Get $15, $30, Or $60 In Chase Credit Card "Payment Protection" Class Action

Get $15, $30, Or $60 In Chase Credit Card "Payment Protection" Class Action: "

You're eligible to claim cash if you had a Chase credit card and got charged for a payment protection product between Sept 2, 2004 and Nov 11, 2010, thanks to a recent class action settlement.

The suit alleges that JP Morgan Chase enrolled cardholders in Payment Protection Plans without being completely upfront about the terms of the plans. These plans suspend interest on balances and let you make only minimum monthly payments for up to two years. They are supposed to be for when a major life event or tragedy makes it impossible for you to keep paying your credit card bill. While normal interest is suspended, the program charged .8% of your balance as a monthly fee.

Part of the rub is that they enroll you in advance of the event, charging you $.89 for every $100 of the monthly balance you carry.

Additionally, in order to increase enrollment, Chase sent out $20 checks to prospects. If you cashed the check, you were enrolled in the program. The lawsuit, and complaints online, like this one on Consumerist, say that canceling was difficult and customers were subjected to a lengthy retention process.

Chase has admitted no wrongdoing and agreed to settle, creating a fund of $20,000,000.

You have until August 8th to make your claim and only people who fill out the claim form will get monies. The monies will be $15, $30, or $60 depending on how aggrieved is the class you fall into.

Kardonick v. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Settlement [Official Site]

RELATED

Chase Enrolled Me in Payment Protector Against My Will, Starts Charging Me

Chase's Crappy Payment Protection [StopBuyingCrap.com]

Payment protection plan is too restrictive [Cleveland.com]

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Airlines Not Passing On Savings Of Not Having To Pay FAA Taxes

Airlines Not Passing On Savings Of Not Having To Pay FAA Taxes: "

When Congress failed Friday to extend a bill that would have kept the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) running, they handed airlines a $25 million a day gift. Without the extension, the FAA doesn't have the authority to collect taxes. But rather than pass on the savings, nearly all airlines actually raised fares to about the same amount as the federal taxes. Most consumers won't notice because prices are the same, even though it's effectively a price hike.

The taxes include a 7.5% levy on domestic tickets, $3.70 for each segment of the fight, and a $16.30 tax on international arrivals and departures. Spirit and Alaska Airlines were among a small clutch of airlines to not pocket the bonanza.

'The consumer should have saved anywhere from $25 to $50 round trip,' Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare told NYT. 'Instead, it's a windfall for the airlines.'

'Basically, consumers are now paying the same as they did last week,' Jean Medina, a spokesperson for the Air Transport Association, responded rather unhelpfully.

But what about people who bought their tickets before Saturday? They already paid the federal taxes, but now, during the period during which they're flying, no one has the authority to collect them. How about a refund?

That will probably happen. JetBlue has already said they would give out refunds to flyers who asked for them. Virgin America told customers that they might be able to get one from the IRS. Most airlines are probably going to wait for guidance from the Feds on what to do, once they are authorized to pick up their pencils again.

A Bonanza for Airlines as Taxes End [NYT]

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Happy Hot Dog Birthday! The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Turns 75

Happy Hot Dog Birthday! The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile Turns 75: "

If only we'd known Monday was the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile's 75th birthday, we would've popped a package of hot dogs on the grill to celebrate! The classic car was born in 1936, and has been bringing tubular meat joy around the country ever since.

Time reports on the big birthday, noting that not much has changed for the vehicle -- it's still rocking the orange and yellow paint job -- but has now added a celebratory party hat in honor of the big 75.

The first iteration of the processed meat creation was a 13-foot metal shell seen around in Chicago to advertise Oscar Mayer's hot dogs. The man with the plan for mobile wiener domination is said to be Oscar's nephew, Carl Mayer. He then got the job of driving his idea around town as a reward for being so dang smart.

Eventually, the roving wiener truck became an icon for the company, as it expanded and began selling other processed meat products.

