Current Events in January 2006

I purchased the Honda Insight to replace a sports car that was getting 25 miles per gallon. The Insight EPA rating was 59 mpg in the city and 56 mpg on the highway. After 85,000 miles my average with the Insight, according to the odometer, is 60 mpg which is slightly better than EPA estimates.

By switching vehicles I have saved $4,000 at $2 per gallon but it is also important to note that I drive 70 miles a day and don't do anything out of the ordinary to get good mileage other than a few pointers I will mention below.

People not getting the mileage they expect may find it worthwhile to seek out someone with a similar hybrid who is able to achieve high mileage for pointers or perhaps give their vehicle a test drive to verify whether the low mileage really is a vehicle problem or a driver problem.

Here are a few suggestions that are obvious.

Tires and Speed

The two biggest factors hurting mileage are tire pressure and speed. Check your tires and inflate them to the maximum recommended pressure. A single low tire will adversely affect your mileage significantly.

This is valid for any vehicle, hybrid or not.

Aftermarket tires can alter vehicle mileage. Snow tires will cost around 15 percent or more from my experience although I still switch to snow tires for the winter months.

As for vehicle speed, the most efficient speed for a passenger car is around 45 miles per hour, slower for a pick-up or SUV. If you drive 80 miles per hour on the highway don't expect to get good mileage. It is not going to happen no matter what vehicle you are driving.

Cold Weather Hurts

Less obvious factors include trip length and weather. All vehicles get poor mileage when it is cold. Cold weather can cause a 10 percent or more drop in fuel efficiency.

If you drive a short distance to work, you probably will not achieve the 50 miles to a gallon you expect you are spending less on fuel anyway.

Longer trips are where hybrids make the most sense. It seems the Honda engine runs a rich fuel mixture for the first several miles as well as when the temperatures are below 40 degrees.

Part of the problem is that hybrids need to keep the gas engine running to maintain cabin temperature and catalytic converter temperature even when the car is sitting still.

Hopefully, future models can switch from hot-water heat to electric to heat the cabin and perhaps include a heating element for the catalytic converter.

Defrosting Runs the Air Conditioner

Another problem with cold weather is that if you have an air conditioner, in many never cars the A/C is turned on anytime you use the front defroster. A mechanic once told me this is to help maintain the compressor so it does not seize up from non-use in cold climates.

So if you don't need the defroster, don't use it.

Be prepared for dismal mileage in deep snow if you drive in cold weather climates. Driving through snow is energy-intensive, and it will show up on your mileage computer. I typically get mid-40s during bad snow storms, especially on unplowed roads.

Finally, if you turn on the vehicle to warm it up before driving off, expect mileage in the low 30 or worse. You are getting 0 mpg while the vehicle is sitting there warming up.

I typically achieve around 65 mpg during the warmer months and around 55 mpg during the winter months.

With four and a half years of hybrid ownership experience, I'm a big fan of the technology.

There are bound to be many more improvements over the next decade to improve the mileage and reduce the cost. Keeping in touch with other hybrid drivers through user groups online, I've found that most owners have had the positive experiences.

Many owners have gone on to purchase second and third hybrids. My next vehicle will most definitely be another hybrid.

While online you may have noticed pop-up windows that warn of spyware and offer to scan your computer for free to remove these unwanted programs. These pop-up ads should be met with skepticism, according to the Federal Trade Commission, which has settled charges against two such companies using that approach.

In both cases, the FTC said the companies claimed to detect spyware, even when there was not any, and then sold consumers anti-spyware software that either did not work or did not work as advertised.

The settlements require the defendants to give up a total of nearly $2 million in ill-gotten gains, and prohibit deceptive claims. One set of defendants will be barred from selling or marketing any anti-spyware product or service in the future.

In March 2005, the FTC charged that Spyware Assassin and its affiliates used Web sites, e-mail, banner ads, and pop-ups to drive consumers to the Spyware Assassin Web site.

Consumers were told the Web site scanned consumers' computers at no cost to determine whether they were infected with spyware. The results of the "scans" were positive, and the site warned consumers that they had spyware installed on their systems.

The FTC charged that the defendants' free remote scan was phony, and the defendants' representations that they had detected spyware on the consumer's computer were deceptive.

In addition, the defendants claimed that the software they sold for $29.95 would remove all spyware programs and files. The FTC's complaint alleged that the "anti-spyware" software did not remove all or substantially all spyware, and the defendants' deceptive claims violate the FTC Act, which bars deceptive claims.

