Blog dedicado a la formación en todos sus ámbitos: presencial, online, a distancia
When you hear about government waste, perhaps you have some abstract idea of money being spent on things it shouldn’t be, like a new ping pong set for the Capitol game room or free novelty shot glasses at the White House (both are fictional examples, I think). But it’s not that Medicare is spending money on the wrong thing in this case — it’s that it might be paying close to double what it should. For penis pumps.
A new report by the inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services [PDF] says that penis pumps cost the Medicare program $172 million between 2006 and 2011 on 474,000 claims.
So what’s the big deal? After all, the Mayo Clinic says the pumps — or vacuum erection systems — are one of the few treatment options for erectile dysfunction, notes Reuters.
HHS is peeved at the cost because well, Medicare might’ve done better shopping for the pumps on the Internet and paying half as much money as a normal consumer would, the report says.
Government waste is a hot button issue in the U.S. capital right now while lawmakers argue over the best way to balance the budget.
“Medicare payment amounts for VES remain grossly excessive compared with the amounts that non-Medicare payers pay,” said the December 2013 report. “Medicare currently pays suppliers more than twice as much for VES as the Department of Veterans Affairs and consumers over the Internet pay for these types of devices.”
If Medicare instead had its payments cover what non-Medicare members pay, the government could’ve saved about $14.4 million in each of those six years, the report says.
Sounds like it’s time to teach someone at Medicare how to Internet.
Penis pumps cost U.S. government millions, watchdog cries waste [Reuters]
Robert was understandably confused when he checked the price of a Hot Wheels toy on a price scanner and got a saucy message in return. Or maybe an insult. Or just the name of another Hot Wheels product. (Mildly NSFW screenshot and video inside.)
You can, in fact, buy assortments of Hot Wheels cars that might have this name in Target’s system. The item that Robert scanned was an alien-themed playset.
We wrote to Target to see whether they normally protect against messages like this in their system, but they’re probably a little busy right now.
There’s something afoot in the oil at Walmart. Or least that’s what one could believe as we hear yet another story of your average customer bringing in a vehicle for an oil change at the store and leaving with a headache-inducing damaged car situation.
It seems so simple: Car needs new oil. Bring car to place that has oil and people who know how to change it. Drive away in said car. But if we’ve learned anything, it’s that there’s always room for a disaster. This time it’s a woman who was stranded at Walmart after an oil change rendered her car undriveable.
A Texas woman brought her car in for an oil change, but instead her car was “heavily damaged” after going through the garage door and hitting a guardrail, reports WLTX.com.
“It was time to get my oil changed anyway, my oil light came on, so I took it on in to Walmart. 10,15 minutes later they’re calling me to come back,” she said at the time. “The manager walked in and he’s like, ‘I really don’t know how to tell you this,’ he said ‘But, one of our techs has just crashed your car through the bay door and ultimately into the guardrail behind the store.”
That left her without a car, a situation that is extra complicated due to the fact that she has kids she needs to get to school. She couldn’t afford a rental car, either.
“Not having a vehicle here and knowing you need to go somewhere, I felt helpless,” she explains, adding that she felt Walmart had basically washed their hands of her. Getting her insurance company to talk to them was like “pulling teeth.”
But since her story first hit the news, a local auto shop that sold her the car has been “absolutely wonderful.”
“They are in the process of trying to find a vehicle for me, they have given me a loaner car that I could drive today, so I could get the kids to school. They’ve gone above and beyond,” she said.
When the local station got involved and called the insurance company as well as Walmart corporate, the news is even better.
“They had left me voicemails stating that I would be approved for a rental car for three days until they can get an adjuster out to look at the car, so I’m just ecstatic,” she said.
Which again, is all well and good — but what is going on in the oil change department? Is it haunted by the ghost of a vengeful mechanic?
Woman Gets Rental Car After Walmart Employee Crashes Her Car [WLTX.com]
Do not do this.
Well, Consumerist readers, the time is near. There’s a month to go until Valentine’s Day, and we have a goal. We do not want to publish any disappointing wire service flower photos on Monday, February 17. None. Zero. Because everyone reading this right now who plans to order flowers will proceed to the friendliest, best-reviewed local florist they can find and order directly.