The most recent Wienermobile is 27 feet and has other five other sausage friends in the fleet. So who gets the job of steering the iconic cars around the U.S.? Each year 12 college grads are dubbed 'hotdoggers' and show up throughout the country at various promotional events, including the Super Bowl and Kentucky Derby.

Happy (belated) birthday, Wienermobile! We toast our buns to you.

One Beefy Birthday: Oscar Mayer's Wienermobile Turns 75 [Time.com]

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Grocery Store Lures Customers To Spend More With Scent Machines

Grocery Store Lures Customers To Spend More With Scent Machines: "

How many times have you been hungry, gone shopping and ended up with three packages of donut holes you really didn't need? A grocery store in Brooklyn, N.Y. is taking advantage of grumbly tummies with scent marketing, as way to get consumers to spend more at the store.

CBS News reports on the technique employed by local chain Net Cost. The store has installed five scent machines, made by ScentAir, which constantly send out wafts of fresh-baked bread, delicious milk chocolate or refreshing grapefruit, depending on the section they're nearest to.

The store's merchandise coordinator, Angelina Khristichenko, says she installed the machines two months ago after hearing about them overseas.

'I think because of these machines it makes customers hungrier,' she said.

According to the report, sales in the produce department have already gone up seven percent. At $99/month to run each machine, that's not too shabby.

Do you think something like this would entice you to buy more at the store?

N.Y. grocery store turns to scent marketing [CBS News]

Thanks to Harper for the tip!

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Bank Of America Paying Out $410 Million For Reordering Your Transactions To Maximize Overdraft Fees

Bank Of America Paying Out $410 Million For Reordering Your Transactions To Maximize Overdraft Fees: "

What makes this Bank of America $410 million class action settlement special is that it's over a basic consumer banking business practice. For years, banks have been processing your daily transactions in order from highest to lowest, rather than real-time. They say they're doing us a favor so that if we have a check bounce, it's the one for the babysitter and not the mortgage payment. But this class action suit claims that Bank of America did this to unjustly enrich itself. It's one of over 60 lawsuits against various banks for similar practices, and it could reshape the entire industry.

Here are the list of questions of law and fact in the BofA case, which are just hilarious because they largely describe common banking practices:

44. Among the questions of law and fact common to the Classes are whether Bank of

America:

a. Does not clearly disclose and/or refuses to allow its customers to opt out of its overdraft protection program;

b. Does not obtain affirmative consent from its customers prior to processing transactions that will result in overdraft fees;

c. Does not alert its customers that a debit card transaction will trigger an overdraft fee, and does not provide its customers with an opportunity to cancel such transactions;

d. Manipulates and reorders. transactions so that it can increase the number of overdraft fees it imposes;

e. Manipulates and reorders debits from highest to lowest in order to maximize the number of overdrafts and, consequently, the amount of overdraft fees;

f. Imposes overdrafts and overdraft fees' when, but for reordering transactions, there would otherwise be sufficient funds in the account;

g. Fails to provide customers with accurate balance information;

h. Delays posting of transactions by customers using debit cards so that customers are charged overdraft fees on transactions, even though the customers had sufficient

funds in their accounts to cover the transactions upon execution;

i. Charges exorbitant overdraft fees that bear no relationship to the actual costs and risks of covering insufficient funds transactions;

j. Breaches its covenant of good faith and fair dealing with plaintiff and other members of the Classes through its overdraft policies and practices;

k. Requires its customers to enter into standardized account agreements which include unconscionable provisions;

l. Converts moneys belonging to Plaintiffs and other members of the Classes through its overdraft policies and practices;

m. Is unjustly enriched through its overdraft policies and practices; and

n. Violates the consumer protection acts of certain states through its overdraft policies and practices.

For this particular class action, you'll get a notice in the mail if you're a class member, which is anyone who had a Bank of America debit card between Jan 2001 and May 24, 2011, and you'll automatically get a payment or credit.

