10.24.25 Clark Answers His Critics on Clark Stinks / What Put The Brakes On Home Break-Ins

Summary

The Clark Howard Podcast — Episode Summary

Episode Title: Clark Answers His Critics on Clark Stinks / What Put The Brakes On Home Break-Ins
Date: October 24, 2025
Host: Clark Howard
Co-Host: Krista

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Overview

This episode features two primary segments:

1. Clark Stinks – Clark reads and responds to listener criticisms, corrections, and feedback on topics ranging from insurance shopping to investment advice and beyond.
2. The Decline in Home Break-Ins – Clark explains the dramatic drop in home burglaries over the past generation, attributing the decline to affordable home security cameras, while also discussing broader privacy implications of widespread surveillance.

The episode is lively and candid, with Clark responding openly to constructive criticism, sharing practical consumer tips, and injecting his trademark humor.

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1. Clark Stinks — Clark Answers Listener Criticism

(00:38–15:00)

Clark and Krista read listener submissions about where Clark may have given incomplete, off-base, or “stinky” advice. The tone is lighthearted, self-deprecating, and packed with practical corrections and suggestions.

Insurance Shopping (01:34)

• Listener (Barbara, NC): Criticizes Clark’s praise of Amica, saying rates have become uncompetitive and she saved $2,000/year switching to Erie.
• Clark: Acknowledges rapid price hikes in home/auto insurance. Says shopping around is “essential,” even for those loyal to top-rated companies.

  “There has never been a time in my lifetime that people have been shopping their auto and homeowners insurance as much as they are right now.” (02:05, Clark)

Medical Insurance & Pricing Confusion (02:50)

• Listener: Asks why Krista’s health insurance cost three times the cash price for a procedure.
• Krista: Notes this is common, even with good insurance.
• Clark: Recaps Krista’s injury and medical adventure with humor.

Scam Delivery Texts (03:56)

• Listener (Derek, NJ): Suggests Clark promote using official UPS/FedEx apps to avoid scam package notifications.
• Clark: Admits it’s a great tip, especially for holiday deliveries, and that he neglects to repeat it often.

  "Signing up for these free apps is absolutely fantastic to have during the Christmas shopping season." (04:25, Clark)

Car Repairs on Used European Vehicles (04:53)

• Listener (James, FL): Advises seeking an independent German car specialist for lower-cost, quality repairs; recommends buying late-model used vehicles for savings.
• Clark: Agrees, noting luxury German brands are designed to lease out quickly, creating deals on 2-3 year-old cars.

  "You’re buying it maybe at a 40% discount from what it would be otherwise." (05:20, Clark)

Long-term Investment Strategies (06:30)

• Listener (Michael, CA): Argues target-date funds are too conservative for young investors; advocates more aggressive portfolios for higher long-run growth.
• Clark: Defends target-date funds as best options for those uninterested or inexperienced in investing, as they encourage stock-heavy allocations when young.

  “If somebody is not interested in building their own investment portfolio … then the target retirement fund to me seems like not just a good choice, but a great choice.” (07:10, Clark)

Over-the-Air TV & ATSC 3.0 (08:00)

• Listener (James, TX): Warns that the broadcast industry’s transition to ATSC 3.0 may require paid decryption and new hardware for antenna users.
• Clark: Admits he wasn’t aware; pledges to research further and appreciates the heads-up.

Better Savings Options (10:06)

• Listener (Brian, WA): Criticizes Clark for telling a listener it was okay to leave a large amount of savings in a brick-and-mortar bank instead of a high-yield account or brokerage money market.
• Clark: Admits error; says he had "a brain meltdown," reaffirms online banks and brokerage accounts are far superior.

  “I don’t know when you would have money in a savings account or CD at a traditional bank branch. Never.” (10:46, Clark)

Frontier Airlines’ Reputation (11:29)

• Listeners (Michael, SD & Joe, NY): Share unexpectedly positive experiences with Frontier Airlines, countering Clark’s frequent criticism.

  “Frontier is the best way to make your dollar go further. Me and my wife and our two sons flew from South Dakota to Dallas for $74 round trip total.” (12:17, Michael) “My only expectation is that they get me from point A to point B. And they do so with friendly service and clean and modern planes.” (12:28, Joe)

• Clark: Concedes Frontier evokes extreme reactions; shares he’ll be trying their Go Wild pass for the next 20 months and will report on his experiences.

