News Channel 9: The Real Deal

Rent-to-own reality: The Real Deal

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:30:00 GMT

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - The holidays are coming up, and with the economic downturn, many people will be looking for ways to save.

The rent-to-own industry is booming right now, but don't think small payments now, will save you in the long run. Central New Yorkers are paying up to three times more than they would if they just bought the item off a store shelf.

Senator Chuck Schumer's office did a study earlier this year that shows exactly how much you pay in the long run when you rent to own, and you won't believe the numbers they came up with.

If you were to buy a 37-inch Toshiba HDTV right now, it would cost you $850; if you were to go to Rent-A-Center and rent-to-own it over two years with all the fees included, it would end up costing more than $3,000.

How about a Whirlpool washing machine? It’s $899 when you buy it from the store, and more than $2,000 when you rent to own over two years.

The matching dryer retails for $749, but after rent-to-own, you pay $1,870.

Businesses are only allowed to charge you up to 30 percent in interest, so, if you're at all considering this, sit down with a calculator and do your homework.

If you don't have the money up front to buy something new, consider other forms of financing.

The rent to own trade assoication says 75% of their customers do not rent to own, they turn the items back in. If you do want to purchase an item, they claim most customers can choose shorter terms and not end up paying as much.

Statement from Rent-A-Center:

"Rent-A-Center discloses all prices up-front in writing and lets customers purchase the merchandise they’re renting at any point during their rental period. In fact, more than two-thirds of customers who end up buying do so at substantial savings over the maximum total rent shown in their contracts."

New telemarketing rules: The Real Deal

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:30:00 GMT

There are some new rules for those annoying telemarketers that never seem to stop hounding us.

From now on, any company who calls you with a pre-recorded message has to give you a quick and easy way to opt out anytime during the message. You either need to be able to press a certain number or say a word to get your name off their calling list.

If you're not home and they get through to your answering machine, they have to leave a toll-free opt out number for you to call.

If any of these new rules are broken, file a complaint against the company calling you by going to http://www.ftc.gov.

Debt collector fined: The Real Deal

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:30:00 GMT

If you need proof that filing a complaint actually gets results, here it is: A debt collector has been fined more than $2 million for misleading and bullying customers.

More than a thousand people filed complaints against Academy Collection Services. They claim the company threatened to garnish wages, ruin their credit and seek legal action if they didn't pay their debt.

Don't be pushed around. If you get a call and you're caught off guard, ask them to prove you really owe the money.

If you want The Real Deal on something, call us at 446-9900 or email us anytime at yourstories@9wsyr.com.

Work begins again on Waterhouse Road: The Real Deal

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:55:50 GMT

Clay, New York (WSYR-TV) - The road was closed for six months while it was ripped up, widened and totally re-done. It cost the town of Clay more than $750,000 to repair Waterhouse Road -- and the bill just got a lot bigger.

Just a few weeks after Waterhouse Road was opened back up to traffic, it's covered in pot holes and needs to be fixed.

The road is a popular shortcut between Morgan Road and Henry Clay Boulevard; for months, drivers had to take the long way around while it was being ripped up.

The work's now been finished -- and just a few weeks later, the road looks worse than it did before.

“Water is getting through the coarse binder and then breaks up -- as soon as the water gets underneath it, it'll freeze and then pop them right apart,” says Clay highway supervisor Tim Weaver.

The road is already covered in pot holes. The town of Clay highway department handled the project; they used one of the cheapest products available to bind the road or keep it together, and it's just not holding up.

“I don't know if the problem we're having here is that this road gets so much traffic it's creating a problem.. I can't really [say],” Weaver says.

Here's the bottom line: If they don't get another coat of binder on the street by the end of the week, the highway department will likely be there all winter long patching pot holes.

Crews are busy getting that coat of binder on now, and a second coat will be put down on Thursday. The work comes at an additional cost of $60,000 -- and even then the road won’t be done; it'll need a top coat in the spring.

Weaver says they came in a little under budget on the project so making up the additional costs won't be as difficult as he was anticipating.

Expedia class action lawsuit: The Real Deal

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:56:22 GMT

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - From diamonds to pet food to debit cards, there have been several high profile class action settlements over the last year – and now there’s one for folks who used the travel website Expedia.

Some of you may have received an email claiming you could have some cash coming back, and you want to know if it's The Real Deal.

The email is legitimate, but there's no guarantee you'll get any cash. This class action suit is in the very early stages – nothing has been agreed to yet -- but the attorneys handling the case claim that customers who booked a hotel stay through Expedia between January 10 of 2001 and June 11 of 2008 had a "bundled" fee on their bills, which gave no description of what they were paying for.

If you're eligible to join this suit, you should have received either an email or letter with more details.

At this point, they're just trying to see how many people are in this suit; a judge has not decided whether Expedia did anything wrong at this point.

CLICK HERE for more information on the lawsuit.

Owner of T.W. Conroy arrested: The Real Deal

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:46:00 GMT

Link: Previous Coverage of T.W. Conroy

Archive: 7/21: The case that led to Conroy's arrest

Elbridge, New York (WSYR-TV) - Tim Conroy, the owner of T.W. Conroy, an Elbridge auction company, has been arrested and charged with grand larceny for ripping off a customer.

The company has been at the center of a Your Stories investigation for nearly two years now; we've heard from dozens of you who consigned your items with T.W. Conroy only to still be waiting for checks months -- if not years -- later.

Conroy owes dozens of customers more than $300,000. He's been ordered to pay restitution by the attorney general's office, but now the matter is turning criminal.

Conroy owes one of our Your Stories viewers $19,000 from an estate auction on June 7 in Scipio, and since there's no sign he ever had any intention to pay up, he was arrested.

Back in July, Mario Arena told us how he'd hired T.W. Conroy to auction off all of the contents of the home he and his wife shared for 20 years.

But nearly two months after the auction took place, Mario still hadn't been paid, and wasn't getting any return calls from T.W. Conroy.

“I'm heart broken; I mean, I can't believe that they've taken everything from me... I just can't believe it -- and no response,” Arena says.

No response is no longer an option. Conroy is now facing grand larceny charges for pocketing the $19,000 he owes Mario.

We spoke with Conroy on Friday, just a few days before his arrest, about the way he's been doing business for the past few years.

“I got myself into a bad position, and I’m working hard to get out of it,” said Conroy.

He claims he's trying to settle not only Mario's account, but all of the customers he owes.

“I'm working on it, I really am -- I didn't run and hide anywhere, I'm working hard to meet all of my obligations, and I will,” Conroy said.

You're probably wondering, if he was arrested for this case, why not all of them? Well, state police say this is the only complaint against Conroy of this nature they got.

A lot of it also depends on just how much you're owed and whether Conroy ever had any kind of escrow account set up with the intention of paying you.