Until banks are forced to change this deceptive practice, there are a few things you can do to protect yourself from the reordered transaction shim sham. First, don't opt-in to overdraft protection if the bank tries to get you to. No longer can they automatically put you in but that won't stop them from trying to get you to sign up. Second, ask to set an upper limit to only allow overdrafts at a preset negative balance amount so you can keep the damage from hemorrhaging. Make sure to read your bank policies so that you know how many overdrafts they can charge you in a day and what the fees are. And always keep an eye on your account balance and know how much you have before you swipe or write a check, you shouldn't be spending more than is currently in your account.

bofaoverdraftsettlement [Official Site]

RELATED

Customers challenge the way banks reorder debits in order to rack up overdraft fees [Denver Post]

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Travel With Your Own Scale To Avoid Baggage Weight Overcharges

Travel With Your Own Scale To Avoid Baggage Weight Overcharges: "

The scales at airport check-ins take a beating. Bag after bag, rollies, Louis Vuitons, and duffles filled with too many clothes get put on and off, all day long. Usually the magic number is 50 lbs, and after that, you have to pay a fee. Rules are rules, but in order to fairly enforce them, the scales have to be accurate. Oftentimes, they're not, the result of lax maintenance.

Repeating the results found in many similar investigations, WBZ-TV found 9 out of 23 scales at the Boston Logan airport were giving inaccurate readings. A report in Ontario found that 27% of the airport's scales failed inspection.

This is why travel expert George Hobica of Airfarewatchdog has taken to traveling with his own scale that he whips out at check-in to make sure that he's getting charged the right amount.

Of course, you'll want to make to weigh the bag with the scale inside at home first to make sure you're under the 50 lb limit. You wouldn't want the weight of the scale itself to tip you over into having to pay a fee!

I-Team: Possible Luggage Fee Overcharging At Logan [WBZ-TV]

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Philadelphia Saves $2 Million By Not Prosecuting Pot Smokers

Philadelphia Saves $2 Million By Not Prosecuting Pot Smokers: "

Just over a year ago, the powers that be in Philadelphia effectively decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana by offering offenders the chance to enroll in a three-hour class that would expunge the offense from their records. Not only did this give Philadelphia police more time and energy to focus on more serious crimes, it has also saved the city a pretty sizable Ziploc bag of green stuff.

'We were spending thousands of dollars for when someone possessed $10 or $15 worth of weed,' District Attorney Seth Williams tells the Philadelphia Daily News. 'It just didn't make any sense.'

Under the program, being caught with up to 30 grams of marijuana is no longer a misdemeanor but a summary offense. By simply paying $200 to attend the three-hour class on the ills of drug use and abuse, the arrestee's record is wiped clean of the offense.

Before this change, offenders faced up to $500 in fines and possible, though unlikely jail time. If the suspect fought the charges, this meant expenses for the city -- prosecutors, judges, lab tests, public defenders, etc. By all but decriminalizing pot, Williams estimates that the city has saved $2 million in the last 12 months.

Additionally, police tell the News that there has been no noticeable impact on the quality of life in Philadelphia since the program went into effect.

Looking at the bigger picture, DA Williams says the current way most U.S. authorities treat drug possession is shortsighted.

'I can put someone in jail for 90 days because they possess crack. But if we don't get them the help they need for their addiction, when they get out of jail, they're just going to be a 90-day-older crack addict,' he explains. 'We have to treat drug addiction as a public-health problem, not just a criminal-justice problem.'

D.A.: Philly's new pot policy just makes sense ... and saves dollars [Philadelphia Daily News]

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Why Text Messages Cost Cellular Companies Virtually Nothing

Why Text Messages Cost Cellular Companies Virtually Nothing: "

Whether you calculate it at 4,900%, 6,500% or 7,314%, the markup on text messages is huge. But maybe the number is really closer to infinity percent markup, as William Poundstone writes in his book Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value.

'Unlike e-mail, Internet, and voice data, text messages are piggybacked onto the cellular network,' Poundstone writes. 'They occupy otherwise unused space in a control channel used for network maintenance.'