In June 2005, the FTC charged an unrelated operation, Trustsoft, with using similar tactics to sell its "SpyKiller" software. The FTC alleged the defendants sent pop-up and e-mail messages informing consumers that their computers had been remotely "scanned" and that spyware had been "detected," even though defendants had not performed any such scans. The defendants urged consumers to access the SpyKiller Web site to get "free scans" for spyware.

While the SpyKiller "scan" was running, the program displayed a status report entitled "Spyware Found on your PC:" that included a category called "Live Spyware Processes." In fact, the FTC alleges, this category deceptively identified anti-virus programs, word processing programs, and other legitimate processes running on the system as spyware. Then, even though the "scan" itself was free, consumers usually had to pay approximately $39.95 to enable SpyKiller's "removal" capabilities.

The defendants promised in their marketing materials that SpyKiller would find and remove "all" spyware, including "all traces" of particular spyware on consumers' computers. The FTC complaint alleged, however, that the software failed to remove significant amounts of spyware, including specified spyware the defendants claimed to remove. The complaint further alleged that the deceptive claims violated the FTC Act.

The FTC also said that spam messages promoting the SpyKiller software, containing similar deceptive claims, were not identified as advertising, used false "from" lines, did not include valid postal addresses, and failed to provide consumers with notice of and the ability to "opt-out," in violation of the CAN-SPAM Act.

U.S. District Courts ordered a halt to the deceptive practices of both operations, pending trials. The settlements effectively end those lawsuits.

Both operators will give up their ill-gotten gains.

The FTC said Thomas L. Delanoy and his corporation, MaxTheater, Inc., will pay $76,000 the full amount of consumer injury. The settlement will ban the defendants from selling or marketing any anti-spyware product or service in the future. It will prohibit them from downloading or installing spyware on consumers' computers, or from assisting others in downloading or installing it. The settlement bars them from making misrepresentations in connection with the sale or marketing of any good or service. It also contains certain record-keeping and reporting provisions to allow the agency to monitor compliance.

Danilo Ladendoft and Trustsoft, Inc., will pay approximately $1.9 million to settle the FTC charges. The settlement will prohibit them from making deceptive claims in the sale, marketing, advertising, or promotion of any goods or services and prohibits the specific misrepresentations used in promoting SpyKiller. It prohibits them from using the spyware their "anti-spyware" software supposedly detects and destroys to deliver ads. It also prohibits future violations of the CAN-SPAM Act.

The FTC and a partnership including cybersecurity experts, online marketers, consumer advocates, and other federal officials recently launched a new multimedia, interactive consumer education campaign to help consumers stay safe online. The comprehensive Web site -- www.OnGuardOnline.gov -- has tips, articles, videos, and interactive activities.

The Web site offers tips to lower the risk of spyware infections, such as:

• Update your operating system and Web browser software, and set your browser security high enough to detect unauthorized downloads.

• Use anti-virus software and a firewall, and keep them up-to-date.

• Download free software only from sites you know and trust. Enticing free software downloads frequently bundle other software, including spyware.

• Do not click on links inside pop-up windows.

• Do not click on links in spam that claim to offer anti-spyware software; you may unintentionally be installing spyware.

• Consider using anti-spyware software from a reputable company.

Consumer Reports' warning earlier this week that many infant child seats sold in the U.S. can fail disastrously came too late for Christine of Zaphyrhills, Fla., who bought a Cosco car seat for her daughter.

"I was pleased with it, until the day we were on the way to the zoo and got in a side impact car accident," she told ConsumerAffairs.com. "The carseat held up but did not have enough padding to protect my little girl -- 14 months of age."

"She died 3 days later in a coma of brain injuries because the padding in the headrest wasn't to standard," Christine said. After the accident she found complaints of similar problems reported by ConsumerAffairs.com readers.

"I wish I would have read this site before I bought my daughter her (car seat)," she said.

Lisa of Gulfport, Miss., reported a similar tragedy with an Evenflo infant seat her niece had purchased after carefully checking safety ratings and reviews of various products.

"The pattern was very cute, it had blue and brown plaid with a cute little bear on the back of it. Matthew was her greatest joy and she adored him," Lisa said.

But in March 2004, Lisa's niece was taking Matthew and another child to daycare when her car was hit broadside.

"The car did a 180-degree spin and ended up rolling over on its side. My neice was killed instantly," she said.

"Matthew, who was 5 months old, was ejected from the car. The base of Matthew's safety seat was still strapped in the car. The housing of the seat broke loose from the base and apparantly bounced around in the car during the accident.