Not only will Conroy have to appear in court on this criminal case, he'll also be in front of a judge who will decide whether to shut his business down on December 16.

We, of course, will be at both hearings.

Conroy talks about business: The Real Deal 11/28/08

Elbridge, New York (WSYR-TV) - T.W. Conroy held what may be its last auction Friday night. The attorney general has asked a judge to shut down the Elbridge business because they owe dozens of customers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

A decision will be made on that next month; until then, T.W. Conroy owner Tim Conroy had to follow some strict rules at Friday night's sale.

The annual Thanksgiving auction went ahead as planned after posting a $50,000 insurance bond with the attorney general's office.

After months of avoiding our interview requests, Conroy finally agreed to talk about the major issues with his business.

First, he tried blaming us for telling the stories of dozens of customers who hired him to sell their belongings, only to be waiting for checks months if not years later.

“When you're doing business and going along, going along and when business slows and we get negative reports -- I don't know how much that's going to harm me, but it harmed me greatly,” says Conroy.

Then he blamed the lack of auctions for his situation going from bad to worse.

“So when you're doing $4 million a year and you drop down to a million -- what I want to do is come up with a plan with anyone that will help me, whether it's the AG's office, my attorney or you guys -- and I want to be able repay anything that I owe,” Conroy says.

Conroy says he's fallen behind on court-ordered restitution payments due to “extenuating circumstances.”

Every dime from this auction, Conroy tells us, will be going into an escrow account, to continue paying back customers that he owes.

His attorney says that's a step in the right direction.

“With all this energy you seem to have, let's get you to portray the positive side to the business. We’re done here,” attorney Joseph Talarico said to NewsChannel 9 investigative reporter Jennifer Lewke, before abruptly ending the interview.

Problem is, there aren't too many positives to owing $300,000 to customers who never suspected they'd have a problem getting paid.

Conroy and his attorney will be in court on December 16 when a judge will decide whether to shut down the company until they pay more than $300,000 in restitution and post a $500,000 insurance bond.

NewsChannel 9, of course, will be there.

	Rules set for Conroy auction: The Real Deal 11/26/08
	Thanksgiving auction stipulations 11/26/08

AG's order for T.W. Conroy (39.5KB)

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - They owe over $300,000 to customers, but T.W. Conroy, an Elbridge auction house, is still planning a huge auction this Friday.

The Attorney General has asked a judge to shut them down, but the hearing isn't until next month. So until then, the AG got approval to put some massive stipulations in place to make sure even more people don't get ripped off.

Friday’s auction will be T.W. Conroy's last until a court hearing on December 16. But before auction house owner Tim Conroy sells a thing there, he has to meet these stipulations:

- Conroy will have to post a $50,000 bond with the AG’s office before Friday.

- Provide a list of every item that will be up for sale, who owns it and its appraised value.

- Every dime collected at the auction has to be put in an escrow account that will be maintained by Conroy's attorney.

The temporary agreement also mandates that Conroy pay the AG's office 40 percent of any proceeds he makes from Friday's auction. That money will be returned to previous victims who still haven't gotten paid for their auctions.

At the court hearing on December 16, a judge will decide whether to completely shut down T.W. Conroy.

T.W. Conroy continues to hold auctions: The Real Deal 11/20/08

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - The Attorney General is looking to shut them down, but T.W. Conroy -- the local auction company that's been at the center of a Your Stories investigation for over a year now -- is still planning and promoting a big auction for next weekend.

They owe hundreds of people hundreds of thousands of dollars -- so how are they allowed to keep doing business?

According to the AG’s office, T.W. Conroy can continue to operate until a court hearing on December 4. At that time, the AG will ask a judge to shut them down.

The problem with that is anyone who gets ripped off between now and then can't be included in the restitution payments Conroy has already been ordered to pay.

If you didn't file a complaint with the AG against T.W. Conroy before October 14, you missed your chance.

Owner Tim Conroy already owes more than $300,000 dollars to customers who hired him to sell their items -- and were never paid.

If a judge grants the AG's request to shut him down, Conroy will have to come up with all of that money and another half million dollars for an insurance bond if he ever wants to do business again.

We've helped dozens of people get their money from this company, but there are still hundreds more who are owed. The AG's office is doubtful that everyone will get everything they're entitled to.

At the December 4 court hearing, we'll be finding out whether Conroy has any intention of paying up.

If you're waiting on money from T.W. Conroy, you can still file a complaint with the AG's office, but Conroy has to pay back all of the folks who've already filed first as part of the lawsuit.

Chances are, there won't be enough left for any new victims.

Apology, gift card from Target after misprint: The Real Deal

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:30:00 GMT

Your Comments

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - Thousands of Target online shoppers are getting an apology and a gift card after ordering car seats that were mismarked and later having those orders cancelled by the company.

The car seats, regularly priced at $279, were listed as being on sale for $42.99, which Target says was a mistake.

Target e-mailed everyone who ordered the seats saying the company printed the price incorrectly. Shoppers could pay the correct price or cancel the order.

Target has agreed to give a $25 e-Gift Card, along with a letter of apology, to those who placed an order for less than five of the car seats. That includes about 2,000 New Yorkers.

Many who ordered the car seats were angry, but there’s a disclaimer on Target.com: “Despite our best efforts, a small number of items on our website may be mispriced... If an item's correct price is higher than our stated price, we will, at our discretion, either contact you for instructions before shipping or cancel your order and notify you.”

The Attorney General’s office looked into the incident, but said it appears to have simply been a mistake.

Statement from Target:

"We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the pricing error on Target.com. Target.com experienced a system pricing error that affected some items on the site, including the Britax car seat. Most car seat orders labeled with the incorrect price have been cancelled. Most guests whose purchase was cancelled will receive a $25 Target e-GiftCard to use on their next purchase at Target.com.

Target.com strives to consistently offer our guests the best values and accurate prices when shopping online. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. It is never our intention to disappoint our guests and we sincerely regret the error."

We are sorry for the pricing error you experienced with your order recently on Target.com. We know this was disappointing.

We want to assure you that this was an unusual technical issue. Target.com discovered the situation during our price verification, which is a routine part of our shipping procedures. As soon as we discovered the error, we corrected our system and notified guests of the error and cancelled orders, according to the pricing error policy listed on our website.

Target.com strives to offer you the best value and accurate prices on all of our merchandise. Our teams will continue to monitor our pricing systems to ensure we deliver the experience you should expect
from Target. Although our online pricing policy was followed, we know you were disappointed when your order was cancelled.

As an apology for your experience, we'd like to provide you a $25 e-GiftCard to use on Target.com.

By redeeming this e-GiftCard, you acknowledge full satisfaction and release of any claims against Target relating to this pricing error.