This is why he calls text messages 'possibly the greatest ongoing con job of American capitalism.'

Rebutting such claims, a spokesman for Candian wireless company Telus told CBC in 2009 that the calculations leave out the costs of running the secure data centers the cellphone companies need for data storage.

Either way, in this case, fair market value is determined by what the market will bear. But with all the major carriers pricing similarly and with the barriers to entry into the market so high and with consumers locked into long-term contracts that are difficult to leave, the market has little choice but to grin and bear it.
"

TSA Screener Accused Of Stealing $50K In Electronics From Travelers

TSA Screener Accused Of Stealing $50K In Electronics From Travelers: "

As if worrying about having your private parts groped -- or being scrutinized and mocked -- by TSA screeners wasn't enough, yet another airport security staffer has been arrested and accused of using his position to pilfer thousands of dollars worth of travelers' treasures.

This time it's a TSA screener at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida who stands accused of stealing around $50,000 in electronics in just the last six months.

According to CBS Miami, the screener wasn't just quick-fingered, he was also speedy about getting his purloined goods available for sale online. It's alleged that some stuff was stolen, advertised and sold all before he got off work for the day.

The man, who had been with the TSA for more than 2.5 years, was arrested after a Continental Airlines staffer claimed to have spotted him stealing an iPad from a suitcase and then stuffing it down his pants... A fact we're guessing he didn't advertise when he tried to sell his goods online.

A rep for the TSA tells CBS Miami:

The Transportation Security Administration has a zero tolerance for theft and we move swiftly to terminate the employment of anyone who violates the public's trust working closely with our law enforcement partners. The action of this former employee should not reflect on the outstanding job our more than 48,000 officers do every day to ensure the safety of the traveling public.

Earlier this year, TSA employees at JFK admitted to stealing at least $160,000 worth of passengers' property. And last fall, a screener in Newark, NJ, was arrested for allegedly stealing cash out of carry-on bags while his supervisor turned a blind eye.

TSA Agent Caught Stealing Electronics [CBSlocal.com]

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Facebook Fights Dirty – Uses Underhanded Techniques to Attack Google+ [Video]

Facebook Fights Dirty – Uses Underhanded Techniques to Attack Google+ [Video]: "

Looks like Google+ may have Facebook running scared but just how worried is the social networking giant? Well, if their latest attempt at a smear campaign is any indication, they may be getting desperate.

Christopher Soghoian is security and privacy blogger and it’s because of this area of expertise that Facebook’s PR firm, Burson-Marsteller, singled him out to write up a story attacking Google+ and their “Circles” feature. The PR firm even went as far as telling Soghoian that if he was “too busy” to write up the story, they would do him the favor of writing one for him, all he would have to do is sign his name on the by line.

The PR firm also approached 3 other privacy researchers promising them front page stories in high profile news venues like The Washington Post but even then, they couldn’t find anyone to bite. Soghoian, who was worried someone would eventually take them up on their offer, published the emails on his blog and appeared on Bloomberg West so that no one would be able to discredit him.

It’s also worth mentioning that although Burson-Marstellar wouldn’t disclose who exactly was funding them, but apparently the owner of The Washington Post just so happens to be on the board of Facebook. That should be enough to make you scratch your chin.

I can tell you that we get emails all the time by PR agencies asking us to review or cover their product but nothing along these lines. What do you guys think? Is all fair in love and social networking? Or will this latest stunt have you immediately deleting your Facebook profile and heading for Google+’s greener pastures?

[Via Bloomberg]

"

Tequila-Spiked Smoothies Served To Trio Of Children At Chili's

Tequila-Spiked Smoothies Served To Trio Of Children At Chili's: "

Someone at a Chili's in Colorado made a big oopsy over the holiday weekend by serving up three fruit smoothies loaded with tequila to a trio of youngsters.

