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The article discusses Web sites designed to make consumers' lives easier, including Ben Popken's Consumerist.com with postings on getting out of cellphone contracts and getting top-level customer service, Gina Trapani's Lifehacker.com site explaining how to fix DVD scratches and download MP3 files from streaming music sites, and FiveCentNickel.com's advice on credit cards.

This article profiles websites dedicated to reader-written reviews of local companies and services. Websites such as www.insiderpages.com and www.angieslist.com allow users to provide word-of-mouth recommendations to their neighbors and community. The local search sites are designed to provide an internet version of the archetypal knowledgeable neighbor, with recommendations for any service or company.

Discusses DVD rentals by mail. Invention of the category by Netflix seven years ago; Entry of Blockbuster and Wal-Mart into the market; Comparison of DVD rental service at the three companies; Overview of their Web sites; Description of how the processing works, from choosing the movies to receiving them in the mail to returning them; Reasons for the appeal of these companies, including their convenience, vast selection and accommodation of quirky tastes; Reference to the flat monthly fee charged by the companies; Appeal of no late fees and no deadlines.

Jorge Espinoza, the founder of PreRace, a Web site where bicyclists and runners can register for races, was on a roll in March. In three days his site took in over $1 million in registrations for a major bike race, much more than usual. Then PayPal, the online payment service that his site was using to process credit card transactions, froze the company's account. To PayPal, the flurry of activity raised suspicions about fraud, so it told Mr. Espinoza that it was holding the money. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DMITRI SIEGEL, until last year a marketing executive at Urban Outfitters, thought he had hit on a novel idea to personalize the company's Web site for frequent customers. He would make it easier for female shoppers to peruse women's apparel and for men to concentrate on men's clothing by altering the site's product displays to match a user's gender. It seemed like a no-brainer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ONLINE listing services have proliferated in recent years. Following are four popular sites, along with a comparison to a traditional vacation rental agency. Full details are available on each service's Web site or through their customer service departments. HOMEAWAY.COM HomeAway charges $329 a year for a basic listing, which covers 24 photos, reviews, an availability calendar and a map. The service offers owners a tiered pricing system with more options for additional fees, up to the $999 ''platinum search position,'' which places their homes higher in search results. homeaway.com; (877) 225-6723 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A colleague recently alerted Bucks to a situation she encountered after closing her online account at Blockbuster, which last year was acquired by Dish Network. Because of all the news in recent months about hacked accounts, she thought that deleting her credit card information from the defunct account might be a good idea. But when she went to Blockbuster's Web site, she found she couldn't do that online. So she e-mailed customer service, which e-mailed her a response that said, in effect: Not possible. ''The information we have on file for you is kept for accounting purposes and cannot be removed,'' the e-mail said in part. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

San Francisco CONSUMER review sites like Yelp are a wonderful resource if you're trying to find a reliable plumber or good hair salon. And they provide a great forum for customers looking to rant or rave. However, as these sites begin to cover more aspects of consumer life, complications arise -- as, for instance, when people review confidential mental health care services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is open to your suggestions. Officials have said they expect that the bureau will become the ''cop on the beat'' to enforce laws on consumer financial products and services like credit cards and student loans and will serve as a voice for consumers. But the bureau doesn't get most of its legal authority until July. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dec. 17, 2:59 p.m. Updated Adding at the end that on Friday, Yahoo said it was not closing Delicious. As part of its effort to streamline its beleaguered Web business, Yahoo may shut down several well-known Web products, including Delicious, a social bookmarking tool, and Upcoming, a social calendar. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article reports that Mountain View, California-based start-up Ribbit has introduced a customer service that allows computer programmers add telephone features to any Web page. Ribbit provides a full telephone switchboard on its server. The switchboard is connected to the public-switched telephone network and Internet.

The article presents information on an online advertisement campaign for the marketer TIAA-CREF to promote sales and allure customers to its financial services through its website powerof.org. The campaign has been created by the company Modernista with a theme titled "Financial services for the greater good." The print advertisement of the company captures the heading "Think.org-onimically."

The article presents information on the growing popularity of social networking websites among business travelers in the U.S. Eran Steinberg, senior vice president of Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's Corp has commented on the effectiveness of such sites in sharing information. Sheraton and Extended Stay hotels have started blogs for their customers, where they can share their experiences.

The article presents the author's comments about online shopping. The author says that many online stores are present on the Internet. She says that they help consumers to buy several products which they cannot find easily. She says that one can buy products such as dolls, handbags and napkins on different web sites.

