ELBLOGDEFORMACION

Despite 18 Years Of Life Insurance Premiums, Cigna Refused To Pay Widow

Two decades ago, a man in New Jersey had a job that included a life insurance benefit. When he left that job, he was able to keep that policy if he continued to pay all the premiums on his own, which he did for 18 years. So why did the insurance company refuse to pay this man’s widow after he passed away? Hint: It rhymes with stupidity.

The Newark Star-Ledger’s Bamboozled column — penned by Consumerist’s own Karin Prime Mueller — has the story of a widow that couldn’t understand why, after 18 years of accepting payments from her late husband, Cigna had suddenly come to the conclusion that this policy was not valid.

Back in the ’80s and ’90s, her husband worked for the Newark Housing Authority, where he first obtained the policy. Even after he left that job, he continued to pay his premiums on time. So after he passed away last August, she and her son contacted the Housing Authority to submit a claim.

The Housing Authority first told her it would be two weeks. When that time came and went, she was assured that a check was coming. Another follow-up with the NHA revealed that there was some confusion with Cigna, the insurer.

See, at some point after her husband had left the NHA, the policy had been changed to say that only people who worked there for 25 years were eligible. However, her late husband’s policy — which only required that he pay the premium — should still be valid. And if not, Cigna should have to refund all those years of premiums.

Cigna later reaffirmed its decision to deny the claim based on a condition that was not part of the deceased’s policy.

After hitting what she believed was a dead-end with both Cigna and NHA, the widow and her son reached out to Bamboozled for help.

“The question is why they collected payments until his death, every month, sending him statements for 18 years, and they denied the policy,” says the son.

A look at the paperwork for the policy makes it quite clear that the widow’s claim was valid.

“With respect to retirees who have completed less than 25 years of continuous service, you must contribute toward the Plan’s cost,” reads the documentation associated with the policy. We’re not quite sure how Cigna could miss something that obvious. Probably because it refused to look… until the media got involved.

Shortly after Bamboozled contacted Cigna, the widow got a call from Cigna saying she’d been right the whole time and that she’d be getting her check in a matter of days.

And unlike the other promises, the company actually made good on this one; she received a check for the full amount, plus interest, the next day.

Cigna said that after “reviewing” (i.e. “reading”) the claim and “recognizing the underlying policy language at issue” (translation: “recognizing that some of our employees are morons”), the claim was valid.

As the article points out, insurance companies all have specific appeals processes for reviewing disputes. However, in our experience, many insurers make this process as opaque and obtuse as possible, so many consumers don’t know how or where to begin. You often need to specifically ask to initiate an appeal; not just hang up and try again.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

Aptly Named Cruise Ship “Breakaway” Stranded For Hours Trying To Get Into Port

(CBS New York)

When you name something “Breakaway” you’re basically imbuing it with a free spirit, one that can’t be subjected to the constraints others might want to place on it. So of course, Norwegian’s Breakaway cruise ship practically had an obligation to itself to stay stuck for hours in the Hudson River instead of docking like it was supposed to.

Passengers say things got a “little hostile” on Sunday morning while lined up to get off the ship in the waters outside New York City, reports CBS New York. The Breakway made it into port but wasn’t able to dock due to strong tides and a likely problem with its steering and propulsion system.

“It got a little hostile because people are coming the elevators and trying to cut the line,” one passengers said of the hundreds lined up to wait. “Meanwhile, it’s already 200 deep, so they had to get some security guards to close down the elevators and direct the people where they were going.”

After about three hours, a tugboat managed to haul the ship into the pier and it was finally able to dock, likely still resisting its inborn desire to break away.

One man waiting at the dock was extra anxious, as he heard his father had a heart attack aboard the ship. He was rushed to the hospital as soon as the ship arrived.

“It’s been nothing but problems,” the man’s son said.

Breakaway is paying for its little stunt as well — the crew was going to have a party on board to celebrate its one-year anniversary, but the party was canceled. That’ll teach you, Breakaway.

Also/obviously:

Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Ship Docks After Getting Stuck In Hudson River For Hours [CBS New York]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

16 Ways To Not Suck At Making Mother’s Day Special

(photo: Mike Matney)

Mother’s Day is almost here. The day to celebrate the woman who brought you into the world… Or to celebrate the woman who gave you children. Or both. Flowers are a lovely gift (in those instances where the recipient gets what you actually ordered) but they’re not exactly an original or personal gift and can be costly.

