Author: Chris Morran

Let’s hope this battle doesn’t require hospitalization for either opponent. In one corner you’ve got Anthem, which needs a 35% rate increase in California, despite making billions in profits. In the other corner is Assurant, who targeted and subsequently dropped HIV patients from its insurance rolls.

Which of these two insurers has you trying to fake a Canadian passport?

This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2010 series. The companies competing for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america. Print the bracket, here.

New security measures announced today by the Department of Homeland Security will eliminate the mandatory screening of air travelers from 14 countries, including Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Pakistan and Iran. Instead, only travelers matching the most current threat information will be put under the microscope.

“These new measures utilize real-time, threat-based intelligence along with multiple, random layers of security, both seen and unseen, to more effectively mitigate evolving terrorist threats,” said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

In addition to the countries listed above, there had been mandatory screening for travelers from Cuba, Sudan, Syria, Algeria, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen put into place following the Dec. 25, 2009, attempt by a Nigerian man to blow up a Detroit-bound plane with explosives stashed in his underwear.

Reuters spoke to a senior administration official who said only travelers with matching characteristics, like physical description, partial name or travel pattern, of suspected terrorists would undergo further screening.

“So it’s much more tailored to what the intel is telling us, what the threat is telling us, as opposed to stopping all individuals of a particular nationality or all individuals using a particular passport,” the official told Reuters. “It is designed to be much more tailored so that we don’t stop everybody coming from a certain country, because that information is out, and if I’m a terrorist, the last thing I want to do then is send somebody with this passport, going that way,” the official said.

While this should make for faster movement through TSA security lines at the airport, does it make you feel any more or less safe than before?

New airline security measures announced [Reuters]

When we posted earlier today that Netflix had launched an app for the iPad that allowed users to watch streaming video, many readers expressed disappointment that the video delivery company had opted to go with the iPad over all other devices to make its mobile debut. So we spoke with them to find out why.

“We’ve said all along our goal is to be ubiquitous,” explained Steve Swasey, VP Corporate Communications.”We are working on ways to bring to bring Netflix to all mobile devices.”

So why the iPad first instead of the iPhone/iPod Touch?

Swasey called the iPad a “natural extension” of what Netflix is already providing to subscribers through other devices like PCs, gaming consoles, and laptops.

“Is the iPad a laptop or is a mobile device?” he asked. “The answer is ‘yes’ to both.”

As a sign of the company’s dedication to mobile devices, Swasey pointed to the announcement earlier this month that they are developing an app for Windows Phone 7.

“We can’t be everywhere at once,” he lamented, adding, “We wouldn’t invite you over for dinner and not ask you to stay for dessert.”

So now we ask you: Is streaming movies to the iPad any different than watching movies on your netbook? Or should Netflix have focused their energy on a more popular, existing device like the iPhone/iPod Touch?

Former flight attendants for defunct Spanish airline Air Comet say they’re owed around €7 million (about $9.5 million) in unpaid wages. So as a combination fundraiser/PR stunt, the women decided to re-enact every ’80s party movie and release a racy calendar.

The calendar, which retails for around $20, shows the ladies of Comet Air in various states of undress, posing near and occasionally draped on airplanes.

“We are just demanding our rights to receive what is ours, we each have eight or nine months of unpaid salaries,” former Comet Air attendant Adriana Ricardo told Reuters.

While the calendars have gotten the unpaid attendants a heaping helping of PR exposure, it’s unlikely that it will do anything to get any more money from Comet, which collapsed in December when 9 of its planes were impounded. The erstwhile airline reportedly owes over $200 million to creditors, so the attendants had better pray these calendars go through several printings.

Spanish Air Comet Flight Attendants Get Naked For Unpaid Wages [Jaunted]

Unpaid Spanish air hostesses strip in protest [Reuters]

A ticket agent for Continental Airlines has gotten caught with her hand in the voucher jar, allegedly selling fake ticket vouchers and pocketing the cash… to the tune of $1 million.

Federal prosecutors claim the agent, who worked out of Continental’s hub at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, “misappropriated” hundreds of vouchers usually used by the airline to compensate passengers for delays, cancellations and overbookings.

The feds say the ticket agent then sold the vouchers to passengers under the pretext that they could be redeemed for a round-trip ticket anywhere in the world.

According to authorities, the suspect unloaded more than 1750 vouchers at a price of between $500 and $600 each.

In the complaint filed in federal court, the agent sold most of these vouchers through two yet unnamed individuals, who then allegedly provided her with names of people who expressed an interest in paying for these vouchers along with the number of vouchers they were hoping to purchase. The agent then provided her two accomplices with the fake vouchers and false PIN numbers.

