Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said he understood he was flouting the law in refusing to have deputies carry out the rising number of eviction requests, but mortgage holders must be accountable.

"These mortgage companies only see pieces of paper, not people, and don't care who's in the building," Dart said.

By halting the evictions, he's preventing about 500 notices that were scheduled over the next 6 weeks.

Mortgage foreclosure cases filed in Cook County are likely to exceed 43,000 this year, compared to some 18,000 in 2006, the sheriff said.

The president of the Illinois Bankers Association, Linda Koch, points out that they have to have the ability to "take over collateral upon default" or they won't make loans—which of course is absolutely true, but may not be the most realistic, or humane, or in this case enforceable, position at this moment in our country's history.

Update: I have edited the headline to include a reference to renters, because my original post didn't explicitly mention this and it's important to the story.

"Sheriff in Chicago halts foreclosure evictions" [Reuters]
(Photo: Getty)

In Re Vienna Beef Ltd. Litigation: CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT INFORMATION [The Consumer Advocacy Center]
Just in Time for Lunch: Hot Dogs & the Law, Part I [Wall Street Journal Law Blog]
(Photo: Meghann Marco)

Without further ado...

America's Most Stressful Cities:

10. Philadelphia, PA

9. Providence, R.I.

8. Salt Lake City, Utah

7. Cleveland, Ohio

6. San Diego, Calif.

5. San Francisco, Calif.

4. Los Angeles, Calif.

3. Detroit, Mich.

2. New York, N.Y.

1. Chicago, Ill.

The magazine considered unemployment rate, expensive gas, high population density and relatively poor air quality as its criteria for what made one city more stressful than another.

Chicago has a 7.3% unemployment rate, the eighth most polluted air in our ranking and in city where everybody drives to get around, a gallon of gas costs a nickel under $4 dollars.

Omitted from the calculations:

America's Most Stressful Cities [Forbes]
(Photos: Meghann Marco & Meghann Marco)

The substances detected in the latest tests mirrored those cited in the earlier AP report.

Chicago, for example, found a cholesterol medication and a nicotine derivative. Many cities found the anti-convulsant carbamazepine. Officials in one of those communities, Colorado Springs, say they detected five pharmaceuticals in all, including a tranquilizer and a hormone.

"This is obviously an emerging issue and after the AP stories came out we felt it was the responsible thing for us to do, as a utility, to find out where we stand. We believe that at these levels, based on current science, that the water is completely safe for our customers," said Colorado Springs spokesman Steve Berry. "We don't want to create unnecessary alarm, but at the same time we have a responsibility as a municipal utility to communicate with our customers and let them know."

Of the twenty-seven municipalities to test their water supply, seventeen returned positive results. The water in Boston, Phoenix and Seattle all turned up crystal-clear.

What about the country's largest water provider, New York City?

The City Council called for an urgent-sounding emergency meeting in April to order the Department of Environmental Protection to test the city's water supply. In response, the D.E.P. declared: "the testing of finished tap water is not warranted at this time."

Drugs affect more drinking water [AP]
PREVIOUSLY: AP: 41 Million Americans Drink Water Contaminated With Antibiotics, Anti-Convulsants, Mood Stabilizers, And Sex Hormones
(Photo: mikelens)

"There is a sign that clearly says, 'Don't step,'" American spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan told the Chicago Tribune.

The Transportation Security Administration officer was conducting routine checks to make sure that planes parked at the airport overnight were secure from tampering, according to the federal security agency and American Airlines, which owns and operates American Eagle.

But while ensuring that aircraft doors were locked properly, the inspector either stepped onto or grabbed sensitive avionics probes mounted on the fuselage of nine American Eagle planes, officials said.

The TSA defended the officer's actions.

"Our inspector was following routine procedure for securing the aircraft that were on the tarmac," a Chicago based TSA official told ABCNews.com.

TSA Snafu Grounds Nine Planes at O'Hare Field [ABCNews] (Thanks, Shawn!)
Aviation inspector's action raises more questions at O'Hare [Chicago Tribune]

Motorists, residents and store owners in the area say a tow company waited until lots near the parade route were full of cars before posting towing notices and taking vehicles. Each owner had to shell out at least $170 to Rendered Services Inc. to retrieve their cars.

Police on the scene said they'd heard many radio calls about towing from vacant lots in the area, and most involved Rendered. Police said at one point they had to stop trucks from yanking the cars because the signage was erected after the 10 a.m. start of the parade.

Fun! The towing company claims that the signs were "posted and reposted and reposted," but a local business owner told the Sun-Times, "They just put it up no less than an hour ago."

Sweet home, Chicago.

Tow trucks swoop in on paradegoers' cars [Chicago Sun-Times]
(Photo: John J. Kim/Sun-Times)

"Taking it seriously" is a phrase companies use over and over again to appear contrite without actually saying or doing anything. Our series of posts documenting recurrences of the phrase attempts to question how seriously they're actually taking it.

(Photo: stirwise )

We join Bobby as he drives to his third Best Buy of the day (the first one supposedly had 5 receivers in stock but the employees couldn't find any of them and told him to drive to the second one — where the same thing happened.)

Even though it's a pretty short drive in terms of miles, it took almost an hour due to highway traffic. Finally I got to the Bucktown store, made my purchase, and started to leave.

The security person at the door asked to see my receipt, and I told him no. (My son desperately needed a nap, and I know that while you have the right to ask for my receipt, I have the right to say no.) I kept walking, and the security person followed me out of the store. He kept asking, in more and more urgent tones, to see my receipt. I answered no a couple of times and he asked again, and then I said "you may not" and he called me an asshole. I don't begrudge you asking customers to see their receipts. As long as you recognize that I'm under no obligation to show it, and you take no for an answer when it's given.

I called the store a little later, and spoke to a manager who apologized, agreed that was unacceptable behavior, and said she'd have a conversation with the security guard.