Here’s how to not suck at saying thanks to Mom with some frugal and creative ideas.

1. Take a class:

You know what your mom likes, so find something you can do together. Try a cooking class, or one that teaches pottery or art. Or kickboxing.

2. Print it out:

Actual printed photos are a novelty these days. Choose a few and frame them. Or, create a collage of favorites on canvas using an online photo shop.

3. Have an experience:

Take your mom out for a day or night of fun, and try something that’s not on her regular schedule. Consider a comedy club, a museum or a theme park. If mom is the adventurous type, take her whitewater rafting or horseback riding. There’s always a night in a dive bar to play pool or shoot darts, or even miniature golf. You may find discounts and coupons for the event of your choice.

4. Create a book of stories:

We all have funny stories about Mom. Get together with your relatives and ask everyone to handwrite their favorite memory of Mom. Add photos related to the memory, if you have. Then, hit the office supply store and buy a binder and a package of plastic sleeves, and voila! Or, if you have the time and the cash, there are plenty of online companies (the Snapfishes and Shutterflys of the world) where you can scan and upload your documents and photos and create a bound book.

5. A spa day:

If you don’t have the cash to send mom for a mani and pedi, you can create a spa experience at home. Buy a few scented candles and bath oils and set mom up in the tub. Next, give her a long massage, and finish up with that mani and pedi.

6. Go personal:

If you have young kids, Grandma is sure to love anything with their faces on it. Get a shirt, a mouse pad or a mug with their mugs on it. You can go a step further and buy a dollar store basket, and create a theme gift around the one thing you select. If it was a mouse pad, for example, add some pens and stationary to the basket. If you chose a mug, add some coffee, tea and cookies to the gift.

7. Clean up:

Give your mom a homemade gift certificate that promises you’ll clean her house top to bottom. Or, if you have the cash, hire a maid service for her.

8. The sounds of music:

Have your children sing some of your mom’s favorite songs, record it, and create a CD.

9. Stop whining and start wining:

Use your wine habit for good and create a trivet set with old corks.

10. Get artsy:

Go to a craft store and pick up a few inexpensive canvases and paint, and let your kids create a masterpiece for her. Or, have the kids add their handprints and footprints to the canvas. (One of the best gifts I received was not paint, but a photo of my three kids’ bare feet.)

11. Go tech:

If your mom is of an older generation and she’s resisted getting online, give her a lesson. Help her set up e-mail and social media accounts so she can stay in touch with the family. If you can give her a lesson in Skype or ooVoo or another video chat program, go for it.

12. Cook:

Mom will appreciate a homemade meal from you, even if you’re not all that good at it. If you really don’t want to be in the kitchen, pack a picnic lunch and take mom to the park. Breakfast in bed is always a winner, and you can add some extra love to your toast, too.

13. Discount dinner:

Many restaurants offer Mother’s Day specials. Look for deals and coupons and take mom out on her special day.

14. Easy dinner:

What’s for dinner? Take out? No problem. Scour your mom’s neighborhood for restaurants that deliver. Get all the take-out menus and put them in a binder so mom has a fast and easy reference guide for those night when cooking isn’t on the menu. Add a gift card for one of the restaurants if you have the cash.

15. Grow some love:

Buy a small pot or two and decorate them with paint. Then, plant a few spices for mom’s kitchen.

16. Write a list:

Take a simple piece of printing paper and write a list of all reasons mom is special, then frame it.

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.

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.

by Karin Price Mueller via Consumerist

Police: Man Held Up Waffle House With A Pitchfork, Stole Cash Register

(WSB-TV)

Just because your methods are somewhat antiquated doesn’t mean you can get away with allegedly robbing a Waffle House using a pitchfork as your method of force. Police in Georgia are looking for a man accused of forcing Waffle House employee into the back of the restaurant with the farming tool so he could plunder the register.

According to the suspect, the 50-year-old suspect was wearing coveralls and a ski mask when he walked into the restaurant one night and herded employees into a back room with the pitchfork, reports WSB-TV.

