Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Consumer Complaints

This day, after many months of procrastinating, I finally called AT&T to tell them to take their “long distance service” off my home phone line. I don’t even use the line, much less the long distance. So the idea of paying an additional $5 a month for something that doesn’t cost AT&T anything to make available to me, and for something I don’t ever use, is just silly.

Of course, it took me many months to get around to making this phone call. (Imagine them collecting $5 a month from hundreds of thousands of customers just like me, who just ignore the issue.) I know, I know. It’s my fault for being too lazy to call them. It’s just that it’s always so painful to call AT&T…

So I call customer service, go through several menus, and end up talking to a live person. He tells me he’s happy to remove the $5 per month charge for the long distance I don’t use, if I just pay a $9 fee. Huh? I’ve to pay you if I want to stop paying you?
Of course! That’s the way it works with so many service providers these days. I think phone companies, wireless carriers, and cable providers are some of the worst. There’s a fee for everything including blowing your nose, and if you try to stop the fees, you’ve a pay another fee for the privilege of not paying the fees.

I told him three times that I wasn’t interested in paying his $9 fee for removing a service I never use and never should have been charged for in the first place. After the third time, he finally told me that the way around the $9 fee was for him to assign an outside long-distance carrier to my account. So long as I had some long distance service associated with my account, there wouldn’t be the $9 fee to take off AT&T’s long distance.

Sigh. Why must we play these games? He assured me that he could assign a long distance carrier that wouldn’t charge me any fees at all, so long as I never use the service. Fine. Do it. But why, oh why, must the phone company make it so hard?

Have you cheated, scammed, or otherwise disappointed by a company? WalletPop wants your real life consumer complaints and scam stories Email us with your story...

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

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Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Consumer Complaints

This day, after many months of procrastinating, I finally called AT&T to tell them to take their “long distance service” off my home phone line. I don’t even use the line, much less the long distance. So the idea of paying an additional $5 a month for something that doesn’t cost AT&T anything to make available to me, and for something I don’t ever use, is just silly.

Of course, it took me many months to get around to making this phone call. (Imagine them collecting $5 a month from hundreds of thousands of customers just like me, who just ignore the issue.) I know, I know. It’s my fault for being too lazy to call them. It’s just that it’s always so painful to call AT&T…

So I call customer service, go through several menus, and end up talking to a live person. He tells me he’s happy to remove the $5 per month charge for the long distance I don’t use, if I just pay a $9 fee. Huh? I’ve to pay you if I want to stop paying you?
Of course! That’s the way it works with so many service providers these days. I think phone companies, wireless carriers, and cable providers are some of the worst. There is a fee for everything including blowing your nose, and if you try to stop the fees, you have a pay another fee for the privilege of not paying the fees.

I told him three times that I wasn’t interested in paying his $9 fee for removing a service I never use and never should have been charged for in the first place. After the third time, he finally told me that the way around the $9 fee was for him to assign an outside long-distance carrier to my account. So long as I had some long distance service associated with my account, there wouldn’t be the $9 fee to take off AT&T’s long distance.

Sigh. Why must we play these games? He assured me that he could assign a long distance carrier that wouldn’t charge me any fees at all, so long as I never use the service. Fine. Do it. But why, oh why, must the phone company make it so hard?

Have you cheated, scammed, or otherwise disappointed by a company? WalletPop wants your real life consumer complaints and scam stories Email us with your story...

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

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Filed under: Insurance, Ripoffs and Scams, Health

Yesterday it was reported that Whirlpool Corp. suspended 39 employees for lying about tobacco use. The employees had signed paperwork indicating that they did not use tobacco, but they were seen smoking or chewing tobacco on company property.

The company’s stance is simple: They’ve employees fill out paperwork that asks them about tobacco use. The paperwork states that they could be suspended or terminated if they lie. Whirlpool then uses the paper to charge tobacco users an extra $500 per year toward their health insurance premiums.

