Consumer Confidential: David Lazarus
Recent columns by Times' business columnist David Lazarus.
May 17, 2013
David Lazarus: Travel nightmare: Dakar, Dhaka — what's the difference?
Sandy Valdivieso and her husband intended to fly from Los Angeles to Dakar, Senegal. They ended up almost 7,000 miles off-course in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
May 14, 2013
David Lazarus: BofA cuts 2 million customers loose
It's long been a basic tenet of the business world: You give us more business, we'll reward your loyalty with better deals.
May 10, 2013
David Lazarus: Is $1,721.75 the bill you'd expect for treating a cut?
It was your basic, run-of-the-mill accident. Kim Haselhoff's 9-year-old son got nipped in the finger by one of the family dogs. It didn't seem too serious, but there was a bit of blood.
May 7, 2013
David Lazarus: Give cable TV subscribers more freedom of choice
President Obama has nominated venture capitalist Tom Wheeler, a former lobbyist for the cable and the wireless industries, to serve as head of the Federal Communications Commission. "Tom knows this stuff inside and out," Obama said.
3:15 PM AKDT, May 2, 2013
David Lazarus: BBB looks to regain trust with relaunch of Southland branch
The Better Business Bureau wants you to know that it's cleaned up its act in Los Angeles.
5:10 PM AKDT, April 29, 2013
David Lazarus: Tribes' payday loans under scrutiny
A growing number of Indian tribes are getting into the payday loan business, saying they just want to raise revenue for their reservations while helping cash-strapped consumers nationwide.
April 23, 2013
David Lazarus: Lazarus: A roadblock to collecting travel insurance benefits
Barbara Butkus bought an airline ticket in November to fly from Palm Springs to Washington, D.C., a month later for a family reunion.
April 16, 2013
David Lazarus: Taxpayers failing to get their fair share of wireless gold rush
Satellite TV provider Dish Network says it's thinking only of customers as it offers $25.5 billion to buy Sprint Nextel, the third-biggest U.S. wireless company.
5:56 PM AKDT, April 25, 2013
David Lazarus: When the private sector needs a nudge from the public
It's a common mantra among free-market-loving conservatives that government regulations hinder business growth and cost workers jobs.
5:20 PM AKDT, April 11, 2013
David Lazarus: CVS customers say unauthorized prescription refills still occur
Barbara De Maria received calls from her local CVS store in Glendale recently saying that her son's prescription had been automatically refilled, as per his instructions.
3:47 PM AKDT, April 18, 2013
David Lazarus: Why are prices for medical care such a mystery?
Ted Kamp wanted to make sure his daughter received the medical treatment she needed. That was his first priority.
April 9, 2013
David Lazarus: Blue Shield quick to demand action from policyholder over its mistake
Health insurers don't exactly enjoy a reputation for timely payouts when people submit claims. They've been known to make policyholders jump through all sorts of hoops before coming across with a little cash.
4:02 PM AKDT, April 4, 2013
David Lazarus: Facebook gets more in your face
It's hard not to detect a whiff of desperation in Facebook's new please-don't-go interface, which is determined to keep people within the social network as long as it can.
April 2, 2013
David Lazarus: Hungry for a group to safely deliver leftover food to charities
On a recent evening, students at Pomona College feasted on chicken pot pie, steamed veggies, biscuits and rice. And, as is often the case, there were plenty of leftovers in the dining hall, enough for about 100 extra meals.
5:50 PM AKDT, March 25, 2013
David Lazarus: An insider's view of generic-drug pricing
Bob Toomajian worked for 16 years as Kaiser Permanente's drug purchasing manager for Southern California, giving him an insider's knowledge of how medications are priced before reaching consumers.
March 28, 2013
David Lazarus: FCC needs to stop 'cramming' on cellphones
Wen Chao received a text message on her iPhone the other day from something called Ringtunecloud.com. It offered mobile content, such as ring tones, for $9.99 a month.