But I don't think that was enough. Best Buy repeatedly failed to do the minimum you'd expect a professional corporation to do....

I unnecessarily wasted at least two hours of my time today, and was called profane names for my trouble.

Oh receipt checkers, when will you learn...?

We're curious, what do you think is fair compensation for being called an asshole? Or is having profanities hurled at you and your child just the price you pay for not following Best Buy's "rules." Tell us in the comments.

(Photo: Ian Muttoo )

The nonsense began when attorneys for Citi Residential Lending (now CitiMortgage) obtained a court order to evict Tabitha's landlord from the brownstone that he owned and was renting to Tabitha. To that end, the bank hired a Realtor and the sheriff’s office to evict the landlord. The Realtor, "Jax Realtors and REO Group," knew that Tabitha and not her landlord lived in the property, according to the Chicago Reporter, but they decided to evict her anyway, (despite the fact that this is illegal in Illinois.)

When she called the company the day of her lockout, she said an employee agreed to let her in two days later at 10 a.m. Tabitha arrived at 9:45 a.m. with a brigade of minivans and cars with friends, some of whom had taken off work, ready to pack, load and move her things, despite the 33-degree temperatures outside. They waited two hours. She said Jax never showed up.

The next day, Tabitha walked into the West Side office of the Legal Assistance Foundation and briefed attorney Jennifer Payne on her case. Payne believed she could retrieve Tabitha’s belongings and get her some restitution.

Payne contacted Jax to see if the company was willing to negotiate. A company representative seemed agreeable and a date was set to meet at the apartment, Payne said. Jax officials did not show up for the second time and subsequently did not return her phone calls, Payne said. By the next afternoon, a truck from a different company was being loaded with Tabitha’s furnishings. Tabitha’s neighbor phoned and told Tabitha to hurry home. She arrived and called police. Some of her property was in the truck, some was still in the apartment. The rest was in a trashcan in the alley.

When police arrived, Tabitha showed her identification. The movers showed the officers their paperwork and called Jax Realtors and the move was stopped. According to the police report: “Complainant stated tenant home in foreclosure and contractor hired to clean building without notifying or allowing tenant to move out. Contractor returned property into residence, building resecured.” Four days later, movers were there again. Again, they left without the furnishings. By this time, the damage to Tabitha’s property was irreparable. The movers had damaged a fair amount of furniture to the point that Tabitha no longer wanted it.

When she learned that Jax owner Michael R. Fields called the Reporter’s office, Tuesday, April 29 at 10:46 p.m., to say she could get her things back from the apartment, Tabitha recoiled in disgust. “I don’t want that crap,” Tabitha said.

The Realtor denies that they ever stood Tabitha up, and blame Citi Lending's attorneys for the mix-up. Citi said that Tabitha was given an opportunity to contest the eviction and didn't. As the story went to print, Tabitha and her lawyer were settling with Citi Lending after they were contacted by the Chicago Reporter. They claim that they never received the letters sent by Tabitha's lawyer.

“If [Jax] didn’t have a court order to evict Tabitha, what [they] should have done was gone back to the bank and say, ‘Bank, you don’t have an order to evict Tabitha," said her lawyer.

The Reporter also has some tips for renters caught up in foreclosure. Remember, every state is different, so make sure that you understand the foreclosure laws in your area.

A Renter's Nightmare [Chicago Reporter]

Brandon and Eleanor write, to Doubletree/Hilton:

I am writing to you because of an extremely unpleasant interaction and stay that my husband and I had at the Doubletree Hotel Chicago-North Shore in Skokie, Illinois. I had blocked 50 rooms at the hotel for our wedding weekend June 27-June 29, 2008. I cannot even begin to express the frustration that I had dealing with the hotel and reservations staff, which I will outline for you later in this email.

I travel approximately six weeks a year in my position as [redacted] I usually enjoy staying at Doubletree Hotels (and other Hilton Hotels), but I do not believe I will stay again after all of the hassles and excess charges that my husband and I endured.

Here is an account of our experience: I blocked the rooms in November, 2007. Since we live out of town, as do many of our guests, I made sure that 50 rooms were blocked. I even remember asking if that high number was possible to block. I was told it would be fine.

On May 10, 2008, I received a phone call from one of my guests, telling me the block was full. I was shocked to hear this, and immediately called the hotel. They told me in a very curt manner that the block was indeed full and that 13 rooms had been booked. Of course, I told them that we had 50 rooms blocked, so this must be a mistake. They informed me that only 10 rooms had been reserved.

After much discussion and debate, they said they could open five more rooms ONLY. I was furious that seven weeks before my wedding, I had to book another block of rooms at another hotel, without even an "I'm sorry" from the Doubletree staff, who tried on two occasions to blame the error on me.

After blocking the rooms at two hotels, I called about 10 days before the wedding to ask how many rooms were blocked so that we could hand out gift bags to our guests. Imagine my surprise to find that 35 rooms were booked at the Doubletree. Obviously, there was enough room to expand out the block. This was quite aggravating!

When we went to give the gift bags to the front desk for delivery to each of our guests, I was again dismayed. We were told that there would be a charge of $1.50 per bag to simply hand the bag to each guest. I agreed to the $54 charge because I had no other option. I asked some of my recently married friends if the hotels that they had blocked for their wedding charged them for the same service. They had not been charged and were also shocked to hear of this fee, especially because we had filled 35 rooms of the hotel. Additionally, my in-laws had paid for breakfast for nearly 40 guests on June 29, 2008! This made the nickel-and-dime charge even more offensive.

Just yesterday, I was about to pay my credit card bill when I realized that another charge of $75 from the Doubletree Hotel was billed to my account on June 29, 2008. Again, I called the hotel. I was told that the charge was for transportation of 18 people to the reception site a mile and half away. I told the accounting department that I had NEVER authorized such a charge. I do not know if my guests used the hotel's transportation, but my husband and I never booked the transportation, never rode on the transportation ourselves, nor authorized such a charge.