In order to keep the scheme afloat, the ticket agent was forced to pay out of pocket when the voucher purchasers attempted to redeem the tickets. According to court documents, she paid more than $587,000 toward tickets out of the money she received from the fake vouchers.

Meanwhile, with the profits from the scam, she spent at thousands at Louis Vuitton and Coach stores… oh, and she paid off some debt.

Had she been able to continue selling the vouchers at a rate that outpaced voucher redemption, the agent would have been able to continue making a profit while paying for airfares with the income from the new sales.

But in Nov. 2009, Continental got wind of the voucher scheme and suspended the agent, who was ultimately dismissed in Dec. 2009.

She attempted to keep the scheme going even after she was suspended by having other Continental agents buy the tickets for her.

The agent has been charged with wire fraud and faces up to 20 years in prison.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Charges Former Continental Airlines Sales Agent in Fake Ticket Voucher Scheme [FBI]

Several years ago, a 70-something grandma in Florida fell victim to ye olde Nigerian e-mail scam, losing $10K in the process. But instead of moping and whining about it, the resourceful retiree learned from her mistake — literally — because police have accused her of earning over $1 million by running a similar scam on her friends.

Here’s how the now-78-year-old woman allegedly fleeced her pals for amounts ranging from $300 to $330,000. Police say she told them she had won the lottery and needed a lump of cash to pay the taxes on her winnings before she could receive it. And once the lotto loot was in her hands, she would pay them back double the amount loaned.

“She seemed like the most sincere, sweetest woman you’d ever want to meet in your life. She knows exactly what she was doing,” one duped friend, who gave the suspect $22K in cash and also pawned precious jewelry, told ABC News. “That woman’s got me for everything I ever had. Talked me out of every penny of my life savings. I truly thought I was helping this sweet little old lady.”

The alleged scammer had another story she told her marks — that she needed the money for an orphanage in Guatemala.

“She said she had a mission in Guatemala somewhere and she was supporting it and some of our church members gave money for it,” said the pastor of the suspect’s church.

Police say it is possible that the suspect could have been bilking people because she truly believed that the original scam money was still coming to her.

“We don’t know yet if the money was for personal use, living, or if she sent it over for this lottery,” the local chief of police said. “Even if she was duped and still believed she would get this money eventually from the Nigerians, she is still lying to those people and telling them it was legitimate… If she sent it away to these guys [in Holland], we’re never getting any of it back.”

Florida Grandmother Arrested for Scamming Friends out of More Than $1 Million [ABC News]

Thanks Shawna!

It’s time for these two foes to step into the Red Ring of Death. Will Microsoft’s trail of dead Xboxes and too-late knockoffs of iPods and iPhones be enough to get them past Apple, the company that charges you $499 for an oversized iPod Touch and then only lets you use software they approve and sell to you?

Which company has you longing for the days of Scantron cards and Walkmen?

This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2010 series. The companies competing for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america. Print the bracket, here.

Last week’s poll on tipping the pizza delivery guy certainly riled a lot of feathers, with over 300 comments on the topic and more than 12,000 votes tallied. It’s also brought up some good questions about tipping from Consumerist readers, like this one from Chad, who has just been introduced to mandatory full-service gas stations in New Jersey.

See, Chad and his wife just moved to the Garden State, where it’s required by law that all gas be pumped by an attendant.

Here’s Chad speaking for himself:

Right away we noticed the law in NJ that makes it illegal to pump your own gas. There are signs that state a fine of “up to $3000” can be given. That leads me to wonder, what is the practice of tipping the gas attendant?

Since it is forced on you, is it good practice to tip the gas pump guy? I say no. If the guy goes out and does stuff that is above and beyond, I will throw some bucks along the way. With gas climbing again, a lot of people are not willing to give extra money to fill up the tank. What do you think? Am I a prude, or do I have logic in my corner?

What do you think:

McDonald’s: Taking his cue from both Cheeseburger Josh and that irritating “Gimme That Filet-o-Fish” ad, a dude in South Brunswick, NJ, got so impatient with the service at the drive-thru that he crawled through the window, slapped the employee and then escaped with his precious fish sandwich.

Starbucks: A Daly City, CA, police officer faces jail time for demonstrating how to slit someone’s throat with a knife… while enjoying a coffee at Starbucks. [Mercury News]

KFC: Remember that bronze bust of Colonel Sanders that was stolen from outside a Berea, KY, KFC? Well, the world can rest easy because the statue has been recovered following a joint effort of the Berea and Independence, KY, police forces, both of whom will share the $500 free chicken reward. [MarketWatch]

Taco Bell: Drive-thru cashiers should be getting hazard pay. Yet another Taco Bell has been held up from the convenience of the thieves’ car. But unlike last week’s heist in Charlotte, these crooks got away with more than some apple empanadas. [WSBTV]

Domino’s Pizza: It’s not just the drivers at Domino’s that are at risk. An employee at a Domino’s in Hickory, NC, was forced into the store’s cooler while two robbers had their way with the cash register. [WBTV]

Dick’s Drive-In: A 73-year-old man is being charged with a DUI after attempting to drive through a Dick’s Drive-In in the Lake City area of Seattle. [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]

In these cash-strapped times, you’d think anyone willing to buy $50K worth of ad space on subways and buses would be a good thing. But for some reason, the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority wasn’t happy with this recently proposed ad campaign.

