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As we reported on News 4 Today this morning, the government is negotiating an end to those termination fees that cell phone providers charge if you want to get out of a contract early and transfer to another provider.
We get so many complaints about those fees from viewers, they are about as popular as the income tax.
The cell phone companies can be absolutely ruthless about those "escape" fees, which usually range from about $150 to $200 per phone.
A couple of years ago I did a story about a San Antonio man who had just lost his wife to cancer. Obviously, she no longer needed her phone, so he called up the cell phone provider to cancel her contract... and they refused! He even provided a death certificate for his wife, but they wouldn't let her out of her contract without him paying a termination fee!
Even death can't get them to waive those fees, which must make them a bundle. Eventually, after we did our TV story, the cell phone company caved in and acted like it was all a "misunderstanding".
Playing devil's advocate for a moment, I realize the companies give you a nice phone for free or at a steep discount when you sign a new contract, and the fee is probably their way of getting paid back for that phone if you don't stick around for the whole contract.
But many of us need to switch to another cell phone company for a legitimate and unforeseen reason. For example, about a year after I signed a 2 year contract, I moved to a new neighborhood not far from the old one. In the new house I could not get a cell signal at all. I had no choice but to switch to someone else's network. Why should I have to pay an expensive fee? Why can't I just give the free phone back and go on my way?
Plus, companies are devious about keeping you locked into a "never ending contract". Every time you call them up and make the slightest little change to your account, they re-set the clock on your contract, starting the 2 year term over from the beginning.
Want a new phone? A new 2 year contract. Would you like more minutes on your plan for free? You must start a new 2 year contract.
And sometimes they don't tell you making that little change, which seems advantageous to you, re-starts the 2 year window.
Here's hoping they terminate the termination fee!
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As we reported on News 4 Today (5am - 7am), a district judge has given New Braunfels the go-ahead to charge a $1.25 tax on every tube people rent to float down the river.
The tax money will reportedly be used for river maintenance. Still, it seems weird to tax even the tube you sit on while trying to relax on a peaceful stretch of the river.
What do you think? Good idea?
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Last night on News 4 we ran our Troubleshooters Investigation on those lemon slices restaurants put in your water or iced tea.
The NBC Today show recently revealed how those lemon wedges can be loaded with harmful bacteria, even though you would expect the acidic content of the fruit to kill the little buggers.
A number of viewers e-mailed us, asking if we would test local, San Antonio restaurants. So we did.
We went to 10 different restaurants around town, and ordered water or tea with lemon.
We then took the slices to UT Health Science Center in sterile plastic bags. The slices were tested and, believe it or not, 5 out of the 10 samples, were contaminated with either e-coli, or fecal bacteria.
One of the lemon wedges actually contained 3 different kinds of fecal contamination, which was indicative of human waste. The researchers' conclusion: someone must have failed to wash their hands after going to the restroom.
At the other locations, the contamination could have come from failure to wash the lemons, or perhaps a dirty knife that had been used to cut meat prior to slicing the lemon.
Yes, it all adds up to a hefty gross-out factor, which makes for an interesting television story.
But for me, the big lesson here is the importance of washing fruits and vegetables, and washing your hands frequently.
After recent stories about e-coli contamination involving lettuce and other vegetables, I now wash everything, whether it is a banana with the peel still on, or supposedly "pre-washed" lettuce.
All of us have gotten sick at one time or another after eating at a restaurant. We usually blame it on some "bad chicken" or "bad fish".
Who knows, the real culprit might have been perched on the rim of our water glass...
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Wednesday night at 10pm on News 4 we will air my story on a very curious study being conducted by local health officials.
For years they have been trying to determine exactly why the liver cancer rate for people living near the former Kelly Air Force Base is double that of the rest of the state.
They've done numerous studies on a cancer causing substance called TCE, that for years was used at Kelly, and that seeped into the groundwater beneath 22,000 homes nearby. Years have gone by, dozens of residents have died, yet the county claims the studies have found no link between TCE and the liver cancer deaths.
So now they are going in a new direction: studying corn tortillas to see if they could be causing the cancer. Yes, the fluffy, delicious, South Texas favorite that gives structure to our enchiladas.