The hotel has since reversed this charge because of my complaint, but it is just another example of our unsatisfactory experience. Additionally, our guests who blocked rooms early were told that the shuttle was free. Only closer to the wedding did the shuttle begin to charge a fare. I only discovered this myself and was never contacted by the Doubletree staff, nor were my guests.

Finally, when my Mother-in-law booked her room, she was told that she would have to pay a higher rate for the Thursday night she planned to stay. When she told the staff that she was under the impression that the wedding rate was valid Thursday through Monday, she was again met with a discourteous and unhelpful rebuttal. I was surprised to learn of this just a few days before the wedding because I was also told that the rate was valid Thursday through Monday. She and several guests mentioned that they were unable to book anything online. The rate was apparently only accessible by phone, contrary to what my husband and I were led to believe.

We were even given an online booking code to give our guests, but they could not receive the rate using it. My husband and I are embarrassed and irritated that our block was handled so unprofessionally. I have advised a close friend who is getting married in the area not to block rooms at that particular Doubletree Hotel, and I have advised my other friends not to block rooms for their weddings at Hilton or Doubletree Hotels because of our bad experience. I am dismayed that the Hilton Family of Hotels, a company that I so highly regarded, disappointed us so much on the biggest weekend of our lives. A reply would be much appreciated.

Sincerely,
Eleanor

Brrr! I called a leading HVAC company to come fix it, not wanting to risk fixing it myself (gas leaks scare me). The repairman spent 3 hours trying 6 different circuit boards, and finally said he must have gotten a fully defective batch, he’d have to come back the next day with parts from the warehouse. He then spent 30 minutes trying to force me to pay him for his time, despite not having actually repaired my furnace. I told him he’d better leave or I’d call the police. He left.

I broke out my trusty old multimeter and started testing things by reading the handy-dandy electrical schematic glued to the inside of the access panel. Within 15 minutes I found it was a “heat trip sensor” – basically a “fuse” that trips when it detects heat in the wrong place. This one was “downwind” of the chimney flue, where hot natural gas fumes normally rise upwards. A visit to the roof determined a chimney lining tile had fallen over and blocked the chimney.

Thus, the hot exhaust blew back down the furnace, and the furnace’s safety system kicked into gear. Banging on the tile in the chimney with a broomstick made it break and fall to the bottom of the chimney. A trip to an HVAC supplier resulted in a $4 replacement heat sensor. I installed the part, and just like that! My furnace started working just fine.

The next day, the HVAC company threatened to report me to collection agencies, sue me, and even threatened to put a lien on my condo. A few weeks later, I filed a small claims court complaint contending that I never agreed to pay a dime unless the repair was completed, and to boot, they were incompetent. Rather than appear before a judge, they settled by reimbursing me the filing fees and drop the collection attempt

How did I know to do things with the small claims court?… Consumerist. THANKS!

Going to small claims court is a lot easier than you might think. You don't need a lawyer and filing fees are minimal. Here's how to take a case to small claims court, stories and advice from a guy who makes frequent use of small claims court, and a success story from a reader who won after suing a subcontractor in small claims.

(Photo: beau-foto)

The Chicago Tribune says:

We have another walk-through tomorrow morning, and obviously we’re working around the clock," Kate Klotz, Whole Foods' Midwest regional public relations specialist, told The Stew on Thursday. Klotz said they hope to have the store re-opened by tomorrow afternoon but that's not definite.

The inspection that resulted in the closing was a follow-up inspection. Inspectors found mouse feces all over the premises as well as a dead mouse on a glueboard trap.

Mice, supermarkets and food safety [Chicago Tribune](Thanks, Dena!)

In March of 2007 our civil suit attorney contacted Dan Wolf. Dan Wolf owns Toyota of Naperville and other dealerships in the chicagoland area. Dan Wolf immediately fired Mr. James V Gentile in March 2007.... Toyota of Naperville has been served in November of 2007. Mr. James V Gentile aka Jim was hard to serve. Finally April of 2008 he got his papers...

Update on the criminal case... The states attorney has counted 19 blocked phone calls going to my cell phone from his home phone and his cell phone! Starting December 2005 and ending April 2006. Some how the jerk is having his attorney ( James Moore office of Rockford,IL) to pull off getting the case continued. The latest stunt they pulled was this... Court date in April was continued to June 12th because his attorney told the states attorney that he will take the plea. I was happy and I thought maybe there is some good in this man. But no, I get a call from the states attorney on June 12th to come down to the court house to testify! I could not believe it! So I went down to the court house and met with the States Attorney only to be told it will be continued due to the judge assigned to the case is on Vacation! The next court date is set for August 7th, but I am not going to count on it!

To the dealerships out in the Chicagoland area, if you have him as an employee, watch out, he maybe doing this to your customers! To the public, if he is your salesman, please beware of what kind of person he is!

The wheels of consumer justice grind slowly, and they grind exceedingly small.*

Read previous updates to this thread here.

(Photo: Beth and Christian)

* with hat tip to Friedrich von Logau(with hat tip to Friedrich von Logau

The Reporter obtained copies of the Chicago Department of Public Health’s daily inspection reports for the vendors who are returning to this year’s event after participating at last year’s event, which attracted 3.6 million visitors. The Reporter found that in 2007:

* More than 85 percent of the 67 food vendors had violations during their onsite inspections.



* Of the 57 vendors with violations, the average number of violations per restaurant was four.



* Nearly 40 percent of all violations occurred during the first three days of the festival.



* One restaurant, Star of Siam, was cited for storing an open container of vinegar next to an open container of bleach. Another, La Justicia, was cited for storing enchilada sauce in a container that read “dish soap.”

The Reporter also said that 10 people will be filing lawsuits against Pars Cove Restaurant in connection with the salmonella outbreak that may have sickened up to 790 people at the taste last year. The salmonella was eventually traced back to some contaminated hummus.

