Yahoo!: How holiday retailers get you to spend more

This post brought to you by Zelle Hofmann Voelbel & Mason LLP and the Alioto Law Firm. All opinions are 100% mine.

With all those great deals going on, it is not surprising that customers spend more then they intended. I found out though there are times when it is not due to the retailers that they overspend, but that the manufacturers are to be held responsible.

It so turns out that ten leading electronics manufacturers have settled lawsuits involving an illegal conspiracy to raise prices for the LCD flat panel screens used in televisions, monitors, and laptop computers.

If you bought a LCD flat screen TV, monitor or laptop from 1999 to 2006, you may have overpaid and you could be eligible for sharing in a $1.1 billion settlement fund. You can file a claim by answering a few simple questions about the devices in question. Receipts or other documents are not needed, but you have file before the deadline which is on December 6, 2012.

Should you reside in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, or the District of Columbia, you may be eligible. You could collect $25, $100, $200, or more, depending upon how many products you bought and filed a claim for.

For more information and to file your claim, visit www.LCDclass.com. You could end up with some extra cash you didn't know you had!