"Mathew apparently came out from the straps of the car seat and went out of the window when the car rolled over. When the car came to a rest, Matthew was on the ground outside of the car and the housing unit for the safety seat was out too. The housing unit cracked in several places. The base still remained in the car and was strapped in with the car's seat belt," Lisa reported.

Matthew died of a fractured skull and a brain laceration.

Lisa said she can't help wondering if Matthew would have survived the accident if he had been in a different car seat. According to the Consumer Reports tests, the Discovery failed to meet federal standards and the magazine is urging the government to order a recall.

"After doing research on the net, I have learned that this happens quite often with the Evenflo Discovery car seat," she said. Lisa said that since the accident, she watches for others uses an Evenflo Discovery and tells them of her experience.

In its February 2007 issue, Consumer Reports recounted similar results from tests it conducted on popular car seats.

Most of the infant seats failed when they were crash-tested at speeds about 30 miles per hour. at those higher speeds.

Like the seat that failed Matthew, those tested twisted violently or flew off their bases, in one case hurling a test dummy 30 feet across the lab, even though the seats met the safety standards set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Of 12 infant seats tested, only two performed well enough to be recommended by Consumer Reports: the Baby Trend Flex-Loc and the Graco SnugRide with EPS.

Nine infant seats provided poor protection in some or all of the tests, even though they meet the federal safety standard. One seat, the Evenflo Discovery, didn't even meet that standard. CR is urging federal officials to order a recall of that seat.

Many infant seats sold in Europe undergo more rigorous testing than do models sold in the U.S. Indeed, when CR crash-tested an infant seat purchased in England, the Britax Cosy Tot, it was the best in the tests. An infant seat sold in the U.S. by the same manufacturer, the Companion, failed CU's tests.

Though nearly half of Americans say they believe a major natural disaster or terrorist attack is likely to occur in their area in the next five years, a new survey shows more than three quarters admit they are ill-prepared should it occur.

"In this day and age, following the tragic events that have occurred here on American soil and that devastated so many thousands of our friends, family and fellow citizens, it astounds me that so many Americans do not have a plan," said John Bryant, founder and chairman of Operation HOPE.

"And yet, despite believing that emergencies or disasters will happen, Americans don't seem to place emergency planning high on their list of priorities. We must get to the bottom of this, and we must instill a need for preparation," he said.

Of the 500-plus respondents, 44 percent think a major national disaster will occur in their area in the next five years, and 32 percent think a terrorist attack will occur in their area in the next five years.

The survey also found that nearly half (47 percent) of Americans do not know their community's evacuation route, and the same percentage does not have an emergency contact or safe place identified to call or go to if disaster hits.

The survey was conducted by Qorvis Communications' iQ Research & Consulting Practice and HOPE Coalition America, the emergency preparedness and response division of Operation HOPE.

"With more than 2.9 million people displaced after Hurricane Katrina and at least 68 natural disasters in the past year, Americans must understand the need to prepare for unexpected emergencies in order to minimize loss both physically and financially," said Jena Roscoe, senior vice president and chief of government affairs, Operation HOPE.

"These findings reveal a need to institute more educational programs on emergency preparedness."

HOPE Coalition America commissioned Qorvis to survey America's general level of preparedness -- both physical and financial. Some of the findings included:

•  When asked what they would save if they could save only one item in the face of disaster, the highest percentage (35 percent) of Americans chose financial documents.

•  More than half (53 percent) of Americans said they have two months salary saved in case of unexpected job termination.

•  Only 25 percent of pet owners surveyed have a plan or place to care for their pet(s) in case of emergency.

•  Eight-three percent of survey respondents said they would most likely NOT buy emergency preparedness items or kits as gifts for others over the holidays.

Those surveyed were also asked what important personal and financial documents they had copies of in case of a disaster. Here are percentages of people who currently do have the recommended household items and documents saved in case of emergency or disaster:

Questioned about what supplies they had on hand, these are the percentages who had the recommended items:

• Three-day supply of bottled water: 47 percent
• Three-day supply of non-perishable food: 65 percent
• Battery powered radio and Batteries: 69 percent
• Flashlight and Batteries: 91 percent
• First aid kit: 73 percent
• Dust masks: 25 percent
• Signal flare: 17 percent
• Fire Extinguisher: 67 percent

Asked about financial documents, these are the percentages who had copies of the recommended items:

• Personal/financial documents:
• Birth certificate: 77 percent
• Marriage license (if married): 74 percent
• Social security card: 85 percent
• Will: 50 percent
• Powers of authority (personal/property): 50 percent
• Vehicle registration/ownership papers: 84 percent
• Tax statement(s): 69 percent
• Insurance documents: 73 percent
• Bank and credit account info/statements: 79 percent
• Mortgage statement: 68 percent

HOPE Coalition America offers emergency budget counseling and step-by-step emergency preparation guidelines to Americans, particularly those in low-income urban areas and areas prone to or recently affected by disaster.