Leaving A Bad Taste [Chicago Reporter]

The public guardian's office was put in charge of Jessie McDonald's affairs after a doctor found that she was suffering from dementia. They claim that Chase is preying on a vulnerable consumer by not repaying the stolen money in a timely fashion: "This [teller] was helping herself to about $300,000,'' Public Guardian Robert Harris said. "It's even more egregious when it's someone who is completely reliant on her savings. She is so vulnerable. You would not expect the bank would be the one preying on her at this point.''

Chase says that they were the ones who caught the teller in the first place, and that they're working to return the money:"We . . . urged them to intercede on behalf of Mrs. McDonald, and we are currently working with the public guardian's office to resolve the financial details,'' Chase spokesman Tom Kelly said.

Mrs. McDonald owns a townhome in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, but is currently living at Crestwood Care Centre in Crestwood, IL. Her bills are being paid from her savings, but she's running out of funds. In order to move home, her townhome will need extensive renovations and she'll need 24-hour care. In short, she needs her life savings back or she may end up on public assistance.

The Sun-Times says that there's currently an FBI investigation taking place, but the teller hasn't been charged criminally. Mrs. McDonald now understands what happened to her and she says she's disappointed.

"You trust somebody. She was so nice. And I wasn't thinking," McDonald told the Sun-Times. "I was really disappointed in her."

'She was so nice' [Chicago Sun-Times](Thanks, Ellen!)
(Photo: epicharmus )

Milk $3 (on average)

IBC Root Beer $5.33 ($3 for a six-pack of 12 oz bottles)

Miller High Life $5.33 ($15 for a 30-pack of 12 oz cans)

Ketchup $8 ($2 for 32 oz)

Hydrogen Peroxide: $10.32 ($1.29 for 16oz)

It's a good think we don't run cars on Chanel nail polish at $5760 per gallon, huh?

Does anyone have a Geo Metro that runs on milk?

How Much is a Gallon? [Chicagoist]

(Photo: Joy of the Mundane )

Here in Chicagoland, Bank of America bought LaSalle Bank, so May 5, all LaSalle banks made the switch to BofA. So yesterday I went into an old LaSalle bank in Matteson, IL, deposited a check which should post by the next day.

Well, now my check is nowhere on the system and customer care told me their having problems with deposits made at old LaSalle banks not showing up, and no eta for a fix. So i said "apply the check manually or give me a credit?" They won't do anything... so now i deposited a check that dosen't exist and i have a receipt.

Are there any other LaSalle Bank customers out there who are having this problem? Have you had any luck in getting it resolved? Let us know in the comments or at tips@consumerist.com.

(Photo: RcktmanIL )

Pavel writes:

I've been reading your site daily for over a year and I get a pure kick when people expose the inner filth of corporate America. As of yesterday I have my own story to share.

I've been with Chase for several years now. I have a checking account, a savings account, an Amazon Visa card and United Visa card with them. I carry small balances, pay my "non-chase ATM" fees, my "Online Bill Pay" fees, the occasional "Overdraft protection fee" for when they transfer money from Savings to Checking... in other words the average customer who never creates trouble and generates revenue.

About a month ago I decided to open a second checking account and use it only for direct deposit of my payroll check. Then every other Friday I'd go online, transfer some of the amount to savings and the rest to checking.

Until yesterday morning, when much to my surprise not only was my direct deposit not there, but also the entire account was missing. As in GONE. There was no trace of this account whatsoever. I called Chase customer service right away (it was about 7:30 AM) just so I can hear a totally brain-dead teenager tell me that my account had been closed a week ago for carrying zero-balance for too long. "WHAT??? You have got to be kidding me. I have a direct deposit going there every other Friday, you closed the account a week ago, so you're telling me a zero-balance for a week gives you a reason to close the account? Despite the fact that every two weeks there is a rather sizable deposit from ADP" Her totally expected dumb answer was: "Sir, it's the system that closed your account, not us. There is nothing we can do to prevent this from happening". Evidently, in her pea-sized brain "The System" is an almighty creature with an evil behavioral twist rather than a piece of computer software that 99.9999999% of the time does exactly as instructed.

Escalation to Little Miss Braindead's Supervisor got me nowhere either. I was told that they can not reopen my account and I'd have to go to the branch that opened my account at, where the manager is the ONLY person who can make this happen, despite my repeated attempts to explain that the branch had been bulldozed two years ago along with the Dominick's store it was in. Oh, and get this. Even if with the help of the Almighty I somehow managed to get the account reopen they wouldn't be able to deposit the amount they were holding before midnight on Tuesday. Now I'm not going to start crying that I have bills to pay, checks that were going to hit my account and so on... I've got plenty of dough in both checking and savings to cover expenses for months to come. But that's not the point. So, naturally, I request an escalation to Executive Customer Service (800-242-7399). I get transferred to a Michelle Crabtree (713-262-3866). She tells me pretty much the same story. My simple answer to her was along the lines of "Dear Michelle, if I don't have my account reopened and funded by noon today, I will take extreme pleasure in writing about this to our our local newspapers (those happen to be Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times) along with spending $25 on a Small Claims Court filing fee.

She promises a prompt resolution and I tell her she has about 4 hours to deliver on her promise. I get a call back midday saying that they will be able to reopen the account (but not until midnight) and create a "credit memo" on my old checking account, but I'd have to go myself and move the funds to savings or the credit memo will fall off at midnight. It didn't make much sense to me, but hey, this is a specially trained professional who has been entrusted with handling sticky situations on behalf of the office of the president. Or maybe not.

Of course the credit memo disappeared at midnight. And of course my checking account was not reopened, and of course there are overdraft protection fees on my account which currently shows negative balance. And of course, the only people who can fix this are Executive Customer Service but that's not open on the weekend.

Now let me say this... I work as the Executive Assistant to the President of my company and I CAN WALK ON WATER! Moreover, my attitude is that if 40-some years ago we were able to land on the Moon with a help of a computer that had less processing power than my cellphone... nothing is impossible. If these people really work for Executive Customer Service, Chase has to either redefine what that means and admit it's just a bunch of glorified idiots, or train them better.