  “I will have quite a bit of experience over the next 20 months flying Frontier… I’ll be sharing my tales of joy or woe as I go through the 20 months.” (13:13, Clark)

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2. What Put The Brakes On Home Break-Ins

(16:51–21:40)

Clark shifts to a broader social issue, highlighting a major win for homeowners and renters.

Plummeting Burglary Rates (16:51)

• Clark: Says residential burglaries in the US are down 85% in a generation, with most of the improvement in the past 7–8 years.
• Main Reason: Availability of low-cost, easy-to-install security cameras. Would-be burglars no longer see homes as easy targets due to the high chance of being recorded and prosecuted.

  “When it became possible for you to install a security camera at your home… for as little as 20 bucks … it became not worth the risk to a lot of would-be burglars.” (16:51, Clark)

Surveillance & Privacy Concerns (19:00)

• While celebrating safety, Clark warns of growing privacy risks:

  “…Cameras are popping up everywhere. They’re being used in totalitarian or authoritarian societies to track the movements of citizens every day to use them for oppression. In a free society, that’s not the same concern, but there is a clear invasion of privacy.” (19:00, Clark)

• He describes the difference between consumer use of cameras for safety and mass surveillance for social control.

Real-World Examples & Advice (20:00)

• Krista: Mentions using her doorbell camera’s speaker to scare off would-be thieves or interact with delivery drivers.

  “Right. Or just drop a package or whatever it is.” (21:19, Krista)

• Clark: Promises future discussion on strategies for deterring porch pirates, especially during the holiday season.

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3. Additional Listener Q&A

(21:40–28:40)

Credit Bureau Oddities (21:40)

• Listener (Ben, VA): Notices soft credit inquiries from a bank he doesn’t use—even with his credit frozen—causing concern about privacy and possible fraud.
• Clark: Explains soft inquiries can still happen due to prospecting; hard inquiries (needed for credit applications) are blocked by a freeze. Criticizes credit bureaus for poor service and lack of true consumer protections.

  “[Credit bureaus] just look at us as data points to collect, package, and sell.” (22:44, Clark)

Concierge Medical Practices & One Medical Review (24:53)

• Listener (Rafes, TX): Asks if Amazon’s One Medical is a good alternative to expensive concierge care.
• Clark: Gives personal endorsement, citing convenience, tech-forward features, affordability (especially for Prime members), and coverage in many cities. Advises trying different providers within the system for best fit.

  “I've been thrilled with it. I mean, thrilled. … If you don't like that person, get another one. Because like in any big medical practice, the quality of the individuals is variable.” (25:19, Clark)

Billing & Refund Troubles with T-Mobile and Other Providers (27:14)

• Listener (Bill, PA): Shares hassle in getting a refund from T-Mobile after switching providers, only receiving money back after demanding it.
• Clark: Confirms it’s a widespread issue regardless of company—many rely on inertia and don't automatically issue refunds. Recommends BBB complaints if necessary, and reiterates the financial and customer service advantages of switching to lower-cost providers or MVNOs like Google Fi.

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “Most things are a bell curve where people kind of meet in the middle. When people talk about Frontier, it is a barbell. People are one extreme or the other.” (13:13, Clark, on Frontier Airlines)
• “Cameras … put an app on their phone, some of the companies now charge you to have the app and the service. So it's not as cheap a deal as it used to be. But you are able to have peace of mind like you didn't have before.” (17:40, Clark, on evolving security tech)
• “...unless Congress ever overcomes the dirty money that congressmen and senators get from the credit bureaus and pass real consumer protections, it's going to continue to be a joke with the credit bureaus.” (22:44, Clark)
• “...we're creatures of habit. And when you are a creature of habit, what happens? You may cost yourself with crummy customer no service or you may just cost yourself with flat out dollars and cents.” (28:03, Clark)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:38 — Episode start and Clark Stinks intro
• 01:34 — Insurance loyalty and shopping around
• 02:50 — Health insurance pricing confusion
• 03:56 — Package scam texts and delivery apps
• 04:53 — Used European car repair strategies
• 06:30 — Investment strategies: aggressive portfolios vs target-date funds
• 08:00 — Over-the-air TV’s future and ATSC 3.0
• 10:06 — Best places for savings
• 11:29 — Frontier Airlines: cheap flights vs. reputation
• 13:53 — Clark’s upcoming 20-month “Frontier experiment”
• 16:51 — Why home burglaries have plummeted
• 19:00 — Surveillance vs. privacy
• 21:40 — Soft credit inquiries and the realities of “credit freeze”
• 24:53 — Amazon One Medical firsthand review
• 27:14 — T-Mobile billing/refund issues, advice for switchers

