Current Events in September 2018

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling 9,685 model year 2018 Atlas vehicles.

The air conditioning system drain tube may have been twisted during production, causing water to drain into the airbag control module.

The wet air bag control module may result in an unintentional deployment of the airbags, increasing the risk of injury or crash.

What to do

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the air conditioning drain tube, and if it is twisted, the drain tube and air bag control module will be replaced, free of charge.

Some affected vehicles have had their drain tube previously replaced but did not receive a new air bag control module; the airbag control module will be replaced in these vehicles.

The recall is expected to begin October 14, 2018.

Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at (800) 893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 87F9.

Many consumers are making it too easy for identity thieves, according to a new report from AARP.

The survey of adults found many don't even take basic steps such as monitoring their online bank accounts, using strong and unique passwords, or setting up a security freeze on their credit reports.

Only 43 percent of adults were found to have online access to their bank accounts, which allows them to regularly monitor activity. The rest -- 57 percent -- must wait until the monthly statement arrives by mail.

The older you are, the less likely you are to have online access. The survey found only 37 percent of adults age 50 to 64 and 33 percent of those 65 and older are set up to monitor their bank accounts online.

Slightly more monitor their credit card accounts online -- but again, the older you are, the less likely you are to be connected electronically.

Feeling overwhelmed

“Our survey results indicate that a lot of people may feel overwhelmed, and have just given up,” said AARP’s lead fraud researcher and the report’s co-author, Doug Shadel. “Two-thirds of those surveyed said that given the number of data breaches that have occurred, they think it is inevitable that criminals will be able to exploit their credit at some point."

This week marks the one year anniversary of the massive Equifax data breach, in which millions of consumers' extensive credit files were compromised. In the wake of this breach, consumers were urged to take advantage of free credit monitoring and place security freezes on their credit reports, a step blocking hackers from setting up bogus accounts.

In findings similar to those from AARP, NerdWallet reports just 10 percent of consumers have placed a freeze on their credit in the last 12 months. When asked for the reason for not doing so, 47 percent said they don't know how to do it and 34 percent said it was too much trouble.

Anxiety

“Anxiety over financial privacy is a justified reaction to data breaches that make the news, but you don’t have to wait until you experience a breach personally to take steps to protect yourself,” said Kimberly Palmer, personal finance expert at NerdWallet. “There’s a range of steps all consumers can take, from being more watchful to freezing their credit, to stay safe.”

The most powerful tool, says Palmer, is freezing your credit. Starting Sept. 21, she says all three major credit bureaus will offer free credit freezes. You must contact all three credit bureaus separately to freeze and unfreeze credit. You'll find the links to do so below:

• Equifax

• Experian

• TransUnion

More consolidation within the healthcare industry may lie ahead as two proposed mergers appear to be on the fast track for approval.

The Wall Street Journal reports the Justice Department is getting close to approving the merger of CVS Health and Aetna and the union of Cigna and Express Scripts. The Journal quotes sources who say the deals could be approved within the next few weeks.

The CVS-Aetna deal was announced late last year, pairing a pharmacy retailer with a major health insurance provider. CVS said the combination would lead to lower drug prices that would be passed on to consumers.

Possible downside

But the deal has its share of skeptics who point to a possible downside. Gerald Anderson, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said consumers could end up with fewer choices as the result of the merger.

"If you have insurance through Aetna most likely you are going to be going to a CVS and one of their Minute Clinics for healthcare," Anderson told ConsumerAffairs last November.

Earlier this year Cigna, another health insurance provider, announced it would acquire pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts for $67 billion, again promising the merger would lower prescription drug costs.

Cigna argues the combination of medical claims and pharmacy under one roof has the potential to make the system more efficient whole giving the combined entity more bargaining power when it comes to negotiating drug prices.

'Accelerates Cigna's enterprise mission'

“This combination accelerates Cigna’s enterprise mission of improving the health, well-being and sense of security of those we serve, and in turn, expanding the breadth of services for our customers, partners, clients, health plans and communities," David Cordani, Cigna's CEO, said in May when the deal was announced.