2:16 PM AKST, February 28, 2013
David Lazarus: Moving, slowly, toward a la carte cable
The cable company Cablevision says it's just looking out for consumers in its lawsuit against Viacom, owner of MTV and Nickelodeon, over bundled programming packages that drive monthly bills higher.
March 22, 2013
David Lazarus: Seeking a solution to wasted food
Sometimes it's hard to do good. For example, donating leftover banquet food to charity.
6:55 PM AKDT, March 14, 2013
David Lazarus: GOP's effort to roll back healthcare reforms is bad policy
Bernie Morse, 65, of Century City retired last year from the aerospace industry and joined the ranks of Medicare beneficiaries. The nearly $8,000 he used to spend annually on drugs for a liver condition now will be cut almost in half.
4:11 PM AKST, March 7, 2013
David Lazarus: When a drug costs 30 times what it once did
Diane Shattuck filled a prescription in December for a generic antibiotic called doxycycline. With insurance, she paid $4.30 for 60 pills at a CVS store in Orange.
4:25 PM AKDT, March 18, 2013
David Lazarus: Prescription needed to remedy generic drug pricing shenanigans
Wanda Ferrin fills her husband's prescription for the generic antibiotic doxycycline at a Target in Simi Valley. For years, the medication has cost her $6 a month.
5:28 PM AKST, February 21, 2013
David Lazarus: Slow response to tainted product
Sue Grey had used the product before, so she knew what to expect when she purchased a bottle of Super Colon Cleanse at a Woodland Hills CVS drugstore. Inside should have been 240 little gray capsules.
March 12, 2013
David Lazarus: Firm's extended vehicle warranty offer breaks down under scrutiny
It was the sort of letter designed to get attention. "Final attempt to notify," it said on the outside.
6:30 PM AKST, February 18, 2013
David Lazarus: Consumers need better way to fix credit reporting errors
About 10 million consumers, through no fault of their own, have serious errors on their credit reports, raising troubling questions about people's ability to secure loans and the fairness of interest rates they're charged.
3:48 PM AKST, February 14, 2013
David Lazarus: The myth of deregulation's consumer benefits
Here's a question for you: Is there a single example of consumer prices going down and market competition increasing after deregulation of a U.S. industry?
4:17 PM AKST, January 31, 2013
David Lazarus: Are razor blade makers just ensuring a big cut?
We can put men on the moon. We can make computers small enough to carry around in our pockets. But we can't make a razor blade that stays sharp longer than a week?
January 29, 2013
David Lazarus: Time Warner Cable subscribers, brace for rate hikes
Just as Time Warner Cable has cut a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a new baseball channel, which could add $5 to customers' bills regardless of whether they watch the channel, the company is jacking up rates for nearly all its other TV services.
March 5, 2013
David Lazarus: How many fast ones has FasTrak pulled?
If you want to dance, you've got to pay the piper. And if you want to zip along the 91 Express Lanes in Orange County, you have to pay a toll of as much as $9.55 per trip.
February 12, 2013
David Lazarus: Phone rate hikes have landline customers ready to cut the cord
Joseph Aguon believes in preparing for the worst. So even though he makes most of his calls using a cellphone, he maintains a landline at his home in the Fairfax neighborhood — just in case an earthquake or storm knocked out wireless service.
2:31 PM AKST, February 25, 2013
David Lazarus: Bank of America should just play the tape of disputed sales call
It's perhaps not so surprising that a Bank of America customer discovered recurring payments on his credit card bill for a service he swears he never signed up for. This kind of thing happens a lot.
3:38 PM AKST, February 6, 2013
David Lazarus: Going good postal
The U.S. Postal Service, in its latest bid to save a few billion bucks, plans to stop delivering mail on Saturdays.
2:32 PM AKST, January 24, 2013
David Lazarus: Stock sell-off shows an emotional investment in Apple
A friend of mine, a weatherman for a local TV station, always greets me the same way: "Time to sell my Apple stock?"