As a valued guest, your business is very important to us. It’s our hope to be given the opportunity to serve you again as a Target.com guest.

Sincerely,
The Team at Target.com
www.target.com

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - Dozens of upset mothers say they won't shop at Target any more after the company cancelled their online purchases, claiming the car seats they bought were mismarked. The moms are saying it was false advertising – but what’s The Real Deal?

Sam Hooper thought she hit the Black Friday jackpot a bit early on Sunday, when she went to Target.com and found a regularly priced $279 car seat for a mere $42.99.

At that price, Sam was going to buy three car seats -- two to replace the ones in her car, and one for her husband’s.

“These are top-of-the-line car seats, so I was just excited we got them for so cheap,” Hooper says.

She and a few of her friends placed the orders, and thought nothing more about it until an email arrived from Target the next day.

“They just said it was listed for the incorrect price and they won't send it out -- and if I'd like to pay $279, I could buy it,” says Hooper.

Sam and several other moms who've contacted us think Target should own up to the mistake and offer them something a little better than full price.

“I feel like customer service isn't important to them…I kind of feel like they should have taken this hit and sucked it up and given people the car seats that they ordered,” Hooper says.

But buried in the fine print of Target.com is this disclaimer: "Despite our best efforts, a small number of items on our website may be mispriced... If an item's correct price is higher than our stated price, we will, at our discretion, either contact you for instructions before shipping or cancel your order and notify you.”

Typically, unless a store has a pattern of mismarking items or ad misprints, the attorney general's office doesn't step in.

Sam's not getting the car seats – “It definitely makes me not want to shop there,” she says -- and after getting her hopes up, she's a lot more skeptical of a good deal.

It wasn't just the car seats that were mismarked; Target says there was a pricing feed malfunction that affected several of their online items. They claimed the problem was corrected as soon as it was identified, and they apologized for the inconvenience.

UPDATE (Nov. 19) - So that's what happens if a store makes a mistake -- but you'll really need a magnifying glass to decipher all the holiday ads.

A lot of stores only get a few of the sale items. In the ads, it'll say "a limit of 4 per store" or something similar -- which means if you're not in the front of the line, you're not getting one at that price.

There's no rule saying a store has to have a set number of sale items available, so pay attention for that.

And keep an eye out for misleading ads. A K-Mart ad from 2007 fooled a lot of people; it was promoting a sale on DVDs -- but, only the movies touching the $14.99 "bubble" on the ad were actually that price.

Also, make sure you know the store’s return policy before you buy. Stores can come up with whatever policy they want -- and it's perfectly legal, as long as it’s posted either in the store or on the receipt.

Going for the gold: The Real Deal

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 04:31:41 GMT

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - We've all seen the commercials -- send in your old gold, and get cash in return. It may sound enticing, especially around this time of year, since we could all use some extra cash.

But here’s The Real Deal on how much you can make if you go for the gold, and whether there's a better option.

We ordered a gold kit from "Cash 4 Gold" and gathered two gold necklaces, four bracelets, a pair of earrings, two rings and two charms, ranging from 10 karat to 24 karat.

They send you the postage paid envelope, tell you to just slip your gold inside and mail it.

Though a customer says on their commercial that she got a check within 24 hours, you won't actually get a check that quickly. It was two weeks before we heard back from the company. And for everything we sent, we got a check for $112.34.

That might not sound that bad, but what we didn't tell Cash 4 Gold was that we had taken the exact same pieces to a pawn shop the week before and they were going to give us $766.74 – a $650 difference.

When we emailed the company to let them know their check would be returned, and we wanted the gold back, things got even more interesting.

They returned my email the same day, asking me how much I was expecting. When I told them I had an offer for about $750, they said they couldn't give me that, but bumped their offer up to $302.

Here's The Real Deal on how you can make some cash on your old gold:

-Get more than one offer – obviously, they vary dramatically.
-Don't expect the money overnight; unless you pay to rush it, it'll take a few weeks.
-Keep in mind most of the mail-in companies only insure the gold you send for $100.

So if you think yours is worth more than that, you have to pick up the cost of any added insurance.

The CEO of Cash4Gold tells us, he never promises the best price for your jewelry. His company is only interested in the gold itself, they don't pay for gems. He says it doesn't matter what shape the gold is in, it just matters how much you have since they melt it all down. He fully admits you may be able to get a better price elsewhere but says his company caters to those who don't want the hassle of shopping around or who are comfortable going into a pawn shop.

The price of gold moved slightly in the few weeks it took us to gather the estimates, but it actually increased from when we brought it to the pawn shop to when we mailed it in.

Giving to charity: The Real Deal

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:20:41 GMT

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - Charities are strapped for cash during these tough economic times, which means they'll likely be stepping up their fundraising efforts during the holiday season.

Here’s The Real Deal on what to do if you get a call from someone looking for cash.

First, even if you're on the Do Not Call list, telemarketers can contact you if they're raising money for a non-profit agency.

If you're interested in donating, ask how much of your money will actually go to the organization. A lot of times it's only 20 or 30 cents of every dollar; the rest is kept by the telemarketer to cover their overhead expenses.

Don't give your credit card number over the phone; any legitimate caller will agree to send you more information about the non-profit and a pledge card in the mail for you to review first.

Then, check out the charity at http://www.charitynavigator.org. They've got all registered non-profit agencies on file, how much money they bring in and how much is used for what.

Sometimes it's just as good of an idea to cut a check for the organization you want to support and send it directly to them. That way, every dollar of your donation can be used for what they see fit.

Credit deals to avoid: The Real Deal

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 01:47:14 GMT

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - Many of us will have less to spend this year -- but don't just jump at any offer that promises to maximize your spending.

Here’s The Real Deal on what you might be signing up for.

We've all gotten at least a few calls from company representatives, asking us if we’d like to lower our interest rates.

But don't fall for it; these companies just want you to sign up for a new card and transfer your balance.

You may get a lower interest rate at first, but after a month or two and you'll likely pay a higher rate than you are now.

Then, there's payday lenders. You find them all over the internet promising to put money in your account within minutes to tide you over until your next paycheck. But it comes at a huge cost.

For example, if you borrow $200 now, you'll pay at last $300 back in a few weeks, and if you don't read the fine print, you could pay even more. Taking a cash advance on your credit card would cost you less.

And if you want to know where your credit history stands before you start racking up holiday charges, you can pull a copy of your credit report. While their commercials are catchy, freecreditreport.com is not free.

You can get one free copy at http://annualcreditreport.com per year from each of the three credit reporting agencies.

You can't get your credit score for free -- just the actual report, but it’s a good idea to get a copy.

Check it all out before you try to open up a new credit card to use for the holiday shopping season.

Ticketed for license plate bracket: The Real Deal

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 04:20:08 GMT

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - With the holidays coming up, a lot of us will be hitting the road to visit family and friends, which means the state troopers will be out in full force, making sure we're all playing by the rules.