Personally, I don’t care if people smoke or not. But I do care if they lie to their employer about it. The simple fact is that health insurance premiums are higher for tobacco users. The reasons are obvious: They cost insurance companies more. I think that employer should have every right to recover part or all of that additional premium based upon the smoking factor.
Now of course, this raises the issue of what employees should be held responsible for in regard to their health. Sicker people mean higher insurance premiums, so where do we draw the line? Who pays for the higher cost of medical conditions that are not the sick person’s fault? I’m not quite sure. But I do know that for many years, employees were spoiled.

They’d the benefit of health insurance policies that required them to pay very little out of their own pockets for their health care. There was little incentive to be responsible with health care, and it cost companies a lot of money. (What is “responsible” health care, you ask? Things like eating and living well to prevent illness, visiting a physician for preventive health care measures and choosing to visit a doctor during office hours rather than running to an emergency room on the weekend.)

Health insurance premiums are costing companies far more money than many employees realize. Companies must move toward more consumer-driven health care options which force employees to be as responsible as possible with their health care choices. And forcing tobacco users to pay more for their more expensive insurance policies is right in line with giving employees incentives to live healthier lives.

I think the Whirlpool employees who were caught lying on their paperwork should have two choices. They can be fired. Or they can reimburse their employer for the full cost of their health insurance premiums since the day they lied, and be responsible for paying the full cost of their health insurance premiums going forward. Forcing dishonest employees to bear the burden of their own health insurance costs would certainly send a message, wouldn’t it?

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Bookkeeping, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

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Filed under: Insurance, Ripoffs and Scams, Health

Yesterday it was reported that Whirlpool Corp. suspended 39 employees for lying about tobacco use. The employees had signed paperwork indicating that they did not use tobacco, but they were seen smoking or chewing tobacco on company property.

The company’s stance is simple: They have employees fill out paperwork that asks them about tobacco use. The paperwork states that they could be suspended or terminated if they lie. Whirlpool then uses the paper to charge tobacco users an extra $500 per year toward their health insurance premiums.

Personally, I don’t care if people smoke or not. But I do care if they lie to their employer about it. The easy fact is that health insurance premiums are higher for tobacco users. The reasons are obvious: They cost insurance companies more. I think that employer should have every right to recover part or all of that additional premium based upon the smoking factor.
Now of course, this raises the issue of what employees should be held responsible for in regard to their health. Sicker people mean higher insurance premiums, so where do we draw the line? Who pays for the higher cost of medical conditions that are not the sick person’s fault? I’m not quite sure. But I do know that for many years, employees were spoiled.

They had the benefit of health insurance policies that required them to pay very tiny out of their own pockets for their health care. There was little incentive to be responsible with health care, and it cost companies a lot of money. (What is “responsible” health care, you ask? Things like eating and living well to prevent illness, visiting a physician for preventive health care measures and choosing to visit a doctor during office hours rather than running to an emergency room on the weekend.)

Health insurance premiums are costing companies far more money than many employees realize. Companies must move toward more consumer-driven health care options which force employees to be as responsible as possible with their health care choices. And forcing tobacco users to pay more for their more expensive insurance policies is right in line with giving employees incentives to live healthier lives.

I think the Whirlpool employees who were caught lying on their paperwork should have two choices. They have the ability to be fired. Or they can reimburse their employer for the full cost of their health insurance premiums since the day they lied, and be responsible for paying the full cost of their health insurance premiums going forward. Forcing dishonest employees to bear the burden of their own health insurance costs would certainly send a message, wouldn’t it?

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Record-keeping, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

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Filed under: Sex Sells, Ripoffs and Scams, Health

Michael Salzhauer, a Florida plastic surgeon and dad of four, recently sat down to address a nagging question; how do mommies explain to their four to seven year old kids how she suddenly gained three cup sizes or lost those well-earned worry lines? His answer? A picture book, of course.