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Tone & Style

Warm, friendly, frank, and at times self-effacing. Clark welcomes criticism, provides context, and always hammers home the principles of saving money, consumer empowerment, and being proactive about your financial (and physical) security.

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This summary covers all main topics and listener interactions, capturing the advice, stories, and humor that make The Clark Howard Podcast a must-listen for savvy consumers.

Transcript

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

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[Clark Howard]

It'S my pleasure to welcome you here to the Clark Howard Show. Our mission is to serve you with advice and information that empowers you so you make better financial decisions in your life. And today is a great, great day because not only is it Friday, it's also Clark Stinks day. I get to hear where I messed up thanks to your submissions on clark.com clark stinks. Also some great news. Great news. Home break ins are down thanks to one thing. I'm going to talk about that later, but now it's time for Clark Stanks. I should have never encouraged you to speak. You must think I'm pretty stupid.

[Krista]

You should be ashamed of yourself.

[Clark Howard]

Well, maybe I'm wrong.

[Krista]

Maybe I'm wrong.

[Clark Howard]

Maybe you're right, pal.

[Krista]

All right, I'm going to start. I'm just going to go ahead and name names these companies, just FYI. Okay, Barbara in North Carolina says Clark, you don't stink. But you're mistaken about Amica. I, I had them for years. I bought a new home and they refused to give me homeowners insurance. That was a blessing. I knew Erie was a good company so I went with them. The bottom line, I and three of my friends with with Amica had no idea they had gotten so expensive. We all switched and each of us had saved about $2,000 a year for car and home tell people to do their homework.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah. So there has never been a time in my lifetime that people have been shopping their auto and homeowners insurance as much as they are right now. And that's for obvious reasons the price increases that have happened with auto and homeowners and then a lot of homeowners being non renewed mean fired by their homeowners insurer people are now in the marketplace shopping around. And so Erie is a company that has a good reputation as well. And this is an example of shopping around as a loyalist with one of the top rated companies Amica and seeing what else is out there. Why not?

[Krista]

Matthew in Georgia says, hi, Clark, you stink worse than the refs at the Georgia versus Auburn game.

[Clark Howard]

Okay, that would be pretty hard, right?

[Krista]

This was about, I guess, my finger incident. Why does Krista have health insurance that costs three times as much as the cash price? I know you can do better. And the Falcons need to start Cousins.

[Clark Howard]

As Pennix and the coach, I think, I think he's getting better.

[Krista]

A few people joked about that. The thing with the health insurance, and I'll just say this, we have great health insurance. Very lucky to have it. But this is a common thing. And the people at my infectious disease doctor where I have my IVs said that all the time. This happens with every insurer. It's a lot better. Yeah.

[Clark Howard]

Still a chip bone in there.

[Krista]

Yep.

[Clark Howard]

So Chris had this huge medical thing.

[Krista]

A pick line.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah. Because she got into a fight between her two dogs that chopped her finger up. But as the doctor said, if you don't follow my instructions, you're gonna lose your finger.

[Krista]

No, the tip of my finger, the top part.

[Clark Howard]

But he did. He did what? He went like.

[Krista]

He made it sniffing. Yeah, yeah. He actually had a situation scissor in his hands when he did that. And I was like, okay. All right. Derek in New Jersey says, clark, you only stink a little. Like my middle schoolers locker. In response to people who call regarding UPS and FedEx scam texts. I've never heard you talk about signing up for their apps. UPS and FedEx will send you an email if a package is on the way. You can also check the app to see if a package is actually sent to your address, thereby avoiding these scam texts.

[Clark Howard]

This is such a great suggestion, something I've done for years with FedEx, UPS and also I should mention, I do informed delivery with the postal service, which is a free thing. And signing up for these free apps is absolutely fantastic to have during the Christmas shopping season. So yes, great suggestion. Sorry I haven't mentioned it in a long, long time.