We all know not to speed, to wear our seat belts, and stay off the phone while driving -- but did you know a plastic license plate bracket – a fairly common accessory on cars these days -- could get you in trouble?

Jean Hilton was pulled over by a state trooper the other day. She was written a ticket -- but not for speeding or running a stop sign.

“He told me that it was because of an obscured license plate -- he told me the plastic that's around my plate is illegal in New York State,” Hilton says.

The dealership Jean bought her truck from put it on seven years ago.

“I said, ‘You better start writing, pal, because you got lots of tickets to write,’ “ says Hilton.

And it's not just plate frames, either. State police say they could write you a ticket for having a sticker on your back or side window, an air freshener hanging from your rear view mirror, or even a satellite radio attached the windshield inside your car -- they can all be considered an obstruction of your view.

And by the way, Jean’s ticket isn’t cheap. Her $25 ticket also comes with an $85 state surcharge.

A spokesman for State Police pulled a copy of Jean's ticket and the trooper's notes today. He says she was intially pulled over for going 70mph in a 55mph zone and the trooper cut her a break, writing her a ticket for a lesser charge. He says most of the time that's when tickets of this nature are written.

So what's The Real Deal? Just how many tickets have troopers in central New York written so far this year?

Let's start with the not-so-serious ones like Jean's. More than 2,400 people have been ticketed for something pertaining to their license plate. They've either got a cover or frame on it, dirt or snow covering it or they don't have plates on their car/truck at all. That's up a few hundred from the same time last year, when 2,195 were ticketed.

Equipment violations are also up -- this includes obstructed view, window tint, broken tail or headlights -- 12,560 of those tickets have been written so far this year, up about 2,000 from last year.

And the total number of tickets, including speeding, seatbelts, and cell phone violations is also up more than 6,500 from last year.

State police claim they've stepped up their enforcement of highway safety issues and their ticket numbers typically go up every year.

Troopers say if you get a ticket for an equipment violation, you have 24 hours to correct it. If you bring it back to an officer or judge within that time frame, it will be dismissed.

Gift Card email: The Real Deal

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:22:30 GMT

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - There's an email circulating about the dangers of buying gift cards this holiday season, since so many stores either have or may close or file for bankruptcy.

Dozens of you have forwarded the email to us, which tells you not to buy gift cards for places like Macy's, Circuit City, the Disney Store and Zales, because they're in financial trouble. You want to know The Real Deal.

Well, a lot of the retailers mentioned in the email aren't closing down completely; they're just downsizing, closing a handful of underperforming stores.

But it's always good to use gift cards soon after you get them -- no matter where they're from.

That way, you avoid any possible monthly maintenance fees, and you can be sure you won't lose out. Because if the company goes out of business, customers with gift cards are normally at the end of the line in bankruptcy court -- and typically, there's never enough money to go around.

Bottom line: Gift cards are still a viable gift idea; just don't hold onto them too long.

For more information on gift cards click here

Magic Jack: The Real Deal

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 04:40:05 GMT

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - Their commercials have been airing non-stop for the past few months, and we’ve been getting a lot of phone calls and emails asking for the Real Deal on the “Magic Jack.” The company claims all you have to do is plug their device into your computer, and you can make all the long distance calls you’d like for $20 a year. Is it worth it?

Their commercials say the Magic Jack will make your monthly phone bill magically disappear. Once you have the jack, you plug your phone line in one end, and then plug the other end into your PC. Then the company says you can call anywhere in the US or Canada for free.

Well, not exactly. The jack itself costs $40, and includes the first year of service. After that, there’s a $20 annual fee. You also need a broadband Internet connection.

Once you’re hooked up, you’ll be assigned a new telephone number. You can’t use your current number.

And if you want to make calls outside the US or Canada, you have to purchase international minutes from the company.

Their alleged “free trial” has the company in some hot water with the Better Business Bureau: Magic Jack has an F rating with the BBB with more than 750 complaints. Customers say funds were withdrawn from their account before the end of that trial, and they had trouble getting in touch with the company to get a refund.

Bottom line, Magic Jack may save you some cash, but you’d better know the Real Deal before you sign up.

There’s a similar service called Skype that you may have heard about. Oprah uses it a lot on her show. With Skype you don’t have to buy an actual jack, you just download a program onto your PC. If you call someone with the program, it’s free. If you call a landline or cell phone in the US, it’s $.02 a minute.

Statement from MagicJack on 11/19:

"MagicJack is working with the BBB to rectify the F rating. The company has sold over 1M devices to date and only a small number of these have placed any sort of complaint to the organization - many of which have been remedied and closed out by magicJack. The claims regarding getting billed before the expiration of the 30 day free trial are due to customers that use debit cards to order their magicJack. Financial institutions will put a hold on the $39.95 purchase price during the 30 day trial period but magicJack does not receive funds until day 31. The ‘debit card’ payment structure is clearly stipulated on the magicJack website."

As for the customer support issues a spokeswoman says "Customers can troubleshoot any problems with online support at magicJack.com. Online support is the fastest way to handle questions and concerns as Internet access is essential before any customer support can be performed (after all, Internet access is necessary for the magicJack to function). magicJack’s Tech Chat is supported by hundreds of people and the average wait time is seconds. The company has grown drastically since its launch and is striving to scale its customer support to meet customer service expectations. Therefore, magicJack allows customers to rate agents on a 1-5 scale (5 being the best) those that do not receive the highest grades possible are replaced. At the end of the month, the bottom 15% of agents are dismissed. With measures such as this in place, the company has seen its overall customer service ratings dramatically improve since launching in January of this year."

Avoid payday lenders: The Real Deal

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:35:18 GMT

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - Coming up with enough money to make ends meet has never been more difficult, and there are companies banking on your desperation for cash, promising money within hours.

But if you get tied up with a so-called payday lender, it'll only end up putting you further in debt.

Rich from Liverpool, got into a bit of a pinch financially a few weeks ago, so he went online looking for a payday loan -- immediate cash made available to anyone with a checking account -- to hold him over until he got his next paycheck.

But then the company will want their money back -- plus interest -- and we're not talking 20 percent or 30 percent, either.

“The initial loan was $250 and a $75 fee,” Rich says.

Once he clicked to accept the offer, the money was in Rich's Bank of America checking account just a half an hour later.

He thought he'd be paying back a total of $325 but on the due date, the company had tacked on another $75.

Here's why -- buried in the fine print, it says "this note will be renewed on the due date unless at least three business days before the due date either you tell us you don't want to renew the note or we tell you, the note won't be renewed.”

Translation: They keep extending the loan to get as much money out of you as possible.

“They mislead people, deceiving, they didn't represent themselves in a formal manner,” according to Rich.