February 5, 2013
David Lazarus: CVS' Medicare drug program causing headaches for enrollees
Deborah Shapiro decided a few months ago to switch her prescription drug coverage from her former employer's plan to Medicare. The Medicare literature made clear that she could save hundreds of dollars on the various drugs she and her husband required.
6:48 PM AKST, February 19, 2013
David Lazarus: Anthem halts plan to require some drug purchases by mail
Anthem Blue Cross is backing off a decision to require some policyholders to buy their prescription drugs from a single mail-order pharmacy — a requirement that the California attorney general's office said may be illegal.
3:16 PM AKST, January 21, 2013
David Lazarus: Seeking preferential treatment with the flash of a card is wrong
Brad Newman thinks that people who post lots of reviews on websites such as Yelp or TripAdvisor don't get enough respect from the businesses they write about.
5:21 PM AKST, January 17, 2013
David Lazarus: Celebrating a tool of death
Saturday is Gun Appreciation Day, an occasion to feel good about a consumer product that is guaranteed to play a role in the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans this year.
January 17, 2013
Letters: Less medicine isn't the cure
Re "First the cat, now the health system sinks teeth in me," Column, Jan. 15
2:44 PM AKST, February 7, 2013
David Lazarus: A free trip to Rio, with many weird strings attached
A sportswriter here at the paper responded to a tweet from basketball star Lamar Odom to enter an online sweepstakes for a free trip to Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.
January 15, 2013
David Lazarus: First the cat, now the health system puts the bite on me
Call it the $55,000 cat bite.
January 8, 2013
David Lazarus: Banks shortchanging consumers in mortgage settlement
A mortgage is a contract. You agree to pay a certain amount of money to the bank each month, and the bank, in turn, agrees to finance your purchase, play fair and not jeopardize your ability to keep a roof over your head.
4:00 PM AKST, January 10, 2013
David Lazarus: Anthem's mail-order policy may have crossed a legal line
Anthem Blue Cross may be breaking California law by requiring some policyholders to buy their prescription drugs from a single mail-order pharmacy, according to the state attorney general's office.
3:52 PM AKST, January 3, 2013
David Lazarus: In harmony with Justin Bieber on reckless paparazzi behavior
Words I never thought I'd say: Justin Bieber has a point.
2:33 PM AKST, December 17, 2012
David Lazarus: By catering to 'elite' fliers, American Airlines misleads others
Do airlines deliberately withhold seats until the last minute to get you to splurge on pricier options?
4:14 PM AKST, December 13, 2012
David Lazarus: Getting the runaround on long-term care insurance
Rita Corwin, 90, conscientiously paid her premiums for long-term care insurance for 21 years to make sure that if she needed help as she grew older and more fragile, she'd get it.
December 30, 2012
David Lazarus: Individual mandate in healthcare was year's top consumer story
This was the year of the healthcare mandate. No other consumer story of 2012 comes close.
6:33 PM AKST, December 20, 2012
David Lazarus: A costly lesson that your email — and money — aren't safe
Think your email, and your money, are safe? Think again.
January 1, 2013
David Lazarus: Here's to some wishful consumer-friendly resolutions
It's a time for new beginnings. So here are some resolutions I'd like to offer on behalf of some of our friends in the business world.
December 7, 2012
David Lazarus: Appeals court puts 1st Amendment over public health
The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act makes it illegal to sell a prescription drug for any purpose other than what's listed on the label.
November 30, 2012
David Lazarus: Lazarus: Patients' choices narrower, yet cost of insurance rises
It's hard enough having a serious condition like cancer or kidney failure. It's even worse, some might think, when your health insurer says you have to buy your medicine from the pharmacy of its choice — or pay the full amount for expensive life-saving drugs elsewhere.
December 11, 2012
David Lazarus: Airline fees sap the joy out of flying
Remember when you liked to fly? Bill Knauer does.
November 27, 2012
David Lazarus: Mortgage lender uses fear as a sales pitch
State and federal authorities may have cracked down on unscrupulous mortgage lenders to avoid a repeat of the housing market meltdown, but there are still plenty of companies that are eager to dupe people into taking out bad loans.