When I asked residents in the affected area what they thought about the new, $90,000 study, the response was always along the lines of, "You've got to be kidding me!".
Well, it's no joke. I hope you will tune in for the story tomorrow night at 10 on News 4.
With a big, corn tortilla taco in your hand.
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I haven't posted a blog in a few days because now I am being required to "Log In" first when I want to write something on my blog.
Up to this point, I haven't had to "Log In".
I could just show up at my blog page and start writing, and since I had already "Logged In" twice, just to get into my TV station's computer system, the blog would recognize me and let me start writing without "Logging In" a third time.
It is like having to show your ID 3 times to cash a check, with someone who already knows you and exactly where you live.
This is one of my big complaints with our fabulous Online World. Everyone wants you to constantly "Log In", or worse yet, "Register" with them, before you can read or access what you want.
They always promise that "Registering" will be quick and easy, but it never is. Each website has its own crazy rules about "User Names" and "Passwords". Such as, "your password must contain at least 3 upper-case letters from the Hindu alphabet, and 2 characters or hieroglyphs from ancient Sanskrit".
The result is you have to end up creating a different password and user name for everything, so you can't remember them all, and the next time you go to that site you have to "Re-register" in order to read or access what you want.
Why do they want us to "Register" in the first place?
Why don't they just be honest, and say, "We know you want to read or access something we have, so we are going to hold you hostage. You cannot see what we have at our site unless you fill in a bunch of information so we can track your web-surfing and buying habits, in order to send you a bunch of unwanted spam and junk mail, and then sell your responses to others so they can do the same. What do you say?".
Am I the only one who is tired of having to "Register" or "Log-In" to all these places?
I understand online security. "Registering" and "Logging-In" is expected if you are setting up a bank account or credit account online. But is it really necessary to go through all that when visiting a newspaper site, checking for movie times or browsing through an airline's departures?
Please... someone tell me this tremendous waste of time and keystrokes is bothering them too!
But first, please answer a few simple questions about yourself...
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Last night on News 4 at Ten we finally revealed the findings of our latest hidden camera investigation, which centered on how hotels clean (or don't clean) the glassware and coffee pots in their guest rooms.
Our cameras captured video of housekeepers wiping down drinking glasses with sponges and towels they had used to clean bathrooms and toilets.
Despite local and state health regulations that require all in-room glassware be cleaned and sanitized at high temperatures, inside a dishwasher, we saw housekeepers rinsing glasses and coffee mugs in the bathroom sinks, with their bare hands, sometimes without using any soap.
We showed our video to the head of the local health department, which is responsible for hotel cleanliness, and he was surprised and concerned about what these hotels are doing. He told us hand washing may be okay at home, where your dishes are usually used by your immediate family. But at hotels and restaurants, where the glassware is used by hundreds, maybe thousands of people, proper sanitizing is vital to control the spread of infectious germs.
The health department contacted us shortly before the investigation went on the air to say they are launching a new effort to educate hotels and their employees about proper procedures for washing and sanitizing cups and glasses.
In the past, health inspectors primarily checked only the hotel kitchens. Now, as a result of our report, they will be looking for proof the glassware in the rooms is being washed properly.
Makes you think of all the times you used that hotel glass to down some medication or brush your teeth, doesn't it? Yuck!
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Whew!! That last post on cloned beef sure provoked some, shall I say, "lively" debate.
Now let's discuss something less controversial: tax money!
I love all those experts in economics and high finance who say, "Giving a tax rebate to Americans isn't the best way for the federal government to revive the nation's economy... It's IRRESPONSIBLE!".
Personally, I'm in favor of just about anything that puts tax money back in our pockets.
What? It will hurt the deficit, you say?
Like the politicians and bureaucrats in Washington would EVER use that money to pay down the deficit! That's a good one!
It is very simple: either they keep that money and waste it, or I get it back, so I can spend it on the Three Pillars Of The Economy... 1. Gasoline, 2. Milk, and 3. Diapers.
Send me that check!
What do you think? Click here to comment...