A copy can be downloaded at www.operationhope.org

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first obesity drug to treat America's increasingly overweight dogs.

The drug, called Slentrol, is manufactured by Pfizer Inc. and is supposed to decrease the animal's appetite and fat absorption. Also known as dirlotapide, the drug can has some serious side effects, including vomiting, loose stools, diarrhea and lethargy.

"This is a welcome addition to animal therapies because dog obesity appears to be increasing," said Stephen Sundlof, head of FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine.

Overweight dogs are at risk for developing diabetes, heart trouble, joint problems and other complications just like their masters, according to the FDA.

Slentrol is not designed for human use and will carry warnings to discourage people from using it, the FDA said.

The drug will only be available through veterinarians and will come in various doses. Pfizer recommends use of Slentrol for three months, according to the agency.

In the U.S. about 40 percent of all dogs or about 17 million animals are considered to be overweight or obese according to 2002 data from the American Veterinary Medical Association.

"Why are 40 percent of dogs in the U.S. overweight or obese? The answer is simple: Too much food and too little exercise," said Claudia A. Kirk, DVM, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Nutrition, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee.

"In today's hectic world, it's a challenge for many dog owners to find time to ensure their pets get adequate exercise. And in our culture, we often equate food with love - without being aware of potential adverse health consequences. For both pet owners and veterinarians trying to manage a dog's weight, these habits can be a source of genuine frustration."

Slentrol gives veterinarians an additional tool when diet modification and increased exercise are difficult to implement successfully.

The drug decreases a dog's appetite thereby reducing food intake, making it easier for owners to develop healthier feeding behaviors and attitudes. Slentrol is given once daily as an oral solution, either directly into the mouth or with a small amount of food.

The duration of treatment depends on the amount of weight to be lost.

After six years of controversy, Home Depot Chairman and Chief Executive Robert Nardelli agreed to resign, with Vice Chairman and Executive Vice President Frank Blake replacing him. Nardelli walked away with a $210 million severance package.

Nardelli's departure follows a recent share buyback package that did little to lift the company's lagging stock price. The company's stock price had fallen about 8% during his reign whle its main competitor, Lowe's, was up 173%.

Critics lambasted Nardelli for his autocratic management style and his bloated $245 million compensation over the last five years.

Even in absentia, Nardelli is likely to remain controversial. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) quickly issued a statement criticizing Mr. Nardelli's rich severance package.

"The action of Home Depot's board of directors to simultaneously dismiss Robert Nardelli and provide him with $210 million in severance is further confirmation of the need to deal with a pattern of CEO pay that appears to be out of control," Frank said.

"Some defenders of CEO pay argue that CEOs are rewarded for increasing the stock or the overall value of the company, but judging by today's market reaction, Mr. Nardelli's contribution to raising Home Depot's stock value consists of quitting and receiving hundreds of millions of dollars to do so."

Financial analysts also looked askance at the huge severance package.

"The $210 million is really the icing on the cake here and the ultimate insult to shareholders," Howard Davidowitz, chairman of the retail consulting and investment banking firm Davidowitz & Associates, told The Street.com.

Home Depot said that during Nardelli's tenure, the company nearly doubled sales, to $81.5 billion in 2005 from $45.7 billion in 2000, and earnings per share increased more than 140% same period.

Researchers said the findings dispel the bigger-is-safer sale pitch that has helped fuel the growing popularity of SUVs among families. SUV registrations climbed 250 percent in the United States between 1995 and 2002.

Rollover contributes significantly to risk of injury in both vehicle types and occurred twice as frequently in SUVs. Children involved in rollover crashes were three times more likely to be injured than children in non-rollovers.

Children who were not properly restrained in a car seat, booster seat or seatbelt during an SUV rollover were at a 25-fold greater risk for injury as compared to appropriately restrained children.

Nearly half of the unrestrained children in these crashes (41 percent) suffered a serious injury versus only 3 percent of appropriately restrained children in SUV's.

Overall, injury risk for appropriately restrained children in passenger cars is less than 2 percent.

