According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel two scammers convinced an elderly man that they’d found a bag of money in a Home Depot parking lot — and that they’d split it with him if he gave them a “good faith cash payment.”
Scammed In The Home Depot Parking Lot: Jerks Convince Elderly Man To Hand Over $9,000
By January 14, 2009
US Airways Loses Your 83-Year-Old Mother
By November 19, 2008
It’s bad enough when they lose your luggage, but what do you do when the airline loses your 83-year-old mother? File a claim? Poor Vera Kuemmel had to answer this very question as she waited in vain at the baggage claim of the Tampa airport.
She-Grifters Scam Granddad For $10,000+ A Month
By November 11, 2008
Shaun says his 80+-year old grandfather, Steve, is being scammed out of over $10,000 a month. It seems Steve recently hired a female gardener who introduced him to a “wealthy friend,” and now he’s loaning them money to pay for groceries, cable, home upkeep, and, get this, bodyguards to protect her from an ex-husband and son who to want to kill her. When the family tries to intervene, Steve says the family is trying to put him in a nursing home and steal his money. Shaun is at a loss. How can he help his grandfather, who doesn’t want to be helped? Shaun’s story, inside…
Central Florida TV News Accuses Walmart Of Price Gouging Poor People
By September 23, 2008
Local 6 news in Central Florida is accusing Walmart of setting their prices for sugar and other “staples” by demographic — charging more in stores where the population isn’t as wealthy as other neighborhoods. Walmart’s spokesperson claims to be offended by this accusation.
Disney Reneges On Ride Injury Payment Promise, Reader Wins With EECB
By September 3, 2008
Disney, inventors of childhood itself, told Daniel they would foot the bill after he got injured on their California Adventure ride. Then when Daniel and his wife Jane tried to collect, they got strung along for months by Garth Steever in guest claims. When they finally locked him down 11 months after the incident, Garth told them Disney changed its mind. By this time, the medical bills had already been sent to collections. Then Jane read about how to send an EECB on The Consumerist, and stormed the ramparts of Cinderella Castle. Here’s her letter, and success story…
Customers Claim That Wachovia Is Handing Out Counterfeit Bills
By July 23, 2008
Something shady may be afoot at a Central Florida Wachovia branch…two customers say that a teller gave them counterfeit bills, according to Local 6 news in Orlando. The bank is refusing to give them a refund, claiming that they have no way of knowing if those counterfeit bills are the same ones the teller gave out, but Local 6 says that they’ve learned that Wachovia previously gave a customer with a similar story a refund.
Aetna: Instead Of Approving That $113,000 Life-Saving Brain Operation, We're Going To Cancel Your Coverage. Sorry!
By July 19, 2008
Meet 19-year-old Caitlin Jackson. Caitlin was recently diagnosed with Chiari Malformation, a potentially fatal brain disorder that interferes with motor control and memory. Immediate brain surgery is Caitlin’s only treatment option, but her insurance company, Aetna, took its sweet time approving her operation, and then reversed itself claiming her benefits had expired.
By July 14, 2008
TV stations looking to save money can do so by interviewing guests remotely over Skype, as WTVT in Tampa did, live, with me this morning. No more paying for car service or bottled water!
By June 19, 2008
Consumerist Editor Ben Popken (hey, that’s me!) talks about the grocery shrink ray today at 5:30 PM Eastern on WTVT-TV FOX 13 in Florida.
Shaq Wants To Save Orlando From The Mortgage Meltdown
By June 17, 2008
Shaq has a plan to save Orlando from the mortgage meltdown. Sort of. The Orlando Sentinel says that word leaked out that Shaq was working on a plan to buy the troubled mortgages of Orlando homeowners and refinance them so that families could stay in their homes — and hopefully turn a small profit by doing so. The trouble is, the demand is overwhelming and Shaq doesn’t have anything set up yet. That’s not stopping him, though.
The Battle Of The Biggest Killer: Prescription Drugs V. Illegal Drugs
By June 14, 2008
So, Florida is apparently plagued by addicted prescription-poppers and not the pot-addled deviants targeted by our government’s so-called “War on Drugs.” A new report shows that prescription drugs killed three-times more Floridians than illegal drugs, and not because old people can’t follow doctor’s orders. Addictive prescriptions like Vicodin, OxyContin, Valium and Xanax killed more users than all illegal drugs combined.
By May 17, 2008
A lawyer in Florida has launched a business where he’ll send a complaint letter on your behalf for a flat $50 fee. He even sends prospective customers to our website to educate themselves on “fighting back.” Florida only. [Equal-Footing]
By May 16, 2008
The Florida AG is fining Verizon up to $6.5 million for what he says is the telephone company’s willful violation of service laws, in particular, taking too long to repair customer’s landlines. [The Tampa Tribune]
Geico Insurance Quote Increases Over $1,000 After Bait And Switch
By April 28, 2008
After the contract was signed, mistakes made by a…
By April 25, 2008
The state of Florida is offering single-family homeowners in the state free wind inspections that can then be used to get insurance discounts. [My Safe Florida Home]
Florida Judges Tosses Out Thousands Of Bogus Toll Fines
By April 24, 2008
A Florida judge tossed out thousands of Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority and Florida Turnpike Authority toll violation citations for people getting tickets for no apparent reason because their toll transponders malfunctioned. Citizens were subjected to a “bureaucratic morass” when they tried to sort out the bogus tickets, made all the worse because their accounts were on auto-debit. [Orlando Sentinel]
Tampa Woman Tries To Collect Loan Made By Her Great-Grandfather During Civil War
By April 21, 2008
Some debt collectors are mighty persistent.
Union Hits Picket Line To Protest Verizon's Poor Customer Service
By April 21, 2008
The IBEW 824 union is generating good business for the stick and sign makers of western Florida. First they picketed over Verizon ignoring the quality of its copper lines at the expense of pushing out FiOS. Now they’re picketing over what they say is Verizon’s poor customer service. One self-identifying union member said in the comments on this local news bit, “We are losing customers because of billing problems. We are losing customers because when the customers call in with billing or installation problems the employees are told to focus on “educating the customer on Verizon products and services” not on correcting their problem or answering their questions. ” Verizon’s response was that they haven’t gotten many complaints from customers.
