Current Events in May 2019

BMW of North America is recalling 50 model year 2019 X3 sDrive30i, X3 xDrive30i, X3 M40i, and X4 M40i vehicles.

The instrument panel assembly may have been improperly manufactured, possibly affecting the deployment of the passenger's frontal airbag.

If the front passenger airbag does not deploy properly in the event of a crash, the occupant has an increased risk of injury.

What to do

BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace the instrument panel assembly free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin June 3, 2019.

Owners may contact BMW customer service at (800) 525-7417.

With Uber going public, many people who hold stock in the company could become overnight millionaires. But most Uber drivers will not be among them.

Consumers trying to hail a ride today may find it a little harder to do as hundreds of Uber drivers in a number of U.S. cities plan to log off the app, in effect staging a strike to protest what they see as inadequate compensation.

The protesting drivers are also urging consumers who are accustomed to using Uber and other ride-sharing services to find other forms of transportation, at least for a day, to send a message to the company.

Rideshare drivers in Los Angeles are spearheading the move for what they call “a fair, dignified, and sustainable ride-sharing industry.” The LA drivers are asking for pay, based on mileage and minutes, for the trip to pick up a passenger.

The group also wants an hourly minimum wage that matches New York City’s $27.86 before expenses. The drivers also want a gas price surcharge included in the fare.

Taxi drivers lending their support

The New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA), which has accused Uber of driving taxi drivers out of business, is none-the-less supporting Uber and Lyft drivers.

"Wall Street investors are telling Uber and Lyft to cut down on driver income, stop incentives, and go faster to Driverless Cars, [and] Uber and Lyft wrote in their S1 filings that they think they pay drivers too much already,” NYTWA Executive Director Bhairavi Desai said in a statement. “With the IPO, Uber's corporate owners are set to make billions, all while drivers are left in poverty and go bankrupt."

Uber is set to go public with a stock price of between $44 and $50, lower than previously announced but still richer than many analysts think is justified.

Uber sees rising costs

Both Uber and competitor Lyft have yet to turn a profit. In a filing, Uber disclosed that it might not be able to turn a profit in the near term.  

"We have incurred significant losses since inception, including in the United States and other major markets,” the company said. “We expect our operating expenses to increase significantly in the foreseeable future, and we may not achieve profitability."

Uber’s drivers, meanwhile, are getting some support from at least one presidential hopeful. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is seeking the Democratic Presidential nomination, tweeted his support. He noted that Uber rewarded its CEO with $50 million last year, so he says the company should be able to increase pay for its drivers.

“People who work for multibillion-dollar companies should not have to work 70 or 80 hours a week to get by,” Sanders wrote. “I stand with the Uber and Lyft drivers going on strike on May 8.”

Eight consumers have filed lawsuits against ConAgra, claiming the company’s cooking spray -- Pam -- exploded and caused injuries. The product is used by many cooks to lubricate the bottom of a pan or skillet to prevent food from sticking to cooking services.

At least six lawsuits charging defects were filed in Cook County, Illinois Circuit Court. The complaints allege the aerosol cans are prone to explosion when placed in close proximity to stoves and grills.

Two of the plaintiffs said in their suit that a can of Pam cooking spray was on a shelf over the stove in their Provo, Utah home when it exploded. The plaintiffs said they were boiling water at the time.

Another plaintiff said his can of cooking spray was on the counter next to the stove when it exploded.

Company response

ConAgra dismissed the claims, saying Pam is 100 percent safe and effective when consumers follow the directions.

"Pam Cooking Spray is used safely and properly by millions of people every day and several times a day," the company said in a statement.

But the company also said that the can design cited in the lawsuits is no longer being used. The company reportedly switched to a new can design in 2011.

ConAgra says Pam products contain label instructions about how it should be used. The company admits that Pam is flammable, and because of that, it should not be left on a stove, near a heat source, or in a space above 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pam was introduced as a spray cooking oil in 1961.

In the U.S., nearly 700 women die every year due to pregnancy-related complications. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that over half of those deaths are preventable.

In its recent Vital Signs report, the agency stated that roughly three out of every five deaths related to pregnancy-related complications were connected to conditions and circumstances that could have been avoided. These tragic deaths ranged in occurrence from during pregnancy to around the time of delivery, and even up to one year after births took place. Officials say the findings should be considered when drafting future public health policies.