My Beautiful Mommy, which Salzhauer paid to have printed, explains to the youngsters all about Mommy’s new boobs, button nose and lipoed derriere. According to aPARENTly Talking, the poor, frumpy mother explains that “As I got older, my body stretched and I couldn’t fit into my clothes anymore.” The theme? “Mommy won’t be different, just prettier!” Can’t you just picture her daughter, so very eager to grow up so she has the ability to start visiting Dr. Michael just like Mommy?

The book is available from Big Tent Books for only $19.95. If you find yourself tempted to order, perhaps you should donate your organs to science instead. Now.

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Filed under: Sex Sells, Ripoffs and Scams, Health

Michael Salzhauer, a Florida plastic surgeon and dad of four, recently sat down to address a nagging question; how do mommies explain to their four to seven year old children how she suddenly gained three cup sizes or lost those well-earned worry lines? His answer? A picture book, of course.

My Beautiful Mommy, which Salzhauer paid to have printed, explains to the youngsters all about Mommy’s new boobs, button nose and lipoed derriere. According to aPARENTly Speaking, the poor, frumpy mother explains that “As I got older, my body stretched and I couldn’t fit into my clothes anymore.” The theme? “Mommy won’t be different, just prettier!” Can’t you just picture her daughter, so very eager to grow up so she can start visiting Dr. Michael just like Mommy?

The book is available from Massive Tent Books for only $19.95. If you find yourself tempted to order, perhaps you should donate your organs to science instead. Now.

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Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Transportation, Travel

Listeners tuning to oldies radio stations aren’t the only ones who are California Dreamin’. The 1965 Mama’s and Papa’s song could also be an anthem for automobile thieves.

In 2007, four out of the top 10 regions for automobile theft were in the Golden Say, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). This year Modesto, California topped the list, knocking the area of Las Vegas and Paradise, Nevada, to second place in the ranking of the most vehicle offenses per 1,000 residents.

The auto theft problem in Modesto has police stumped. The city of 208,107 is at the epicenter of the nation’s subprime mortgage crisis, but the problems predate that, according to Sgt. Craig Gundlach, a department spokesman. “If we knew, then we wouldn’t be up there at the top,” he stated, adding that the city is a “high intensity area for methamphetamine (use).”

According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, one reason why car theft is rampant there’s because car owners do not take the necessary precautions. “Most car thieves are amateurs who steal cars for transportation, i.e., ‘joy riding,’” the department says on its web site. “The Las Vegas Valley is no different than any other huge metropolitan area, but with its added 32 million-plus tourists annually, the problem can be magnified.”

To be sure, plenty of other regions face problems with vehicle theft — many of them on the West Coast. Rounding out the NICB’s list for top 10 metropolitan statistical areas for automobile theft are San Diego/Carlsbad/San Marcos, California; Stockton, California; San Francisco/Oakland/Fremont, California; Laredo, Texas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Phoenix/Mesa/Scottsdale, Arizona; Stockton, California; Yakima, Washington; and Tucson, Arizona (AOL Money & Finance has a slideshow of the top 20 regions).

Overall though, the news is encouraging. Preliminary FBI data from 2007 shows this to be the fourth consecutive year registering fewer vehicle thefts. The 7.4% decline will be the largest single-year drop-off since 1999. The number of incidents has fallen 11% since 2000, according to the NICB.

It is unclear why the Western part of the U.S. remains a hotbed for car theft. “The West is always overrepresented,” said Frank Scafidi, a spokesman for the organization, in an interview. He offered a few theories why that could be the case.

For instance, the vast geographic stretches in the region are not easily accessible by public transportation. That means that there are plenty of vehicles. California alone has more than 30 million of them. Then there’s the proximity of some of the affected areas to the Mexican border. “The cars and trucks that are stolen there are driven across the border,” he stated.

The Los Angeles area ranked 28th with 73,922 thefts in 2007, far exceeding the 5,358 reported in Modesto. The reason for LA’s much lower ranking is that the rankings are calculated based on population. If there are more thefts among a smaller population, that indicates there is a problem requiring the attention of law enforcement since a greater percentage of the population is being affected.