November 9, 2012
David Lazarus: Time Warner Cable socks Internet customers with new modem fee
Time Warner Cable is seeing growth in its broadband Internet business but steady losses in TV viewers. So how is the company responding?
December 4, 2012
David Lazarus: Collecting on travel insurance is not smooth sailing
When it comes to travel, especially involving something as pricey as a cruise, it's wise to take precautions. You never know when you may have to cancel your trip.
November 27, 2012
Letters: The healthcare you pay for
November 23, 2012
David Lazarus: Giving thanks for our healthcare system — which needs reform
It's a day late, but I'll tell you what I'm thankful for.
November 6, 2012
David Lazarus: Anthem clerical error adds anxiety to woman's breast cancer fight
Ann Walton-Teter was diagnosed with breast cancer in September. About a month later, she was informed by her health insurer, Anthem Blue Cross, that her coverage had been canceled because of a missed payment.
November 13, 2012
David Lazarus: Patient trapped in health insurance rate hike
It's understandable that car insurance rates can change when you move. One neighborhood might have more accidents or burglaries than another.
6:49 PM AKDT, November 1, 2012
David Lazarus: AMC leaves moviegoers in the dark on rewards program change
AMC Entertainment wants to thank you for patronizing its movie theaters. But not too much.
2:00 AM AKDT, October 19, 2012
David Lazarus: U.S. investigating CVS prescription refills
The U.S. Justice Department's civil fraud division is investigating claims that CVS Caremark wrongly refilled prescriptions and billed insurers without the knowledge or the approval of its customers.
October 12, 2012
David Lazarus: CVS Caremark prescription refills under scrutiny, source says
Medicare is investigating reports that CVS Caremark Corp., the country's second-largest drugstore chain, has refilled prescriptions and submitted insurance claims without patients' approval, according to an official with knowledge of the matter.
September 25, 2012
David Lazarus: A bill for 17 porn films in 4 days? Now that's obscene
Carol Scott's idea of unwinding at home is ordering a movie from Time Warner Cable's pay-per-view service, maybe a nice romantic comedy or an engaging mystery.
7:20 PM AKDT, October 25, 2012
David Lazarus: Prescription refill pressure bothers CVS pharmacists too
Chris Cullum normally gets his prescriptions filled at a CVS Caremark store in San Diego. But, while traveling, he placed orders at a CVS branch in Arizona this year and at a branch in Illinois last year.
October 30, 2012
David Lazarus: Don't be tricked into applying for an online payday loan
The envelope looked official enough. "Confidential materials enclosed," it said on the outside. "Unauthorized use strictly prohibited."
October 16, 2012
David Lazarus: Will SoftBank buy other U.S. telecom firms after Sprint?
In a soda market completely dominated by Coke and Pepsi, it wouldn't make much business sense to purchase Royal Crown Cola unless you also had plans to get your hands on Mountain Dew or Dr Pepper.
October 9, 2012
David Lazarus: CVS customers say prescription refills weren't OKd
George Engelke manages his CVS prescriptions online. If he needs more of a medicine, he orders it. If he's going to be away from his Corona del Mar home, he tells the pharmacy where to send the shipment.
October 5, 2012
David Lazarus: Don't need that drug refill? Here it is anyway
You already knew that our healthcare system is screwy. But you probably didn't know that at least some pharmacists at CVS, the nation's second-largest drugstore chain, were refilling prescriptions and submitting claims to insurers without patients' approval.
October 2, 2012
David Lazarus: EBay gives buyers, sellers ultimatum on arbitration
If you're an EBay user, heads up: The big dog of online auctions says it will take away your right to join class-action lawsuits unless you send in a letter challenging the move.
October 23, 2012
David Lazarus: Target, Rite Aid, Walgreens refill drugs without OK, patients say
Ivor Davis received a call recently from the Target pharmacy near his home in Ventura. He was informed he could pick up a refill of medication for his wife, Sally, who is battling pancreatic cancer.
