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3-On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan contributes daily reports
for all of CBS 3 newscasts. Log on to Jim's "Consumer Corner" blog to learn
about everything from scams and rip-offs to interesting deals of the day.
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For the fourth time in the last five weeks mortgages continue to rise. Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, reported that the average 30-year fixed rate hit 6.13 percent this week. This is pretty much the same spot they were in last year at this time when they averaged 6.14 percent. Meanwhile, 15 year mortgages are averaging 5.6 percent for the week. Last year those 15-year fixed rates hovered around 5.88 percent.
Is your Chevy making a clunking sound? Maybe your Honda is hesitating when you push the gas pedal? Well our friends at Edmunds.com have now launched a new free service that allows you to post specific automotive questions and get helpful answers from car experts and enthusiasts. The service was launched today and is called "Edmunds' Answers. You can find it at: http://answers.edmunds.com/
Edmunds.com is the premier online resource for automotive information. I use the site on a regular basis and find it to be very informative. If you are in the market for a vehicle, or just need some information, this is the first site I would recommend that you visit.
Just when I thought the government couldn't do anything else to surprise me, they pulled a real doozy.
The IRS is sending out notices this month to 130 million households to let them know that the pending stimulus rebate checks are almost in the mail. The cost of this mailing? $42 million dollars! That is right, taxpayers will foot the $42 million bill!
That comes out to about 32 cents to print and mail out each letter and they aren't done just yet. They plan on doing another mailing for those who didn't fill out a tax return last year, but who still may qualify for a rebate.
And we wonder why the economy is going down the tubes - with people like this in charge, I just wonder what they will think of next.
The Department of Transportation has released it's latest rankings for airline delays and complaints. The good news? Of the major carriers, US Airways got more people to their destinations on time than any other airline in January. The bad news? Your checked luggage on US Airways may not arrive at the same time that you do!
Of the major airlines that service Philadelphia, here are how they performed nationally with regards to on-time arrivals for January:
US Airways 79.5 %
Delta 78.6 %
Air Tran 78.0 %
Southwest 77.4 %
Continental 74.7 %
Northwest 72.4 %
American 66.4 %
United 62.1 %
In Philadelphia 75.5 % of flights arrived on-time in January while 78.0 % departed on-time. The airport handled 8,188 arrivals and 8,191 departures for the month.
US Airways, our regions largest carrier, was in the middle of the pack when it came to mishandled baggage reports. They ranked 11th of 20 airlines in the luggage category for January. They mishandled 29,334 bags that month, that is 7.35 bags per 1,000 passengers. Nationally, Air Tran had the best luggage performance. They mishandled 5,894 bags or 3.48 pieces of luggage per 1,000 passengers. Of the other airlines that service Philadelphia, American Eagle continues to be a train wreck when it comes to lost luggage. They lost 17,507 bags which averages 13.71 bags per 1,000 passengers.
United received the most consumer complaints in January. 131 complaints were filed against the airline. Rounding out the top five most complained about airlines based on the number of passengers for the month were #2 Pinnacle Airlines (20 complaints), #3 Delta (131 complaints), #4 US Airways (100 complaints), and #5 American Eagle (26 complaints). Aloha Airlines was the only carrier to have a perfect record in January. Not one passenger filed a single complaint against them. It must have something to do with the sunny weather!
More than 130 million households will be getting a letter from Uncle Sam. But for once, it's good news and not bad! The IRS is sending out the letters to remind people to file their 2007 tax return. Filing a tax return is required if you want to be eligible to receive the one-time stimulus payment offered by the government. Those payments will range from $600 for individuals up to $1,200 for married couples that file jointly. Income limitations do apply though. The IRS is also working with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration and groups such as AARP to reach those people that normally don't file a return. Remember, no tax return means no stimulus check!
Feeling a bit under the weather? For years people have reached for Airborne. Dubbed a miracle cold remedy, it claimed to cure and prevent the common cold. But now it's the makers of Airborne that are reaching for the Kleenex, to wipe the tears from their eyes after settling a class action lawsuit! The suit claimed that the product was marketed deceptively and was stocked with real cold, cough and flu medicines instead of dietary supplements. The makers of Airborne deny any wrongdoing, but have agreed to refund money to customers who bought the product. A whopping $23.3 million dollars will be paid back to customers who file a settlement claim.
You can get more information on the settlement at: http://www.airbornehealthsettlement.com/
Just in time for the summer travel season, the lovely folks at US Airways are announcing a new fee. Beginning May 5th they will start charging customers a whopping $25 to check a second bag. The airline says the fee is needed to generate revenue to pay for fuel. God forbid if you check a third piece of luggage, then they'll sock you for another $100. US Airways isn't the only airline nickel-and-diming customers, United implemented this same exact fee at the beginning of the month. But since US Airways is our regions largest carrier, it's local folks that will pay dearly.
US Airways says that some customers will be exempt from this new charge; including frequent flyers who travel more than 25,000 miles a year, first and business class customers, military personnel in uniform, unaccompanied minors and those checking wheelchairs.
Get ready. Soon they'll probably want us to load the bags on to the planes ourselves!