The article reports that Travelport, parent company of the travel Web site Orbitz.com, has hired UBS AG as its advisor to explore an initial public offering for its subsidiary Orbitz. Orbitz offers its customer services to find and book airline and hotel reservations online. Travelport expects to hold an offering for Orbitz in the second quarter.

The article presents the author's comments about various types of cuff links that are available on the Internet. The author says that silver double-knot cuff links are available at the web site www.tiffany.com. She says that consumers can buy reversible cuff links with saucer stones at the web site www.babette-wasserman.com.

The article reports that Ted Leonsis, vice chairman of AOL LLC, will give up all his management related responsibilities by the end OF 2006. He will resign from the president's post and will continue as vice chairman of the company. AOL is planning to cut 5,000 jobs in the marketing and customer services. AOL creates web sites and sell advertisements on them.

The article reviews several customer service related Web sites including www.beautybar.com, www.priceline.com and www.usairways.com.

The article features the web site Get Human, which sets out principles for the right ways for companies to interact with customers and encourages visitors to rate their experiences.

This article presents information about several web sites that help consumers in evaluating different products and services.

Features the Picket Fence restaurant in New York City. Type of menu served at the restaurant; Assessment on the quality of service; Contact information and Web site of the eatery.

Presents the schedule of the seminars and meetings of several food service firms in New York City. Contact information and Web sites of the organizers; Efforts of wine experts David Weitzenhoffer and Jeremy Ensey to offer a series of Italian regional wine classes in the city; Details on the products and services offered at Wildflower restaurant.

Presents several restaurants in New York City. Details on the products and services offered at Ginger restaurant; Selection of various menus at Turquoise Grill; Contact information and Web sites of Angie's Kitchen.

Presents several hotels and restaurants in the U.S. Room rates at Hotel Waldesruh; Contact information and Web sites of the hotels; Services offered in various restaurants.

Presents several hotels and restaurants in Mexico City, Mexico. Room rates at the Condesa DF Hotel; Details on the products and services offered at Colonia Roma restaurant; Contact information and Web sites of the bars and restaurants.

Reports on the attention given by many product manufacturers on how customers will use their products. Availability of an adviser feature on the Web site of Dell Computer Corp. with questions to consider about portable personal computers; Measurement of each camera's shutter lag by Popular Photography and Imaging.

Reports on how the Internet is bringing architects and homeowners together. Example of Nancy and John Fields in California who had trouble finding the right architect; Use of www.servicemagic.com to find David Marlatt who designed what they wanted; Two national Web-based services that screen potential matches between architects and homeowners; Advantages of the introduction method for both service provider and consumer; Comments from Rodney Rice, a co-founder of ServiceMagic on how the site works; Second site which is www.improvenet.com.

Features the ZoEmail, a Web-based email service that incorporates patented technology developed by AT&T Corp. in the U.S. Provision of information related to online shopping; Contact information; Importance of the service to secure computer files.

Focuses on a survey conducted by Jupiter Media Matrix, an Internet research firm, which measured customer service response times at several Web sites in December 2001.

Focuses on the trend of incorporating audio and video features on the sites of Web retailers to attract buyers' attention. Benefits of giving customers interactive experience; Advantages of offering Internet multimedia presentation in a retailer's Web site; Overview of Nike's Web site; Information on companies that provide Internet multimedia services to online retailers.

Reports on the free news services offered by TheStreet.com, a financial Web site based in New York City, New York. Expectations about the offering; Features of the subscription sections of the Web site; Other fee-based services offered by the company.

Reports that as of January 27, 1999, Delta Airlines has withdrawn the surcharge it imposed earlier in the month on tickets purchased anywhere but on its own Web site. Airline spokesman Todd Clay's explanation of the move; Reasons for the imposition of the surcharge.

Focuses on the variety of products available online. Expectation that 1998 online holiday purchases will be twice what they were in 1997, according to Nick Donatiello, president of San Francisco, California market research firm Odyssey; Customer services developed by Internet retailers; Popular sites for books, toys, jewelry and other items; Site that searches commercial sites and identifies sources for desired items; Contact points. INSET: Cards, Songs, Menorahs and a Price on That Partridge.

Features Live Manuals, a Web site that enables consumer electronics manufacturers to generate simulations of their products. Benefits of the site for prospective product users.

Looks at poor on-line customer services in the United States. Reason problems occur in on-line services; Two lessons that Internet merchants learned in customer service; Rating of Sitstay GoOut Store's site; Comments from customers.