Not Just The West. Larger cities further east continue to have their share of problems with car theft. The Houston area ranked 31st on NICB’s list, five spots above 36th place and seven above the Charlotte, North Carolina region, which ranked 38th. The Philadelphia area ranked 110th, the New York City region was 224th and Boston and its suburbs were 225th.

The NICB advocates a three-tiered approach to combating vehicle theft. The first layer is usual sense — removing the keys from the ignition, locking doors and closing windows and parking in well-lit areas. Warning devices such as alarms, wheel locks, theft-deterrent decals and immobilization devices represent the second layer. The third layer entails using devices that prevent thieves from bypassing the ignition and hot-wiring the car. They include smart keys and disablers designed for starters, ignitions and fuel pumps.

“While there’s overall great news in our new report, there’s also room for concern,” NICB President and Chief Executive Robert M. Bryant said in a press release. “Success against automobile theft can be fleeting without an ongoing and adaptive program that couples the ideal in theft prevention/recovery technology with law enforcement operations. We have to not be complacent in the wake of success.”

This rings especially true for visitors to California and Las Vegas.

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Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Transportation, Travel

Listeners tuning to oldies radio stations aren’t the only ones who are California Dreamin’. The 1965 Mama’s and Papa’s song could also be an anthem for vehicle thieves.

In 2007, four out of the top 10 regions for car theft were in the Golden State, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). This year Modesto, California topped the list, knocking the area of Las Vegas and Paradise, Nevada, to second place in the ranking of the most automobile offenses per 1,000 residents.

The auto theft problem in Modesto has police stumped. The city of 208,107 is at the epicenter of the nation’s subprime mortgage crisis, but the problems predate that, according to Sgt. Craig Gundlach, a department spokesman. “If we knew, then we wouldn’t be up there at the top,” he said, adding that the city is a “high intensity area for methamphetamine (use).”

According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, one reason why car theft is rampant there is because automobile owners do not take the necessary precautions. “Most automobile thieves are amateurs who steal automobiles for transportation, i.e., ‘joy riding,’” the department says on its web site. “The Las Vegas Valley is no different than any other huge metropolitan area, but with its added 32 million-plus tourists annually, the problem can be magnified.”

To be sure, plenty of other regions face problems with vehicle theft — many of them on the West Coast. Rounding out the NICB’s list for top 10 metropolitan statistical areas for car theft are San Diego/Carlsbad/San Marcos, California; Stockton, California; San Francisco/Oakland/Fremont, California; Laredo, Texas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Phoenix/Mesa/Scottsdale, Arizona; Stockton, California; Yakima, Washington; and Tucson, Arizona (AOL Money & Finance has a slideshow of the top 20 regions).

Overall though, the news is encouraging. Preliminary FBI data from 2007 shows this to be the fourth consecutive year registering fewer vehicle thefts. The 7.4% decline will be the largest single-year drop-off since 1999. The number of incidents has fallen 11% since 2000, according to the NICB.

It is unclear why the Western part of the U.S. remains a hotbed for car theft. “The West is always overrepresented,” said Frank Scafidi, a spokesman for the organization, in an interview. He offered a few theories why that could be the case.

For instance, the vast geographic stretches in the region are not easily accessible by public transportation. That means that there are plenty of automobiles. California alone has more than 30 million of them. Then there is the proximity of some of the affected areas to the Mexican border. “The vehicles and trucks that are stolen there are driven across the border,” he said.

The Los Angeles area ranked 28th with 73,922 thefts in 2007, far exceeding the 5,358 reported in Modesto. The reason for LA’s much lower ranking is that the rankings are calculated based on population. If there are more thefts among a smaller population, that indicates there’s a problem requiring the attention of law enforcement since a greater percentage of the population is being affected.