"SUVs are becoming more popular as family vehicles because they can accommodate multiple child safety seats and their larger size may lead parents to believe SUVs are safer than passenger cars," said Dennis Durbin, MD, M.S.C.E., an emergency physician and clinical epidemiologist at The Children's Hospital, and co-author on the study.

"However, people who use an SUV as their family vehicle should know that SUV's do not provide superior protection for child occupants and that age- and size-appropriate restraints and rear seating for children under 13 years are critically important because of the increased risk of a rollover crash," Durbin said.

"We want parents to be able to make fully informed decisions regarding the choice of vehicle for their family," says Lauren Daly, MD, co-author of the study. "Ideally, a safe family car has enough rear-row seating positions with lap-and-shoulder belts for every child under 13 that requires them and enough remaining rear-row positions to install child safety seats for infants and toddlers."

Previous Children's Hospital research has shown that, within each vehicle classification, larger heavier vehicles are generally safer. For instance, of all passenger car classifications, large and luxury cars feature lower child injury risk than mid-size or small passenger cars.

Among SUVs, mid-size and small SUVs had similar injury risks, which were two times higher than large SUVs. Compact extended-cab pickup trucks present a unique risk to children -- child occupants in the rear row of compact extended cab pick-ups face a five-fold increased risk of injury in a crash as compared to rear-seated children in all other vehicle types.

A telemarketing company, barred by court order from engaging in fraudulent magazine subscription marketing, is still attempting to collect money that consumers say is the result of phony billing.

Numerous consumers have contacted ConsumerAffairs.com in recent weeks to say a collection agency, allegedly acting on behalf of Consolidated Media Services, has demanded as much as several hundred dollars for charges they say go back as far as 1997.

"I received a phone call in 1997 from a telemarketer. I can't remember all the details exactly, but a short time after the call I started receiving many magazines that I did not request. I tried to cancel but was told that I could not and I ended up paying them over $200," said Laura, of Pembroke, Massachusetts.

"In December 2005 I got a phone call stating I am in collection because of CMS and that I owe over $400."

Laura's story is typical. A number of consumers, who ended up paying CMS years ago for magazines they didn't want or which they never received, are apparently being hit up again.

It's suspiciously similar to a practice called "reloading," in which scam artists work from a list of victims who fell for a scam in the past. The theory is, if they fell for it once, chances are, they'll fall for it again.

Only this time they aren't being sold magazine subscriptions, they are being told they owe money for subscriptions they purchased in the past. The consumers contacting ConsumerAffairs.com insist they either paid money to CMS or cancelled the subscriptions.

As it turns out, CMS and its myriad of affiliated companies have a long history of generating consumer complaints.

In 2003 the parent company of CMS, along with its principals, agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that the company violated numerous federal laws in the marketing of its magazines.

The settlement bars deceptive sales practices and requires the companies to monitor claims and disclosures their sales agents make. In addition, the corporations agreed to a $1.1 million civil penalty, which the government agreed to reduce to $350,000 because the companies allegedly didn't have that much assets.

The settlement with Dennis H. Gougion, an officer of the companies, similarly bars deceptive sales practices and required him to post a $1 million performance bond if he engaged in telemarketing or assisted others engaged in telemarketing in any way other than performing specified publisher-seller liaison responsibilities.

Gougion also agreed to a $100,000 civil penalty, which was knocked down to $10,000 because of his financial status. But in hindsight, the government showed remarkable leniency.

The FTC reduced Gougion's and CMS' penalties despite the fact that in 2003, both were already under an FTC order that had been issued in 1996. According to the Justice Department and the FTC, Gougion and other principals of CMS and their affiliate companies had, in 2002, engaged in alleged illegal acts that violated the FTC order they had agreed to seven years earlier.

None of the complaints received by ConsumerAffairs.com last month alleged CMS is now pushing magazine subscriptions in violation of the court order. Instead, they all say a collection agency is trying to extract more money from them. What they all have in common is the fact they paid money to CMS in the past.

"I was contacted by LBA & Assoc this morning saying I owed $155 to Consolidated Media Services from a magazine subscription from Oct. 1999, almost 7 years ago," Elizabeth, of Tampa, told ConsumerAffairs.com.

Elizabeth said she paid CMS $311 in 1999 and never received any magazines.

Glenn, of Rancho Cucamonga, California said CMS is attempting to collect money it claims is owed from 2000. But Glenn also says the debt was paid long ago.

"After the first year I cancelled the subscriptions and have never received a magazine since. About 3 months ago I got a call from a collections agency. The man explained that my account was delinquent and that I had to make a payment of $74," he said.