My 2 cents.

Cheers and keep those stories coming!

Pavel G.
Chicago, IL

(Photo: Ben Popken)

1. Trans fats
   Banned in: New York City
2. Raw milk
   Banned in: 21 states
3. Absinthe
   Banned in: The U.S. (sort of: Absinthe is legal in the United States, contrary to popular belief, as long as the spirit's levels of thujone - a toxic chemical present in wormwood, one of the herbs used to make absinthe - do not surpass the Food and Drug Administration's limit of 10 parts per million.)
4. Foie Gras
   Banned in: Chicago
5. Uncertified Chilean sea bass
   Banned in: The U.S.
6. Horse meat
   Banned in: California, Illinois and other states
7. Wild Beluga caviar
   Banned in: The U.S.
8. Shark fins
   Banned in: The U.S.
9. High-fructose corn syrup
   On the endangered list in: San Francisco

What do you think of food bans? Some people are willing to risk breaking laws to smuggle raw milk across state lines... only to get diphtheria. Are you among them?

9 forbidden foods [Fortune Small Business] (Thanks, Stacy!)
(Photo: Unhindered By Talent )

In a stunning development underscoring the plight of non-profit hospitals struggling with the increase in uninsured patients, the Catholic ownership of St. Francis Hospital & Health Center on Wednesday said it will shutter the hospital because nobody would buy it.

The religious order of nuns that oversees St. Louis-based SSM Health Care said it could not even give the hospital away to other health facilities "for free."

Saddled with tens of millions of dollars in losses from uninsured patients who could not pay their medical bills, St. Francis would be abandoning its core mission of caring "for the people of its communities regardless of their ability to pay." SSM will seek a closing application with the state, a process that could take several months.

The closing would erase a deeply established health-care facility in a struggling south suburban town, forcing residents to travel further from home and potentially stressing other facilities with an influx of thousands of patients, many with limited means.

"Unfortunately, in spite of St. Francis' outstanding clinical reputation, reimbursement from commercial insurers could not cover the cost of providing care to the growing number of Medicaid and uninsured patients," said Sister Mary Jean Ryan, SSM's chief executive officer.

Maybe a network needs a realistic set for a TV doctor show?

SSM to Close St. Francis Hospital & Health Center (Press Release) [St. Francis]
The hospital they just couldn't save [Chicago Tribune via WSJ Health Blog]

Just thought I'd get the word out... Chicago is getting smacked with a spring snowstorm. I just went outside and it's nearly white-out conditions outside.

Due to WEATHER / SNOW-ICE, there is a Traffic Management Program in effect for traffic arriving Chicago OHare International Airport, Chicago, IL (ORD). This is causing some arriving flights to be delayed an average of 2 hours and 15 minutes.

"Travelers catch a nap at Chicago's O'Hare International airport Friday, March 21, 2008. An unseasonable snow storm moving across northern Illinois has caused the cancellations of about 350 flights at O'Hare."

O'Hare Cancels 350 Flights — So Far [MSNBC]
(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

In May of 2005 my wife was mugged at one of the elevated train stations in Chicago. After calling the police and filing a police report, she started calling each credit card company to cancel each account. Except she forgot about one card, her CapitalOne card. A card hardly ever used and only had a $500.00 limit...

When we got the bill, we immediately realized our mistake, called Capital One and faxed in the police report showing she had been mugged on that day. We even got the signatures on file from the local grocery store that showed the mugger's girlfriend signature was used, rather than my wife's signature. The mugger even signed my wife's last name wrong and the clerk who checked out the girl, knew the mugger (I guess they live in the same project housing complex, and threw a party with all that liquor they bought...on our dime). Anyway, any sane, logical person could see this is a pretty clear case of someone else using her card. However, Capital One refused to budge on the issue since it was out of the standard reporting time. They indicated we were responsible for all of the charges.

We tried fighting it longer and refused to pay the card. After a few months of trying to fight Capital One, the card now racked up $700.00 of late charges and over-limit fees that they said we were additionally responsible for on top of the thief's purchases. Finally, after talking to one of their bill collectors we said we were willing to pay the $500.00 of unauthorized charges and just be done with the whole thing. Them, in true greedy corporate fashion, refused that deal and said we were responsible for the whole $1200.00. We refused, and they have been sending threatening sounding collection notices since then (as well as ruining my wife's credit, for the sport of it).

Apparently, when we were on vacation this week, Capital One took us to small claims court, supposedly they sent us a notice but I am unaware and unable to find such court notice (It doesn't help that Chicago's postal system is notoriously unreliable). Since we were unaware of the court date, and we were out of town to begin with, the judge ruled in Capital One's favor. Now we have to pay them $1200.00... or we go to jail.

Mugger: 1
Capital One: 2
Average Joe consumer: 0

I'm pissed, frustrated and don't know what to do. Any advice?

-Andy

Your first action, do this now, is go to the courthouse that your case was heard at and file a motion to overturn the default judgment that was filed against you in your absence. You will have another court date, in front of a judge. You can explain there that you never got the summons to court. In most cases, the judge will overturn the default judgment and schedule another court date. I've seen this happen in CC dozens of times. Obviously it's better if you get a lawyer to help with this, but the CC Court Clerks are also pretty helpful.

Before even reviewing the picture, I heard a woman yell, "What do you think you're doing?!" I looked up, seeing an angry looking woman briskly coming down the hall at me.
 
"Taking a photo of the sun," I replied.
 
"You're in a hospital!" she shrilly declared.
 
"Yes, obviously."
 
"I've called security, you stay here!"

Kurt didn't stay there, but told her his father had been there for 3 weeks now and he was going to go join him at dinner.

And so I did. I joined my father at dinner. Within minutes, someone tapped me on the shoulder. It was a security guard.

