Current Events in August 2019

A growing number of economists worry that a recession could be ahead, but the job market has yet to suggest it.

Last week’s July employment report shows that the economy produced 164,000 jobs last month, and the unemployment rate remains near a record low of 3.7 percent. As in previous months, there were sizable job gains in professional and technical services, health care, social assistance, and financial activities.

At the same time, wages also continue to slowly rise. In July, average hourly earnings rose by another eight cents to $27.98, an increase of 3.2 percent over the last 12 months. In its analysis The Conference Board suggests that the latest report means the hiring pace should continue for a while. 

“We should expect more of the same in the U.S. labor market: moderate employment growth, labor market tightening, intensifying recruiting and retention difficulties, and higher labor cost growth which will continue to draw more people into the labor force, the Board said in a statement. 

One significant consequence of the report, the organization says, is that further Federal Reserve rate cuts may be less likely.

Tech weakness

While the technology sector continued to produce jobs, an analysis by CompTIA, a technology industry association, shows the telecom industry lost 5,100 jobs last month. That reduced the net jobs gain for technology to 11,400.

"Despite the telecom losses and some softness in job posting data, it was a reasonably solid month for tech," said Tim Herbert, executive vice president for research and market intelligence at CompTIA. "Digital transformation is an ongoing process, where the mix of investment, skills requirements and business alignment are never static."

Boost to housing

The impact of the report may also be felt outside the job market. Holden Lewis, NerdWallet’s home expert, says the strong jobs report, coupled with lower mortgage rates, could mean the lagging housing market is about to see more would-be buyers pour in.

“But many will be disappointed with what they find,” Lewis said in an email to ConsumerAffairs. “More buyers often lead to more bidding wars for homes, and with mortgage rates remaining relatively steady since June, getting into a home won't be any easier now than a few months ago.”

Williams Foods is recalling the following two varieties of taco seasonings:

The products may be contaminated with Salmonella

There are no consumer complaints or reported illnesses to date.

The recalled products, with "Best By" date information on the top part of the back side of the package, was sold in retail grocery stores in Washington, D.C., Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled products should not consume them, but discard or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Consumers with questions may contact the firm's customer service center at (800) 847-5608 from 8am – 5pm (CST) Monday – Friday or by e-mail at customerservice@chg.com for more information.

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling 27,822 model year 2015-2016 Tiguans and CCs.

The airbag Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have a defective power supply capacitor that can result in airbag deactivation or inadvertent deployment.

Deactivated airbags increase the risk of injury. Inadvertent deployment of the airbags increases the risk of a crash.

What to do

Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will install new software and replace the air bag ECU as necessary free of charge.

The recall is expected to begin September 13, 2019.

Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69Z5.

In the wake of Capital One’s recent data breach, ConsumerAffairs sees a lot of questions swirling around -- was I affected, what did they get, what should I do, etc.

The good news is that Capital One says it fixed the issue and the perpetrator is in jail. Finding out whether your personal data was hacked will take a few more days, though. According to CNET, anyone affected should be contacted no later than Monday, August 5 via postal mail.

Naturally, if you don’t have a Capital One account of any sort, your data should be out of harm’s way. But if you do have a Capital One account, it would be a smart move to take some time to protect your account going forward.

If you were affected

If you receive notice from Capital One that your data was hacked, the company says it will give you free credit monitoring and identity protection. On top of that, company officials are suggesting these best practices to make sure your account is safe: 

• Enroll in account alerts to help them keep track of activity on your accounts. Customers can sign in to online banking and set up text or email alerts, based on their preferences.

• Monitor credit card accounts for unusual or suspicious activity that you do not recognize, and call the phone number on the back of your Capital One card or on your statement as soon as possible if there is any unusual activity.