The kids' mom noticed something was amiss when her 8-year-old daughter began singing a medley of David Allan Coe songs complaining of dizziness. Mom took a sip of the smoothie, which she tells the local NBC affiliate was 'loaded full of tequila.... If I would have had one then I know that would have been strong for me, and I can't imagine how strong that was for them.'

She notified restaurant management and EMTs were called. Thankfully, nobody had to go to the hospital, though mom says her daughter did pass out during the fireworks show later that evening.

From 9news.com:

According to police, the drinks were poured into kid's cups, so police believe there could be a level of negligence there. Police also mentioned that the server should have noticed the mistake, seeing as it was during peak hours at the business. No one has been officially charged.

In a statement to the TV station, Chili's HQ says it is taking this situation 'very seriously'

and that it is conducting its own investigation.

For its part, the family says it hasn't decided whether or not they will press charges against Chili's.

Regardless, considering the number of stories in recent months about kids being served spiked drinks at family restaurants, mom and dad might want to steal a sip of their kids' drinks first. Who knows, maybe you'll score a free margarita out of the deal.

Restaurant serves 3 children alcoholic drinks [9news.com]

Thanks to Miss Dev for the tip!

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Banks Sell Your Shopping Info To Retailers So They Can Send You Targeted Coupons That Make More Money For The Banks

Banks Sell Your Shopping Info To Retailers So They Can Send You Targeted Coupons That Make More Money For The Banks: "

The banks of America recently pitched enough of a hissy fit to effectively neuter swipe fee reform -- after they raised rates, instituted fees and canceled rewards programs -- claiming they'd be swiped into the poor house by the reduced fees. But not to worry, bankers are a clever folk and they always have a way to profit off your transactions. Like, for example, selling your shopping information to retailers.

According to CNN, Wells Fargo, Citi , USAA, Discover and others have already begun shopping your shopping data to stores. But the banks aren't just in this to make money one-off money from your personal info. Nope, they are hoping the retailers will use this info to craft custom coupons which, if used, the bank sees a nice chunk of change from.

From CNN:

Say you use your Citi-issued debit card to buy a pair of shoes at Nordstrom, and then Citi sells that information to a series of retailers. As a result, you receive a coupon from Macy's for a 20% discount on shoes at its store. The coupon is delivered by Citi, however, not from Macy's.

To redeem the coupon, you must respond by text, e-mail or by checking off a box next to the offer on your online bank statement. Once you go into Macy's to buy the shoes, Citi will retroactively credit your account for the 20% discount. Some banks, however, only let you cash in your discounts via their online portals.

Retailers pay the banks somewhere between 10-15% of the purchase price when a coupon is used. The bank keeps about 25% of that fee with the rest going to a third-party service. So if you pay $1000, the bank could end up making upward of $37.50 from the retailer, on top of what they were paid for your original information.

Some banks have already started programs like this and in many cases the customer is automatically enrolled, though they are legally obliged to let you opt out.

And while some say the targeted discounts will increase customer loyalty with retailers and provide consumers with coupons they will actually use, experts warn against potential pitfalls, like fine print that excludes certain brands or adds restrictive conditions on getting the discount. If your bank applies the discount retroactively, you might not notice you didn't save any money until after you've made your purchase.

'There's a risk that you might not get what you're hoping to get -- you're leaving the store and you don't know how much you were actually charged for something,' the CEO of CardHub.com tells CNN. 'Then if you don't see it on your credit card statement, what do you do? Call your bank? Call the intermediary company? Or call the merchant? If they start using fine print, the whole thing's just going to be a big mess.'

As for privacy concerns, the companies that provide this service claim that retailers never see any identifying info about the bank customer, just a numeric code. Only the bank has the ability to match up that code with the customer's account. While this should inspire confidence, it means that your data is only as secure as your bank's account system.

While the idea of targeted discounts -- assuming they actually meet your shopping needs -- programs like this should be opt-in only. Wouldn't that be in the best interest of everyone? The customer signs up for a program; the retailer knows that the customer has opted in and thus interested in receiving the coupons; happy customer receives coupon, uses it and bank gets money.