"Sir, can you come with me?"

"Certainly."

"Were you taking photos in the hospital?" he asked, seemingly bored.

"Yes, I took a photo out the hallway window in the 3rd floor of the sun." I showed him the photo.

"Okay, just don't do it again. Thanks." It seemed like he was just a guy doing his job so I agreed and went back to sit with my father.

"See, they're all pinheads," commented my father.

He exasperatedly explained to me that I could not take photos anywhere on the hospital grounds because it violated the employees' rights. I was also told that I was not allowed anywhere but with my father. Failure to comply with these requests would result in being escorted by the still present security guard. At this point, he also demanded my driver's license as proof of the incident.

• to protect the privacy of employees;
• to protect the privacy of patients;
• to prevent situations where someone taking pictures may get in the way of helping the sick and injured;

It seems reasonable that those three needs can be met with a sign posted at every entrance that says something like, "Please do not take photographs of employees or patients. No cameras allowed in hallways or treatment areas." Hey, and then you could also tell employees to memorize and repeat those two restrictions one time only to offenders, along with "Hospital policy!" at the end. If they spy a repeat offender, they call security. Another problem solved! You're welcome!

In other words: We get that the hospital wants to protect the privacy of employees and patients, but obviously a simple explanation of the no-photos policy would have sufficed. Bringing two employees to twice interrupt a visitor's dinner with his father is the kind of overreaction that happens when you equate photographs with terrorism, and cameras with guns.

Kurt writes,

I wanted to point out that I didn't take a picture of any person, or that I couldn't possibly know their absurd policy since there was no signage posted anywhere. And if a search of their site is any indication, the only person who is aware of this policy is the the head of security himself.

We tried contacting Resurrection to find out what their official photo policy was, but we were transferred from the front desk to security, then given a number to guest relations that didn't work. (The security guy said it was probably closed for the evening.) Nobody we actually spoke with was willing to say anything about a photo policy for visitors.

This writer thinks there's another reason for all the photo banning currently in vogue: it's a superstitious attempt to retroactively prevent 9/11 from ever having happened. Letting a stranger shoot a photo has become a symbol of invasion and assault, of scheming and revenge. Or maybe it's also a fear of Flickr. At any rate, this writer half-seriously suggests maybe earmarking some public funds for a national re-education campaign about the moral neutrality of "Taking Photos."

"Hospital forbids photos of the sun!" [fiftytwofifty]

(Photos: security guard: Getty; seminar: kerryank)

...satisfying the right customers is the goal, but pissing off the wrong customers is equally important...[D]epositors with large accounts were exempt from such fees...Only irritating customers with tiny bank accounts who asked a lot of questions went elsewhere....Chasing away undesirable customers with outrageous fees has been an important element of the banking business ever since.

RELATED: Need a Teller? A Big Bank Plans $3 Fee [NYT]
(Photo: Getty)

Up a tree over dead cat's health plan [Chicago Tribune] (Thanks to David!)

Passengers say that after their first plane was determined unfit to fly, they were loaded on a second plane which also suffered a mechanical difficulty.

FOX Chicago reports that the group of passengers got on and off the airplanes "half a dozen" times over nearly 2 days before finally arriving in Chicago. One passenger says she heard the pilot refusing to fly the plane because he thought it was unsafe.

"We were sitting in the first seat, so we could hear the captain saying: 'I'm not flying this plane. I don't care what you guys say.' They wanted him to fly it. He kept saying. 'I'm not flying it.'"

Travelers Say United Airlines Turned Tropical Vacation Into Nightmare [MyFoxChicago]

Subject: Flight Experience Reply: Yes

Message: To Customer Relations Representatives,

I would like to share with the company what I can only classify as a series of blunders, characterized by indifference. I booked a ticket for myself, and later, for my cat at the cost of $711.70. The first leg of the flight was #1174 to Newark, the second was #336 to Ponce.

Flight #1174 was delayed for several hours, supposedly, and I emphasize that, for weather related reasons. I was very concerned because I was not only traveling with my cat but also because I knew if I missed my connection that would mean I would be stranded for the day. I was assured confidently by the woman at the boarding gate that if I were to miss my flight, I would be put for the night in Newark. What can I say? I was an optimist but I knew deep down that your airline would sooner crash my plane. My real hope was that since Newark was the one experiencing delays, as they announced over the speakers, my connection might still be there. But lo and behold, I arrive at Newark, a supposed contributor to my flight's delay and somehow the airport seems fine, my connection departed at least close to on time. Two agents (one a supervisor I believe) re-booked me for the next day, with no upgrade or apology or so much as something that might seem as sympathy. The only thing they offered was to book me to San Juan, which is as helpful as offering to rebook someone going to Philadelphia, to fly into New York. Not helpful at all. I was informed that I would probably not get anything. It's then 1AM, and the agents at the gate inform me that I should go to Terminal C to gather my bag and perhaps get a voucher. I go to Terminal C, and only the bag office is open, I speak to an agent there ( I wish I had written down names at this point), who informs me there are no more hotel vouchers, customer service reps, no taxi vouchers and that bag is in some cage up somewhere so I've utterly wasted my time carrying my bags and my cat at this late hour in the Newark airport on the airtrain.

I fortunately have some friends in the city, because I do believe that the hotels were booked, you know, with the "delays" and those people that got vouchers earlier. So I arrive at the empty terminal on time for my flight that day, at the kiosks, I get nothing but attitude when I ask to check-in, since I was so interrupting their little chat. They didn't have the decency to point me in the direction of the open security point, or otherwise did not know which one was the only one open at that hour. The agent I spoke to from the bag office the previous night, asks me how I'm doing, and I answer truthfully, "fucked" , I say. And you know what, I meant it. He's apparently offended at my language and after I ask where the open security point is, he begins to scornfully complain that "stuff like that is why people don't want to help you. " ... and on, until I finally find the security point myself. I would like to reiterate that I stayed calm, that I never yelled, or complained and that I only responded to a direct question honestly when I was at the end of my rope with your agents at this point.