“These data demonstrate the need to address the multiple factors that contribute to pregnancy-related deaths during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum,” the report states.

Causes of death

The researchers analyzed pregnancy mortality data for the years 2011-2015 and tracked the ratio of deaths per 100,000 live births across all women and within different demographics.

The findings showed that 31.3 percent of deaths occurred during pregnancy; 16.9 percent occurred on the day of delivery; 18.6 percent occurred during the first week after birth; 21.4 percent occurred between weeks 1 and 6 after birth; and 11.7 percent occurred between the six-week mark and the one-year mark after birth.

After analyzing these deaths, the researchers concluded that roughly 60 percent of these deaths were preventable. Different conditions and contributing factors led to deaths at the various benchmark times during pregnancy and after birth.

“Acute obstetric emergencies such as hemorrhage and amniotic fluid embolism most commonly occurred on the day of delivery, whereas deaths caused by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and thrombotic pulmonary embolism most commonly occurred 0–6 days postpartum, and during pregnancy and 1–42 days postpartum, respectively. Cardiomyopathy was the most common cause of death in the late postpartum period (43–365 days postpartum),” the report states.

Improving policies and interventions

The researchers point out that making one sweeping change to improve pregnancy outcomes isn’t necessarily possible, since the causes of death were so different. However, they say that addressing each complication is important for public health.

“No single intervention is sufficient; reducing pregnancy-related deaths requires reviewing and learning from each death, improving women’s health, and reducing social inequities across the life span, as well as ensuring quality care for pregnant and postpartum women.”

The full report can be found here.

The latest robocall figures are in and guess what? The tide is turning!

For the first time since February, American consumers got a welcome bit of clemency from those cold-blooded robocallers. The total number of robocalls was down 6 percent in April, tumbling from 5.23 billion to 4.9 billion according to YouMail, a robocall blocking app for mobile phones.

“The good news is that April’s robocall volume is heading in a positive direction,” said YouMail CEO Alex Quilici. “But the bad news is that the total robocall volume so far this year is already over 20 billion calls, which is averaging over 5 billion robocalls per month.”

The robo world’s top 5 evildoers

Health and Health Insurance scams once again ruled the robo world in April, accounting for 376.8 million calls. The remaining top 5 robo scams include Interest Rates, Easy Money, Student Loans, and Search Listings.

The area hardest hit in the robo game continues to be the Southern U.S., with Atlanta claiming the top prize for the city with the most robocalls and the area code (404) with the most robocalls per person. Interestingly, Washington, DC surpassed Baton Rouge, Louisiana as the city with the most robocalls/person, getting hit the most by a bank debt collection spoof that shows up as “Capital One Payments/Collections” on a phone’s caller ID.

Spoofers can get you at “hello”

Quilici gives a tip of his hat to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Congress for the collaborative energy that’s been put into the new SHAKEN/STIR rule. That rule employs authentication technology to expose spoofed calls that show a fictitious number on a consumer’s caller ID.

While that rule offers some relief, Quilici doesn’t see Caller ID spoofing going away anytime soon. “Consumers have to be extremely careful in dealing with inbound phone calls, as roughly half of all robocalls are now scams designed to steal their identity or their money,” Quilici told ConsumerAffairs.

The FCC says that “neighbor spoofing” -- which displays a phone number on Caller ID that’s similar to your own -- increases the likelihood that you’ll answer the call. To help combat neighbor spoofing, the FCC is pushing the telephone industry to adopt a robust caller ID authentication system.

As for steps consumers can take, the FCC has prepared a list of to-dos that might give some relief:

• Don't answer calls from unknown numbers. If you answer such a call, hang up immediately.

• If you answer the phone and the caller - or a recording - asks you to hit a button to stop getting the calls, you should just hang up. Scammers often use this trick to identify potential targets.

• Do not respond to any questions, especially those that can be answered with "Yes" or "No."

• Never give out personal information such as account numbers, Social Security numbers, mother's maiden names, passwords, or other identifying information in response to unexpected calls or if you are at all suspicious.

• If you get an inquiry from someone who says they represent a company or a government agency, hang up and call the phone number on your account statement, in the phone book, or on the company's or government agency's website to verify the authenticity of the request.  You will usually get a written statement in the mail before you get a phone call from a legitimate source, particularly if the caller is asking for a payment.