Capital One wants consumers to keep in mind that it does not call customers asking for personal information. In the wake of situations like this, there’s always a boatful of phishers trying to capitalize on the incident. To that end, Capital One offers insights on how to spot fraudulent emails and messages on its website. If you get a suspicious email, do not reply; instead, forward the email to Capital One security at abuse@capitalone.com. Once you forward the suspicious email, delete it from your mailbox. 

An added ounce of prevention courtesy of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is also recommended. Its identify theft assistant can help affected consumers build an identity theft recovery plan.

If you weren’t affected

If you weren’t part of the Capital One hack, consider yourself lucky -- 100 million consumers weren’t. Nonetheless, you should take some steps to proactively protect your data going forward.

There are several ways consumers can help protect themselves in the wake of this and other recent data breaches. Some of these may include:

Keeping tabs on your credit reports.All consumers are eligible for one free credit report a year from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. When you get your report, pay close attention to any mistakes or activity that you consider suspicious. For example, if a mailing address is not one you recognize or if there’s a credit account you don’t remember opening, file a claim with the reporting agency detailing what you found and what you think should be corrected or deleted. 

Keeping an eye out for unusual charges. While banks and credit card issuers have gotten pretty good at detecting suspicious activity, their systems are not perfect. If you see a charge you find odd or don’t remember making, there is usually a toll-free phone number on the back of each credit card where a representative can further explain the charge.

Using a credit/fraud monitoring service. As consumers hit by the recent Equifax breach know, one of the options offered is free credit monitoring for six years. As a gesture, Equifax rival Experian is also offering credit monitoring of all three services for three years. There are also pay-for credit monitoring services that are worth investigating.

Freezing your credit. Not many consumers are aware of this option, but the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) added a new layer of protection for concerned consumers -- one where they can ask any or all of the three major credit services to freeze their credit. The biggest advantage to doing that is that it makes things difficult for any credit thief who may want to open up a credit account in a consumer’s name.

Credit monitoring vs. credit freeze

Which is best -- credit/fraud monitoring or a credit freeze? “Ultimately, it's up to you as to which is the best fit for your needs,” says the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. 

“While the process of initiating one is a bit easier, a fraud alert can leave you less protected than a security freeze in the end. A security freeze does keep your credit more secure, but it can be less convenient to both start and stop (especially if you need access to your credit immediately).”

Apple has temporarily pulled the plug on a program that let its employees listen to Siri voice recordings. The practice was called “grading,” and it was intended to help boost Siri’s speech recognition accuracy and quality. 

Apple said it listened to less than one percent of Siri voice conversations and that the recordings were anonymous. Nonetheless, the tech giant has decided to suspend the program in the wake of a recent Guardian report which found that Apple contractors “regularly hear confidential details” on Siri recordings. 

Apple told the publication that its goal in letting staffers listen to some conversations was to “help Siri and dictation … understand you better and recognize what you say.” The article sparked a wave of criticism, which has now resulted in Apple suspending the program while it decides how to proceed. 

“We are committed to delivering a great Siri experience while protecting user privacy. While we conduct a thorough review, we are suspending Siri grading globally,” an Apple spokesperson told TechCrunch. 

In an upcoming software update, Apple will give users the ability to opt out of participating in the company’s grading program. 

The price of new cars keeps going up, but fortunately for consumers, financing costs are coming down.

Automotive publisher Edmunds reports that the average interest rate on a new vehicle loan fell for the third straight month in July to 5.8 percent, it’s lowest level of 2019; it was 6 percent in June. Some car-buyers did even better. Edmunds reports that 35 percent of July’s buyers got an interest rate below 4 percent.

"Rising vehicle costs and high interest rates have been placing immense pressure on the new-car market all year, so it's nice to see shoppers get a bit of a reprieve," said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds' executive director of insights. "Consumers are still in for a bit of sticker shock if they're coming back to the market for the first time in a few years, but the fact that interest rates are trending slightly lower is helping soften the blow."