The Justice Department, which is still fighting the court-approved merger of AT&T and Time Warner, apparently has fewer concerns about consolidation in the healthcare industry.

The Journal reports the Justice Department may require the merging parties in one deal to divest of some assets to avoid antitrust issues.

It says the CVS-Aetna merger will require spinning off some assets related to Medicare drug coverage. However, it says the Cigna-Express Scripts deal appears headed for approval without any divestiture requirements.

In the tech world, there seems to be no end to the potential of a brand’s ecosystem. Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, and Google’s tentacles wrap around everything from cloud storage to audio and video streaming, devices you can talk to, walk with, or wear. It’s been reported that Google alone has more than 250 different products and services in its ecosystem.

Now, one of the younger kids on the tech block -- Uber -- is doing its best to stick its toe in as many waters as the big tech kids.

Since debuting its gig economy-driven rideshare service, Uber’s moved into bike sharing, food delivery, Christmas tree delivery, hot air balloon rides, auto leasing, a credit card, its own air transportation shuttle, and, now, Uber Cash, a funding hub that allows consumers to pay for all-things-Uber from a single source.

Once a consumer has funded their Uber Cash account, they can use it to pay for things across the Uber ecosystem including ridesharing, food delivery, and e-bikes and scooters, not to mention buying gift cards and redeeming local offers.

Not an original idea, but a good one

“Uber Cash is more than an imitation of Amazon's cash back rewards,” according to PaymentsSource. “By creating an ecosystem for users to load, redeem and pay for various services with the app, Uber has created a veritable digital wallet with the opportunity to build a war chest of stored-value cash.”

“If successful, Uber could recreate the Amazon Prime effect of getting consumers into its system for one perk (i.e., two-day shipping or an exclusive TV series) and then piling on incentives and services to keep them engaged.”

It’s a feast!

Restaurant-to-consumer delivery is on an unbelievable tear. In 2018, the delivery segment is estimated to gross nearly $80 million according to Statista with a user penetration currently at 16 percent, with each user worth $91 a year. At the rate it’s going, it could hit a market volume of $116 million and a user slice of 22 percent by 2022.

Uber Cash’s mettle will certainly be tested in that crowded food delivery space where Uber Eats goes head-to-head with Amazon and Grubhub. Uber seems poised for that fight, going as far as resetting Uber Eat’s fee model based on the distance between the customer and the restaurant.

“We’re adjusting our one flat booking fee to become a range of booking fee options,” writes Ben Dreier, Product Manager, Uber Eats Marketplace in an announcement. The difference in booking fee is predominantly determined by where you are and where the restaurant’s location is.”

“For example, this means your booking fee might be lower for the restaurant around the corner than it is for the one across town. We’ll also be highlighting booking fees upfront before you select a restaurant, so there are never surprises at checkout. As always, we’re keeping the things you love – no hidden fees and no minimum orders,” said Dreier.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a set of recommendations for treating concussions in children. The new guidelines for doctors and families cover everything from diagnosis to treatment to when children should return to school.

Health officials say childhood concussions represent a “significant public health concern.” Nearly 3 million children made emergency department visits for concussions between 2005 and 2009.

While most children recover within six weeks, the CDC says brain injuries of any kind have the potential to affect a child’s development.

“In a subset of pediatric patients, postconcussive symptoms persist beyond 2 weeks and can continue for longer than 3 months,” study authors noted in an editorial accompanying the new guidelines. “Pathophysiologic injury and symptoms (both acute and long-term) affect a child’s ability to function physically, cognitively, and psychologically after mTBI.”

Not minor

The new recommendations underscore the fact that concussions are a form of "mild traumatic brain injury” and, as such, should not be described as a minor head injury.

“In people’s minds concussions are something minor. ‘Oh you got your bell rung, oh it’s okay,’ but in reality what someone has suffered is an acute brain injury,” Dr. Andrew Kiragu, the Medical Director of the Pediatric ICU at Hennepin Healthcare, told Fox 9.