[Krista]

James in Florida says the answer to the individual with a used Audi needing $3,000 in repairs is this. The first question is whether they've got a second quote from another shop. My choice would be an independent German specialist. Normally you can get the same quality for a lower price. I purchase 2 year old cars and keep them for up to 300,000 miles or 20 years. The best advice is keep up with the maintenance and get to know the shop.

[Clark Howard]

Everything you said is so right on the money. First thing I want to mention that you said that is Essential for people to know is that the German luxury brands, their whole business is set up on getting expense account people and people who love fancy new wheels all the time to lease a vehicle from them. And then that creates this very large supply of usually 2 more often 3 year old vehicles that have a very large drop in value in those first three years. And so you buy it, it's got 90 plus percent of its life cycle left, but you're buying it maybe at a 40% discount from what it would be otherwise. So it's really great what you're doing and going to one of the independent shops that in any mid size or large market that exists just to deal with the complexity of European brands is a really, really smart thing instead of going to the dealer when you're out of warranty.

[Krista]

Michael, in California, says Clark, you're emanating an odor that smells like fear. I have been diligently saving since the age of 25. Please placed half my portfolio in growth stocks using ETFs and mutual funds, not individual stocks. I'm now 55 years old. I always made less than $100,000 a year until just this year my portfolio has grown to $3.2 million. I suggest, strongly suggest young people take more risk to get better portfolio growth. Don't let the volatility of growth stocks stop you from investing in them. I don't agree with you that target retirement funds are a smart way to invest when you have decades before retirement. There's plenty of time to get fearful later.

[Clark Howard]

Michael, thank you. And a well designed target retirement fund will be when somebody's really young, have 90% of money in usually index funds, stock index funds. And the reason I like the Target retirement fund so much is that a lot of people don't have interest in, are intimidated by or don't understand investing. So they will tend to err way too conservatively in an IRA or a workplace 401k or equivalent. So if somebody is not interested in building their own investment portfolio, it's not their thing. Then the Target retirement fund to me seems like not just a good choice, but a great choice.

[Krista]

James in Texas says, regarding your suggestion to get an antenna to watch OTA tv, I hope you're aware that that the broadcast industry wants to transition to ATSC 3.0 as soon as possible.

[Clark Howard]

I don't know what that is.

[Krista]

A couple people wrote in about it. So this means they can encrypt the signal requiring you to pay to unscramble the signal. Also, since there are very few TVs or other devices that have ATSC 3.0 tuners. So an adapter will be required at an additional cost. Your viewers should be aware of this before they spend money on an antenna at this time. Now, inexpensive antenna would be okay until this gets resolved. Check out the Antenna Guy on YouTube for detailed information.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah, I'll read about this because it's never something I've even heard anything about. And this is why we do yes.

[Krista]

At SC.

[Clark Howard]

SC 3.0, huh? Yeah, because. Okay, so what happens is that, like if you are on Sling like I am, since I wouldn't pay for YouTube TV anymore, although they did make me a nice offer recently and I was tempted, but I've stayed with Sling so far.

[Krista]

I took it.

[Clark Howard]

You took the special offer. So with Sling, they're so hard to negotiate with for local network affiliates that a lot of network affiliates aren't on there. So that's why I have my antenna to pick up local channels because the cable companies, the satellite companies, the streaming services have to pay negotiated fees to the local stations. If I use an antenna, they're not getting any of that money. And more and more people are putting in antennas. And I paid about $25 an antenna for one with a 50 or 60 mile rated range. And so if I end up throwing that money away, I'm happy to do so if this encrypted thing takes place.

[Krista]

Brian in Washington says you stunk it up so bad you caused internal road rage on my commute to work yelling the correct answer to my radio. You told the young man who had $100,000 in a bank savings account that it was okay to leave the money in the bank after contributing $7,000 to a Roth IRA and some in a brokerage account. Leave the money in a brick and mortar bank. Surely you didn't mean that. If they are opening a brokerage account with Fidelity, then they could put their safe money in a money market account or brokered CDs and have a one stop shop there. Or at the very least put the safe money in an online high yield savings account. All of which are better than a bank savings account as you've said many times on your show.