I am aggravated with your whole airline and frankly, I'm not looking forward to the return flight at all.

Sincerely,

Rita

Dear Ms. [redacted]:

Thank you for contacting Continental Airlines Customer Care regarding your recent experience while traveling with us to Ponce. I would like to express my sincerest apologies for the negative impression that has been left upon you, and thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with us.

I do see that flight 1174 departed late from Chicago due to Air Traffic Control (ATC) clearance, as both Newark and Chicago were experiencing some weather, which caused a strain on the airspace around both airports. I do see that this flight arrived into Newark at 12:38AM, and your connection to Ponce did depart 63 minutes late, at 12:58AM. I know how disappointing it was for you to miss your connection, and I assure you that it was not our intention to cause you any inconveniences or additional out of pocket expenses.

We do expect our ground crew to provide the best available accommodations to passengers affected by this unfortunate circumstance of missed connections, and based upon your description; we did not fulfill your, or our, expectations of service. The behavior you described receiving in Newark, I assure you is not typical of the service we provide, no matter what the circumstances are, and on behalf of Continental Airlines, I extend my sincere apologies for the negative impression we may have created. All of our employees from reservations to the in-flight crew and everyone in between are expected to provide a friendly, efficient service, and I regret that this is not what you experienced. We realize that their response to your requests make the difference in your perception of our overall product.

I know that you were disappointed to hear that we were not going to be able to provide you overnight accommodations or a transportation voucher when you missed this connection to Ponce, as this is not something that we typically provide when delays and missed connections are due to weather, ATC, or other force majeure events. I understand from your correspondence that you are requesting reimbursement for the out of pocket expenses you incurred; however, I must respectfully decline this request, as per our Contract of Carriage, we are not liable to provide these accommodations when delays are due to these circumstances.

As a gesture of goodwill, I will be sending, via a separate email, an Electronic Travel Certificate in the amount of $75. This certificate is valid for one year from the date of issue, and may be applied towards any future flight on Continental Airlines. The terms and conditions are clearly printed on the certificate and I am sure you will find it easy and convenient to use. I do sincerely hope that you will use this certificate and afford us another opportunity to win back your trust.

I have also prepared a detailed report containing your experiences, as you recounted in your correspondence to us, and I will be including it in our monthly Customer Care report, which is distributed to our Senior Management teams for their further internal review and corrective actions. I assure you that the feedback we receive from our passengers is taken very seriously, as we are continually striving to improve our customer's experiences.

We do recognize you have alternatives in your choice of carriers. However, we hope you would not judge us based on this experience, as we would consider it a privilege to have you include Continental Airlines in your future travel plans. Please be assured Continental Airlines strives to maintain the highest quality of customer service. I apologize if your experience has not been an example of this and would like to assure you that it was the exception and not the rule.

Ms. [redacted], I understand that this experience with Continental Airlines has left you with a negative impression of our airline. I am quite confident that given another opportunity to welcome you aboard once again you will experience the outstanding service and operational reliability that we traditionally provide.

Respectfully,

Sarah

Maybe we're being overly critical, but Sarah does seem to have missed the part where the employee in Chicago told Rita that she would be provided with accommodations if she didn't make her connection. If that's not something they "typically provide," someone should mention it to the employees.

We suggest sending this complaint to the Department of Transportation.

Cable TV installers save 2 from burning building [Chicago Tribune] (Thanks to Dan!)

Lisa Madigan, the attorney general, has subpoenaed documents from Countrywide relating to its loan origination practices, a person briefed on the matter said. Rick Simon, a Countrywide spokesman, said the company was cooperating with the investigation but declined to comment further.

The inquiry follows an investigation by Ms. Madigan's office into One Source Mortgage, a Chicago mortgage broker that recently closed its doors. Ms. Madigan sued One Source on Nov. 27, contending that the company misled borrowers by promising low rates on mortgages without advising them that their payments would jump sharply shortly after the loans were made. Countrywide was One Source's primary lender, according to the lawsuit.

The attorney general's lawsuit contended that One Source put borrowers into loans with terms they did not understand, especially so-called pay option adjustable-rate mortgages. These loans allow borrowers to pay only a fraction of the interest owed and none of the principal, resulting in a growing rather than a shrinking mortgage balance. Countrywide was One Source's main provider of pay option loans, documents in that case show.

"This company's conduct is a prime example of unscrupulous mortgage brokers that has led to a foreclosure crisis for many Illinois homeowners," Ms. Madigan said when she filed the suit against One Source.

Countrywide Subpoenaed by Illinois [NYT]
(Photo:meghannmarco)

About six months ago I moved into my apartment in Chicago to learn that the only service available was with DirecTV. Not only that, but we were forced to use MDU communications, a DirecTV reseller. With no options for television, I reluctantly purchased my own HD receiver off eBay (The HR-20) to avoid entering into a contract with them for two years. When I received my unit, I called MDU to sign up and the CSR at MDU told me that since I had my own receiver, I could sign directly up with DirecTV. Awesome I thought, I can cut out the middle man. The CSR at MDU even transferred me to DirecTV account set up line himself.

This being The Consumerist, so you know now is just about the point where the story takes a turn for the worse...

I went through the process of trying to get a signal, but was having issues so they dispatched a tech two days later, which required me to use one of my vacation days. The tech showed up and notified me that I would have to sign up through MDU because I needed some special equipment which they did not provide. Great, I'm getting MDU and DTV to point fingers at each other. At this point, I'm signed up for service yet still don't have any TV. The next day I called MDU to get service set up and a tech dispatched FOUR DAYS later (burning another vacation day). The tech shows up and informs me that I needed some sort of signal splitter, he sets me up and I have service within the hour. This is not where the troubles stop...