For the biggest, freshest arrangement for the person you love or just want to smooch, call the florist up directly and ask for a designer’s choice bouquet. This works best if the recipient has no allergies or colors that he or she hates–you can make those preferences known when you place your order.
We don’t want to see your subpar roses from FTD.
We don’t want to see your terrible gift basket.
If your crappy flowers get repossessed from your girlfriend’s house, we’ll be really sad.
Find a real local florist, not an affiliate site that skims money off the top from your local florist. Ask around and find the best-reviewed florist you can, and make sure to plan what you’re going to buy ahead of time.
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I Ordered Directly From A Local Florist, And It Was Awesome
In a letter [PDF] sent on Jan. 10 (but only released today) from Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri and West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller to Target President and CEO Gregg Steinhafel, the lawmakers write, “It has been three weeks since the data breach was discovered, and new information continues to come out… We expect that your security experts have had time to fully examine the cause and impact of the breach and will be able to provide the Committee with detailed information.”
To that end, the letter requests that Target’s information-security team “provide a briefing to Committee staff regarding your company’s investigation and latest findings on the circumstances that permitted unauthorized access to the financial information of so many Americans over the busiest shopping period of the year.”
Meanwhile, federal authorities, including the Secret Service, are continuing to investigate the breach and try to identify the hackers responsible.
The difference this time is that the banks are focusing these credit card offers on existing customers rather than blasting out applications to every person with a mailing address.
Reuters recently reported that Wells Fargo’s credit card mailings for November were up a whopping 45% over one year earlier. Even Bank of America, which had shed much of its credit business in the last few years, has begun increasing the number of new card accounts for the first time since the housing market went ka-flooey in 2008.
Banks salivate over the idea of selling credit cards to existing customers because it means additional revenue for the institution. Credit card payments go from the customers bank account to pay off their credit card bills and all the money stays under one roof.
BofA estimates that each checking account customer who is also a credit card holder brings in an additional $1,000 in revenue. When you’re talking about millions of customers, that’s a lot of cash just there for the taking.
“The opportunity ahead of us is tens of millions of customers still. It is not a small little opportunity,” BofA CEO Brian Moynihan explained to investors last November.
It’s all fun and games until an iceberg shows up.
You know what the passengers aboard the RMS Titanic were thinking on that chilly April night in 1912, while clinging to the sinking ship’s deck? We don’t know, but it probably wasn’t “I hope someday the vessel that delivered us into the hands of death is made into the focal point of a theme park.” On that note…
We’re always struggling with the question of Too soon? when companies use historic tragedies for their own purposes. But this time, it’s not like this Chinese company is alone in trying to cash in on the historic sinking of the Titanic: Heck, you can already buy a tea infuser shaped like the ship and there will soon be another Titanic setting sail with guests onboard.
But a theme park is supposed to be a happy place, so we can only imagine what kind of ghosts might be enticed to haunt this $165 million full-scale replica the company is planning for the main attraction.
Part of the allure of the ship in China is apparently the 1997 movie of the same name, you know, the one with Kate and Leo. And the whole thing is a testament to humanity, or something.
“When the Titanic was about to sink, the greatest extent of human spirit and responsibility was shown and that spirit goes beyond borders and it is eternal,” the company’s chief executive said in an interview with the state-run Xinhua news agency (via the AFP). “We chose to rebuild the Titanic in China so that such spirit can be promoted or inherited in the east.”
Not only will the ship be docked in a “prominent” position on a river, but — sigh — the replica will also recreate the experience of what it felt like to be on the luxury liner when it hit an iceberg. Reportedly. And also, sigh, again.
Chinese firm to build replica of Titanic [AFP]
Here are a few things to keep in mind: reservations at Alinea have to be made far ahead of time, usually a few months. You pay for a ticket to a multi-course seating, and must pay in advance. A couple can expect to pay at least $400 for their meal on an average night, which is not a typo. Tickets are transferable, but not refundable. If the parents just didn’t show, they would lose not just their reservation, but the money that they paid in advance.
That’s the background information: here’s what happened, according to owner/head chef Grant Achatz.