• Use caution if you are being pressured for information immediately.

• If you have a voicemail account with your phone service, be sure to set a password for it. Some voicemail services are preset to allow access if you call in from your own phone number. A hacker could spoof your home phone number and gain access to your voicemail if you do not set a password.

• Talk to your phone company about call blocking tools it may have and check into apps that you can download to your mobile device to block unwanted calls. Information on available robocall blocking tools is available at fcc.gov/robocalls.

For a quick overview, the FCC recently produced a short video on how consumers can spot robo spoofs quickly and the steps they can take to keep from getting sucked into the scam. It might be worth a minute-and-a-half of your time to watch it and get up-to-date on the robocall issue.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has proposed new rules to modify the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the statute preventing harassment of debtors.

The modification would allow debt collectors to send “unlimited” texts and emails to consumers who are delinquent in paying their bills. However, it reduces the number of telephone calls a debt collector may make each week.

“The Bureau is taking the next step in the rulemaking process to ensure we have clear rules of the road where consumers know their rights and debt collectors know their limitations,” said CFPB Director Kathleen L. Kraninger. “As the CFPB moves to modernize the legal regime for debt collection, we are keenly interested in hearing all views so that we can develop a final rule that takes into account the feedback received.”

The FDCPA was enacted in 1977, setting rules for how debt collectors can interact with consumers. In its current form, the act blocks debt collectors from contacting consumers at inconvenient times or places. They can’t contact consumers before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. unless the consumer gives permission. They also can’t contact debtors at work if they’re told employees are not allowed to receive calls.

The CFPB says the proposed changes would maintain clear consumer protections against harassment by debt collectors while providing straightforward options to address or dispute debts.

‘Clear, bright-line limits’

Included in the proposed changes are “clear, bright-line limits” on the number of telephone calls debt collectors may place to reach consumers on a weekly basis. The update clarifies how debt collectors communicate with voicemails, emails, and text messages -- technologies that have developed since the law was passed four decades ago.

The changes would also require debt collectors to provide more information about the debt in question so consumers can adequately respond to the request.

In another revision, a debt collector can’t sue or threaten to sue a consumer to collect a debt if the debt collector knows or should know that the statute of limitations has expired.

The proposed rule also would stop a debt collector from providing information about a delinquent debt to a credit reporting agency unless the debt collector has communicated with the consumer about the debt, such as by sending them a letter.

Though just 20 percent of states have legalized marijuana for recreational purposes, many legislators nationwide have given the green light for health care professionals to use the drug for medicinal purposes.

Now, health care experts are bringing up some cause for concern when it comes to prescribing cannabis to patients.

“Consistently across medicine, pharmacy, and nursing, health professionals all said their knowledge of medical cannabis was poor,” said researcher Kyle Gardiner. “Many highlighted a need for further education and easy-to-access information. Where they felt evidence-based resources were not accessible, their knowledge was generated from online learning, news and media, and patient experiences.”

What the experts are saying

The researchers analyzed nearly 30 previous studies that have assessed health care professionals’ beliefs and attitudes regarding medical cannabis use.

The studies included responses from pharmacists, allied health professionals, nurses, and medical practitioners, the majority of whom agreed that medical cannabis should be used; however, the respondents said they needed better information to properly guide their patients.

“It is important to know [medical professionals’] attitudes and concerns about the delivery and use of medical cannabis, what knowledge they have, and where they are getting their information,” Gardiner said. “However, these are a few pieces of a much larger picture.”

Gardiner notes that patients are only granted access to medical cannabis if they are properly prescribed it by a health care professional, further proving how vital their role is in these cases.

While many of the health care experts involved in this study expressed their own ignorance about the issue -- including the proper dosage to give to patients, where the drug is legal, and where they can get it -- they also shared that they were concerned for their patients’ overall well-being.

The health care experts had patients’ mental health at the forefront of their minds, as previous studies have revealed a relationship between medical cannabis use and overall mental health, while drug misuse, driving under the influence, and interactions with other drugs were other big concerns around prescribing medical cannabis.

Moving forward, Gardiner and his team want to ensure that patients are getting the highest quality of care that they possibly can, and this starts with understanding where health care professionals come from in their decision-making.