[Clark Howard]

So, Brian, I don't remember the particular question I answered. I take you at your word that I had a brain meltdown and everything you said is completely accurate and on the money. I don't know when you would have money in a savings account or CD at a traditional bank branch. Never. There may be some special incentive that some bank branch offers but you don't want to punish yourself generally by having money at a bank, particularly at one of the four giant monster mega banks. You don't want your money with any of them.

[Krista]

All right, we're going to finish up with a couple of Frontier Airlines posts. I thought you'd enjoy that.

[Clark Howard]

Oh, man. Okay. When I talked about this, I've had so many people stop me and tell me either their Frontier tail a woe or why I'm wrong doing so much trash talking about Frontier. So let's hear these posts.

[Krista]

This one's from Michael in South Dakota. On a recent episode, you said Frontier doesn't offer compensation if your flight is canceled and if it's their fault. That has not been my experience. When my flight was canceled, they got me a hotel, free food, and a voucher for the same price as my current trip. For a future trip, Frontier is the best way to make your dollar go further. Me and my wife and our two sons flew from South Dakota to Dallas for $74 round trip total. Not each.

[Clark Howard]

So two people round trip?

[Krista]

Four. Four people, two sons.

[Clark Howard]

Oh, four people.

[Krista]

Yep.

[Clark Howard]

74 bucks total. That's pretty cheap.

[Krista]

I mean, Joe in New York says, clark, you don't stink, but I feel you're off base. Relative to Frontier, for the past year and a half, I've used them once a month to travel round trip between New York and Florida. Each trip has been flawless. As a Clark smart traveler looking to save more and spend less, my only expectation is that they get me from point A to point B. And they do so with friendly service and clean and modern planes. Are the seats somewhat uncomfortable? Yes, but for the price I'm paying, the seats are just fine. The one time there was an issue with a scheduled flight, they notified me before I left for the airport and offered me a $300 voucher to reschedule my flight. Frontier may not have the be the right airline for all travelers, but they are perfect for those who are looking to simply get to where they're going.

[Clark Howard]

So I appreciate this feedback because, you know, most things are a bell curve where people kind of meet in the middle. When people talk about Frontier, it is a barbell. People are one extreme or the other. And I will have quite a bit of experience over the next 20 months flying Frontier because my wife and I bought the Go Wild pass and. And we get to travel nominally for one penny per flight booked one day in advance. And I'll be sharing my tales of joy or woe as I go through the 20 months.

[Krista]

Yeah, I Guess that savings does make the seat more comfortable, huh?

[Clark Howard]

Okay, so they have 28 inches between the rows. Like Southwest is 32 and other airlines. American has some 29 inch pitch seats, but most airlines are 30 inch. 28 is tight and that seat on front. I've flown Frontier so I can tell you I'm my back is sore after I fly in that seat. I need to get one of those things.

[Krista]

A lumbar pillow.

[Clark Howard]

Yeah, now that I'm going to be flying Frontier regularly. What a joy. First prize is one free. Second prize is two free tickets.

[Krista]

No.

[Clark Howard]

20 months of experimental nearly free travel will experience and report coming up ahead. I think it's the greatest thing feeling safer in your own home or apartment. I want to tell you why we're so much safer in our homes and apartments than we used to be.

[Krista]

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[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

When you need it.

[Krista]

Learn [e-mail].

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

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[Krista]

What I bought a new Blink Mini 2K smart security camera. What I got 2K clarity sharp enough to see every detail of home when I'm away. Plus audio like I'm in the room, not with my bestie traveling to another city. Plus easy plugins set up to install faster than skipping through podcast ads. But you'd never Skip ads, right? Plus I got all of this for just $49.99. Blink Mini 2K Plus Mini Camera Max Performance Shop now at Amazon.com Blink.

[Clark Howard]