Kiragu says parents and caregivers should heed the advice, "an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure." To help prevent injuries, parents should make sure children wear helmets and seat belts. Coaches and teachers should make sure they’re using techniques that help protect children, Kiragu said.

Parent-specific resources for managing concussions in children, as well as preventing them, can be viewed here.

The new guidelines state that doctors should use age-appropriate symptom scales for diagnosis, assess risk factors for prolonged recovery, and counsel patients and caregivers to gradually return to school after no more than three days of rest (depending on symptoms).

The CDC said its new concussion management guidelines for children are based on the "most comprehensive review of the science" from the past 25 years related to mild traumatic brain injuries. The guidelines have been published online in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

A decade ago, fake check scams were so common that ConsumerAffairs created an entire category to document them.

Well, they're back and targeting a new generation of victims. The Better Business Bureau has issued a new report that found the largest group of victims of fake check frauds are consumers in their twenties. Small businesses, lawyers, and banks are not immune from this scheme either.

Victims are snared when they accept a job, or otherwise enter into some kind of financial relationship with an out of town enterprise. The victim receives a large check with instructions to cash it, then send some of the money back, or to someone else for some purpose.

The check is usually an excellent forgery and is initially accepted for deposit by the victim's bank. The victim them withdraws some of the money and wires it as instructed.

Days later, the bank discovers the check is counterfeit and reclaims the withdrawn funds from the victim. But because the victim has wired that money to the fraudster, there is no way to get it back.

Big increase in complaints

The BBB report says phony checks were involved in 7 percent of complaints filed with BBB's Scam Tracker. It says the number of complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Consumer Sentinel database and the Internet Fraud Complaint Center more than doubled between 2014 and 2017.

The fraud usually centers around an alleged employment opportunity or a phony sweepstakes. Earlier this year, the FTC warned consumers that scammers were using the promise of a mystery shopper job to launch the fake check scheme.

Emma Fletcher, with the FTC's Division of Consumer and Business Education, says victims are often recruited to test the money transfer service at a Walmart. They receive a check, are told to deposit it, then wire the cash back to the scammer.

'Unhappy ending'

"Fast forward days or weeks to the unhappy ending," Fletcher writes on the FTC blog. "The bank finds out the check you deposited is a fake, which means you’re on the hook for all that money. How does that even happen? Well, banks must make funds from deposited checks available within days, but uncovering a fake check can take weeks."

Kathy Derrick, of Downers Grove, Ill., is a recent victim. She told Chicago TV station WLS that she lost $2,000 when she responded to a work-at-home job posting on a legitimate website.

There is a simple way to avoid becoming a victim of this comeback scam. If anyone tells you to cash a large check and send most of it back, you are almost certainly dealing with a scammer. No legitimate enterprise operates that way.

Just who is behind the fake check scam revival? According to the BBB report, it appears to be Nigeria-based operators -- the same folks who brought you the Nigerian prince scam of the early 2000s.

Some iPhone 8 devices are malfunctioning as a result of a manufacturing defect. Apple has acknowledged the problem and issued a recall of iPhone 8 devices sold between September 2017 and March 2018.

The company said on its website that faulty logic boards are causing “a very small percentage” of iPhones sold during this time frame to unexpectedly restart, freeze the screen, or not turn on at all.

Consumers experiencing any of these problems can get the logic board in their device fixed for free, as long as the device in question is in original condition (meaning no physical damage, such as a cracked screen).

Apple said the affected devices were sold in the U.S., Australia, China, India, Japan, Macua, and New Zealand.

iPhone 8 owners can check to see if their device is affected by entering the unit’s serial code number on the company's website. To find the device's serial number, go into: Settings > General > About > Serial number.

As the EpiPen shortage rages on, pharmacies have been struggling to fill prescriptions, leaving parents -- and their kids who rely on the lifesaving allergy treatment -- looking for solutions.

Walgreens is trying to be part of that solution. The pharmacy will now be stocking Auvi-Q -- an alternative that uses epinephrine to treat severe allergic reactions -- as a replacement for the EpiPen. Patients can currently only receive Auvi-Q through the mail, and this marks the first time the drug will be made available in a retail pharmacy.