“The picture we need to build is a more robust understanding of health professional behaviour,” said Gardiner. “This is an important step in recognising and better informing strategies that change the way health care is delivered so that patients are not disadvantaged. This study is one part of putting together that picture relating to medical cannabis.”

Understanding marijuana use

Medical marijuana has been touted to help any number of conditions, but a recent study found that adults with cancer are more likely to use the drug to manage their pain than those without cancer.

The study spanned from 2005 through 2014, and though marijuana use among adults rose across the board, cancer patients were more likely to manage the pain with marijuana than their counterparts.

“Medical marijuana legalization has been previously associated with a reduction in hospitalizations related to opioid dependence or abuse, suggesting that if patients are in fact substituting marijuana for opioids, this may introduce an opportunity for reducing opioid-related morbidity and mortality,” said Dr. Jona Hattangandi-Gluth. “Of course, it will also be important to identify risks and adverse effects of marijuana, which has not previously been studied on large randomized clinical trials, given its scheduling as a class 1 controlled substance.”

With the risks of air pollution seeming to increase every day, researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder recently discovered how toxic fumes can affect nail salon workers.

According to the study, breathing in dangerous levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde, benzene, xylene, toluene, and ethylbenzene can increase nail salon workers’ risk of developing cancer.

“The study provides some of the first hard evidence that these environments are dangerous for workers and that better policies need to be enacted to protect them,” said researcher Lupita Montoya.

Prioritizing clean air

While previous studies had explored the dangers associated with VOCs found in nail polish and other related products, no researchers had explored how the fumes affected the people who spend most of their time breathing them in -- nail salon workers.

Though Montoya struggled to find a nail salon willing to open its doors to field testing, members of her research team were able to find six salons in Colorado that allowed the researchers to run their tests, so long as they stayed anonymous.

Over the course of 18 months, the researchers utilized equipment that monitored employees’ exposure to VOCs, and then they had participants fill out questionnaires related to their own health concerns, as well as workplace efforts to prioritize health and safety.

All six salons tested positive for high levels of benzene, which has dangerous consequences. Exposure levels were high since the vast majority of nail salon workers reported working over 50 hours per week, and some as many as 80 hours per week.

While Montoya notes that the salons’ customers are safe due to the brief periods of time spent breathing in the fumes, the risk of cancer for salon workers is really troubling, especially considering that many reported feeling symptoms like skin or eye irritation and persistent headaches.

The researchers wanted to see how they could help reduce these risks for nail salon workers and ensure that their workplaces were safe. Though many traditional practices may interfere with day-to-day business in a nail salon, Montoya and her team found that they could utilize art pieces made with carbon-based materials that would be both aesthetically pleasing and work to clean the air of toxic fumes.

“We’ve seen high rates of VOC removal with this method in controlled lab settings -- nearly 100 percent,” said researcher Aaron Lamplugh. “We’re still optimizing it for the field, where conditions are more unpredictable.”

The researchers are still working to perfect this method, but they think these findings -- and their work towards a solution -- are important steps in the right direction toward making nail salons a safer, healthier place to work.

“There’s a huge knowledge gap and regulatory gap right now,” Lamplugh said. “We should invest in technology that’s going to solve a problem on the ground, where it’s accessible and usable.”

Steering clear of health scares

The negative health effects associated with air pollution seem to be endless, as researchers recently found that exposure to the fumes has led to an increased number of consumers in the emergency room with cardiovascular issues.

However, it isn’t all doom and gloom. Another recent study explored a simple way consumers can fight against air pollution: saving electricity. Though a difficult feat in a nail salon, it could come in handy in consumers’ homes, as energy efficiency has been found to be effective in countless ways.

“By saving electricity, we can also save lives,” said researcher David Abel. “There is a range of health benefits. It’s a bonus. We find there are extra health reasons to turn off a light.”

For the first time ever, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken exclusive action against companies that tried to stop consumers from writing reviews about them.

In three separate complaints, the agency accused a Pennsylvania-based HVAC and electrical provider, a Massachusetts-based flooring firm, and a Nevada-based horseback trail riding operation of trying to enforce an illegal non-disparagement clause against consumers who tried to post online reviews of the companies. Each company has agreed to settle the charges and notify consumers that the text in the contracts they signed was not enforceable.