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At News 4 we have been reporting on the FDA's ruling that beef, milk and pork from cloned animals are safe to eat. What happens next is a bit murky...
None of the San Antonio grocery stores we checked with have any plans to sell cloned products, and even the major food companies say they won't be selling the cloned variety.
But now that the FDA has given its blessing, it is only a matter of time until this stuff starts making its way into the food supply.
What people like me find so troubling is the fact producers would not be required to clearly label it cloned, so I can choose whether I want to buy it or not.
I don't care what studies you claim to have done, if you want to hide the origin of something while selling it to me, that is a huge red flag. What are they afraid of?
And I agree with consumer groups, this government approval came awfully fast... how could they know the long term effects of eating cloned foods?
I'm sure feeding cattle meal containing bits of dead sheep sounded like a perfectly safe idea at one time, and what did that lead to? Mad cow scares that still haunt the industry.
I've already made the expensive switch to organic milk... I guess I will start paying $10 plus for organic beef. At least I will know what I'm buying.
What do you think, fellow carnivores?
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Last night on News 4 at 10pm I did a story on what's called "medical tourism". There are companies that will put together a package for you to travel to another country, do some sight-seeing, and then check into a hospital for a medical procedure.
I profiled one man from Texas who flew to India where he had a triple-bypass heart surgery performed for $12,000. He has limited insurance, and says the same operation would have run him $100,000 or more here in San Antonio, once you throw in all the medication, doctor's fees and lab work.
Everything went fine in his case, and his insurance company even re-imbursed him for part of the cost. He says the hospital was state-of-the-art, and his doctors were trained in the U.S.
What do you think? Would you do it?
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To go to work, or not to go to work...
That is the agonizing question many of us face this time of year.
These days the work place is so competitive, and work loads are so heavy, many of us feel guilty to use a sick day, even if we are feeling horrible. We feel like we have let our co-workers down and that the boss will think we are flaky.
But if you tough it out and go in to work anyway, you risk passing on your illness to others which would further deplete the staff.
I admit, I get annoyed when co-workers, who think they are just being a good employee, come in to work sick and sneeze all over the place.
But I have also found myself questioning the dedication and work ethic of co-workers who stay home when sick, especially if they do so on a day when an important project is due, or we are short staffed already.
A voice in my head says, "I come in to work when I don't feel well, why don't they?".
I guess it is just human nature.
I once had a supervisor at another station who called me at home when I had called in sick, to ask if I was feeling any better, because there was a breaking story about 200 miles away, and he wanted me to go cover it.
Careerbuilder.com says no matter who is pressuring you, you should stay home, sicko ! It says that the majority of workers want their fellow employees to stay in bed and get better.
I wonder what the bosses think though...
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Tonight on News 4 at Ten we're running a follow-up story to my 2005 investigation into those big trucks that haul gravel, rocks and building materials around San Antonio and other cities.
At the time, it was one of the most common complaints into the Trouble Shooters: angry drivers who'd had their windshields, hoods or fenders damaged by rocks and debris that bounced off those trucks as they sped down the highway. People were fed up and wanted to know if they had any rights.
The first thing we discovered was that Texas has a truck tarping law, requiring trucks hauling rock or construction materials to cover their loads with a tarp while on the roadways. These tarps cut down on the amount of debris that can bounce or blow out of the truck bed at high speeds.
But we also found that the tarp law prohibits trucks from having big gaps in the tail-gate area where rocks and debris can slip through and come bouncing back on the vehicles behind.
And finally, truck drivers are required to sweep the gravel and dust particles off of the outside surfaces of the truck bed after they pick up a load, so that it doesn't fly all over the place.
We also pointed out that those authoritative looking signs that truckers put on the back of their trucks ordering you to "keep back 200 feet, not responsible for damage to your vehicle", are a bunch of nonsense.
They can't tell you how closely you can follow them, and that has no bearing on their liability. If something flies off of their truck and damages your car, they are responsible. Period.
Ah, but here's the tricky part. Unless you have video of a rock coming off of their truck and smacking into your car, or a police officer witnessed it as it happened, you are going to have a hard time proving that the truck was to blame.
Most trucking companies are going to tell you to "take a hike", if you ask them to pay for the damage.