Tbl brings 8mo.Old. It cries. Diners mad. Tell ppl no kids? Subject diners 2crying? Ppl take infants 2 plays? Concerts? Hate saying no,but..—
Grant Achatz (@Gachatz) January 12, 2014
Yes, the 8-month-old baby started to cry, but Achatz felt conflicted about asking the party to leave. Should he have? The reaction on Twitter was mostly wonder that someone would even try. To foodies, hearing that someone took a baby to Alinea is like telling them that you took a baby to a metal concert or white-water rafting. It just doesn’t make sense.
One local food blogger says that the couple’s sitter canceled at the last minute. That’s a likely explanation, but still controversial.
We checked with our new Washington, D.C.-based editor Kate Cox, mother of Consumerist’s current staff baby. “Nice restaurants are an excellent excuse to let friends make good on all those babysitting offers,” she observes. When the restaurant is not only nice but also non-refundable, line up a few layers of backup babysitters, too.
A Baby Walks Into Alinea… [Eater]
Oh, the sights you can see from atop one of New York City’s Empire State Building! Over there is the Statue of Liberty! And look, yonder! It’s a young hipster just rolling out of bed at noon on a Thursday! But one sight the landmark building’s management didn’t want visitors to see on the Observation Deck was a topless model taking it off for a photographer’s camera.
The management of the Empire State Building is now suing a photographer for (cue Dr. Evil voice) $1 million after he snapped pics of a topless model on the 86th floor observatory, reports Reuters.
The whole thing went down in August when the model took her top off during what we’re going to call a “photo shoot” because the photographer used his cell phone to capture the images.
Anyway, because this is the Empire State Building and not the [Insert Clever Pun For Lady Parts] Building, the owners are outraged, saying the spot is a tourist attraction and nudity isn’t something fit for kids to see in that setting.
“We were doing a social experiment,” said the photographer, who does admit that while he’s taken a series of photos to test the NYC rule that prevents police from arresting topless women in public, this time he wasn’t working as a professional.
“I am a professional photographer, but that doesn’t mean that every time I touch a device with a camera on it I must be conducting a photo shoot,” he said.
The lawsuit claims that the photos were taken “for his own commercial purpose” and damaged the landmark’s “reputation as a safe and secure family friendly tourist attraction.”
It’s worth pointing out that no security guards attempted to stop the photographer, he says. It was only after the photo went viral that the building’s management got upset.
Photographer sued over topless photo atop Empire State Building [Reuters]
The small computer repair shop that offered the Groupon sold too many, and they were overwhelmed. (This is a pattern that we’ve seen before in small businesses that try Groupons in order to get their name out.) The shop subcontracted out repairs to another firm…and no one has seen some of those phones since.
The good news: police are on the case, investigating for fraud. The bad news: it had to get to the point where the police are involved. Local TV station WFTV found about 30 people who haven’t seen their phones since leaving them at the shop.
“All he has to do is get a police officer, and the officer will go over there and get the phone,” the helpful manager of the repair shop told a TV reporter. Yes, that’s all.
Action 9 investigates cellphone repair company [WFTV] (Warning: auto-play video)
Step into our minds, friends. It’s a warm place, usually a happy place, and there’s plenty of cheese to go around. But there is something bothering us here at Consumerist, and it has to do with a little video we happened upon recently. Namely that it is downright hilarious and we don’t know enough about it.
What we know, or we think we know, about this video (H/T to HappyPlace.com) of a guy falling through the ceiling of what appears to be a golf pro shop, is that the two employees are named Ron and Billy. We know this, because after Ron falls through the ceiling and is lying on a pile of debris, calmly contemplating his next move, coworker Billy (off camera) greets him with a “Hey, Ron.”
AS IF THIS IS SOMETHING RON DOES ALL THE TIME!
So then Ron is all, “Hey, Billy.” Pause. “That hurt.”
Of course it did, Ron! You fell through the ceiling of a golf pro shop! But why were you up there, were you in a crawl space looking for a hidden cache of golden golf balls? On the roof investigating a strange noise that could be the ghost of Old Caddy McFarley? What’s going to happen next? WHO IS TO BLAME AND WHERE IS THIS GOLF SHOP?!?