“Many online shoppers use customer reviews and ratings to get information, but these companies used gag clauses in their form contracts to stop customers from posting honest but negative feedback. These gag clauses are illegal, and companies that know it but use them anyway will be subject to civil penalties,” said Andrew Smith, the FTC’s director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Enforcing CRFA

The actions taken by the agency represent the first time that it has exclusively enforced the Consumer Review Fairness Act (CRFA).

The law, which went into effect in March 2017, prohibits companies from barring consumers from writing or posting negative reviews online. It also stops the companies from threatening consumers with legal action over those reviews.

In addition to notifying all affected consumers, the companies named in the complaints have been barred from using any review-limiting terms in future contracts. Each entity will also have to file reports with the FTC so that the agency can track their compliance.

Over the past few years, charges of “fake news” have been levied at all levels of media, from online social platforms to some of the biggest institutions in journalism. But a recent study suggests that focusing on the source of a piece of information can help consumers avoid misleading information.

Researchers from Cornell University conducted seven experiments on over 3,000 participants and found that people based their initial reactions to contrasting, new evidence about a topic according to the source it was coming from.

"We wanted to know whether offering information about the source of news matters for people's gut-level, automatic reactions," explained Melissa Ferguson, the study’s co-author. " Our studies suggest that establishing credibility for news sources is the right policy to combat fake news."

Automatic reactions affected by source

Within the seven experiments the researchers conducted, they used a relatable example of judging an imaginary person named Kevin. Before being given the full scenario, the researchers described Kevin in a positive light to participants so that they could develop a baseline opinion of the character.

To test their gut reactions, the researchers then gave participants news from a particular source that detailed something disturbing about Kevin. In one situation, Kevin was said to have been arrested for abusing his wife.

Interestingly, the source of the information factored into participants’ gut reaction upon learning about the news. Participants who learned about the arrest from a police report were more likely to judge Kevin negatively and harshly. However, those who learned about the news from a friend of Kevin’s ex-girlfriend were less likely to take the news seriously and more likely to still view Kevin in a positive light.

"In other words, whether participants thought this new information was true determined even their automatic feelings," the researchers wrote. "And, in a separate experiment, this occurred even if participants initially thought the information was true and only later discovered that it was from a questionable source."

Platforms address false news

While previous studies have suggested that the mania over “fake news” is overblown, several platforms have enacted new policies to stop the spread of misinformation on their sites.

Last month, Twitter announced that it was rolling out a feature that would allow users to report misleading tweets that were related to voting and elections.

“Voting is a fundamental human right and the public conversation occurring on Twitter is never more important than during elections. Any attempts to undermine the process of registering to vote or engaging in the electoral process is contrary to the company’s core values,” the platform said.

Vivimed Life Sciences is recalling 19 lots of Losartan Potassium 25-mg, 50-mg, and 100-mg tablets used for the treatment of hypertension, hypertensive patients with left ventricular hypertrophy, and nephropathy in Type 2 diabetic patients.

The product contains trace amounts of N-Nitroso N-Methyl 4-amino butyric acid (NMBA), a potential human carcinogen.

There are no reports of adverse events to date related to this recall.

The following 19 lot numbers of Losartan Potassium tablets are being recalled:

The recalled products were distributed nationwide to wholesalers, distributors, retail pharmacies, and mail order pharmacies.

What to do

Patients should contact their doctor for further guidance and potential change of treatment before they stop taking the product.

Consumers with questions regarding the recall may call (877) 861-3811, Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm (EST).

General Motors is recalling 324,226 model year 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 4500s, 5500s & 6500s, model year 2017-2019 Silverado 2500s & 3500s, and GMC Sierra 2500s and 3500s with Duramax 6.6 liter diesel engines and an optional engine-block heater.

The engine block heater cord or the terminals that connect the heater cord to the block heater may short circuit and fail.

A short-circuit may damage the engine components and increase the risk of fire.

What to do

The remedy for this recall is still under development.

The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-586-596-1733. GM's number for this recall is N182206310.

Two United States senators have raised objections to a possible $5 billion fine against Facebook for privacy violations. But they aren’t saying the penalty is too harsh. They say it isn’t harsh enough.