“When he realized he couldn’t get the cash register open, he took the whole cash register and exited the store… with his pitchfork,” the chief of police explained.

Once he was outside the joint he apparently dropped the weapon, cops say, but made sure to keep a tight grip on that register. That’s when resourceful employees turned his former tool against him, grabbing the pitchfork to smash the back window of the suspect’s truck before he took off.

“It wouldn’t be an offensive weapon in your garden, but it was in a Waffle House,” the apparently jokey police chief added.

The suspect is on the lam right now after abandoning his truck.

Man robs Waffle House with pitchfork in Norcross [WSBTV]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

FTC Continues Crackdown On Companies That Make False ‘Green’ Promises About Products

Sometimes consumers make purchases based on the fact that the product is good for the environment, or at least won’t wreak havoc on it. So misleading consumers on the nature of a products natural composition is grounds for a slap on the wrist by the Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC settled charges with American Plastic Manufacturing, Inc., after the company was found to have made misleading and unsubstantiated biodegradability claims for its plastic products.

Under the order, the company, which makes a variety of shopping bags, is prohibited from making biodegradability claims unless the representations are true and supported by reliable scientific evidence. The company must prove that the entire plastic product will completely decompose into elements found in nature within one year after customary disposal.

To make qualified claims, the company must state the time required for complete biodegradation in a landfill or the time to degrade in a disposal environment near where consumers who buy the product live. Additionally, the company must disclosure that the stated rate and extent of degradation do not mean that the product will continue to decompose or decompose completely.

The settlement with American Plastic Manufacturing comes four months after the FTC began a crackdown on misleading and unsubstantiated ‘green’ statements made by companies. Four other manufacturing companies received similar orders and some were fined for the misleading statements.

In an attempt to stop companies from making false environmental claims, the FTC updated its Green Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims for advertisers. However, just last year 22% of consumes told the annual Green Gauge surgery by AdAge that they aren’t entirely sure if companies’ environmental claims are accurate.

FTC Approves Final Order Settling Charges that Company Made Misleading and Unsubstantiated Biodegradability Claims for Its Plastic Products [FTC]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

No One Can Explain This Sandwich With A Burst Of PBR In A Way That Will Make It Okay

There she blows. (PYT)

I’m not sure which is existentially worse: A novelty menu item with added, inedible expensive ingredients or a novelty menu item that douses itself in liquid. Because then it’s a choice between eating a piece of expensive jewelry, or eating soggy fried chicken.

According to Eater.com, at a restaurant called PYT in Philadelphia the chefs are serving up The Fried Chicken & Beer Burger, which is actually a sandwich and kind of sounds delicious just based on the ingredients.

But it’s the way in which these sandwich ingredients operate that makes the whole thing inexplicable and forever a mystery to me: There’s the Southern-fried chicken patty topped with pimento cheese, the usual greens and vegetables like pickled green tomatoes, which all sound delightful.

Then, however, comes the portable dunk tank — a crunchy fried wonton that is somehow filled with PBR. Yes, liquid that is designed to escape its fried shackles and come cascading down all over your food, soaking it in beer. Okay, it might be more like a trickle, but the mind is a powerful thing.

“The beer kind of explodes out in the best way,” says PYT.

This concoction is only available for a limited time, probably because once you’ve had an exploding PBR dumpling soak your meal, you’ll probably never need to try it again just to see what happens.

Behold The Fried Chicken & Beer Burger at Philly’s PYT [Eater.com]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Target CEO Clocks Out In Wake Of Data Breach

(Sarah)

After 35 years at the company — the last six of them as CEO — Target’s top exec Gregg Steinhafel has stepped down less than half a year after the retailer was the site of a massive data breach that compromised credit card and personal information for more than 100 million customers at the height of the holiday shopping season.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to lead this great brand and work alongside what I believe is the best brand in retail,” wrote Steinhafel, who was also the company’s President and Chairman, in his statement explaining his decision to step down effective immediately.

Last fall, hackers were able to access Target’s in-store card payment processing system via the network of a third-party HVAC contractor. Beginning around the busy Black Friday shopping weekend, and continuing through mid-December, cards swiped at Target stores around the country were unwittingly collecting and transmitting customers’ information to the cybercriminals.