January 16, 2008
David Lazarus: Up a tree over dead cat's health plan
When Sarah Harper took her cat, Pete, to Banfield, the Pet Hospital, she was encouraged to sign up for one of the company's "optimum wellness plans."
March 12, 2008
David Lazarus: Curbing our need for oil
With oil prices at record highs and gas heading to the $4-a-gallon level, I was set to come roaring out of the gate today with a proposal that all vehicles be slapped with a conservation-promoting surcharge based on mileage, with proceeds going to public-transit projects.
3:05 PM AKDT, May 28, 2012
David Lazarus: Trying to make dollars and sense out of YouTube's partner program
Making money from YouTube videos — it's something I've always wondered about. You won't get rich stuffing Mentos into bottles of Diet Pepsi, right?
October 4, 2012
David Lazarus: T-Mobile purchase of MetroPCS is good for consumers, for now
Consumers would normally shake their heads in dismay at news of yet another market-shrinking telecom merger.
January 28, 2011
David Lazarus: Utilities have no incentive to scrap pension plans
Galen Dean of Yucaipa has worked on and off for Southern California Edison Co. for 29 years. As he puts it, he's done "pretty much everything except climb poles."
April 16, 2008
David Lazarus: Too much contact at this Reunion
The name of the game for social-networking websites such as MySpace and Facebook is to draw as many users as possible into the fold. Typically that's done by creating a community and features so irresistible that people feel they just have to join.
September 28, 2012
David Lazarus: Do-not-call list is almost like a feel-free-to-call-any-time list
Like many people, Marlys Burke was thrilled when federal authorities unveiled a "do-not-call list" in 2003. She signed up immediately in hopes of keeping telemarketers at bay.
January 8, 2006
THE PEOPLE'S COURT
Alito's moment
SUPREME COURT nominations are as old as the republic, but the modern history of the battles over court appointments begins in 1987. That's when the Senate rejected Robert H. Bork, the conservative appellate judge who President Reagan nominated to replace Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr., the swing-voting centrist on what was then, as now, a closely divided court.
March 9, 2008
David Lazarus: Renters priced out of L.A.
Deanna Corbin, 46, would live in Los Angeles if she could. But she can't, at least not with a modicum of space and safety, not on her $38,000 salary as an administrative secretary.
12:37 PM AKDT, September 20, 2012
David Lazarus: Anthem's tip for better health: Try this ice cream
Anthem Blue Cross wants people to eat better. And to help its members make more healthful food choices, the insurance giant is sending out money-saving coupons.
September 4, 2012
David Lazarus: Stolen identity keeps making trouble, 15 years later
The letter from debt collector Resurgent Capital Services arrived at my home the other day. Enclosed was a bill for $2,852.56, originally run up in the 1990s on a Citibank credit card.
April 6, 2008
David Lazarus: ZIP Code still a factor in auto insurance
A lot of drivers probably thought they were finally getting a break when then-California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi announced in 2005 that he was requiring insurers to stop using ZIP Codes as a main factor in determining car-insurance rates.
April 20, 2008
David Lazarus: 'Smart meters' may soon be outdated
California's three biggest utilities are charging customers nearly $4.6 billion to install millions of "smart meters" at homes and businesses. These newfangled meters, the utilities promise, will revolutionize energy usage by giving consumers far greater control over how much they pay for power.
March 23, 2008
David Lazarus: Things are looking up -- at the pawn shop
The economy is tanking, banks are scrambling for cover, the Fed is repeatedly cutting interest rates . . . and business is booming at pawn shop Crown City Loan & Jewelry in Old Pasadena.
December 12, 2007
David Lazarus: Trump spins in foreclosure game
When I heard that President Bush wants to bail out homeowners caught up in the sub-prime mortgage mess, I figured I better move fast if I want to profit from other people's misfortune.