A couple of trucking companies we contacted for our story told us they have paid for damage in the past, if the person complaining took the time to write down the truck number involved or its license plate, along with the exact location and time when the incident happened.
Some viewers have told us they had success collecting from trucking companies after filling out a police report about what happened.
There was also a change in the tarp law that went into effect right after our investigation ran. The change makes it easier for police to issue tickets to uncovered trucks. I'll have more details on that in tonight's story.
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 One of the items we discussed this morning on News 4 Today was the "computer glitch" that apparently prevented people from redeeming their Walmart gift cards they received for Christmas.
The retail giant says it is working to correct the problem so people can use the cards. It has something to do with not being able to verify the cards quickly.
For weeks we had been reporting how the popularity of such gift cards has sky-rocketed this year. Once upon a time, a gift card given for any occasion was seen as a "cop out". An unimaginative gift of last resort, purchased by people who were too lazy to find the right present.
But the gift card has gained respectability in recent years. My wife and I have given and received many gift cards, and it's nice being able to choose for yourself, instead of having someone give you something you don't really need.
Here at News 4, however, we have received complaints about some gift cards that require an activation fee, or that charge the card recipient for not using the card within a certain period of time.
Military families complained to us about long-distance calling cards they had purchased and sent to their loved ones serving overseas, so they could call home. But the fees on some of the cards were so high, a half-hour card would only provide the military person with about 15 minutes of talk time... the rest was eaten up by the fees.
You definitely have to read the fine print.
But there is a greater risk to gift cards, and any other kind of certificate or coupon that requires you to pay up front, and redeem your product or service later. It is a risk that thousands of Walmart gift card holders are finding out about now:
A business that already HAS your money is usually not as attentive to you, or as eager to make sure you are satisfied. It is just human nature.
The best leverage you have as a shopper is the fact you haven't given the business your money yet, and you can turn around and go somewhere else at any time.
Once you give up that leverage, by forking over the money up front for a gift card, certificate, long-term service agreement... whatever... you suddenly become a second-class customer... whose needs are now less important to the business than the needs of other customers who haven't paid yet.
For example: I was a satisfied customer of a local air conditioning company for a couple of years, during which they always treated me fairly and responded quickly.
Then one day my favorite technician with the company asked if I wanted to buy the "special annual package". For a slightly discounted price, I could pay in advance for a summer a/c check AND a furnace tune-up, that he would come back out and perform the following winter.
So I bought the $150 package... and you know what happened.
By the time winter rolled around, my favorite technician had moved on to another position, and the person who took my phone call gave me a bunch of lame excuses why they could not honor the agreement I'd paid for the previous spring.
When that didn't work, she acted like she was doing me a favor by scheduling me for a pre-paid service call. And of course, the only time they could "fit me in" was about a week later. If I had been a customer who hadn't pre-paid, I probably could have had someone out there that afternoon.
If a company that otherwise has excellent customer service treats its pre-paid customers that way, imagine how a business with poor overall customer service must treat them.
Gift cards are convenient and do provide flexibility, but there's always a chance it could lead to a hassle for the person receiving it.
Maybe that's why grandma always just stuffed cash in an envelope.
Click here to comment...
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On News 4 WOAI Today we love to talk about all the crazy new laws being considered around the country.
Of course, the law making it a crime to spank your kids, being looked at in Massachusetts, got a lot of attention last month. Even parents who don't approve of spanking seemed to have a problem with that one.
What? State government has done such a bang-up job educating kids and managing its money, you want to give it the power to tell parents how to raise their kids now?
Then there is San Francisco, dumb law center of the universe.
SF has now outlawed plastic grocery bags, meaning no more choice at the check-out counter between paper and plastic. I hated those paper grocery bags. Bulky, hard to carry and easily ripped.
The place where I shop here in San Antonio doesn't even offer paper. You get the plastic ones automatically, and they have a big drum out front for you to put your empty plastic bags for recycling when you bring them back on your next shopping trip.
Once again, I think a lot of people probably agree with getting rid of plastic bags... it is just the government involvement that bothers them.
