In the world of finance, junk bonds are high-yield, high-risk investments. But a restaurant in Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood, which was particularly hard-hit by Hurricane Sandy, is selling “junk bonds” that offer no return on your investment other than a decent meal and a good feeling that you’re helping a local business rebuild. [More]
hurricane sandy
NJ Sues Businesses For Price-Gouging After Hurricane Sandy
By 11.9.12
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, many businesses in New Jersey and New York raised their prices in response to higher demand or weakened supply. But when those prices are jacked up so high that it’s disproportionate to the additional cost to the business, that’s gouging. Today, the state of New Jersey filed suit against eight businesses accused of crossing that line. [More]
Verizon Wireless Waiving Domestic Text & Voice Charges For Sandy Victims
By 11.9.12
Hurricane Sandy uprooted the lives of many people on the East Coast last week, making even simple things like paying a cell phone bill a hardship. Verizon Wireless announced this week that in order to help ease the burden for is East Coast customers left without power, cell service, Internet or even landlines, it will waive fees for all domestic voice and text usage. [More]
Airbnb Launches Program To Provide Sandy Survivors With Free Temporary Housing
By 11.8.12
If you live in the New York area and have an empty abode or even an empty bed, you might want to consider donating that bit of shelter to a survivor from Hurricane Sandy who was displaced because of the storm. Airbnb is coordinating the efforts of its users to turn the site into a place to find free temporary housing for those in need. [More]
Sandy Tries To Make Up For Devastation By Delivering A Stocked Bar To Neighborhood
By 11.7.12
Sandy ticked off a lot of people, but at least in one small, boozy way, she’s taken a step in making amends with the residents of one Brooklyn neighborhood. During her reign of havoc last week, Sandy pulled a marina pub loose from where it floated near the business’ main structure and sent it floating two miles to a residential street. [More]
Why Did Hurricane Sandy Knock Out My Virgin Mobile Broadband For Almost 2 Weeks?
By 11.6.12
Last week, Hurricane Sandy flooded and took out power in many areas of the Northeast. Compared to the devastation in other areas, damage in Philadelphia was pretty minimal. Dorothy is lucky, considering. What she can’t understand, though, is why her mobile broadband device from Virgin Mobile will be down until Saturday, November 10. [More]
New Jersey Drivers Relieved To Fill Up On Gas Until They Realize It’s Mixed With Diesel Fuel
By 11.6.12
If you’ve been following the news at all in the last week, you know that gas has been a coveted product on the East Coast in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Storm survivors have been dependent on it to power their generators and drivers have been lining up for hours to fill their vehicles. One New Jersey gas station was happy to serve fuel-hungry customers, but made the unfortunate mistake of serving up gasoline mixed with diesel fuel. Total buzzkill. [More]
NY Attorney General Tells Retailers They Can’t Just Go Around Inflating Prices Post-Sandy
By 11.5.12
As hundreds of thousands of East Coast residents pull together to offer up goods and services to those devastated by Hurricane Sandy, there are still plenty of businesses and individuals who are willing to make a buck off someone else’s misfortune. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says his office has launched an investigation into claims of price gouging to go after anyone hiking prices on essential items like food, water, gas, batteries, accommodations and more. [More]
Homeowners Impacted By Hurricane Sandy Could Get Some Mortgage Relief Soon
By 11.2.12
While one major problem facing many homeowners is dealing with insurance claims in the aftermath of Superstorm/Hurricane Sandy, there’s another long-term issue causing trouble for people whose homes have been damaged by the natural disaster — simply paying the mortgage. Relief is in sight for some borrowers as government agencies and other major lenders begin implementing programs to offer breaks on mortgage payments, among other forms of assistance. [More]
Expedia Books Me Into 4 Hotels I Can’t Stay In
By 11.2.12
Like many New Yorkers in low-lying areas, Consumerist reader Jacob’s home was evacuated. Without a place to stay, he used his phone to book a room at a Manhattan hotel. Little did he know that he wouldn’t be staying at that hotel, or the one after that, or the one after that. [More]
Should The NYC Marathon Go On As Planned This Sunday?
By 11.2.12
Update: The New York Times is reporting that the marathon will not be held Sunday.
Original Text: In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy New York City (and its fellow East Coast cities) is struggling to recover from the devastation the storm wrought. And now a battle is brewing between two camps, both of which want to see the city’s hurricane victims helped wherever they need it most. The fight is centered on Mayor Bloomberg and the city’s announcement that the NYC Marathon will go on as planned this Sunday. [More]
Cablevision To Offer Credit For Customers Without Power After Hurricane
By 11.2.12
With lots of people in New Jersey and New York still waiting for power to be turned back on in their homes, the last thing they should have to worry about is the cable bill. Thus, the folks at Cablevision have announced they will be offering account to customers whose cable and Internet are out, even if the outage is due to lack of power to the home. [More]
With Planes And Trains Out Of Service, Dr. Pays $750 For Cab Ride From Philly To Boston
By 11.2.12
We’ve heard a number of stories in recent days of people whose flights or train trips between various cities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic were canceled or delayed for days as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Many of them stuck it out, while others rented cars to get to their destinations. But one UK doctor chose to hail a cab to make the 300+ mile trip from Philadelphia to Boston. [More]
Beware Of Power Company Scammers In Hurricane-Hit Areas
By 11.1.12 — Updated: 11.2.12
In addition to all the home-repair and charity scams that pop up in the wake of hurricanes, there appear to be several people out there trying to take advantage of consumers’ displeasure with their local utility companies. [More]
Comcast Knows Your Storm-Ravaged House Might Explode, Would Really Like Its Cable Box Back
By 11.1.12
It seems like every time there is a major natural disaster, there are inevitably cable company customer service reps who place a higher level of importance on their employer’s equipment than on their customers’ homes and lives. [More]
AT&T And T-Mobile Briefly Reuniting In New York, New Jersey To Help Storm Victims
By 10.31.12
It’s been almost a year since the FCC and Justice Dept. ripped AT&T and T-Mobile apart, ending the lovers’ foolish hopes of a life of marital bliss. But regulators can only keep true love down for so long, as the two telecoms have announced they will share their networks in storm-damaged areas of New York and New Jersey where customers have been left without bars on their phone. [More]
How To Figure Out If A Charity Might Be A Scam
By 10.31.12
It’s not just home-repair scams that pop up in the wake of natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy. There will also be grade-A-holes out there trying to trick consumers out of money by pretending to be raising money to help those hurt by the storm. [More]
5 Warning Signs That You’re Buying A Flood-Damaged Car
By 10.30.12
As happens just about every time there is large-scale flooding in a region, you can expect that the car market will be, well… flooded (sorry) with vehicles that have been damaged by soaking in too-high water. Thankfully there are some indicators to look out for if you go car shopping. [More]