These are important questions and we want to know the answers, because Ron needs to start a business training people on how best to handle falling through a ceiling. Also, if you’re out there, Ron, let us know you’re okay: Email tips@consumerist.com. We want, nay, need to hear from you.
Lamb burgers are nothing revolutionary (and are often quite tasty) but they aren’t exactly something most people would think about rushing out to a fast food mega-chain to get. So how do you get consumers to associate a premium product with a bargain burger chain? For Burger King New Zealand, the answer is to wealthy-up the joint with a couple of super-rich gun-toting old gents.
Yes, BK NZ has unleashed the characters of Sir Roger Poppincock and Baron von Cravat upon the world, complete with their fancy pants, “rich person laughs,” and a gun that fires off in the middle of a Burger King.
As funny as the ad is, we can’t imagine Burger King running an ad in the U.S. that includes a character casually shooting a gun into the ceiling of one of its restaurants… Of course, BK US would probably introduce a cuddly little lamb character to sell the sandwiches to little kids.
All that said, for the $8 price tag on this lamb burger, I’d rather spend a couple bucks more and get one from an actual restaurant.
Maybe you want a trip through the drive through as part of your funeral procession, or perhaps you want your mourners to enjoy a nice mocha latte at your wake.
Whatever you want, no one will know about it unless you tell them.
To relieve some of the stress that comes during this emotional time, some people choose to buy pre-paid funeral packages. The not-yet-deceased can lay out their wishes, pick their own caskets and gravesites, or choose cremation, and pay for it all long before they’ve bitten the dust.
Or, that’s what they think. Unfortunately and all too often, relatives learn that the pre-paid packages arranged by their loved one are far from complete, and more cash-ola will be due before the last shovel of dirt is moved.
And with one in five funeral homes violating federal rules about funeral home pricing disclosures and transparency, it pays to be careful.
Here’s how to not suck at buying your own funeral arrangements.
BEFORE YOU SHOP, BUYER BEWARE
An AARP survey [PDF] from 2007 found nearly a quarter of those over age 50 pre-paid at least some of their expenses, and the National Funeral Directors Association says the average funeral costs about $6,500.
Of course, that doesn’t include items such as flowers, obit notices, car service transportation for family members or other items like monuments, so overall funeral costs can hit $10,000 pretty quickly.
The Federal Trade Commission says consumers lose millions of dollars every year “when pre-need funeral funds are misspent or misappropriated. A funeral provider could mishandle, mismanage or embezzle the funds.” It says some providers even go out of business before a consumer needs the benefits, while others sell policies that are worthless.
The FTC offers some protections through the Funeral Rule of 1984, which requires funeral providers to give consumers “accurate, itemized price information and other specific disclosures about funeral goods and services.”
But, the FTC says, the rule doesn’t apply to many features of pre-paid funerals, which are governed by state law. (At least it is for all states except for Alabama, so you guys are out of luck.) Of course, all the state regs are different, and some protect consumers better than others. Take a look at what your state offers here.
If you run into problems or have questions about your state’s laws, most states have a licensing board that regulates the funeral industry. Learn more about how to file a complaint in the right place from the Funeral Consumers Alliance.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Be sure to read the FTC’s consumer guide on funerals before you start the process.
Then, remember these tips:
Shop Around: As long as you’re planning for the future, you have time to comparison shop. The AARP study found 79 percent of those who bought pre-paid plans didn’t shop around. Indeed, you can pay for different services from different providers. The FTC says a funeral home can’t refuse or charge to use a coffin you buy elsewhere, for example. You can open the phone book, or check out the National Funeral Directors Association’s list of providers.
Where The Money Goes: Make sure your money isn’t being used for a Ponzi scheme. The FTC says funeral homes must disclose to you what it will do with your payments. Some may put your payments into a trust account that’s earmarked for your services, while others may buy life insurance policies and use the proceeds for your funeral care.
Understand The Contract: Like all other contracts, you need to read the fine print, and if you don’t understand what you’re reading, ask someone — and not the funeral director — for help. Also check out the FTC’s primer on funeral contract language.