Finally, the Wall Street Journal reported this week that several cities in California may make it against the law to wash your car. Whether it is just you and your car in your driveway, or one of those big, charity car washes to raise money for a cause.
Backers of the proposed law say car washing wastes water, and threatens the environment, because all that dirt from your vehicle ends up in the storm drain.
But... if my car didn't exist... and wasn't there... wouldn't all the dirt floating around fall instead on the pavement, and wash into the storm drain anyway?
I admit to being biased on this one too. When I was a teenager, I used to love washing my first car, a blue Camaro, out in the front driveway. I would take 2 or 3 hours on it, because I didn't want anyone else touching my baby.
Dad would see me out there and ask me to wash his car while I was at it.
I believe one of the main purposes for having a teenager around is free car washing.
But now the lifestyle police want to take that away too.
I know, I'm just a complainer who can't adapt to enlightened change.
I just fear we're all going to end up driving around with filthy cars, disobedient kids and loose grocery items rolling around on the floor.
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I have to comment on the story we ran this week about AT&T getting out of the pay phone business.
I had a hard time remembering the last time I used a pay phone!
When I heard about it, I switched off the VCR and went right over to my electric typewriter to bang out a story about it...
But seriously, nothing makes you feel old more than thinking about the stuff you grew up using that is now antiquated and outdated.
Not that I'm sorry to see pay phones go.
Remember how irritating it was to have to wait in line behind someone because there was only one pay phone? No matter how heavy you exhaled in impatience and tapped your foot, the long-winded person ahead of you would take their time, ignoring you, and shooting the breeze for what seemed like forever.
And it always seemed like when you REALLY needed to make a call, the pay phone was broken, or it wouldn't take your change.
When I was still a teenager, I got my first shot at being a real, radio reporter. I was so excited. A small radio station had asked me to go to an out of town football game and call them afterward to give them a live "phoner" report on the outcome of the game.
Just take some change and use the pay phone, I was told. This was the 1980's.
After the game I wrote up the most beautiful re-cap of the game you've ever seen, and anxiously dialed the number to the station.
But they kept me on hold for a long time, and I used up all my change. Finally, the news anchor introduced me and I began reading my first-rate sports copy into the receiver.
Midway through my report, the recorded voice of the telephone company interrupted me with a loud, "Please deposit 25 cents for the next 5 minutes..."
There was nothing I could do, I'd used up all my change! With panic in my voice, I kept reading, hoping the recorded voice from hell would stop, and mercifully let me finish my radio debut.
But she kept cutting in, "Please deposit 25 cents for the next 5 minutes..."
Needless to say, the radio station never asked me to file a sports report again.
So I will shed no tears for the pay phone.
But then again, if you got a working pay phone, you never had to worry about losing your cell at a critical moment.
And if you decided to switch to the other pay phone on the wall, because it looked better, no one could force you to pay a $150 transfer fee.
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Are you tired of all the national magazine articles that are critical, even make fun of, San Antonio? Nation's fattest city, sweatiest city, etc...
For a change of pace, pick up the December issue of Texas Monthly. Sure, it technically isn't a "national" magazine, but it is highly regarded throughout the state, even if its writers are usually preoccupied with Austin and Dallas.
On page 132 there's a great piece on San Antonio and all the tremendous growth taking place here. Here's a sample:
"San Antonio is now riding the crest of a broad, diversified boom that is unlike anything Texas has ever seen..."
Also impressive is the part where the author reels off all the positive press S.A. has been getting:
"In May, Forbes.com ranked San Antonio third on its list of 'The Best U.S. Housing Markets'; Fast Company had already ranked it as one of the '15 Hot Cities For Creative Types.' It has made Inc.'s and Entrepreneur magazines' lists of best cities to do business in, and the AARP recently named it one of the nation's top fifteen 'retirement dream towns.'"
Much of the stuff in the article we already knew, but to read all the incredible things happening here, listed in one concise article, from an outside perspective, well, it makes you feel proud to live and work here.
It makes you feel like you are in a special place at a special time. A place where everybody wants to be... and that accounts for all the growth.
I guess people find fat and sweaty to be pretty attractive after all.
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