April 2, 2008
David Lazarus: Cellphones may do a number on Cuba
The Cuban government made headlines worldwide when it announced the other day that its citizens would finally have unrestricted access to cellphones, ushering in a new era in telecommunications for the economically challenged island.
April 9, 2008
David Lazarus: Mortgage payoff on steroids
When Stockton resident Kevin Byrd refinanced his mortgage a couple of years ago, he figured he'd need the full 30 years to pay off more than $300,000 in debt.
February 17, 2008
Consumer Confidential
David Lazarus: Firms round up; we pay the price
We live in an age of supercomputer-driven, lightning-fast digital technology that can determine the time of day down to the nanosecond.
December 19, 2007
David Lazarus: Airline descends to a new low: a death fee
We all know that some airlines nickel-and-dime you with fees -- fees for baggage, fees for food, fees for blankets and pillows. But fees for death?
February 2, 2008
CONSUMER CONFIDENTIAL
David Lazarus: Columnist roots for Microsoft. Huh??
If there's a sentiment that crops up with frequency in this column, it's that bigger is seldom better when it comes to how businesses treat consumers.
January 23, 2008
David Lazarus: The joke is on cellphone users
Keith Fitzgerald, a concessions manager for Los Angeles International Airport, was in the middle of a meeting last month when his cellphone suddenly emitted an unfamiliar ring. He'd received his first-ever text message.
February 27, 2008
David Lazarus: Housing upheaval: a tale of two homes
Just when it was looking like things couldn't get any worse in the housing market, government officials announced Tuesday that home prices had their biggest fourth-quarter drop in 17 years.
December 23, 2007
David Lazarus: Best Buy kiosks not connected to Internet
The Connecticut attorney general's office sued Best Buy in May, charging the electronics heavyweight with using deceptive in-store websites to trick customers into paying higher prices than available on the company's actual site.
February 13, 2008
David Lazarus: Shadow victims of the mortgage crisis: renters
The Bush administration's announcement Tuesday that it would put the foreclosure process on hold for 30 days to rescue struggling homeowners came several weeks too late for Mike Salgado.
October 24, 2007
David Lazarus: Insurance claims could haunt houses
If past history is any measure, many homeowners affected by the wildfires burning throughout Southern California will find that claims they submit to insurers will result in higher rates or even dropped policies.
March 16, 2008
David Lazarus: Cellphones to keep track of your purchases -- and you
You might not know it, but as of January it became illegal in California for companies to require workers to have devices implanted under their skin that would reveal their whereabouts at all times.
December 26, 2007
David Lazarus: Free news online will cost journalism dearly
I don't pretend to understand all the minutiae of the writers strike, but I do know this much: Hollywood scribes want to be compensated fairly when their work is accessed on the Internet, which is increasingly becoming a venue to watch movies and TV shows.
October 26, 2007
David Lazarus: Insurers taking risk out of the equation
You buy a Band-Aid. You get a scrape. You use your Band-Aid. And the next time you go to the drugstore, you're told that you have to pay more for Band-Aids. Or maybe they won't sell you another Band-Aid at all.
November 28, 2007
David Lazarus: Next cell trend lets users hold the phone
First people were allowed to take their phone numbers with them whenever they switched wireless providers. Now, Verizon Wireless is handing consumers greater clout by allowing them to use their own handsets, not just Verizon's, on the carrier's network.
December 9, 2007
David Lazarus: Southland transit is in need of big ideas
The traffic in L.A. bites -- you know that. The question is: What are we going to do about it?
December 16, 2007
David Lazarus: Trump's a grump about column on his 'priceless' tips
Donald Trump wasn't happy with Wednesday's column about his seminars on profiting from the foreclosure market.
October 22, 2007
David Lazarus: Locked in a cell: Wireless users punished for canceling early
Lawndale resident Julian Torres' cellphone experience will be familiar to many wireless customers.
March 5, 2008
David Lazarus: Cost is the real drug threat
In his weekend radio address, President Bush warned of rogue pharmacists making potentially dangerous prescription drugs readily available online.
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