Find Out What’s Included: It’s very possible not all costs are included in your pre-paid plan. Some may not include, for example, an entombment if you plan to spend your hereafter in a crypt. And ask about contingencies, such as who is responsible to pay for you to be transported if you die far from the funeral home.
Prices and Inflation: You don’t know when you’ll die, but you can bet that inflation — rising prices — will impact funeral costs in the future, just like it does everything else. Look for a prepaid plan that’s “guaranteed,” which essentially means you’ll get the services you pay for no matter how expensive they are down the road. Plans without a guarantee will probably mean the people you leave behind will have to fork out some funds to get you to your final resting place. Also ask about what happens if the casket you select isn’t available years down the road when you die.
I Changed My Mind: Even if you choose carefully, you may change your mind if your circumstances change, such as if you get married or move out of state. Find out about refunds and cancellations, and if your funds could be transferred to a different funeral home. Also make sure you get in writing what happens if the funeral provider is sold to another company or if it goes out of business.
Do You Need a Pre-Plan?: Many elder law attorneys recommend consumers buy pre-paid funerals to lower their net worth, especially when the consumer is trying to apply for Supplemental Security Income from Social Security, or Medicaid. That might seem attractive, but unless you do your homework, your relatives will be stuck with headaches, and the bill. Remember you always have the option of starting a special investment account that’s earmarked to cover your funeral expenses, or buying an insurance policy that’s meant for your final costs.
FINAL COMMENTS (NOT THAT KIND OF FINAL, SILLY)
While we’re on the topic of kicking it, read this story [PDF] I did for a now-defunct web site, but can still be found online. It’s probably my favorite and most important story of all time — the 10 things you’ll need for your “`When I’m Dead’ File.”
Have a topic you’d like to see covered in How To Not Suck? Or maybe you’re an expert who would like to share your insight with Consumerist readers? Send us a note at notsuck@consumerist.com.
You can read Karin Price Mueller’s stories for The Star-Ledger at NJ.com, follow her on Facebook, and on Twitter @kpmueller.
PREVIOUSLY ON HOW TO NOT SUCK:
How To Not Suck… At Making Financial New Year’s Resolutions
How To Not Suck… At Last-Minute Christmas Gifting
How To Not Suck… At Saving For The Holidays
How To Not Suck… At Charitable Giving
How To Not Suck… At Disputing Credit Report Errors
How To Not Suck… At Lowering Your Utility Bills
How To Not Suck… At Home Inspections
How To Not Suck… At Understanding Credit Card Rewards
How To Not Suck… At Getting Ready For Tax Season
How To Not Suck… At Picking A Retirement Plan
How To Not Suck… At Deciding When To DIY
How To Not Suck… At Getting Out Of Debt
How To Not Suck… At First Year College Budgets
DISCLAIMER: Any websites, services, retailers, or brands mentioned in the story above are only intended as some of many options available to consumers, and do not constitute an endorsement by Consumerist, Consumerist Media LLC (CML) or its staff. Per Consumerist’s No Commercial Use Policy, such information may not be used by others in advertising or to promote a company’s product or service. In addition, this policy precludes any commercial use of any of CML’s published information in any form, or of the names of Consumers Union®, Consumer Media, Consumer Reports®, The Consumerist, consumerist.com or any other of CU or CML’s publications or services without CU or CML’s express written permission.
They still think that there are better blenders on the market, but if you already own and like the Calphalon, the repair kit that consumers get when responding to the recall makes the blender safe for use.
The repair kit includes a replacement blade and instructions for installation. Calphalon also sends along an order form that you can send in and redeem for a free small nonstick frying pan. That wasn’t necessary, and is quite nice of them.
The improved blade passed the Consumer Reports blender test, which consists of crushing seven ice cubes forty-five times in a row. That’s 315 separate ice cubes, not the same ice cubes over and over again.
Calphalon XL 9-speed blender deemed safe by Consumer Reports [Consumer Reports]
A Federal appeals court in Washington, DC today released a ruling that strikes down the FCC’s net neutrality rule.
Verizon filed the lawsuit challenging net neutrality in January, 2011. The net neutrality rule, formally known as the FCC’s Open Internet Order (PDF), prohibited broadband providers from blocking any legal content or “unreasonably discriminating” in transmitting “lawful network traffic.” Translated from the legalese, that means your ISP can’t give any one internet traffic source (like RedBox) preference over another (like Netflix).