Late last month, when Facebook reported earnings, it told investors it was setting aside $3 billion to $5 billion for a potential settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

“We estimate that the range of loss in this matter is $3 billion to $5 billion,” Facebook said in its news release. “The matter remains unresolved, and there can be no assurance as to the timing or the terms of any final outcome.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) have served notice that they would like to alter the final outcome. The two lawmakers have fired off a letter to the FTC urging the agency’s director to “act swiftly to conclude the investigation of Facebook and to move to compel sweeping changes to end the social network’s pattern of misuse and abuse of personal data.”

2011 settlement

At issue is whether Facebook violated the terms of a 2011 settlement with the FTC that covered consumer privacy practices, and if so, how the matter should be resolved.

The letter asked the FTC to “pursue deterrent monetary penalties and impose forceful accountability measures on Facebook, including limits on the use of consumer data, managerial responsibility for violations, and other structural remedies to stop further breaches of consumer trust."

There has been no formal or public disclosure on any settlement terms between the FTC and Facebook, but sources say the agreement may transfer the oversight of the company’s privacy policies and practices to the Facebook board of directors.

But Blumenthal and Hawley say that isn’t good enough; they want the consumer protection agency to go farther. They want the FTC to consider setting the rules for how Facebook uses consumers’ data. Those rules could include deleting tracking data and restricting what types of information can be collected.

$5 billion ‘a bargain’

The lawmakers said they were concerned when Facebook announced to investors that it could settle the multiple privacy issues facing it for $3 billion to $5 billion, calling such a settlement “a bargain” for the social media giant.

Blumenthal and Hawley are also asking the FTC to hold Facebook employees -- including CEO  Mark Zuckerberg -- personally responsible if they are found to have knowingly broken the law.

“The FTC considered naming Mark Zuckerberg in its previous consent order but ultimately declined to do so,” the lawmakers wrote. “If the FTC finds that any Facebook executive knowingly broke the consent order or violated the law, it must name them in any further action."

Everyone makes financial mistakes, but the nature of these errors may differ depending on your age and even your generation.

When researchers at Senior List surveyed consumers of different ages, they found the nature of millennials’ money mistakes were different from today’s seniors who reported their main financial mistakes when they were in their 30s.

Looking back, seniors said they took on too much debt when they were young adults. Millennials, who are now in their 30s -- or at least approaching them -- say they tend to spend too much money.

Drilling deeper into the numbers, the researchers found that 53 percent of millennials don’t have a monthly budget. That appears to be the main thing setting them apart from seniors. Only 32 percent of seniors operate without a monthly budget.

Importance of budgeting

Having a budget and following it ensures that you live within your means. Think about a business that operates without a budget. It spends with little regard for how much money is coming in. Operating that way puts it at a high risk of bankruptcy.

Personal finance experts say budgeting is also important because it reinforces on every family member the value of money. It requires the setting of spending priorities, delaying spending on things that aren’t considered essential.

The survey found one area where millennials are doing better than seniors did at that age. Millennials are nearly twice as likely to start a retirement savings plan before reaching the age of 30 than their older counterparts did.

Saving earlier for retirement

While millennials have three decades or more to accumulate retirement savings and investments, seniors who didn’t start saving until recently are running out of time. Because of that, many seniors plan to keep working well into their 70s.

What advice do seniors have for millennials? It has to do with a hard lesson learned in their youth about debt. Seniors say they would urge millennials to make sure they save at least a little money each month and to pay off old debt before taking on new debt.

A new Amazon Go store opening in downtown New York City will become the first location to accept cash.

The new functionality comes as no surprise after statements that the company made last month about the state of its cashierless stores. While having a store that allows consumers to quickly shop for their items and depart without having to slog through a checkout line may be appealing to many consumers, critics were quick to point out that the system does not work for consumers without a credit or debit card.

As a result, Amazon said that they would address the issue moving forward. While no timeline was given for when a solution would arrive, it seems it didn’t take long for company officials to figure out a workaround. In a statement to Gizmodo, one Amazon official explained how the cash option would be implemented.

“Customers who want to pay with cash can let our entry associate know, and the associate will scan them into the store. The customer will be able to shop the store and then will go to our checkout cart to pay with cash and get a receipt before leaving with their purchased items,” the spokesperson said.

Addressing the critics

The decision to accept cash at its new Amazon Go stores may save the company some headaches in the long run. After announcing plans to launch thousands of the stores late last year, U.S. officials became wary at the prospect of a cashless business.