Banks' billion-dollar idea: Sell your shopping data [CNN]

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Video Of 25,727 Passwords From The Sony Hack, One Per Frame

Video Of 25,727 Passwords From The Sony Hack, One Per Frame: "

Stare agog as all the the passwords released in the Sony LulzSec breach race past your eyes in this video.

In it, the computer shows and reads aloud all the passwords, one password per frame. If you're actually able to make out a word or a series of numbers, then that means it's a string being used by more than one person as their password. I'm amazed at how many people use 'love' as the prefix in their password.

Watching some of it - because let's be honest, no one is going to sit through all seventeen minutes - might make you want to revaluate your password creation system. Do you see your password in there? Here's advice on creating a strong password that's unique to every site you visit, yet you'll never have a problem remembering.

Of course, if the server where your account is stored is compromised and they don't have good enough security, it doesn't matter how strong your password is if the thieves already have it.

(Thanks to Carrie!)

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Chase Gets Man Thrown In Jail For Fraudulent Check. Except The Check Is Legit.

Chase Gets Man Thrown In Jail For Fraudulent Check. Except The Check Is Legit.: "

Ikenna, a 28-year old construction worker, went to deposit a $8,463.21 Chase cashier's check at his local Chase branch, only for the teller to decide that neither he nor his check looked right and he got tossed in jail for forgery, KING5 reports. The next day, a Friday the bank realized its mistake and left a message with the detective. But it was her day off, so he spent the entire weekend in jail.

By the time he got out, he had been fired from his job for not showing up to work. His car had been towed as well. It ended up getting sold off at auction because he couldn't afford to get it out of the pound. He had been relying on that cashier's check for his money but it was taken as evidence and by the time he got it back it was auctioned off.

All this while the cashier's check had been issued by the very bank he was trying to cash it at.

Chase didn't even apologize, not even after a year. A lawyer volunteered to help write a strongly-worded letter requesting damages. After trying hard to get a response, they sent KING 5 a two-sentence reply: 'We received the letter and are reviewing the situation. We'll be reaching out to the customer.'

Jailed for cashing Chase check at Chase bank [KING5] (Thanks to Wilman and Jon!)

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NOOOOoooo!!! Bacon Prices Expected To Surge This Summer

Bacon Prices Expected To Surge This Summer: "

Your bacon budget may go bust this summer if analysts' predictions come true. One indicator is pork belly prices, which have surged to $130 per 100 pounds and could top $150, which it reached last August. A factor contributing to bacon inflation is rising corn prices, which have caused hog farmers to pare their herds, making bacon cost $4.77 a pound in May.

CNBC cites an analyst, quoted by Reuters, who says bacon could rise to $6 a pound in the next few months.

If bacon prices continue to rise, will you cut back on bacon purchases or sacrifice other areas of your life to keep the BLTs flowing?

The Crisis We Should Be Panicking About: Bacon Prices [CNBC]

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Extreme Couponer Arrested For Stealing Coupon Inserts

Extreme Couponer Arrested For Stealing Coupon Inserts: "

Some people really don't even deserve the label 'extreme couponer.' We should just call 'em 'jerks.' The Denton Record-Chronicle reports that a woman in Texas was arrested for buying just one newspaper from the vending machine but then taking all the coupon inserts from all the newspapers inside.

After a rash of coupon thefts was reported, the owner of the newspaper vending machines hired someone to stake them out. That's when the woman was spotted buying one paper but taking the coupons from all of them, from two separate machines. The spotter called the cops and told the woman to stay put but she drove off. He wrote down the license of her black SUV and the license plate and shared the information with the police, who launched an investigation.

The woman was charged with fraudulent destruction or removal or concealment of writing, a Class A misdemeanor that can get up to a $4,000 fine and up to one year in jail.

The woman told reporters that she plans to pay for the fine with the money she saves from clipping coupons.

Blotter: Woman charged in coupon thefts [Denton Record-Chronicle] (Thanks to Stacie!)

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