“Walgreens pharmacists continue to care for and work with patients and their prescribers to ensure they have access to the epinephrine auto-injectors they need, and we’re pleased to work with Kaleo to help meet the demand for epinephrine auto-injectors across the country,” Walgreens President of Operations Richard Ashworth said in a statement.

However, Auvi-Q’s price tag might be the only drawback. Two auto-injectors cost $4,500. While private drugmaker Kaleo noted that patients with commercial health insurance -- even those with high deductibles -- can receive Auvi-Q for free, not every insurer covers the drug.

In an effort to make Auvi-Q more accessible to patients in need, Kaleo will be providing it for free to those whose insurance doesn’t cover it. There is also an assistance program for those who don’t have insurance.

“We are working with insurance providers to maximize coverage of Auvi-Q for as many patients as possible,” said Phil Rackliffe, general manager of Allergy and Pediatrics at Kaleo.

The shortage

The EpiPen shortage began in late May, though the need for the drug has only intensified now that many children are returning to school.

To help combat the issue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first generic EpiPen alternative last month, and Teva Pharmaceuticals launched generic versions of the EpiPen and EpiPen Jr.

“This approval means patients living with severe allergies who require constant access to life-saving epinephrine should have a lower-cost option, as well as another approved product to help protect against potential drug shortages,” said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb.

“We’re applying our full resources to this important launch in the coming months and eager to begin supplying the market,” Teva said in a statement.

The ongoing shortage issues are linked to supply and manufacturer issues.

Following Teva’s new generic EpiPen, the FDA announced the extension of expiration dates of certain batches of EpiPens. The agency found that some of the auto-injectors could work four months past the posted expiration date.

Pfizer, which manufactures EpiPen, said the extensions will work for the 0.3mg dose of EpiPen and its authorized generic versions with expiration dates between April and December 2018. The extension will not work for EpiPen Jr.

“We are doing everything we can to help mitigate shortages of these products, especially ahead of the back-to-school season,” said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “We’re hopeful this action will ensure patients have access to this important medication and provide additional peace-of-mind to parents as the agency works with the manufacturer to increase supply.”

Amazon announced on Wednesday that it is ordering 20,000 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans as part of a plan to expand its delivery fleet. The company’s new program is designed to reduce its reliance on major parcel delivery companies like FedEx, UPS, and the U.S. Postal Service.  

The e-commerce giant first announced that it would help entrepreneurs launch delivery companies that will lease Amazon-branded vans back in June.

An Amazon spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal the company received "tens of thousands" of applications for the new program. However, Amazon is likely to select about 500 to start. In response to the overwhelming number of applications, Amazon said it had to increase its van order from 4,500.

Expanding delivery network

Amazon’s past efforts to reduce its reliance on delivery companies have included leasing a fleet of cargo jets and paying people to make deliveries with their personal vehicles through a program called Amazon Flex.

The 20,000 new Mercedes vans will be built at a new facility in North Charleston, South Carolina, which opened on Wednesday. The German automaker has invested $500 million in expanding its operations in the area.

The new vans will not be owned and managed by Amazon, but rather by a fleet management company that will lease to the upstart delivery companies. The vans will, however, feature Amazon’s smile logo, according to the Journal.

"We're proud to partner with Mercedes-Benz Vans to contribute to local economies through the order of Amazon branded Sprinter vans produced at their new plant in North Charleston," said Dave Clark, Amazon's senior vice president of worldwide operations, in a statement.

"Thanks to the tremendous response to Amazon's new Delivery Service Partner program, we are excited to increase our original order of branded Sprinter vans to 20,000 vehicles so new small businesses will have access to a customized fleet to power deliveries of Amazon packages."

Mercedes says its new Sprinter plant employs 900 people and that it plans to have 1,300 workers by 2020.

Ford Motor Company is recalling about 1.6 million model year 2015-2018 F-150 Regular Cab and SuperCrew Cab trucks.

