

Features

• Get extended warranty on products.
• Register product with the site after buying.
• Similar tools: Warrantyelephant.

Check out FreeWarranty.com @ www.freewarranty.com (By Abhijeet from GT Mobiles)

LucyPhone is a free web service that acts as a customer telephone switchboard so that you don’t have to wait on hold again when calling customer service.

To use LucyPhone, go to the website and search for a company name or type any toll-free number. Then enter your phone number and click the start button to initiate the service. LucyPhone will call you first then patch you through to the company. Interact with the company’s phone menu normally and once you are put on hold, just press ** and your call will be disconnected.

Once an agent is available on the line to talk to you, LucyPhone will call you back straight away and connect you to the customer service representative. You may also repeat pressing ** when you are put on hold again.

For more info watch demo video:

Features:

• Never wait on hold when calling customer service.
• Add a company’s number to the LucyPhone directory.
• Tweet about your LucyPhone call or publish it in Facebook.
• Free, signup is optional.
• Similar tools: IVRHacks, DialAHuman and GetHuman.

Check out LucyPhone @ www.lucyphone.com

Since it essentially acts as a search engine, Caveat Emptor works on any website: eBay, Amazon, Craigslist and any others you can think of. The results are kept up to date by the commission itself, meaning you’ll find the information relevant for your purchase.

Features:

• Search product names for recalls by highlighting, then right-clicking.
• Works on any website.
• Shows recall information from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
• For more similar sites see 5 Best Sites To Check For Company Product Recalls.

Check out Caveat Emptor @ addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/56503

Simply select the desired company from the list and you will be able to add your comment/complaint for the company. You will also be able to view the mentions, ideas, problems and questions related to the company on Twitter. FollowBase filters the tweets based on hashtags and keywords to mark them as a question or a problem. You can explore the list of companies by topic or add a company. If you represent a company, you can claim your page and add other interactive features for better customer service.

Features:

• Get customer support for companies via Twitter.
• Post your question/comment/complaint for the company.
• View mentions, ideas, problems and questions related to a company.
• Add a company by simply entering the Twitter username.
• No registration/login required.

Visit FollowBase @ www.followbase.com

The FCIC provides links to consumer related information in over 60 languages and has a separate section for educators with suggested lessons for kids. You can also read blogs from various Government entities including the Federal Trade Commission. Users can also browse through the catalog of consumer-focused publications and buy them online. FCIC also provides detailed information about getting in touch if you have questions or comments about Federal agencies or services.

Features:

• Consumer-focused information by the federal government.
• Browse through thousands of publications and order online.
• Read blogs from federal agencies like FTC.
• Collection of useful links for consumer action.
• Links to consumer information in 60+ languages.
• No registration required.

Visit FCIC @ www.pueblo.gsa.gov

After registration, you’re simply asked for basic information about the product such as a description and of course an expiry date. The tool also helps you with locating the product when it needs to be found before it expires by asking for location of the product as seen in the “˜Ad Product’ screenshot. Once a product has been posted it can be edited from the inventory screen to reflect sales or further purchases of the product.

E-mail notifications are sent out to you by the ExpireTrack when one of your products is nearing its expiry date. All of the information you entered above will be displayed in the e-mail so you can get to the product easily.

This tool could also be utilized on a personal level to remind you of overdue insurance bills, warranty expiration of electronic gadgets, magazine subscriptions and such other reoccurring events which we all must keep track of.

Main features:

• Reminds you when products are about to expire by e-mail.
• Easy-to-use interface.
• You can print the inventory easily from the website.
• You can also save it onto your PC as an .xls file.
• Similar tool: WarrantyElephant.

Check out ExpireTrack @ www.expiretrack.com (by Dean Sherwin)

The site lets you search for a company by name, browse the companies with the best or worst customer service ratings and also read user comments.

If you would like to share some of your own experiences you may also submit your comments and ratings for any company.

Features:

• Customer service ratings for over 150 top US companies.
• Ratings are based on user feedback submitted online.
• Browse companies with the best and worst customer service.
• View customer hotline number for any listed company.
• View relevant company news.
• Boycott a particular company and all of its products.
• Rate and submit comments for any listed company, no registration needed.
• Similar sites ContactHelp and GetSatisfaction.

Check out Customer Service Scoreboard @ www.CustomerServiceScoreboard.com (via GeekSugar)

Users can rate and write reviews about websites that they have personally used and browse websites reviews submitted by others. For easier navigation the reviews are nicely organized by topic, travel, health, music etc. The site also provides useful tips on detecting fraudulent sites and scams.

Features:

• View websites’ ratings and rate websites.
• Search reviews for a website or browse websites’ reviews by topic.
• Read user reviews and view ratings.
• Rate and leave website reviews using your Facebook credentials or sign up for a SiteJabber account.
• Useful tips and articles on detecting fraudulent sites and scams.
• Similar websites: RipOffReport and Hoax-Slayer.

Check out SiteJabber @ www.sitejabber.com

The site will send you email alerts at 6 months, 1 month and 1 week before your warranty expires, this way you would be able to keep an eye on your goods and their warranty stratus.

You can also upload the copy of warranty and invoice so that you don’t have to search for it when you need to exercise your warranty rights.

Features:

• Store all your warranty information online.
• Get reminders before your warranty expires.
• Retrieve important information with (telephone numbers, serial numbers.. etc) with a single click.
• Upload warranty copies and invoices.
• Free and easy to use.

Check out WarrantyElephant @ www.warrantyelephant.com

Sign-up, search WireWize for the device you need help with, and get free step-by-step connection guide. You can save the setup guide in your ‘WireWize Locker’ and access it anytime later. In case you’re also missing a service manual then you can get one from SafeManuals.

Features:

• Step-by-Step instructions on how to connect home electronics.
• Diagrams and definitions of jacks and plugs.
• Get additional product information for your appliance.
• Find tech support contact details for manufacturer.
• How to guides for adding new components.
• and more …

Check out WireWize @ www.wirewize.com