Crime is something ever present on our minds. We were talking earlier, before the podcast about how it was a series of burglaries recently and high rises that we were talking about. And the reality is the number of residential burglaries in the United States has collapsed in one generation, down about 85%. And most of the improvement has been in about the last, oh, seven, eight years. What's been the key to shutting down? What was an ever present crime in the United States? Not truly shutting down because there's still 15% of the burglaries. They used to be cameras, these cheap cameras. When it became possible for you to install a security camera at your home, it would alert you to motion for as little as 20 bucks. Starting back, I think about 20, 17, 18, you could buy these ultra cheap cameras. It became not worth the risk to a lot of would be burglars. So it was the worst of all possible worlds for burglars. They were detected, they were on camera. There was very clear video that could then be used to find a suspect and convict them of a crime that almost never was solved. Before we had all these security cameras. Burglaries were like the lowest of low, low, low priorities for police departments. Too hard to deal with, too hard to solve, too hard to figure out who in the world did it. Now, because of these cameras that people can install themselves at their homes, put an app on their phone, some of the companies now charge you to have the app and the service. So it's not as cheap a deal as it used to be. But you are able to have peace of mind like you didn't have before. And a lot of people who, quote unquote, earned a living from being burglars have moved on to either, hopefully not a life of crime or different crimes. This is an incredible success story. So much so that there's now the other side of this and that's that cameras are, are popping up everywhere. They're being used in totalitarian or authoritarian societies to track the movements of citizens every day to use them for oppression. In a free society, that's not the same concern, but there is a clear invasion of privacy. With cameras everywhere. You look around pretty much anywhere you go. If you're on foot in any city, you'll see cameras everywhere you're going. You go into a retail store, you know, I've talked about how much I love the Sam's Club scan and go and the new AI that allows you to walk right out of the store. Just take a moment and look around the Sam's Club and see how many cameras there are. And then look at the AI you call it a portal that you walk through when you're leaving the store and they don't have to check your receipt anymore. And look back at it as you go through it and look how many cameras there are. So there's two sides of this. One is phenomenal, the new level of safety we have in our own lives. And then the other side of it is the big question mark. Are these cameras in everyday use, in everyday life? Friend or foe? It really depends on context, the society you live in and the situation where those cameras are being used. And Krista, I love the stories you've told over the years about the cameras you have and particularly your doorbell cam and how you have been able to effectively use the speaker in that doorbell cam to get people to. To skedaddle.

[Krista]

Right. Or just drop a package or whatever it is. Yep.

[Clark Howard]

Oh, so yeah, that is true with the porch pirates. We need to talk about that another time with Black Friday coming up and Christmas shopping, all that about the porch pirates and how bold they are and what they're doing to defeat all the cameras that people put in like you've got.

[Krista]

Right. Okay. And we do, by the way on clarkdeals.com always have security camera and doorbell camera deals. Ben in Virginia says my August Equifax credit report shows a bank conducted an account review inquiry around Aug. 16. The problem is I have no relationship with this banks. There's no account to review. Each of my credit files have been frozen for years and my registration with opt out prescreen.com expires in 2030. I called Equifax to find out how and why my file was shared with the company with which I have no relationship. The robotic response from three levels of customer no service was that soft inquiries have no effect on your score, so it's not a problem. My score is not the issue. Yeah. The issue is how and why my file was shared with the company I don't do business with. Is someone making a no ding application in my name. I can't get answers. Then my September Equifax report showed the August soft inquiry gone. And another new account review from the same bank was conducted September 16th. I've been through three levels of customer service. How do I get the credit bureaus to take this seriously?

[Clark Howard]

All right, so first of all, if you expect Equifax, TransUnion and Experian to offer you customer service, I mean, forget about it. They. They look at us as rubbish. We are. We're nothing to them. We're just data points. Because they don't consider you and me as customers at all. They just look at us as data points to collect, package, and sell. And so unless Congress ever overcomes the dirty money that congressmen and senators get from the credit bureaus and pass real consumer protections, it's going to continue to be a joke with the credit bureaus. But that's not the question you asked. So this bank prospecting on you, so doing a soft inquiry that originates with the lender is not protected by credit freeze because they're independently coming up with a data file, probably not from the credit bureaus who are not allowed to. If your credit's frozen, where their real money's made is building these dossiers on you, packaging them, slicing, dicing, and selling you off for so many pennies per mass subscription that somebody buys from them at a financial institution, insurance company, whatever. But if the bank is getting potential lists of targets somewhere else, then they can do that soft inquiry. Even if your credit's frozen, they can't do a hard inquiry. Which is what you're really trying to protect with credit freeze is somebody who obtains your information, who's trying to impersonate you and get credit as if they're you. That's where credit freeze works. If this financial institution was able to do a hard inquiry, then credit freeze would have failed you. A soft inquiry in this case, you can't stop.

[Krista]

Okay. Rafes in Texas says my primary care provider is moving to providing only concierge care at $300 a month.