In posters that ape the MTA’s own service advisory posters, the Working Families Party takes issue with the MTA’s proposed fare hikes and service cuts while pointing the finger at three-term mayor Michael Bloomberg for not living up to promises to fix the subway system.

One poster has the cryptic message of “WTF?” which we’re told means something naughty that bad kids who smoke cigarettes behind the gym during shop class say. The second says “OMFG” which we can only assume is a reference to legendary NYC nightclub CBGB/OMFUG… right?

Regardless, the MTA has rejected the ads, calling them “offensive, improper or in bad taste.”

They were also afraid that people might confuse them with real service advisories, or think that the MTA agrees with the Working Family Party’s political agenda.

‘WTF?’ MTA bigs derail Working Families Party’s texty ads targeting Mayor Bloomberg [NY Daily News]

Many schools have seen some sort of inside advertising since the ’90s, but it’s usually been relegated to a few posters in the cafeteria. But several school districts in the Detroit metro area are moving ahead with plans to include advertising for national brands on gym walls, athletic fields and school web pages.

It’s all being done as a way to make up for ever-shrinking school budgets. Proponents of the move to allow in-school advertising claim it will bring in anywhere from $30K-$75K in the first year, with expectations of several times that amount in coming years.

Dedicated Consumerist readers might remember that McDonald’s in Seminole County, FL, tried advertising on report cards only to put a stop to it a few weeks later.

We want to know what you think:

Schools allow ads to raise revenue [Detroit News]

Because we all love our pets, we want to take good care of them. But since most of us aren’t veterinarians (unless we have a very specific demographic no one told me about), the best we can do when talking to our pets’ doctors is to ask the right questions. To help everyone along, the peeps at the FDA have put together this handy/dandy list of things you should ask your vet when getting meds for your furry friends.

1. Why has my pet been prescribed this medication and how long do I need to give it?
Your veterinarian can tell you what the medication is expected to do for your pet and how many days to give it.

2. How do I give the medication to my pet? Should it be given with food?
Your pet may have fewer side effects, like an upset stomach, from some drugs if they are taken with food. Other medications are best to give on an empty stomach.

3. How often should the medication be given and how much should I give each time? If it is a liquid, should I shake it first?
Giving the right dose at the right time of the day will help your pet get better more quickly.

4. How do I store the medication?
Some medications should be stored in a cool, dry place. Others may require refrigeration.

5. What should I do if my pet vomits or spits out the medication?
Your veterinarian may want to hear from you if your pet vomits. You may be told to stop giving the drug or to switch your pet to another drug.

6. If I forget to give the medication, should I give it as soon as I remember or wait until the next scheduled dose? What if I accidentally give too much?
Giving your pet too much of certain medications can cause serious side effects. You’ll want to know if giving too much is a cause for concern and a trip to the animal emergency room.

7. Should I finish giving all of the medication, even if my pet seems to be back to normal?
Some medications, such as antibiotics, should be given for a certain length of time, even if your pet is feeling better.

8. Could this medication interact with other medications my pet is taking?
Always tell your veterinarian what other medications your pet is taking, including prescription medications, over-the-counter medicines, and herbs or other dietary supplements. You may want to write these down and take the list with you to the vet’s office.

9. What reactions should I watch for, and what should I do if I see any side effects?
Your veterinarian can tell you if a reaction is normal or if it signals a serious problem. You may be asked to call your vet immediately if certain side effects occur.

FDA encourages veterinarians and animal owners to report serious side effects from medications to FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine at 1-800-FDA-VETS. For a copy of the reporting form and more information on how to report problems, visit the Web site, How to Report An Adverse Drug Experience4.

10. When should I bring my pet back for a recheck? Will you be calling me to check on my pet’s progress, or should I call you?
Your vet may want to examine your pet or perform laboratory tests to make sure the medication is working as it should.

If you want this info in a more portable form, the FDA has created a PDF for you. Wasn’t that just sweet?

And while we’re on the topic, here’s a link to all the great feline photos in the Consumerist Flickr pool.

Medications for Your Pet: 10 Questions to Ask Your Vet [FDA]

Things continue to look bleak for once-great video rental chain Blockbuster as it was revealed today that billionaire Carl Icahn, once the biggest single shareholder in the company, has unloaded around 78% of his Blockbuster stock in the last week.