The gist of today’s ruling (PDF) is that the FCC could make such a regulation if it classified internet service providers as common carriers, like telephone providers. But since they don’t, the rule is overstepping their bounds (emphasis added):
The Commission … has reasonably interpreted section 706 to empower it to promulgate rules governing broadband providers’ treatment of Internet traffic, and its justification for the specific rules at issue here—that they will preserve and facilitate the “virtuous circle” of innovation that has driven the explosive growth of the Internet—is reasonable and supported by substantial evidence. That said, even though the Commission has general authority to regulate in this arena, it may not impose requirements that contravene express statutory mandates. Given that the Commission has chosen to classify broadband providers in a manner that exempts them from treatment as common carriers, the Communications Act expressly prohibits the Commission from nonetheless regulating them as such. Because the Commission has failed to establish that the anti-discrimination and anti-blocking rules do not impose per se common carrier obligations, we vacate those portions of the Open Internet Order.
The CEO of advocacy group Free Press said in a statement:
“The compromised Open Internet Order struck down today left much to be desired, but it was a step toward maintaining Internet users’ freedom to go where they wanted, when they wanted, and communicate freely online. Now, just as Verizon promised it would in court, the biggest broadband providers will race to turn the open and vibrant Web into something that looks like cable TV. They’ll establish fast lanes for the few giant companies that can afford to pay exorbitant tolls and reserve the slow lanes for everyone else.”
The current head of the FCC, who took over the position in November, has expressed his clear endorsement of net neutrality rules. The case is likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court.
It sounds hard enough to be a medical professional, what with all that blood and guts on the job, but even when you’re not at work, it’s like you’re always on call. And thank goodness for that, after two nurses on a recent United Airlines flight had to step up and treat the plane’s pilot during a medical emergency in midair.
As anyone who’s ever had need of medical help on a plane knows — yours truly included, and yes I was just fine, thank you — it’s a great relief to hear an affirmative when the call goes out on the intercom: “Does anyone on board have medical training?”
That’s when one of the nurses, a registered nurse traveling home from Iowa with her husband and teenage daughter stepped up to help. Right before another call came out on the intercom — “Anyone know how to fly a plane?” reports KTLA.com.
She volunteered to help out, and was led to the cockpit where the pilot was slumped over, mumbling and barely responsive. It appeared he could be having a heart attack, as his heart was beating irregularly.
The woman and another nurse on the flight pulled him into the galley, where they set up a diagnostic defibrillator and administered an IV.
Meanwhile the co-pilot had taken control of the airplane while the call went out asking for anyone with flight experience.
“I turned to the co-pilot and I asked her, ‘You know how to land the plane, right?’ And she said yes,” the nurse explained. “I felt immediately comfortable. That was just one thing I didn’t have to think about, so I could focus more on what was going on with the patient.”
Paramedics were awaiting the plane in Omaha upon its safe landing, and the pilot survived.
“She did her job,” her husband said. “She jumped at the opportunity, didn’t hesitate. And she did it at 30,000 feet, knowing that the person who was supposed to be flying the plane was her patient.”
Nurse Helps Treat Pilot With Mid-Flight Medical Emergency [KTLA.com]
See that little thing above Lincoln’s shoulder? That’s apparently a working windmill, developed by engineering students in Texas.
The Houston Chronicle reports on engineering students at UTA who, when charged with the task of figuring out uses for a new alloy, came up with the idea of teensy, tiny windmills — smaller than 2 mm — that could be placed into an array in a smartphone’s sleeve.
By moving that sleeve through the air, the wee windmills — a grain of rice could hold 10 of them — could generate electricity to recharge the phone’s battery.
A professor at UTA says the school is looking for a commercial partner to develop the windmill tech further and says there is already interest from a Taiwanese firm.
You know, Ferrero, the company best-known in this country for producing hazelnut chocolates in golden wrappers, as well as the not at all healthy choco-nut spread Nutella. At Mcdonald’s in Hong Kong, they’re the makers of the McCafe x Ferrero Collection Golden Moments line of drinks.