If a front seatbelt pretensioner deploys as the result of a crash, the sparks may ignite materials such as carpeting or insulation within the B-pillar area, resulting in a vehicle fire.

What to do

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove the B-pillar insulation material and wiring harness tape, and install heat resistant tape, free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin September 24, 2018.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S27.

Having written numerous articles about privacy issues with Facebook, Google, phone apps, and the like, nothing should surprise me anymore. However, when you find that more than five years of almost every move you’ve made has been archived, a few hairs are likely to stand up on your neck.

Let me explain.

Monday morning, an email landed in my in-box with the subject line “Your August in review.” It was from Google, saying “Your timeline in Google Maps helps you curate the places you've been. Look back on the past month and reminisce about recent trips and past places.”

Typically, emails from Google don’t get much of my time, but this one brought on a mixed rush of curiosity and concern.

When I clicked on the link, I was taken to Google Map’s timeline site where I was told that I had visited 397 places since 2013. Taking a deeper dive, I was able to find out the routes I had taken -- both driving and walking -- to get to all of those places, not to mention the time it took to get there, how long I was at each stop, and any photos I had snapped with my phone’s camera while I was there.

It didn’t stop there, either.

Google had also recorded and archived my “Ok, Google” voice requests (“Ok, Google, where’s the nearest Walgreen’s?”), and it wasn’t shy about following me out of the country. In all my travelogue glory, the timeline listed all the places I’d visited from Budapest to Britain when I toured Europe a few years ago.

No matter where I went or what I did, Google Maps seemed to have nearly all the W’s -- who, what, when, where -- covered. A new study by Douglas C. Schmidt, a computer science professor at Vanderbilt University, confirms my gut instinct.

“Google learns a great deal about a user’s personal interests during even a single day of typical internet usage,” wrote Schmidt, who found that a stationary Android phone -- one with Google’s Chrome browser active in the background -- communicated location information to Google 340 times during a 24-hour period.

“In an example ‘day in the life’ scenario, where a real user with a new Google account and an Android phone (with new SIM card) goes through her daily routine, Google collected data at numerous activity touchpoints, such as user location, routes taken, items purchased, and music listened to. Surprisingly, Google collected or inferred over two-thirds of the information through passive means. At the end of the day, Google identified user interests with remarkable accuracy.”

An example of how Schmidt defines “passive means” might be someone who bought coffee from Starbucks using their Starbucks app; there would be two points of “passive” collection: walking to a Starbucks and opening up the Starbucks app.

Like shooting fish in a barrel

With an estimated 2 billion monthly active users of its related Android operating system, there’s a lot of data Google can access. Schmidt goes on to point to Google Play’s place in the Google ecosystem, enabling the company to gain even more user information from names and birthdays to credit card numbers.

Despite any potential “big brother” taint Google takes on with its data collection, the company wants the world to know that the user is still in control and can flip these data collection switches off anytime they want.

“Location History helps you get better results and recommendations on Google products. For example, you can see recommendations based on places you've visited with signed-in devices, or traffic predictions for your daily commute.” But, at the end of the day, the company gives all the power to the user: “You control what’s saved in your Location History, and you can delete your history at any time,” the company claims.

There’s some debate on that point, however. A new investigation from the Associated Press (AP) revealed that many Google services on both iPhones and Androids store users’ location data even if the privacy settings are set to prevent it from doing so. Just to be sure it had its facts straight, the AP requested a confirmation of these findings from computer-science researchers at Princeton who found them to be accurate.

United Airlines announced on Friday it will be joining fellow major airline JetBlue in raising passengers’ checked bag fees. Passengers will now be charged $30 for their first bag and $40 for a second checked bag.

United announced these changes right before Labor Day Weekend, and the price increase went into effect on all flights -- to and from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean -- on or after August 31st. Prior to the change, passengers were charged $25 for their first checked bag and $30 for their second checked bag.

“As we continue to make investments that make travel on United better, we are making adjustments to our checked bag fees in select markets -- most of which have not been changed for the past eight years,” a United Airlines spokesperson said. “These changes allow us to continue investing in the overall customer experience in today’s marketplace.”