Bank of America ushered in 2006 by completing its buyout of MBNA, further expanding the size of the world's No.2 bank and creating the world's largest credit card issuer. The transaction was valued at roughly $34.2 billion dollars.

Former MBNA president Bruce Hammond will now serve as president of Bank of America Card Services, overseeing the company's new plastic portfolio, and reporting to Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis.

The merged corporation expected to realize after-tax savings of $850 million by 2007, chiefly through eliminating 6,000 "redundant" jobs across both companies. Speculation continues that the majority of the jobs will be in MBNA's home base of Wilmington, Delaware, which could cause serious economic problems for the city and state.

MBNA has become a symbol of consumers' and activists' resentment of the credit card system. Its policies of high interest rates and fees, minimal customer service and sometimes questionable marketing symbolized for many the pitfalls of paying with plastic.

The company had scored what it thought would be a major coup by pushing for the passage of the 2005 "Bankruptcy Reform and Consumer Protection Act," legislation that drastically rewrote existing bankruptcy laws to favor creditors over debtors.

The Charlotte, NC-based Bank of America began its takeover of MBNA after the latter's profits fell by 94 percent in a single quarter, due in large part to frustrated MBNA customers paying off their credit card balances in ever-increasing numbers.

MBNA's profit shortfall led many irate stockholders to join a class action lawsuit against it, alleging that MBNA's executive board sold off their shares before dumping the faltering stock on the public, and inflated their profit results to hide the embarrassing lack of revenue.

Since beginning the takeover of MBNA, Bank of America has picked up on some of its acquisition's bad habits. These include encouraging cardholders to transfer their balances to new cards with zero-percent interest, only to hit them with constant late fees until the balance hits its maximum, and then switching the interest rate to anywhere from 17 to 32 percent.

For many Bank of America customers, the buyout will just mean business as usual, which may not be all that desirable. Take the case of Christen of Livermore, CA, who was shocked to find out Bank of America listed him as being in Chapter 7 bankruptcy, despite his having "a good job and good credit."

"They are indicating that all my payments were on time but that the account is Chapter 7 bankruptcy. This is a very adverse mark on my credit," Christen said.

"And to top it off, Bank of America never even notified me about all of this. I can never reach a person to speak with; always just voice mail. When I contact them by email I receive a brief reply which states 'Thank you for contacting Bank of America,' and that is all."

Passengers on three Amtrak trains that were stranded in Georgia say train officials did little to nothing to ensure their comfort and safety during a 29-hour ordeal. It's the latest in a long string of incidents that have left passengers to fend for themselves, potentially endangering the elderly and handicapped.

On Dec. 26, at the height of the holiday travel season, passengers on a California Amtrak train were forced to disembark at Norwalk to take buses the rest of the way to Los Angeles because of scheduled track maintenance.

"Many of the elderly and handicapped people were having difficulty getting around, i.e. hearing problems and not understanding what was going on, vision problems, difficulty walking and carrying their luggage when not expecting to have to do this," said Shirley of Ojai, California, in a complaint to ConsumerAffairs.com.

On Oct. 4, passengers on a MetroLiner from New York to Washington, D.C., were ejected from their disabled train and told to walk about a quarter of a mile along the trackbed to the nearest platform, at Edgewood, Maryland, Joan of Fairfax, Virginia, reported.

"I have a neuromuscular foot disorder, so I had an especially hard time until a gallant young guy offered to carry my suitcase. There were others in worse shape -- with walkers, wearing high heels, etc.," she said.

In the latest incident, there were about 800 people on the Miami to New York City Silver Star, Silver Meteor and Auto Trains when a CSX freight derailed in Savannah, Ga., blocking the Amtrak trains until about 5:30 p.m. Friday.

Passengers said toilets stopped working and they were forced to spend their own money for dining car food during the lengthy delay. Some passengers said they went hungry because they ran out of money.

A caterer finally was brought aboard to provide free meals more than 20 hours after the delay.

Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black said the situation wasn't Amtrak's fault but he provided no explanation for the railroad's apparent lack of emergency planning.

Delays Common

Though most delays are not as long as the Savannah incident, Amtrak's ontime record is hardly pristine. In June 2005, Kelly of Edison, New Jersey, reported her train was delayed for hours after an accident in Florida.

"The next morning, I woke up to no water or toilets at all on the train, so we had to wait until we got to a stop in VA to go to the bathroom ... but that was at our own risk, because if the train leaves, then oh well," Kelly said.