There are plenty of hazelnuts in the Golden Nutty Mocha, which is exactly what is sounds like: a hazelnut-infused espresso drink. There’s also a white chocolate coffee, featuring white chocolate and sweetened coconut.
The coffees and cakes in this collection each come with one of the candies that inspired them. That makes this whole thing sort of a Ferrero ad…but we’re not sure that anyone minds.
Around the World: McDonald’s Hong Kong Partners with Ferrero for New McCafe Menu [Brand Eating]
We have a feeling Steinhafel made a similar face when he heard about the data breach on Dec. 15.
“I found out on Sunday [Dec. 15],” recalls Steinhafel in an interview with CNBC. “Sunday was really day one… That was the day we confirmed we had an issue, and so our number one priority was to do the right thing for the guests. It was about making our environment safe and secure. We worked very hard on that and by six o’clock that night, our environment was safe and secure. We eliminated the malware… we were very confident that coming into Monday, guests could come to Target and shop with no risk.”
Steinhafel says that the second day, Dec. 16, “was about initiating the investigation, and the forensic work,” a process that is still ongoing as no specific culprits have been identified.
The third day was about preparing for the onslaught of questions and negative publicity the hack news would bring.
“We wanted to make sure our stores and our call centers would be as prepared as possible,” explains the CEO.
And then finally, on the fourth day, with a little help from cybersecurity journalist Brian Krebs and others, Target unleashed the bad news to the public.
“Throughout that four day process — to some people it probably felt longer than that — we worked around the clock to try and do the right thing, to be transparent, truthful and then share what we knew as quickly as we could,” says Steinhafel, who apologized for, among other things, the hack and for the difficulties that many customers had reaching the retailer’s customer service line in the wake of the hack.
Steinhafel once again stressed to customers that “We are responsible, we’re accountable for all of it, and we want to make that crystal clear to everybody that’s shopped in our store… They have zero liability.”
Yesterday, the company also announced that it is offering a year of free credit monitoring to everyone who shopped at a U.S. target store. You can get more details on that here.
While Target’s reputation has been soured by the massive data breach, the retailer’s stock price is only down slightly from where it was before the hack. It will take months to see if this gaffe leaves a long-lasting stain on the store’s business.
Stew Leonard’s
Is there a basement workshop somewhere, with a cackling Dr. Frankenpastry who just cannot wait to unleash yet another hybrid breakfast food on the world? And does he have an unlimited supply of croissants to operate on because of course, there’s now a cragel and a crogel — bagels crossed with croissants, obviously — to haunt our dreams. Come with us now if you want to live.
Listen, as long as you stay a safe distance away from these things, maybe you won’t get stuck in a swirling, bottomless vortex of chitchat about them. It’s better we tell you about them now so you can be prepared, right?
The crogel is a new (ish, because come on) creation from a Connecticut grocery store chain called Stew Leonard’s, which has apparently sold 1,000 crogels in the first few days, reports USA Today.
“So far, it looks like it’s going to be more popular than the cro-do,” the store’s owner and CEO, Stew Leonard himself, says. Oh, okay?
He adds that it’s healthier than a cronut however, because it’s not fried. The crogel is croissant dough shaped into the size of a bagel and then kettle boiled, before a turn in the hearth baking.
Then of course, the cragel, which is entirely (skepticism font: employed) different from the crogel, because in this case the croissant dough and bagel dough are intertwined. It’s sold at two bagel stores in Brooklyn.
“The cronut came out last year and it helped to push the whole hybrid thing,” the owner says, claiming he thought of the cragel years ago but the world just was not ready… until the cronut came along and made anyone who doesn’t live in New York sick of hearing about them, along with the large part of the city that doesn’t like waiting in ridiculously long lines for a pastry.
If you’re into the cragel, it’s available online. Now excuse us while we shimmy out of the room in a super sneaky, yet artful, dance-like way.
First the cronut, now the crogel and cragel [USA Today]
NBC South Florida reports that the incident began when a 77-year-old Walmart shopper noticed that the 65-year-old in front of him may have had more than 20 items in his cart.