San Francisco regulators even floated the idea of banning Amazon Go stores from the city because of lack of accessibility for all consumers. Previously, states such as Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Philadelphia had banned cashless retailers over similar concerns.

Tired of all the personal privacy lip service the tech giants have been spewing forth? If yes, then this might get your attention: Apple CEO Tim Cook wants consumers to know, “You are not our product.”

In an interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer, Cook did plenty of preaching-to-the-choir. “Our products are iPhones and iPads,” he said. “We treasure your data. We wanna help you keep it private and keep it safe.”

“We shouldn’t sugar-coat the consequences,” Cook said, possibly looking at Apple’s peers like Facebook that have failed to honor users’ data. “This is surveillance.”

“Privacy in itself has become a crisis -- it’s of that proportion,” Cook said. “Crisis” has become Cook’s favorite word, one he started using in late 2018 at the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners.

An online privacy crisis

Most consumers agree with Cook. In a recent Axios-SurveyMonkey poll, 58 percent of the consumers polled believe that the threat to online privacy is a crisis.

“Cook is right to stress Apple's focus on data protection as this is what will help them stand out from the competition in the areas they are now looking to dominate,” Sukhi Jutla, the Founder & COO at MarketOrders, told ConsumerAffairs. “He has cleverly picked the one key thing that his competitors have got so badly wrong, and the one area Apple can become the leaders in.”

Using an analogy from the consumer’s pre-digital life, Cook views privacy as being similar to a “peeping Tom.”

“If you think about it, when I was growing up, one of the worst things was … the ‘peeping Tom’ -- somebody looking in the window. The fact is the people who track on the internet know a lot more about you than if somebody’s looking in your window.”

Shifting from hardware to subscription-based revenue

Even though Apple’s historical bread and butter has been hardware, there’s a shift in focus taking place with iPhone sales headed downward and the subscription business for Apple Music and Apple Pay going up. Those two subscription services brought a combined $11.5 billion into the company’s coffers in the first quarter of 2019.

Adding to Apple’s future plans are Apple TV+, a new streaming service the company will roll out this Fall in hopes of making a dent in Netflix, and a security-driven credit card.

Does Apple have any other choice? Jutla says no.

''Apple is a victim of its own success; with iPhone sales declining as the market has become saturated (as their phones are great quality and everyone has one) they have no option but to look at other revenue streams such as subscription services.”

College students receiving their degrees next month will head out into the job market, but where should they go? It turns out that some states are better than others when it comes to launching a career.

A study by GoBankingRates.com ranks the states that are most helpful to young people beginning a job, with many areas offering good employment opportunities and a reasonable cost of living. The study authors admit some of the results were surprising.

The best states are located along the East Coast and in the upper Midwest. The top five states to launch a career are:

• Maryland

• Massachusetts

• Minnesota

• North Dakota

• Connecticut

One reason these states top the list is there are already a large number of college graduates living there. In nine out of the top 10 states, the share of the population aged 25 or older with a Bachelor's degree is 20 percent or higher.

Maryland offers proximity to the nation’s capital with plenty of high-paying jobs. Amazon’s second headquarters in nearby Arlington, Va., will provide many more.

Massachusetts and Connecticut are attractive for similar reasons. Boston is home to a number of technology companies and is a center of academic excellence. Connecticut is close to high-paying jobs in New York City but without the cost of Manhattan real estate. A number of major corporations are also based in the state.

Bottom of the list

While there are good states for starting a career, there are also bad ones. When you look at the bottom five on the list, you find they all have one thing in common: The cost of living is high relative to salaries, and there are smaller numbers of college graduates.

• Idaho

• Florida

• Mississippi

• Hawaii

• Nevada

California is in the top 10 of the worst states to launch a career. It’s true that the state has a large population of college graduates, but the cost of living all but rules it out. It has the highest gasoline prices in the nation and some of the most expensive real estate of all the states in the ranking.

One thing the Class of 2019 has going for it is a sterling job market, no matter where they decide to settle. The economy added 263,000 jobs in April, sending the nation’s unemployment rate to a 49-year low of 3.6 percent. At the same time, average hourly pay increased 3.2 percent in the last 12 months, building on the same increase recorded in March.