It's not just the site he chose; payday lenders all charge insane interest rates, and most sell or share your personal information with other companies. It's just not a good idea to get involved with one.

Rich’s advice? “Borrow from a family member.”

If that's not an option, and you're absolutely desperate for cash, check with your credit card to see just how much it would cost you to take a cash advance on your credit card. Normally, this isn’t recommended, because those interest rates are typically very high as well, but they're nothing compared to payday loans.

The state of New York actually has some pretty strict rules when it comes to payday lending -- payday loan interest is capped at 25 percent in New York -- but most of the companies on the Internet are based in states where those rules don't exist, so they continue to target folks who need the money the most.

There is a bit of good news. Just this week, the Federal Trade Commission sued 10 payday loan companies for deceiving customers.

All in all, though, you should just stay away from them altogether.

Court asked to shut down T.W. Conroy: The Real Deal

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:38:12 GMT

Your Comments

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - The New York State Attorney General has asked the state Supreme Court to close an Elbridge auction company that's been at the center of a Your Stories investigation for more than a year.

They say T.W. Conroy ignored a court order to pay restitution and has continued to sell people's items without handing over the proceeds.

T.W. Conroy owner Tim Conroy owes customers more than $300,000; earlier this year, he signed a court order to start paying customers back, but since that day the AG's office has received 80 more complaints from customers who've sold their items and are still waiting for a check.

Elnora Barrington is one such customer. She sold the contents of her family’s 40-year-old floral shop at an auction a year and a half ago. To this day, she's still waiting for the $10,000 she's owed from T.W. Conroy. Her calls go unreturned, and now she's worried with the business possibly being shut down, she won't be seeing a dime of the money.

Enlisting T.W. Conroy’s help seemed like a fairly simple way for Wayne Kunkel to get rid of a few antiques. “We thought the quickest way to do that was to put it up for auction,” Kunkel says.

But he and his wife couldn't have been more wrong.

After T.W. Conroy sold his 19 items back in March of 2007, Kunkel still hasn't seen any proceeds.

Tim Conroy had been making restitution payments until about two months ago. If he ever wants to do business again, he has to come up with the $300,000 to pay back the customers he's already sold merchandise for, and then place another $500,000 into an insurance bond with the AG's office to ensure if something like this happens again, customers won't be the ones waiting for what's owed to them.

Many of the 80 complaints that came after the last court order were from people who watched NewsChannel 9’s coverage of T.W. Conroy back in April; it was after airing those stories that many Conroy customers decided to file a formal complaint with the AG’s office.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s office says it needs to get a wave of those formal complaints from customers in order for the AG to consider asking the state Supreme Court to shut down a business.

Tim Conroy has told us in the past he just got behind in paperwork.

If you think you may have been ripped off by a business, give the Your Stories staff a call any time at 446-9900, or email us at yourstories@9wsyr.com.

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) – It appears even a court order from the Attorney General isn't enough to get a local auction company to play by the rules.

In April, after dozens of complaints, the AG's office demanded T.W. Conroy to live up to their contracts and pay customers within 30 days.

But that’s still not happening.

Back in June, Mario Arena put the contents of his life for the past twenty years up for auction when he and his wife decided to move to Rochester. He hired T.W. Conroy.

The sale brought in nearly $43,000; his contract says he's to paid in full within 30 days.

44 days after his auction, Mario's still owed around $20,000.

“I'm heart broken…I can't believe that they've taken everything from me. I just can't believe it - and no response,” says Arena.

No response when the last $19,000 check from Conroy didn't clear at the bank. Nobody was around when we stopped at the showroom today to get an explanation, but Mario's story is very similar to several others who have waited and waited to get paid by T.W. Conroy.

The Attorney General's office sued the company in April for pretty much everything they're doing to Mario right now - failing to timely pay consumers for auctions, issuing checks with insufficient funds and failing to respond to consumer complaints.

The terms of the judgment clearly say T.W. Conroy must make payment to clients within 30 days. They have not done that in Mario's case.

“I'm going to take every legal avenue to try and collect my money,” says Arena.

The AG’s office tells us they have received additional complaints about the auction company and are actively reviewing them. If the company is found to be in violation of the court-ordered judgment against them, they could face a number of additional penalties.

The owner, Tim Conroy, could even be held in contempt of court and arrested if he's found to be knowingly violating the terms.

Our calls and e-mails to T.W. Conroy also went unreturned Monday.

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - Since last fall, we have been helping customers of T.W. Conroy get The Real Deal on why the auction company had sold their items without giving them their money. Now the company has reached a $160,000 settlement with the state.

The state Attorney General’s office has reached the settlement with T.W. Conroy and its affiliated e-Bay listing company My Sister the Lister, both located in Elbridge.

Viewers had contacted us beginning last fall saying their items had been sold, but owner Tim Conroy had never paid them after the auction, sometimes owing thousands of dollars.

We passed all the complaints we received on to the Attorney General’s office, and those along with other complaints led to an investigation.

The settlement requires T.W. Conroy and My Sister the Lister to reimburse approximately $160,000 to 22 customers.

Customers told us his contracts pretty much allowed him to take as much time as he wants to pay because they read, “auctioneer shall pay the owner the net amount due pursuant to this agreement within 30 business days from the day of the sale, if it's the last item the owner has consigned.”

In the future, the settlement says the companies must give customers detailed contracts and documentation including the final price obtained for their items.

Dozens of T.W. Conroy customers told us that they had not been able to get in touch with the company, because phone calls and e-mails have not been returned.

As part of the settlement, the businesses are required to respond faster to customer questions and pay all customers within 30 days of the sale of their items. T.W. Conroy must also pay $15,000 in costs and penalties.

The company has 13 months to settle all past due accounts with its customers. If the company does not comply with the settlement, the state could impose even heavier fines that might put the auctioneer out of business.

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - They're owed thousands of dollars from a local auction company and have been waiting years for them to pay up.

We're talking about customers of T.W. Conroy in Elbridge. For months we've been investigating the business and the owners have admitted they've stretched themselves far too thin.

Back in September, customers of T.W. Conroy started telling us how the business wasn't making good on their contracts. We’ve gotten 40 complaints since, from people who say their items were sold but owner Tim Conroy never paid them.

Some of these have since been taken care of, only after we brought them to Conroy's attention, but others are still waiting for their money. We have The Real Deal on what’s causing the hold up.

Morgan Cooper brought an antique chest to T.W. Conroy on November 2, 2005. It was prominently featured in an advertisement for one of their auctions back in early 2006, but 2 years later, Morgan hasn't received a dime for it.

When he calls, he’s told “we can't send you a check until we collect some money from our auction.”

Morgan's patience is running thin. So, we went to Conroy's Elbridge showroom to why their not holding up their end of the bargain.