The younger of the two men says that as he placed his items on the conveyor belt, the older shopper behind him began counting out the items. Once he reached 20, the counting apparently turned into yelling, with the older man saying the customer could not use the express lane.
The man continued to holler until the over-the-limit shopper yelled at him to back away. At this point, the older man then went back to his cart and then, according to witnesses, intentionally pushed the cart into the other shopper’s elbow.
Employees escorted the older man out of the store, but he returned while the other shopper was still checking out, this time with his fists raised. Once again, he had to be escorted from the store.
Police eventually arrived on the scene and arrested the 77-year-old, who now faces charges of felony battery.
Man arrested after ‘register rage’ at Punta Gorda Walmart [WZVN]
The AP reports that the Pizza chain will begin testing slice sales this week at two locations — one in York, NE, and the other in Pawtucket, RI. The slices will cost between $2 and $3 and will apparently be pulled from the Hut’s thinner pies, rather than the thick, multilayered pies most associated with the chain.
Many Pizza Huts have long sold small, “personal” pizzas aimed at individual customers and the to-go market, but the idea with the by-the-slice test is to offer something that’s higher quality but doesn’t require sitting down or waiting a long time for the order to be made.
The company also has to compete with newer, higher-tech pizza companies that can provide custom pizzas without the long wait. For example, Chipotle’s new project — upstart chain Pizzeria Locale — claims that its ovens can bake an entire pizza in only two minutes, about four times faster than Pizza Hut.
Pizza Hut says the two test locations for the slice sales will have newer ovens that will heat up slices in only a few minutes, but that the existing ovens will continue to be used for the other pizzas.
Additionally, the Nebraska Hut will feature a new design that incorporates salad and pasta bars.
John Malone, CEO of Liberty Media, which owns 27% of Charter and about 1% of Time Warner Cable, has been pushing for the acquisition and for the need for new leadership at TWC since at least the middle of 2013. Since then, Charter has made three offers to TWC, all of which have been ignored or rejected by the board.
The latest offer of $37.3 billion plus another $35 billion in debt, would have left current TWC shareholders with 45% ownership in the merged entity. It would have paid $132.50 per share, only $.10/share above Monday’s closing price for TWC stock.
“In essence, these guys are just trying to get a premium asset at a bargain basement price,” explained recently installed TWC CEO Rob Marcus about the Charter offer. “This makes the job of fending it off rather straightforward. Our shareholders will see it as what it is, an attempt to steal the company.”
Marcus said the board responded to Charter by saying it might be open to selling the company at $160/share, a substantial increase over this most recent offer.
Charter CEO Tom Rutledge, who previously spent more than two decades working for TWC, was not thrilled with that number.
“[Time Warner Cable] came back to us with a design to be dismissive. They have not engaged with us,” said Rutledge. “All of the conversations have been one way.”
Since Charter and the TWC board are so far apart — and don’t really seem intent on compromise — Charter says it will take the matter to TWC investors and let them decide whether the offer is sound and if Charter’s leadership would do a better job running the company than the current TWC power structure.
“The purpose of going to the public is to talk to Time Warner shareholders and to ask them to consider how valuable this deal is and to ask management and the board to engage,” explains Rutledge.
The timing of the latest offer appears to be calculated to come shortly before TWC investors will have the ability to name new members to the cable company’s board. Charter admits it is considering the idea of asking shareholders to vote in new TWC directors who would be more amenable to Charter’s offer.
But TWC’s Chief Financial Officer says that any board member who signs off on Charter’s asking price would be failing to do his/her fiduciary duty.
Even though TWC is one of the largest cable company in the U.S., it has been hemorrhaging customers at a high rate, losing 300,000 customers alone in the wake of its prolonged blackout of CBS in three major markets; a blackout that did nothing to lower the cost that customers will pay for watching CBS programming on Time Warner Cable.
Meanwhile, it has a notoriously bad customer service reputation, recently scoring dead last in the American Customer Satisfaction Index for cable TV providers and next-to-last (by a single point) for Internet service providers.
Comcast has been a rumored suitor of TWC, but it’s highly unlikely that federal cable and antitrust regulators would allow such a massive merger to occur.
Charter takes rejected Time Warner Cable bid to investors [Reuters]