The airline also added that customers who purchase their tickets with a MileagePlus credit card or who have MileagePlus Premier status will still receive complimentary checked bags.

Following suit

United’s price increase comes just a few weeks after JetBlue announced a price hike for its checked bag fees.

As of August 27, JetBlue passengers are charged $30 for their first checked bag and $40 for their second -- up from $25 and $35, respectively. Passengers that have a third bag will be charged $150 -- up from $100.

In a conference call with reporters in July, JetBlue said it is looking to cut costs by up to $300 million a year by 2020, and as such, will be implementing several new initiatives to boost “ancillary revenue.”

With fuel costs on the rise, several airlines are working to institute new efforts to bring in more money. United will soon start charging for certain economy seats, while American Airlines announced it will be cancelling several of its money-losing flights to China. Southwest will be increasing the price of its EarlyBird boarding fee from a flat rate of $15 to $15, $20, or $25 per one-way route.

Consumer response

Upon hearing the news of United raising its checked bag fee, many displeased consumers took to Twitter to voice their frustrations.

“Seriously United a bag fee increase? For those of us who check bags and board easily, you SHOULD be charging those who carry on and slow down the entire process or those who carry the bag to the gate and get their bag for free #unfair #baggageproblems,” one user wrote.

“United really grateful for the upgrades to customer experience that result from charging more for checked bags,” another user tweeted. “Those upgrades are what exactly?”

Dallas officials are investigating the death of a 24-year-old man who was found unconscious in the street next to a broken Lime electric scooter.

Jacoby Stoneking rented the scooter after a late shift at work on Sunday morning. Before he reached home, Stoneking called his roommate and asked him to send a Lyft to where he was located, according to an account given to reporters.

Stoneking said he hurt his foot during the ride and sounded angry, his roommate recalled, so he ordered the ride immediately after the phone call.

When the Lyft driver arrived, Stoneking was unresponsive. Police said he was covered in scrapes and the scooter had been cut in half.

His death may be the first linked to the dockless electric scooter industry, the nascent industry modeled after (and featuring many of the same players as) the dockless bike share industry.

Last month, a 21-year-old woman in Cleveland was riding an electric scooter when a drunk driver hit and killed her. In that case, authorities have not yet confirmed whether she using a dockless rental scooter. But the crash had occurred less than two weeks after Red, a competitor to Lime, dropped 100 scooters off on city sidewalks. 

Working out kinks and potential dangers

The dockless bike industry has mostly abandoned Dallas following new city regulations that were meant to limit bike littering and raise revenue for the city.

But in their place, electric scooter companies began dropping their inventories off in July. Electric scooters are also being tested or considered for use in San Francisco, Denver, Washington D.C., and Los  Angeles, among other cities.

Electric scooters can reach speeds as high as 20 m.p.h, and experts warn that the devices can come with the risk of injury or even death. Riders in Dallas and San Francisco have reportedly broken bones on rides in recent months.

The industry appears to still be working out some kinks in its technology. Bradley Brownell, a reporter for Jalopnik, in April described riding an electric scooter alongside a friend who noticed mid-ride that his scooter “did not have strong enough brakes” to stop while going downhill.

Stoneking’s family told local media that he was a skilled skateboarder and not the type of person who would struggle with an electric scooter. They want police to investigate the possibility of a hit-and-run.

“My absolute instinct about this -- this was not just about an accident about him and a scooter,” his brother told local news. “I think someone else was involved.”

------

Editor's note: the title of this article has been changed to indicate that this accident was not the first linked to the dockless e-scooter industry, as previous incidents have been reported in various U.S. cities.

In its recently updated Community Guidelines, Uber has added minimum average star rating requirements for riders in New Zealand and Australia.

The ride-hailing company says the new updates, which are set to take effect on September 19, are being introduced with the goal of “fostering an environment of mutual respect” between drivers and passengers.