The owners wouldn't go on camera, but would you believe Morgan finally got return phone with good news?

$2,500 now, the other $2,500 in few weeks. It’s not exactly what Morgan wanted, but it's a start.

From the start Conroy has told us they moved buildings, lost paperwork, and fired employees so they got behind on a lot of their contracts. They have made good on some of them but admit there are still some people like Morgan who are waiting to be paid.

We have passed on all of our complaints to the Attorney General's office and are waiting for them to investigate how this company is running their business as we have been doing for months.

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - The complaints about a local auction company just keep pouring into the Your Stories line, more clients of T.W. Conroy that claim they're owed thousands of dollars.

Now, owner Tim Conroy is admitting, he stretched himself and his business too thin.

Some customers are owed as much as $40,000 and after their stories aired over the past few evenings, Tim Conroy finally returned NewsChannel 9’s repeated phone calls for an explanation Wednesday.

He admits he needs to make good on several of his contracts and really has no good excuse for what's taking so long, but he claims in light of all of this, he's going to be changing the way he does business.

Dozens of T.W. Conroy customers have complaints that they have not been able to get in touch with the company, because phone calls and e-mails have not been returned.

Owner, Tim Conroy claims he's now ordered his employees to pick up the phones and return e-mails during businesses hours everyday.

Another big complaint: his contract with customers pretty much allows him to take as much time as he wants to pay because it reads, "auctioneer shall pay the owner the net amount due pursuant to this agreement within 30 business days from the day of the sale, if it's the last item the owner has consigned."

Which means, if something doesn't go the day of the sale, he can technically take as much time as he wants to sell it elsewhere before cutting you a single check.

He claims he's now changing that, he will pay customers within 30 days of the sale regardless of what's left over.

The Attorney General's office tells us they've got a drawer full of complaints against T.W. Conroy as we do. But like the viewers who've contacted us, Conroy has been making good on the outstanding contracts once the pressure is on.

On his website, Conroy brags about being the only nationally certified appraiser in Central New York, and we called the American Society of Appraisers and they say while he had to take an exam at first to get certified, he still has to uphold ethical standards to remain that way.

Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - The list of complaints about a local auction house is growing. People who hired T.W. Conroy say after months of waiting, the company still hasn't paid them after auctioning off their belongings.

We've taken several phone calls and e-mails, following a story we aired Monday night about Carolyn Berry who had T.W. Conroy auction off more than $40,000 worth of artwork and furniture back in June.

She was told all of her items sold, but still hadn't been paid, until we stepped in. The owners post-dated her check, which is illegal, for Tuesday, but when she went to cash it Tuesday morning the funds weren't there. The owners didn't get around to covering the check till mid-morning.

Other clients of T.W. Conroy have not been as lucky though.

A number of people who contacted us, some who've been waiting much longer than Carolyn for their money, say there contracts with the company are being ignored.

Marge Maynard says, “Either they're really, really dishonest or they have really big financial problems, take you're pick.”

Maynard is beyond frustrated with T.W. Conroy, she hired them more than a year ago to auction off about $1,000 worth of furniture.

She was told it all sold in January, yet she hasn't received a dime for any of it or a call back to explain what the hold-up is.

“I called all spring long, I was gone to Florida, I called when I came back and by June I was sick and tired of the whole thing.”

The owners are now blaming a move for dropping the ball with Marge, Carolyn, and several other customers.

Renee Conroy says she lost her bookkeeper and misplaced some paperwork while moving T.W. Conroy and their other business, My Sister the Lister, to Elbridge.

But like Carolyn, Marge isn't buying it until she's got the check in-hand and the bank telling her it's good.

Conroy tells NewsChannel 9 she has reached out to all of these folks, promising them checks at the end of this week. She says they're still trying to get organized from their move.

We of course will keep you posted to make sure they make good on their agreements.

Manlius (WSYR-TV) – A Manlius woman has been paid close to $40,000 after a local internet-auctioning company kept it from her for close to 2 months.

Carolyn Berry has been waiting for her check from a local auction house for months now.

Back in June, Berry hired T.W. Conroy to auction off thousands of dollars worth of art work, furniture, and antiques.

“Thirty days went by and I had no check, I wrote him, I phoned him, I e-mailed him - no responses. We are now at 58 days,” Berry said.

The auctioneer apparently owes Berry nearly $40,000.

T.W. Conroy also owns “My Sister the Lister”, which is an E-Bay auction house in Elbridge. The same auction has house that has been featured on our Your Stories segment a number of times.

Its owners wouldn’t talk to us on camera, but told NewsChannel 9 Berry’s estate contract included a clause saying T.W. Conroy has 30 extra days to pay Berry after her last item was sold. But Carolyn has an itemized list which she believes to be final - and if it wasn’t, no one returned her phone calls for e-mails to explain.

Less than an hour after we left T.W. Conroy last week, one of the owners showed up at Carolyn’s apartment and hand delivered a check for $38,000.

Berry plans on cashing it on Tuesday.

“I appreciate Channel 9’s help with this a lot,” she said.

We mentioned how T.W. Conroy’s owners also own “My Sister the Lister”. NewsChannel 9 has received calls from folks who dropped some items off there to be sold months ago. They followed the items on E-Bay so they knew their belongings had been sold, but they still hadn’t been paid.

Well, the owners of “My Sister the Lister” tell us they ran into some staffing issues a few months ago and some of their accounts got backed up.

After our repeated calls, all the clients waiting for money have gotten what they were owed.

The Real Deal: Back to Basics

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:30:00 GMT

If it seems too good to be true, it usually is -- but sometimes that email, phone call, or knock on the door is hard to resist. Consumer investigator Jennifer Lewke is going Back to Basics, and will show you how to avoid scams and rip-offs.

The Real Deal Back to Basics: Free credit reports 11/6/08

Where do you get a copy of your FREE credit report? www.annualcreditreport.com

Freecreditreport.com is NOT FREE. You have to pay a fee and sign up for a credit monitoring service to get the report free through that site. So, although their commercials are catchy... if you want a FREE credit report go to www.annualcreditreport.com

Everyone is entitled to one free copy of their report from each of the three credit monitoring companies once a year.

You will not get your score for free, only the report . But it's important to review it a few times a year to make sure everything on it is accurate. Again, www.annualcreditreport.com is the place to go for your free credit report.

The Real Deal Back to Basics: Stopping telemarketing calls 11/6/08

We all get them, annoying phone calls that come at all hours of the day from companies looking for our business. They don't seem to care that we're on the Do Not Call List. Whether they want to help "lower your credit card interest rate," "Give you a free vacation" or "Sell you an extended car warranty", they can be relentless.

So how do you get them to stop? First, grab a pen and paper and write down as much information about the company as possible. Make sure you get the time of day they called, the name and location of the business, the name of the person you're speaking with and what exactly they're selling. Then, ask to be removed from their calling list.

