Marketplace
Season 36
TV-G
This series focuses on consumer affairs and news. The regular features include short investigative documentaries, test of products and advertising claims and product warnings.
Where to Watch Season 36
13 Episodes
- New Home Nightmares & Busted: Ticket Takers Update
E1New Home Nightmares & Busted: Ticket Takers UpdateThink you're safe from problems when you buy a new home? Think again. Dave Prosser and Sylvia Potter bought their brand new home just three years ago, for a few hundred thousand. It was supposed to be their dream home, but instead they're living a new home nightmare. - The Secret History of Cars & Busted: Product of Canada Update
E2The Secret History of Cars & Busted: Product of Canada UpdateThinking of buying a used car? You're not alone. In this slowing economy, people are looking to save cash whenever and wherever they can. But when you're looking for a bargain vehicle, you also want to make sure it's safe. Used car dealers know that and if you've dropped by a dealership lately, you may have been offered a free vehicle history report. In Canada, the most popular vehicle history report is called Carfax. For about $40, you can run unlimited checks on vehicles for a month. But if you rely solely on that report, you could be steered in the wrong direction. As Erica Johnson's report reveals, there can be big problems with Carfax. So when you're searching for the secret history of a used car, it's probably wise not to put all your trust in one vehicle history report. - Miracle Makers or Money Takers
E4Miracle Makers or Money TakersAiling Canadians are spending up to $200 a session in clinics and even buying the $20,000 "miracle" machine called the EPFX for home use. It's name is as intriguing as its health claims. For those suffering with a serious illness, they are desperate for a miracle cure. - Easy Money
E5Easy MoneyMarketplace investigates a company called BIM (Business in Motion) that claims big returns once you buy in. BIM's main product is the UltraLife Club, a travel package that promises vacation deals. Attend a presentation and you're pitched a membership for $3,200 and are told you can earn thousands in commissions by becoming a distributor and selling to others. - How Not To Win $500,000 & Busted: Colon Cleansers
E6How Not To Win $500,000 & Busted: Colon CleansersWho doesn't want to win $500,000? That's why so many Canadians are playing the Reader's Digest sweepstakes. But now some of those people feel confused by the sweepstakes' marketing. The letters from Reader's Digest use language like "completed cash release confirmation," "cash guaranteed for award…" and "a prize reference code." And the envelopes are stamped with words like "urgent," "reply immediately," "don't delay!" The sweepstakes mailings come with brochures, advertising products for sale -- like CD's, books and DVD's. Now, you don't have to buy the products to play the sweepstakes, but some Canadians have been confused and spent thousands, thinking they're days away from winning the big prize. As Erica Johnson reveals, the U.S. has cracked down on the sweepstakes' marketing, but in Canada, it's business as usual. - Credit Card Catch & Busted: Gas GadgetE7
Credit Card Catch & Busted: Gas GadgetYou might find you're paying for something known as "credit balance insurance." Depending on your credit card, it could be called "BalanceProtector" or "Account Protector," but the idea is the same: for a fee, credit balance insurance promises to cover your monthly minimum credit card payments in case of loss of income to due job loss or extreme illness. But is it worth the cost? Wendy Mesley investigates. Also: Does this $200 gas-saving gadget work? - The Trouble With Fake Guns & Busted: EPFX
E8The Trouble With Fake Guns & Busted: EPFXIn a split second, do you think you could tell the difference between a real or an imitation gun? Imagine if that gun were pointed in your direction in what could be a life-or-death situation. It's not a pleasant scenario, but unfortunately it's becoming a familiar one for police. Imitation guns, designed to look like the real thing, have been used in home invasions and robberies. Kids have even brought them into schools - with predictably terrifying results. At a time when a climate of fear and danger exists around guns, Erica Johnson investigates how accessible imitation handguns are and how Canadian laws are ineffective when it comes to cracking down on this problem. - How Not to Buy a Puppy & Busted: The Price is Wrong
E9How Not to Buy a Puppy & Busted: The Price is WrongWe've all heard puppy horror stories about sick dogs from bad breeders, but many pet stores promise problem-free dogs from first-rate breeders. They claim the dog was raised in optimum conditions, with room to run free and healthy surroundings. But that isn't always the case. Some pet store dogs come from less than ideal places, and as Wendy Mesley discovers, it's a long and surprising journey from the breeder to the buyer. - Lawless Loans & Busted: Kids' Cereal
E10Lawless Loans & Busted: Kids' CerealNeed a loan? As the economy continues to shrink, banks are becoming more and more reluctant to approve new loans -- especially if your credit rating is less than stellar. But if the big banks can't help, it seems that a number of other companies will. A crop of legitimate-looking loan companies are appearing online and in newspapers, advertising a fast financial fix for those with bad credit or no collateral. However, these kinds of loan companies could be out to scam you when you need your money the most. That's what happened to Floyd Girouard, a trucker from Abbotsford, B.C., who turned to an online loan company when his bank turned him down. To his surprise, he qualified for a $30,000 loan. The catch? He had to wire a $3,000 deposit before they'd release the money. He reluctantly wired the deposit -- and never heard from the company again. Girouard fell for an increasingly common scam called "Advance Fee Loan Fraud." Advance fee loan fraud is when an upfront payment is required for a loan -- a practice that's illegal in both Canada and the U.S. Last year, Canadians were bilked out of an estimated $60 million using this scheme. As Erica Johnson reveals, it's all too easy to fall prey to online fraudsters, but not so easy to track them down to get your money back. - Power of Persuasion
E11Power of PersuasionLike any commodity, electricity and natural gas prices go up and down with the markets. In some provinces, you have a choice when it comes to who will supply your power - a public or a private utility. Ontario and Alberta have deregulated both utilities, and in Manitoba and B.C., you can pick your natural gas provider. - Seven Sins of the MarketplaceE13
Seven Sins of the MarketplaceMarketplace has seen it all when it comes to bad service, unsafe products and schemes. Over the years, we've seen companies come up with all kinds of tricky ways to separate customers from their cash. We call them the seven sins of the marketplace; a list of how companies try to reach into your wallet.
