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.
florida
The Battle Of The Biggest Killer: Prescription Drugs V. Illegal Drugs
By 6.14.08
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 5.17.08
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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 5.16.08
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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 4.28.08
After the contract was signed, mistakes made by a…
By 4.25.08
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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 4.24.08
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 4.21.08
Some debt collectors are mighty persistent.
Union Hits Picket Line To Protest Verizon's Poor Customer Service
By 4.21.08
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.
Verizon CSR: My FiOS Bill Is Always Wrong, Too
By 4.8.08
The Tampa Bay Tribune has a fascinating article about the sales-centric culture at Verizon’s customer service call centers. The CSRs are given large bonuses (sometimes thousands of dollars) for selling services to people who call in looking to correct their bills.
Old Wal-Mart Man Attacks Older Wal-Mart Man With Pricegun
By 4.8.08
A 70-year old Wal-Mart worker beat a 81-year-old fellow employee with a pricegun inside a Florida Wal-Mart.
Dennis O’Brien and John Esposito began arguing Sunday and O’Brien swung at Esposito with the tool in his right hand. Authorities say Esposito suffered a swollen left eye and cuts on his nose and mouth. Esposito said both he and O’Brien worked at Wal-Mart. He would not discuss the nature of their argument. The report says O’Brien told a sheriff’s deputy he acted in self-defense, but security tape showed O’Brien raising his hand first, striking Esposito in the face and then pushing him to the ground. Officials booked O’Brien into the Palm Beach County Jail on aggravated battery charges.
Since they were both employees it couldn’t have been about a receipt check, so I’m really at a loss as to what they could be arguing over.
By 4.7.08
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A Florida appeals court ruled that state insurance regulators could ban Allstate from writing new insurance policies until the company complies with a subpoena. Regulators believe the insurer is gouging consumers in hurricane-prone areas with exorbitant rates. [AP]
Canceling A ResortQuest Reservation? It'll Cost You $190 In Taxes And $95 In Fees
By 4.6.08
ResortQuest hit William’s wife with over $285 in fees when she canceled less than a day after making her reservation. Over $190 ostensibly went towards taxes, which raised William’s eyebrow and led him to fire off an Executive Email Carpet Bomb demanding an explanation.
Union To Protest Verizon Ignoring Its Copper Phone Lines
By 4.3.08
Florida Verizon workers are going to picket Verizon HQ on Monday because, in their quest to lay down the fiber, the union says Verizon is neglecting the copper, reports DSL reports.
“Verizon is not letting us do our jobs, and not letting us take care of the customer,” said Doug Sellers, president of the union that represents Verizon call center and repair workers, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 824. “Customers are waiting up to 10 days to get their phone lines fixed … If you have something as simple as static on your line, that could be out 10 to 15 days.
Customer complaints have gone up, and union workers says preventative maintenance has been largely forgotten about in some places, an accusation supported by the findings of several state public utilities commissioners. Are you a Verizon landline customer? Have you noticed things getting worse? Let us know in the comments.
Carnival Will Refund $40 Million In Fuel Fees
By 4.1.08
Carnival Corp has reached an agreement with the (pesky) Florida attorney general and will refund $40 million in fuel surcharges to passengers who booked trips made before Nov. 7 last year for trips starting Feb. 1 this year.
Nestle Paying $230 To Suck Millions Of Gallons Of Water From Florida Until 2018
By 3.31.08
Despite fierce opposition from the local water management district staff, and concerns that it would deplete an already scarce natural resource from the people who live there, Nestle managed to secure a deal to pump nearly 1.5 million gallons of water a day into their Deer Park bottling plant for the next ten years. Nestle pays no other fees for the water beyond the $230 license—in fact, “Nestle has received two [tax] refunds totaling $196,000 and requested a third tax refund.” To make the matter even more offensive, the plant hasn’t delivered on its commitment to employ 300 workers, and it so far has failed to bring in the estimated $12 million-a-year to the local economy. The St. Petersburg Times has a rich, infuriating history of the Nestle fiasco and how they’ve conned Floridians out of their own water with the help of state politicians.
Just Because There's A Housing Slump Doesn't Mean There Are Any "Motivated Sellers"
By 3.19.08
Reader Eric is pre-approved and ready to buy a house in South Florida. You’d think it would be a piece of cake considering the, uh, climate down there. Apparently not.
The market down here is really bad. I’d say that more than 75% of the houses we’ve seen are short sells or foreclosures. People are really down about the housing situation. You are constantly hearing on the news about how horribly hard it is to sell a house. Houses are selling way under their purported value.
Passengers Watch With Disbelief As Their Allegiant Air Flight Leaves Without Them
By 3.16.08
Over 20 passengers watched in horror as their Allegiant Air flight from Huntsville to Fort Lauderdale took off without them. The passengers had lined up at the gate, tickets in hand, when the plane pushed back. Apparently, the single ticketing agent had struggled to handle everyone on time and didn’t tell the plane to wait. Passengers called the airline once they realized they were stranded as kids shouted, “We want to go to Disney World!”
“So, everybody calls Allegiant Air,” Rigas said. “Three people got hung up on.”