UPDATE (Nov. 12): What if you're being hounded by automated calls; how do you get them to stop?

Telemarketing companies, by law, have to connect you to a live person within five seconds.

If they don't do that, act like you're interested in the product so you'll get through to a live operator and then ask to be removed from their list.

If they refuse, tell them, with the information you've gathered, you're going to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. That should be enough to get them to stop but if not, actually file the complaint! www.ftc.gov

The Real Deal Back to Basics: Class action settlement money 11/6/08

It's been months since you've filed claims but you haven't heard a word back from the administrator and you want to know how much you're going to get and when you're going to get it.

If you filed in the huge DeBeers Diamond Settlement, sit tight. Hundreds of thousands of people filed and it takes time to get through all the claims. There have also been some appeals to the settlement, and that slows down the process. Don't expect to hear anything on this one until at least next spring.

If you're waiting for your money in the Credit/Debit card settlement, that's probably still months away as well. If you used your card outside of the U.S. to make a purchase, as long as you filled out the paperwork, you should be getting a $25 check. The administrators in this settlement say millions of people have filed claims and it's taking them some time to get through them.

UPDATE (Nov. 12): There's another class action settlement to tell you about. Carl Pilon got a check in the mail the other day for something he didn't even sign up for.

The check comes from the Polacsek Class Administrator, courtesy of a settlement dealing with credit counseling services.

This is legitimate; there were a number of companies involved in the settlement a few years ago. They had to provide a list of customers to the administrator, so that's why you never had to file a claim to get the cash.

They checks are just now being mailed. They're for different amounts -- depending on how much you spent for counseling services -- so if you get one, go ahead and cash it.

The Real Deal Back to Basics: Classified ad scams 11/6/08

"We're going on a mission trip to Africa and we just can't take our dog, we're looking for a good home for it.. we'll give it to you for free, just send us a check for the shipping to get him to you"

"I love the car you have listed on-line... If I give you an extra $3,000 in the check, can you take care of shipping it to me"

"We're looking for secret shoppers... we'll send you a check, you cash it then go to the drug store and use their money wiring service to send some of it back to us. Once you're done, write down your experience with the wiring service and send it to us"

They're all scams. If you send a check, you'll never hear back from the "seller" . If they send you a check , it'll be fraudulent and the bank may not notice it until after you've cashed it and wired the money. You'll be responsible paying the money back so it doesn't matter if you're buying or selling online:

-Never Wire Money

-Look for a local buyer/seller

-Always use a credit card-- that way if the sale turns out to be a fraud, you can at least dispute the charges with your card company.

The Real Deal Back To Basics: Fake Check Scams 11/6/08

There's a check in the mail for thousands of dollars with your name on it, seems like you hit the jackpot right? Wrong! It's a scam we've told you about before.

Most likely the check arrives in the mail out of nowhere, the letter says you've won some foreign lottery or someone is trying to move millions of dollars out of the country and they need your help. The Real Deal is that no one is going to just send you money for free in the mail.

The checks often look legitimate, they have bank logos and addresses and they're signed by people who appear to be from the company , but they're not. Here's how you can tell : Make a photo copy of the "check" and you'll see the water marks which say "void" right through the paper.

A lot of times the bank doesn't realize the check is a fraud until after they've cashed it and given you the money, leaving you responsible for paying it back . So no matter where the check comes from, shred it right away. You can't win a lottery you don't enter.

The Real Deal Back To Basics: Energy Service Companies 11/6/08

Whether they've shown up at your front door, hounded you on the phone , or sent you information through the mail, energy service companies are pretty pushy when it comes to trying to get you to switch over from National Grid.

The companies promise big savings but they normally only last for the first few months and then it's back to the going rate which is normally within a few cents of National Grid.

It's also important to realize, even if you switch, National Grid will still be delivering your natural gas or electric, these companies only supply it. So, you'll be paying one fee to each company.

Bottom Line: These companies are legitimate but ask as many questions as possible when they appoach you. If you want to switch, do it when the weather gets colder... that way you'll see the savings when you need them the most. It's best not to lock into a contract or a rate that way if you're not happy with the company, you can switch back to National Grid.

UPDATE (Nov. 12): Something in their sales pitch that may have caught your ear was the offer of a lock-in price. Is it something you should consider?

The big thing to be cautious about when considering whether to lock into a natural gas or electric rate is the length of the contract. At least one company wants to lock you in for five years, which is a lot of time -- as we all know, the market is constantly fluctuating, and no one wants to lose money.

For example, there's a company offering a lock-in rate of $1.30 per therm for natural gas.

National Grid's average this year, is $1.08 a therm; last year, it was 85 cents.

The year before? 92 cents a therm.

In fact, there's only been three months in the past five years that National Grid's per-therm rate was higher than the lock-in price -- and it wasn't by much.

Another thing to keep in mind -- once you sign, you're locked into that contract, which means if you want to cancel, it'll likely cost you hundreds of dollars in fees.

Bottom line: It may not be as good of a deal as they make it sound in the sales pitch.

The Real Deal Back to Basics: Online Phishing 11/6/08

When you hear the word phishing, you probably think about relaxing on a boat with your pole in the water waiting for a fish to bite. Online phishing is pretty similar. Scammers cast out hundreds of thousands of fake e-mails hoping to fool just a few people and get them to give up their personal information.

A popular one appears to be from the IRS. It says you've got a refund with your name on it and all you have to do is give them your Social Security number and they'll send it right out.

Other emails look like they have the legitimate logo and address of a bank, saying your account has been compromised and they need your account numbers to set things straight.

They're all bogus! The people who send them just want your personal information so they can steal your identity. Any legitimate business will not ask for this information in an email.

Examples of Phishing Emails: Example One | Example Two

Dropped from Excellus network: The Real Deal

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 00:15:39 GMT

Camillus, New York (WSYR-TV) - It's a battle between the area's largest insurance provider and a woman's health care center that leaves thousands of women -- some expecting babies in the next few months – caught right in the middle.

Come January, Excellus is giving a Camillus practice the boot from their network.

In February, Kim Dunham will give birth to baby number three. Dr. Robert Neulander will handle the delivery, as he has with her other kids.

“With my other two children, I never got a bill -- we're insured; that's why you have insurance,” says Dunham.

And she still has insurance, but come January 1, her doctor will no longer be part of the Excellus network.

Dr. Neulander has sent out letters to all of his Excellus patients, and has a big sign in his waiting room letting them know that he's been dropped.

That means those patients will either have to pay out-of-network co-pays and 20 percent to 30 percent of the total bill – or, find a new doctor.

“I have two children that were delivered by the staff here and taken care of by the staff here, and I don't want to change, I feel I shouldn't have to,” Dunham says.