“This is important because when driver-partners use Uber they do more than simply drive: they’re sharing their own car, their space, their time and a slice of who they are with passengers,” Uber said in a blog post announcing the update.

Last year, Uber started allowing passengers to check their rating from within the app. However, it didn’t say at the time what would happen if a rider’s rating dipped below a certain threshold. Previously, riders with low ratings have faced difficulties such as not getting picked up by drivers after booking a ride.

Now, the company says riders who fall below a minimum average rating will lose access to the Uber app after several alerts have been provided. The ban will also apply to Uber Eats, the company’s food delivery app.

Four-star requirements

Once a passenger’s rating drops below the minimum of 4 stars, their account may be removed if they don’t change their behavior after several notifications. Those facing a potential ban will be sent tips and receive reminders of what not to do inside an Uber vehicle.

Riders who end up being banned for failing to improve their rating can reactivate their account after completing a "short educational exercise."

Uber drivers can give passengers a low rating for a number of reasons, including not showing a basic level of common courtesy, drinking alcohol inside the vehicle, damaging or dirtying their vehicle, or pressuring them to drive unsafely.

In its updated guidelines, Uber gives tips for maintaining a good rating. For example, riders can be sure to clean up after themselves and not slam the door.

"Australia/NZ is the second country globally to roll this out, and we think it’s an important update to help ensure every Uber journey is enjoyable and comfortable for both riders and driver-partners,” Uber told Mashable.

Insurance giant State Farm has agreed to pay $250 million to settle charges that it tried to interfere with Illinois' judicial system two decades ago.

The settlement came after a jury had been impaneled to hear the trial in which former customers claimed the company funded the election of a sympathetic judge in an effort to overturn a $1 billion jury verdict. The former customers had been seeking $8.5 billion in damages.

They claimed State Farm funneled money into a judge's election campaign through political organizations that did not report the source of donations. They charged it was a violation of the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).

Company denies the charges

State Farm said it agreed to settle the charges to "bring an end to the litigation." State Farm spokesman Jim Camoriano told the Chicago Tribune the company did nothing wrong but wanted to end a process that could go on for years.

The case stemmed from what has become a common consumer complaint. In the late 1990s, a number of State Farm policyholders sued the company claiming their vehicles were repaired using generic parts, a violation of their policies.

An Illinois court found for the plaintiffs in 1999, with the judge awarding them a total of $1.18 billion for breach of contract and fraud, an amount that was reduced to about $1 billion by an appeals court.

In 2004, the Illinois Supreme Court reversed the verdict after a new justice was elected to fill a vacancy. It was that judge the plaintiffs accused State Farm of bankrolling.

Consumers who will receive money under the settlement include all U.S. policy holders, with the exception of those residing in Arkansas and Tennessee, who had State Farm auto policies between July 28, 1987 to Feb. 24, 1998 and who can show they received generic parts for repairs.

Cryptocurrencies experienced a sharp drop in price on Wednesday morning, and experts are unsure what’s behind it.

The prices remained steady -- hovering around $7,350 a coin -- throughout morning trading hours in Europe and Asia. However, by 5:50 a.m. Eastern Time, Bitcoin’s price dropped by $200 in minutes. An hour later, the price continued to drop, bringing it under $7,000.

Bitcoin’s price ultimately affected other cryptocurrencies on the market, as the highest market value per coin by 7 a.m. Eastern Time (midday in London) topped out at $6,984. This signified a 5.1 percent drop in just one day.

Despite the massive sell-off, Bitcoin is coming off several days of strong gains in the cryptocurrency market.

Market-wide drop

Bitcoin was hit hardest out of all the cryptocurrencies, but other offerings experienced record-setting drops. The most recent tallies show the following market-wide price drops:

• Ether - 12.2%, $257.45

• Ripple’s XRP - 11.8%, $0.318

• Bitcoin cash - 12.6%, $562.02

• Litecoin - 10.9%, $62.06

Recent drops

While this may be the first yet-to-be explained Bitcoin price drop, those who follow the cryptocurrency aren’t strangers to price fluctuations.