On March 25, Icahn owned over 19.9 million shares of Blockbuster. As of yesterday, that number had dwindled to around 4.36 million shares.

This news comes one day after Blockbuster was told they were at risk of being de-listed from the New York Stock Exchange and two weeks after the company warned in its annual report that they may need to file for bankruptcy to stay afloat.

Carl Icahn Dumps a Ton of Blockbuster [Marketfolly]

Here we go, folks. It’s DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket monopoly, creepy Chris Farley Ads and draconian enforcement of early termination fees VS well, what can you say about Comcast. They’ve got issues.

Which one makes you want to impale yourself on your old rabbit ear antenna?

This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2010 series. The companies competing for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america. Print the bracket, here.

Consumerist reader Uriah was shopping at his local Rite-Aid when he spotted something strange about the big yellow sale tag on this bottle of aspirin. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the huge sale price of $9.99 wasn’t such a good deal… because it’s $3 higher than the $6.99 the aspirin usually goes for.

Another battle in the skies, it’s United, which breaks guitars, vs Continental, which leaves you stranded on the tarmac for so long the DOT actually starts to care.

Which one turns on your seatbelt sign of hatred?

This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2010 series. The companies competing for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america. Print the bracket, here.

Earlier today, Ford announced that it’s going to be the first car manufacturer to employ Microsoft’s Hohm energy management system when it begins rolling out its line of electric and hybrid electric vehicles over the next two years.

Ford says that using the Hohm system in their vehicles will help owners determine when and how to most efficiently and affordably recharge their battery and plug-in cars. They claim it will also help utility companies deal with increased demand as electric vehicles hit the consumer market.

Says Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, “As the market for electric vehicles expands, it will have a significant impact on home energy consumption and demand across the nation’s energy grid. With Microsoft Hohm, Ford and Microsoft will deliver a solution that will make it easier for car owners to make smart decisions about the most affordable and efficient ways to recharge electric vehicles, while giving utilities better tools for managing the expected changes in energy demand.”

Ford plans to release an electric version of their popular Focus in 2011, followed by a yet-unnamed plug-in hybrid in 2012.

A reader wrote into Consumerist because he recently booked a flight on JetBlue, only to discover when attempting to check in at the airport that he’d somehow booked the return flight for a full month later than it should have been.

When he investigated what had happened, he realized that he’d been hasty when picking the dates on the JetBlue website and not noticed that the pop-up calendar for the return flight had been advanced a month from the calendar he’d been shown for booking the departing flight.

While the reader admits to making the mistake, he believes some of the blame must be placed on the JetBlue site. So he’s made the following video to demonstrate just how easy it is to make the same mistake. Have a look and tell us if you think you might have made this error.

A former GameStop employee and Consumerist reader wrote in to share her story of why she decided to quit her gig as a “Game Advisor” after learning that her store was knowingly reselling video games heisted from the local Best Buy store.

According to the tipster, everyone at her GameStop knew “an employee at a nearby Best Buy was stealing product and selling it in huge quantities to our store for dimes on the dollar.” She says the games were then sold at a huge profit to GameStop shoppers.

It was all a little too much for an employee with a good conscience to put up with:

I quit when I was told that I had to keep letting the guy sell us stolen stuff, despite that being in violation of corporate policy and the law.

Before I left, I used the assistant manager’s login to send an email to everyone at corporate whose email I could find in the computer — our district manager, our regional manager, the loss prevention manager — and ask them how they thought they could prevent theft by employees or customers when we encouraged both to tacitly approve theft from our competition.

As far as I know, the only response was that I didn’t need to worry about giving them a final two weeks and to remind the manager to search me before I vacated the premises for the day. He didn’t.

What do you think — should she have escalated her complaint even further, perhaps even gone to the police? Or is it Best Buy’s job to keep their own employees from walking out the door with stolen product?

Consumerist reader Mike was recently enticed by a clothing sale on Kohls.com, so he ordered, in his words, “a ton of shirts.” What he didn’t know was that, in addition to his shirts, Kohl’s was also going to send him several random pieces for a door lock assembly and a second box of free air.

We’ll let Mike tell the story, since he was the one that took the photos below.

I expected a big box, maybe even multiple medium sized boxes. But nothing prepared me for 2 giant boxes. One was light as a feather, the other was really heavy. So I expected some laughs opening the light box, maybe 2 or 3 shirts in there. But I did not find any shirts, not even a packing slip nor invoice, all I found was bags of air. The shipping label said the box was 18 lbs.

I opened the heavy box and luckily all 19 shirts were there. Midway through the box I found part of a door lock. Funny, right? At the bottom of the box I found 5 more of the identical door parts.

And here are the rest of Mike’s photos: