Video

KNBC TV-4 Los Angeles – How Affinity Groups Affect The Price You Pay For Car Insurance

January 29, 2014 · ConsumerWatchdog

Insurance companies are always looking for ways to evade Proposition 103, and they have come up with a scheme to evade the law’s good driver requirements. These days, some insurance companies are marketing plans that promise lower premiums to people who belong to what the insurance industry calls “affinity groups” – college graduates who can afford to maintain memberships in an alumni association, people with high paying jobs like doctors, lawyers, and business executives, and other elite members of the 1%.

KABC TV-7 Los Angeles – Are You Subsidizing Someone’s Car Insurance?

January 29, 2014 · ConsumerWatchdog

Regular people who work middle class or blue-collar jobs; high school graduates; retired citizens and those on low incomes. Even if they are Good Drivers, they are forced to subsidize the rich, but not necessarily better, drivers who insurance companies prefer to do business with. The surcharges – which are not disclosed on your auto insurance bills – can result in premiums as much as 33% higher for some drivers who are not a member of a company’s preferred occupational groups.

KCAL TV-9 Los Angeles – How Affinity Groups Are Making You Pay More For Car Insurance

January 29, 2014 · ConsumerWatchdog

Insurance companies are always looking for ways to evade Proposition 103, so it's not too surprising that some companies --Mercury, GEICO, Progressive, 21st Century and the Auto Club of Southern California, to name some of the biggest -- have come up with a scheme to evade the law's good driver requirements. These companies are marketing plans that promise special premium benefits to people who belong to what the insurance industry calls "affinity groups" -- college graduates who can afford to maintain memberships in an alumni association, people with high paying job

KTVU Fox – Oakland – Is Your Doctor Under The Influence? A New Billboard May Be Able To Help

January 24, 2014 · ConsumerWatchdog

Consumer Watchdog launched a billboard publicizing a new toll-free hotline, 1-844-DOCS-DUI, calling on the public and physicians to report suspected drug and alcohol abuse by doctors. "The California Medical Board has estimated that 18% of doctors will have a drug or alcohol problem during their careers, yet California has no system to identify doctors who abuse substances. This hotline will give the public a place to report concerns about impaired doctors to protect patients and save lives," said Carmen Balber, executive director of Consumer Watchdog.

KPIX TV-5 CBS San Francisco – A New Billboard From Consumer Watchdog Aims To Help Patients

January 20, 2014 · ConsumerWatchdog

"The California Medical Board has estimated that 18% of doctors will have a drug or alcohol problem during their careers, yet California has no system to identify doctors who abuse substances. This hotline will give the public a place to report concerns about impaired doctors to protect patients and save lives," said Carmen Balber, executive director of Consumer Watchdog. A review of six years of the California Medical Board's physician disciplinary records reveals that one in every eight involved drug or alcohol abuse by a doctor.

CNBC-TV – Carmen Balber Discusses Google Acquisition of Nest Home Control

January 14, 2014 · Carmen Balber

Google announced it was buying smart-device company Nest Labs for $3.2 billion in cash. Google, which dominates much of life already has been trying to expand beyond computers and into your home. This is Google's first major foray into connected homes, and news of the deal ignited a flurry of speculation about what the Silicon Valley giant really wants from Nest, as well as some privacy concerns. Carmen Balber of Consumer Watchdog discusses the implications.

ABC World News – John Simpson Discusses Neiman Marcus Data Breach

January 11, 2014 · ConsumerWatchdog

Department store Neiman Marcus confirmed that its database of customer information was hacked last month. The data breach occurred around mid-December, the same time as the Target attack. John M. Simpson of Consumer Watchdog speculates on the delay of announcement.

CNN TV – John Simpson Discusses Target Data Breach

January 10, 2014 · ConsumerWatchdog

Target's massive credit card breach reported last month may be worse than previously thought. From November 27 to December 15 one of the most high-profile attacks in recent years, the attack affected as many as 70 million individuals, as many as 40 million credit and debit cards were reported stolen last month. Consumer Watchdog's John Simpson appears on CNN International to discuss the next steps.

ABC World News – After Target Breach Chase Bank Limits Customers Transactions

December 23, 2013 · ConsumerWatchdog

Chase Bank notified customers who used its debit cards at Target stores during the retailer's recent security breach that it was limiting the use of its cards during the busy holiday shopping season. The new limit affects roughly 2 million accounts, or about 10 percent of Chase debit-card holders. The limits will remain in place temporarily while Chase issues new debit cards to its customers who shopped at a Target store during the timeframe.

KCAL TV-9 Los Angeles – Chase Keeps Close Eye On Customersâ€™ ATM Activity After Target Security Breach

December 23, 2013 · Consumer Watchdog

Chase Bank is keeping a close eye on customers' ATM activity following the credit and debit card security breach at Target stores. KCAL9's Melanie Woodrow reports.

KCAL TV-9 Los Angeles – 40 Million Credit Card Numbers Stolen From Target; What You Should Do

December 20, 2013 · ConsumerWatchdog

Target says anyone who made purchases by swiping cards at terminals in its U.S. stores between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15 may have had their accounts exposed. The stolen data includes customer names, credit and debit card numbers, card expiration dates and the three-digit security codes located on the backs of cards. The stolen information included Target store brand cards and major card brands such as Visa and MasterCard. The data breach did not affect online purchases. John M. Simpson of Consumer Watchdog explains.

NBC Bay Area – Regulatory Failures at the Sims Fire

December 18, 2013 · Consumer Watchdog

A pile of metal debris from a stockpile of "light iron" recyclable metal exploded and sparked a fire on Tuesday at Sims Metal Management in Redwood City - for the second time in a little more than a month - prompting fears about the quality of air spewing from the blaze. NBC Bay Area continues to investigate the regulatory failures that continue put Californians at risk of breathing in toxic air.