Excellus isn't giving us or Dr. Neulander a specific reason why his practice is being dropped, but he suspects it's because he's in the middle of a drawn-out lawsuit against the insurer about an audit they did on his practice 10 years ago.

“They are placing the patients in the middle of this and trying to intimidate me as well as put a financial burden on my practice,” Neulander says.

Excellus says both they and their participating providers have the right, under New York law, to elect not to renew their relationship, and they have chosen to exercise that right with Neulander.

They go on to say, they have offered to extend obstetrical care through delivery and all related postpartum care, which means Dunham will be covered.

But other patients may have to decide whether to stay or leave.

“My patients, I'm convinced -- after 25 years -- few will leave me, very few will leave me, but they are going to incur more costs in order to come here, when I'm not asking for that,” says Neulander.

Under state law, Excellus must offer transitional care for pregnant woman who are in their second or third trimester.

Dr. Neulander says if he can't come to an agreement with the insurer to remain "in-network", he'll continue to serve all his Excellus patients and accept whatever payment the insurer will give him, for the time being.

Locked in – and losing money: The Real Deal

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:57:34 GMT

Syracuse, New York (WSYR-TV) - Heating oil prices were nearing $5 a gallon just a few months ago. Panicked they'd just keep going up, a lot of homeowners locked in a rate for the whole heating season.

But the market has since dropped dramatically, and in some cases those lock-in prices are now nearly $2 more per gallon than the going rate.

A few months ago, George McMahon started to get a little nervous about how much his fuel oil would cost him this heating season. In July, he decided to pre-pay for the whole season at that day's rate, which was $4.75 a gallon.

McMahon says the contract cost him $1900 for 400 gallons.

But not too long after, heating oil prices started taking a nose dive. The worst part for McMahon is that he pre-paid that money, and hasn't even gotten a delivery this year yet.

Last year, customers who locked in early in the season ended up saving more than 50 cents a gallon. But with prices where they are right now, they're losing $1.75 a gallon or more depending on the supplier.

It's really just a gamble. Suppliers say they can't predict the market either -- and they can't be stuck footing the bill once they've already purchased the gas at the price you locked in.

“The market is too risky -- right now, if I locked in, it would have been an $800 difference from what I paid...that's a substantial amount of money,” says McMahon.

A big chunk of cash that McMahon says he isn't willing to lose again. He says he'll be riding the market from now on.

If you want to track heating oil, propane and natural gas numbers, visit our gas and energy prices page. We update the numbers weekly.

FCC to probe pricing policies of cable, Verizon

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:53:42 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Federal Communications Commission has opened an investigation into the pricing policies of major cable operators and Verizon Communications Inc.

The agency wants to ensure that customers are being treated fairly, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"I'm certainly concerned with the increasing cable prices that consumers are facing," Martin said. "They are getting less and being charged the same or more."

The FCC wrote to Verizon and 11 cable companies last month about their practice of moving analog channels into digital tiers to free up bandwidth for other uses, such as high-definition channels.

To watch channels that have been moved, subscribers to analog service must either subscribe to a more expensive digital tier, rent a digital set-top box or use an adapter, which service providers are starting to offer for free.

The FCC's Oct. 30 letter went to Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable Inc., Cox Communications Inc., Charter Communications Inc., Cablevision Systems Corp., Bright House Networks, Suddenlink Communications, Bend Cable Communications, GCI Company, Harron Entertainment, a unit of Harron Communications, RCN Corp. and Verizon. Verizon was included because it offers pay-TV through its FiOS service.

Cable providers are in a race with satellite TV and phone companies to offer the most high-definition channels. About half of the nation's 65 million cable households buy only the analog basic or "enhanced basic" tiers.

The agency also will investigate whether providers are misleading customers into thinking that when analog television channels move to the digital tier of service the shift is related to the federal government's mandate that all broadcasts be digital by February, Martin said.

The two moves are unrelated. Linking the two in customers' minds could prompt more people to opt for digital video services.

The FCC has asked companies being probed to submit information about their pricing and channel switching practices within two weeks.

Martin said it also appears consumers weren't given "appropriate notice" about the channel changes.

He said the FCC has received a "significant" number of consumer complaints about the practice of moving analog channels to digital tiers of service, which has accelerated this year.

Comcast spokeswoman Sena Fitzmaurice said the company has started offering a free digital set-top box and up to two digital adapters to "enhanced basic" customers. The adapters convert digital signals to analog.

David Young, vice president of federal regulatory affairs at Verizon, said FiOS is all-digital but it had been simulcasting in analog so customers could watch TV on analog sets in other rooms that don't have set-top boxes. Verizon stopped the analog transmissions last month.

"We told customers repeatedly that this was coming. We asked them to contact us. We told them about their options, including offering them the digital adapter for that TV for free," Young said.

Bruce Broquet, vice president of finance for GCI, said its system will be all digital by the end of the year so the subject matter will be moot for customers.

Other cable operators either declined to comment or didn't immediately return calls for comment from The Associated Press.

The FCC's letter was sent out a day after Consumers Union asked the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation to look into the practice of moving analog channels to the digital tier.

"Consumers are left paying the same monthly rate for significantly less service, or must rent more expensive set-top boxes for each television set they own," said Consumers Union, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group.

Gas Price Disparities: The Real Deal

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:30:00 GMT

It's been a welcome sight... falling gas prices. They're under $2.50 a gallon in parts of Central New York but they're still well above $3.00 in Cortland County. We've been getting bombarded with calls and emails from folks wanting to know how that's possible.

The intersection of Route 31 and 11 in Cicero is where you'll find some of the lowest prices in Central New York. The going rate today is $2.39 a gallon. Everyone wants to pay prices that low, so why can't they?

The first reason is obvious, in Cicero there are four gas stations within a 500-yard radius. They're competing for your business and have to keep undercutting one another to get it. Another factor? Ho far away a station is from it's supplier. The main gas distributors are in Warners, Brewerton, Utica, Rochester, Albany and Binghamton. The further away a station is, the higher the transportation costs which are passed on to the customers. Cortland, for example, is just far enough away from all of them, so their costs are higher.

Another big thing that affects how much we all pay at the pump is how much gas a station sells and how often they get fuel deliveries themselves. A big station that sells a lot of gas, has to buy it every day and can fluctuate their prices accordingly. A smaller stations may only buy gas once a week, so they're charging the same price for it until it's gone.

So those are some of the reasons but still 60-75 cents more per gallon? It's seems outrageous but different amounts for the same gas, it's just a matter of how much profit they want to make when they turn around and sell it to us.

You may be wondering if this could be considered price gouging? The answer is no. According to state statute, "gouging" is inflating prices only during or directly following a natural disaster. Outside of that, stations can charge whatever they'd like.