Early last month, Bitcoin’s price fell after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) decided to delay a ruling for a proposed Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). At the time, Bitcoin’s price dropped 10 percent, leaving it at just under $6,500 -- the lowest it had been since July 16. By the end of last month, the SEC had blocked another round of Bitcoin-backed ETFs, mainly due to concerns surrounding price and the potential for manipulation.

Prior to that, Bitcoin’s prices fell once more following the release of a paper written by two Texas academics. Finance professor John M. Griffin and graduate student Amin Shams published “Is Bitcoin Really Un-Tethered?” -- a report that found 2017’s high Bitcoin prices were nothing more than artificial market manipulation.

According to the authors, Tether -- a cryptocurrency token claimed by its creators to be backed by one U.S. dollar for each token issued -- was “used to provide price support and manipulate cryptocurrency prices.” The news ultimately caused Bitcoin prices to drop below $7,000.

Instagram is reportedly working on building a standalone shopping app that would allow users to browse and buy goods from merchants they follow directly, The Verge reported on Wednesday.

Citing “two people familiar with the matter,” the Verge said Instagram’s potential new e-commerce platform is currently being developed and could be called “IG Shopping.” However, few details are available at the moment and the app could be canceled prior to its launch.

Instagram declined to comment on the report.

Testing other shopping features

More than 25 million businesses already have accounts on the Facebook-owned platform, and four out of five Instagram users follow at least one business, the company said. For this reason, the sources said Instagram believes it’s "well-positioned to make a major expansion into e-commerce."

Last March, Instagram launched a shopping feature that lets companies tag posts with individual products enabling users to view sources and shop from photos. The company is currently testing an Instagram Stories feature that also allows users to buy goods from the Instagram app.

Earlier this year, Instagram gave some companies an electronic payment option which enabled their followers to book appointments for restaurants or salons without leaving the app.

If the goal of an advertising campaign is to get people talking about it, Nike's new "Just Do It" campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick is a success.

Kaepernick, the former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, is featured in the ad that bears the tagline, "Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything."

In the 2016 season, the last year of his contract, Kaepernick set off a storm of controversy when he began kneeling during the playing of the national anthem. At the time, he explained his move as a protest over police brutality against African Americans.

No other NFL team offered Kaepernick a contract for the 2017 season and the former quarterback is suing the NFL, accusing team owners of collusion to keep him unemployed. In the meantime, dozens of other NFL players have adopted Kaepernick's practice of kneeling during the national anthem.

'Worthwhile risk'

Enter Nike. For it's 30th anniversary "Just Do It" campaign, the shoe and sportswear company chose the highly polarizing athlete to be the face of the company. Adweek calls the decision a "worthwhile risk," noting that Kaepernick is admired as much as he is not.

Reaction to the ad has been split along these same lines with much of the conversation playing out on Twitter. Some angry consumers have posted videos of themselves setting fire to their Nike shoes. But there were also consumers who love the ad.

"Colin Kaepernick is an inspirational man," one poster wrote. "He stood up for something important and sacrificed a lot for that. To the people burning their Nike stuff. Nice job disguising your racism as patriotism."

But there are plenty of people who see a bit of cynicism in Nike's choice. Actor James Woods weighed in on Twitter, suggesting the provocative ad campaign is all about money.

"I venture to say the corporate honchos don’t care anymore about black Americans than they do the children in their Asian sweatshops," Woods wrote.

Risk for Nike

But the early evidence suggests Nike is risking quite a bit. Nike stock plunged in Tuesday's trading on Wall Street, losing an estimated $4 billion in market cap.

Then there's the company's lucrative sponsorship contract with the NFL. It has chosen as its spokesman the very man who is suing the league. It might seem counterintuitive, but marketing pros say Nike is after something larger.

“We’ve all seen big corporations try to latch onto movements in a phony way but this feels wholly authentic to Nike,” Michelle Lee, editor-in-chief at Allure, told Adweek. “They’re a huge global voice in sports, and a statement from them has the power to influence culture at a time when so many others are trying to play both sides.”