Not Just The West. Larger cities further east continue to have their share of problems with vehicle theft. The Houston area ranked 31st on NICB’s list, five spots above 36th place and seven above the Charlotte, North Carolina region, which ranked 38th. The Philadelphia area ranked 110th, the New York City region was 224th and Boston and its suburbs were 225th.

The NICB suggests a three-tiered approach to combating vehicle theft. The first layer is general sense — removing the keys from the ignition, locking doors and closing windows and parking in well-lit areas. Warning devices such as alarms, wheel locks, theft-deterrent decals and immobilization devices represent the second layer. The third layer entails using devices that prevent thieves from bypassing the ignition and hot-wiring the automobile. They include smart keys and disablers designed for starters, ignitions and fuel pumps.

“While there is overall great news in our new report, there’s also room for concern,” NICB President and Chief Executive Robert M. Bryant said in a press release. “Success against automobile theft can be fleeting without an ongoing and adaptive program that couples the best in theft prevention/recovery technology with law enforcement operations. We have to not be complacent in the wake of success.”

This rings especially true for visitors to California and Las Vegas.

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Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Tax, Fraud

This weekend I read in our local paper about an individual who nearly got caught up in a scam to drain her bank account. The scammer was using the upcoming economic stimulus package to solicit personal and bank account info under the guise of the IRS.

Although she had already provided the information she was lucky enough to change her bank account info before any funds were drained. The local IRS contact warned individuals that the IRS will not make contact via email and that scams like this are a common occurrence.

WalletPop producer Amey Stone had warned of the tax rebate scams before congress had even approved the stimulus package, but as May 2 approaches, the frequency of attempted rip-offs will only increase. The IRS already spent $42 million letting citizens know that the checks are coming, and the only requirement is to fill out a 2007 tax return. Despite the Super Bowl-sized campaign and nonstop news coverage it seems individuals are still falling for these scams.

I don’t think I can put this any nicer, don’t give out your personal information on the internet! It is really that simple, if everyone stops answering these “demands” for banking info, the spammers and con artists will at the least have to move to a new medium. I comprehend that at times the emails appear to be legit now that the bad guys hired an English major to write them, but just delete it.If you’re really concerned that the IRS is auditing you, withholding your rebate check or sleeping with your sister — Call them. Same goes for banks, colleges, and any other entity trying to “confirm” some piece of personal information so that your account isn’t shut down. When you do make the call, use the number on your membership card or local yellow pages, not the one in the email they sent you.

Remember, only you can prevent identity theft, well that and the IRS fixing its vulnerable personal, but mostly you.

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Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Tax, Fraud

This weekend I read in our local paper about an individual who almost got caught up in a scam to drain her bank account. The scammer was using the upcoming economic stimulus package to solicit personal and bank account info under the guise of the IRS.

Even though she had already provided the information she was lucky enough to change her bank account info before any funds were drained. The local IRS contact warned individuals that the IRS will not make contact via email and that scams like this are a common occurrence.

WalletPop producer Amey Stone had warned of the tax rebate scams before congress had even approved the stimulus package, but as May 2 approaches, the frequency of attempted rip-offs will only increase. The IRS already spent $42 million letting citizens know that the checks are coming, and the only requirement is to fill out a 2007 tax return. Despite the Super Bowl-sized campaign and nonstop news coverage it seems individuals are still falling for these scams.

I don’t think I can put this any nicer, don’t give out your personal information on the internet! It is really that easy, if everyone stops answering these “demands” for banking info, the spammers and con artists will at the least have to move to a new medium. I understand that at times the emails appear to be legit now that the bad guys hired an English major to write them, but just delete it.If you are really concerned that the IRS is auditing you, withholding your rebate check or sleeping with your sister — Call them. Same goes for banks, colleges, and any other entity trying to “confirm” some piece of personal information so that your account isn’t shut down. When you do make the call, use the number on your membership card or local yellow pages, not the one in the email they sent you.

Remember, only you can prevent identity theft, well that and the IRS fixing its vulnerable personal, but mostly you.

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