Because MDU told me to sign up with DirecTV, I now have an account open with DirecTV and an account with MDU. I didn't find this out until the first billing cycle. On top of that, I am charged for installation since technically I didn't initially sign up with MDU first. So now I have MDU Access Fee + DirecTV + Setup fee's. I spent the better part of nearly two weeks discussing, fighting, eventually yelling, to screaming at these people that their install process was why all of this happened in the first place. They agree to waive the setup fee.

A few days later, I go to check to make sure with DirecTV that I am not in a 2 year contract with them since I bought my own receiver. Low and behold, I'm apparently locked in for two years. I call customer service and they say no problem, fax us in your receipt and we'll take it off. I fax in my information, the Paypal receipt, along with all the eBay printouts/documentation and am told that since I "got such a cheap price on the unit, they cannot waive the contract". Wait what? I buy my own receiver from someone completely unaffiliated with DirecTV and you still wont waive my contract? Arent the 2 year contracts used to offer a "rebate" for buying a receiver from DTV?

I also opted in for the HD service, since I am a big Cubs fan and wanted to watch them in HD. It turns out however, that DTV cant get a WGN-HD (the main Cubs channel) signal in this building. I call tech support, they schedule another tech to come out, I burn another vacation day to learn they cant do anything about it. Fine, by this point I'm sick of them all and I can deal with one channel not being in HD even though its the main channel I got HD service for. I'm sick of the headaches.

The final straw came today.

Last night I tried to watch TNT-HD only to see it cut in and out constantly with no audio and that famous grainy "bad signal" picture you get. It was storming pretty hard down here so I didn't think anything of it, figured it was due to that. But today I turn it on and get a message stating that the "channel is not purchased". I've had this problem before (go figure) where the permissions on your receiver go a little crazy. All you have to do is call DTV and have them "re authorize" your unit and you're fixed in a few minutes. Today was a different story. I call tech support to complain and they know it's an issue. The reason?

Apparently on weekends, DirecTV has capacity problems with their system due to all of the "NFL Network" games so they've been having to cut service (channels) to everyone. Thats right, they're DE-AUTHORIZING people's access to certain channels so they have enough room on their system to provide everyone with their precious NFL Network.

Shame on you, DirecTV for advertising all your new, snazzy HD channels and then having to take them away from people because you dont have enough resources. What did they give me? Oh a free month of Showtime. Whoopty doo, Showtime sucks.

I cant even get the new HD channels they launched (and I pay for) because MDU wont upgrade the satellite on our roof.

....and I cant even switch to Comcast.......

(Photo: cmorran123)

American was not fined because the government considered both flights to have changed during the course of the year under criteria that required scheduled departures be within 15 minutes of each other in all three quarters, said Sam Podbersky, the Transportation Department's assistant general counsel for aviation enforcement.

The departure time of the Newark-Chicago flight was moved up by 50 minutes in the second and third quarters compared with the first, and the Miami-New York flight's scheduled departure was pushed back by 20 minutes. Because of that, neither flight was even among the 25 the government considered chronically late in the first half of the year.

"American Airlines did not have any flights that were chronically delayed for the first three quarters of 2007, and neither has the DOT Enforcement Office informed us that we did," company spokesman Tim Wagner wrote in an e-mail Thursday.

"Adjusting operations to look for a less crowded time to take off is exactly what we want the airlines to do," said Transportation Department spokesman Brian Turmail. "This is the beginning of the process, not the end."

American Avoids Fines for Flight Delays [Forbes]
(Photo:global jet)

There was just one problem with the ad. The photo they used was so old that the Chicago Sun-Times building (demolished a few years ago to make way for the Trump Tower), is conspicuously present in the skyline.

"We intend to have an impact on the Chicago banking landscape, but this was not what we had in mind," a Bank of America spokesman said. "We'll fix the ad."

Macy's, which bought Marshall Field's, mistakenly labeled Wabash Avenue as "Wabash Street," Randolph Street as "Randolph Avenue" and Washington Street as "Washington Avenue" on new backlighted directional signs posted throughout the State Street store near escalator banks.

Old picture taints Bank of America's new campaign to woo Chicago [Chicago Tribune]
(Photo:David Paul Ohmer)

Eagle Insurance started it, but when Lincoln Insurance put our 16th president in a prison outfit complete with striped top hat, we knew they had something special.

Here are all of our favorite Lincoln Insurance commercials. Enjoy your SR-22!

If you'd like to nominate a commercial for our weekly series "Great Moments In Commercial History" send us an email at tips [at] consumerist [dot] com. Be sure to put "Great Moments In Commercial History" in the subject. To see other commercials that have been featured in the series, click here.

Although California will be the hardest hit by the property value decrease, the New York City region will "see the greatest slowdown in the output of goods and services because of the mortgage crisis, according to the report."

From Bloomberg:

"The real estate crisis of 2007 and 2008 will go down in the record books,'' according to the report, released as the Conference of Mayors gathers in Detroit today for a special meeting to discuss the housing slump. ``The wave of foreclosures that has rippled across the U.S. has already battered some of our largest financial institutions, created ghost towns of once vibrant neighborhoods — and it's not over yet.''

According to the report, New York/New Jersey will see a $10.4 billion loss in economic growth, Los Angeles will lose $8.3 billion and "$4 billion each in Dallas and Washington and $3.9 billion in Chicago."

U.S. Mortgage Crisis Slams Property Values, State Tax Receipts [Bloomberg]
(Photo:chickee510)

Dallas Forth-Worth lost radio communications in two control towers, causing all incoming and outgoing flights to be delayed while the problem was fixed.

Heavy fog delayed flights at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California was shut down briefly due to the weather. Newark and LaGuardia saw delays due to high winds, while Chicago O'Hare blamed heavy cloud cover, though how this instance of "heavy cloud cover" is in any way different than "normal weather from Nov-April in Chicago," we don't really know.

Snow is expected in Colorado tomorrow.

Should be fun!

Holiday travel off to a rough start [USA Today]
(Photo:kernelslacker)