Relative to the size of the breach, the damages to customers was minimal, as many affected consumers canceled cards that may have been compromised. However, these millions of new cards and accounts came at a huge price to the banks and credit unions, some of which have filed suit against Target to recoup expenses.

“The last several months have tested Target in unprecedented ways,” continues Steinhafel. “From the beginning, I have been committed to ensuring Target emerges from the data breach a better company, more focused than ever on delivering for our guests. We have already begun taking a number of steps to further enhance data security, putting the right people, processes and systems in place. With several key milestones behind us, now is the right time for new leadership at Target.”

In addition to the data breach disaster, Steinhafel was CEO during the early months of Target.com’s relaunch in 2011. With frequent crashes, poor customer service, mysterious inventories, and missed delivery dates, Target’s first truly independent foray into e-commerce was a major mess, resulting in the early exit of Target.com President Steve Eastman only a few months after the site’s relaunch.

Target’s Chief Financial Officer John Mulligan is taking over the reins from Steinhafel at President and CEO, at least temporarily, while the board searches for a new top executive. Boardmember Roxanne S. Austin has been named as interim nonexecutive chair of the board.

“The board is deeply grateful to Gregg for his significant contributions and outstanding service throughout his notable 35-year career with the company,” reads a statement from the retailer’s board.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

Arby’s Tries To Class Itself Up With Test Of Grilled “Artisan Melts”

I don’t know about you, but when I hear the word “artisan,” my mind automatically turns not to sepia-toned photos of craftspersons putting their passion into creating something you can’t get elsewhere, but to a chain of roast beef restaurants with more than 3,000 that is co-owned by a private equity firm and Wendy’s. Thank goodness, some Arby’s are helping to make my vision of artisan foods a reality with a test of mass-produced sandwiches with grill marks on them.

BrandEating reports that Arby’s customers in Evansville, IN, are getting the chance to try out these new “Artisan Melts,” a name that is at best 50% accurate.

“Arby’s is committed to an ever evolving, collaborative and innovative approach to product innovation and R&D,” a rep for the company tells BrandEating, explaining that there are no current plans to expand this test beyond the Evansville market. “This is simply a test of new operational processes and equipment.”

These sandwiches might be good — heck, they might even be great — but could the food marketing hivemind agree to press pause on using “artisan” for at least a few months?

[via Eater]

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

Coca-Cola Getting Rid Of Brominated Vegetable Oil In Powerade

(Adam Fagen)

More than a year after PepsiCo decided to ditch controversial ingredient brominated vegetable oil from Gatorade (but decided to leave it in Mountain Dew), the folks at Coca-Cola have apparently followed suit with Powerade.

The AP reports that bottles of Powerade fruit punch and strawberry lemonade without BVO listed as an ingredient have begun showing up around the country. However, some other bottles of these flavors still list BVO on the label, indicating that this change occurred recently or that not all bottling operations have made the change.

A PR flack for Coca-Cola would only tell the AP that its Powerade drinks are “BVO-free,” though the Powerade website still lists BVO as an ingredient on these flavors.

BVO is not approved as a food additive in either the European Union or Japan but is allowed in the U.S. in low concentrations. It is generally used as an emulsifier in fruit-flavored soft drinks to keep them from separating.

The concern about BVO is the possibility of bromine building up in the bodies of those who drink beverages containing BVO.

“Bromine does bind to fat in the body and stay there, it is an endocrine disruptor, and the fact is many people drink excessive amounts of soda,” a professor University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine said following the Gatorade decision in 2013. “So the bromine ingestion is far higher than the ‘safe’ dose contained in one drink.”

In late 2012, a change.org petition started by a Mississippi teenager pointed out that since Gatorade is sold in parts of the world where BVO is not allowed, a version of the drink exists that doesn’t use the ingredient… So why couldn’t it be made available stateside?

Shortly thereafter, PepsiCo began phasing out its use of BVO in Gatorade. However, the company still continues to use the ingredient in Mountain Dew and claimed that its Gatorade decision was not related to the petition and its 200,000 signatures.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

Las TIC y la Web 2.0 como herramientas didácticas

via Educación tecnológica http://ift.tt/1nY9v06 www.bscformacion.com