BOSTON -- Rights on returns and returns on repairs, NewsCenter 5's Susan Wornick has Friday's Buyer Beware Extra.

Apartment Leases

'Tis the season to be moving, and if you're signing an apartment lease, there are important things to know. For example, a landlord can ask for first and last month's rent. He can also demand a security deposit, but it can't be more than one months rent, and it must be held in an interest-bearing escrow account.

There are also laws about utilities. The landlord must provide heat, but who pays for it depends on your lease. It's different with water -- that's free no matter what the lease says.

And there are laws about rats and other rodents. It's up to the landlord to keep them out.

Tenant / Landlord Information

Credit Repair Agencies

There's another warning to anyone with money problems thinking of using a so-called credit repair agency. There are a lot of scams out there, and you could end up losing money if you trust the wrong company.

The Federal Trade Commission has recently sued and settled with one of the nation's largest scams. National Credit Repair has agreed to repay consumers more than $1 million.

The company also does business as National Credit Education. The FTC said that it tricked consumers with false claims -- all of which are illegal.

Credit repair agencies cannot promise to erase bad credit. They cannot help you erase legitimate debt, and they can't immediately improve your credit rating. Companies that say they can and want money upfront for their services are scams.

Nationwide Credit Repair Operation to Pay More than $1.15 Million in Consumer Redress

Online Gift Wrap

Frequent online shoppers know that a gift will usually cost more if you want it sent in a decorative box.

At Babystyle.com, it's an additional $3.50, so imagine the surprise when the package came. It was hardly a presentation worth the extra money. The packages said, "Packed with style by Susie C."

The box was ok, but it wasn't anything special. There were three things packed in there. Susie C actually had to cram them in to get the thing closed

NewsCenter 5 called Babystyle.com. They explained their policy on consumer complaints, which frankly is quite refreshing.

When any complaints come in, they refund customers immediately and even offer additional compensation depending on the circumstances.

Getting a damaged gift from someone is a lot like getting bad flowers, you don't want to seem ungrateful and complain, but you really should.

When someone pays for something to be perfect and it's not, the company needs to know. Customers need to call because, like NewsCenter 5 found out with Babystyle, the good companies usually have consumer-friendly return policies.