[Clark Howard]

3,600 bucks a year. Wow.

[Krista]

I'm fortunately fairly healthy and don't need that level of service. Well, while looking for a new pcp, a friend mentioned Amazon One Medical. What is Clark's opinion of it? Thank you for all that you and Team Clark do for everyone else. And adding Wes has been great too. It's good to hear.

[Clark Howard]

Thank you for that. So I actually have two years experience with Amazon One Medical and I've been thrilled with it. I mean, thrilled. I've been very happy. I'm very happy with my provider there. The app is phenomenal. You do everything through the app. And so this was Jeff Bezos attempt at trying to modernize an industry that is still using file cabinets and paper and telephones and fax machines. And so it's extremely efficient. And as we've noted many times on this show, I travel a lot. And so One Medical is in so many places in the United States that if I'm traveling somewhere I don't have to go in a lot of places too. In urgent care, if I get ill I can go on the app and I can make an appointment at the closest one medical near me. And this actually happened last year where I was sick and I go on the app and there was a one medical, a three minute walk from where I was made an appointment and went and had my appointment. So it's very, very cheap for Amazon prime members. 100 and something a year now I think for the primary and then I've got my whole family on it and it's really, really affordable. So what matters is the caliber of the individual primary care person you're assigned to. If you don't like that person, get another one. Because like in any big medical practice, the quality of the individuals is variable.

[Krista]

And Bill in Pennsylvania says I left T Mobile for a better deal with Verizon 5G home Internet. I left in the middle of a billing cycle and was charged my full monthly fee, $50 direct debit from my checking for my next billing period. Shortly after leaving I called T Mobile to be sure I would be issued my credit and was informed I would receive the credit back to my checking on the next billing day. I did not receive the credit so I called customer care and was informed by a representative and then manager that I had to call T Mobile and request my credit. I did get my credit, but very shady in my opinion and that this refund did not come back to me automatically and I told them so. So FYI to your listeners that may have also left t mobile 5G and forgot about a refund due to them. And obviously like this probably isn't limited to T Mobile. Like I don't think of all the people who've written into us.

[Clark Howard]

But when I dumped T Mobile after 16 years with them, I had the same problem where they just really were very interested in continuing to bill when I was already done with them. And you're right, this could happen with any company. And now that more and more payments are made by ach, the ACH process is not. It's a private industry platform and they don't even begin to think about consumer protections. It's not what they're about. They are only there for the businesses. So you have to be aggressive. I had years ago I had a problem with AT&T with a bill and the only way I ever got it resolved was I filed a Better Business Bureau complaint and something that I'd been trying to resolve for three months was resolved in two weeks and that's not always going to happen. But I find BBB complaints work very well when customer no service usually contracted out could be somewhere else in the world is not solving your problem. If a company considers itself to be legitimate and you file a Better Business Bureau complaint, it tends to get results more often than not if it's a pretty clear situation like in this case T Mobile running off with your money. And gosh, I know people find it hard to switch their mobile phone provider or mobile service or any of these technology companies once you do it. It's so freeing and I've saved so much money not being with T Mobile anymore and we've got so much on clark.com about all the much more affordable companies to have your cell phone service with than being with brand name Verizon, T mobile or AT&T. The irony is a lot of the off brands you'll be with are actually off brands of owned fully by those three. But all you do is you save money. In my case, I'm with Google Fi, which has been fantastic. Anybody who travels internationally, you owe it to yourself. You've got to look at Google Fi because they treat you pretty much the same most anywhere in the world as they do in the United States. You don't pay extra money and what you pay regularly is so, so much cheaper than you being with AT&T Verizon or T Mobile. So that wasn't related to the question. I gave an answer. Not related to it in addition. But the thing is, we're creatures of habit. And when you are a creature of habit, what happens? You may cost yourself with crummy customer no service or you may just cost yourself with flat out dollars and cents. And doesn't it make a lot more sense for the dollars to be in your pocket than with some customer no service entity out there? You might still get customer no service from the cheaper provider, but at least you're going to have a lot more money in your pocket. So what's your assignment now? To have an absolutely outstanding, fantastic weekend. And I hope it's the best weekend ever. And if you're into pretend college football, enjoy it. If you're into real football, the NFL enjoy it too. See you on Monday.