Best deals are on 2018 models

Caldwell says interest rates on car loans have been sinking because manufacturers and their dealers have subsidized rates to clear out the remaining inventory of last year’s models. Edmunds estimates that 3 percent of new vehicles sales in July were 2018 models, the highest level of outgoing model-year sales of any July in Edmunds' records, dating back to 2002.

"The fact that there are still 2018 models sitting on dealer lots this far into the year is pretty disconcerting, but at least we're seeing that automakers and dealers are making a greater effort to get shoppers in the door," said Caldwell.

Incentive rates should continue falling this month in the wake of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate cut, announced this week. The Fed’s federal funds rate is going down by a quarter point, which is normally reflected in lower auto loan rates.

Caldwell doesn’t expect that to have much of a meaningful impact, but she predicts dealers will, in fact, continue to make financing more attractive for buyers over the next few months. That, she says, will have more impact on consumers’ monthly payments.

"Even with this move and automaker incentives, we expect to see average interest rates lingering in the 5 percent territory through the rest of the year," she said.

In a new study, researchers deconstructed the struggles many nations are facing in trying to gain ground when it comes to meeting the tenants of the Paris Climate Agreement. 

The agreement involves individual countries creating pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs); however, it’s a lack of consistency in the formatting of those pledges that creates the biggest stumbling blocks for progress, experts say. 

“The Paris Climate Agreement was a step in the right direction for international climate policy,” said researcher Lewis King. “But in its current form, it is at best inadequate and at worst grossly ineffective. Our study highlights significant issues around transparency and consistency in the agreement’s pledges, which may be a contributory factor towards the lack of ambition in the pledges from parties.” 

Getting inside the pledges

The researchers analyzed the various pledges by breaking them down into four categories: emission intensity reductions, absolute emission reduction targets, “business as usual” (BAU) reduction, and pledges that didn’t include emissions targets. 

The biggest issue has been clarity. Because the individual countries have so many options when it comes to formatting the pledges, it’s difficult for experts to understand how effective the pledges are in completing what they set out to, which is why there have been so many discrepancies.  

Though the goal of all countries is to reduce emissions, the various formatting options leave many pledges with ambiguous language. Though experts work to put all pledges on the same playing field, some countries end up with emissions increases by 2030, as opposed to decreases. 

“Not only does this make associated pledges difficult to interpret and compare to other pledges without detailed analysis, but may produce a psychological effect of reducing ambition level due to framing the pledge as a percentage reduction even though emissions actually increase,” said researcher Jeroen van den Bergh. 

According to the researchers, absolute emission reduction targets are typically the most effective, as this requires countries to set goals for reducing emissions by a specific percentage, based on a baseline from years’ past -- typically between 1990 and 2014 -- with a target year in mind to reach the goal. Some countries are ambitious enough to shoot for 2025, though the majority are set on 2030. 

“We found that authentic absolute reduction pledges had the highest ambition in terms of tangible emission reduction,” said King. “By contrast, pledges in the other three categories tend to produce low ambitions with significant emissions increases of 29-53 percent at a global level.” 

The researchers hope that countries involved in the Paris Climate Agreement can work to create uniform pledges, so as to minimize confusion, streamline the process, and make it easier for nations to reach their goals and feel good about doing so. 

“Society has the right to be able to clearly understand and compare climate change commitments by countries, including whether they are fair, ambitious, and add up to international climate goals,” said King. “We also know that providing consistent and easily comparable information about national climate goals helps with public acceptance.” 

The fight against climate change

As pollution continues to get worse in the United States, and new studies consistently report on how dangerous it can be to consumers’ health, there are some forces working to fight climate change. 

Companies like Facebook and Lyft have become dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, while a group of young Americans have taken up a lawsuit against the Trump administration because of an alleged lack of concern regarding climate change. 

The group, going by the name Youth, believes that the Trump administration has violated consumers’ constitutional rights in not doing more to fight against climate change. 

Gasoline prices drifted lower during the week for the final stretch of the vacation and summer driving seasons.

The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows the average price of regular gas is $2.72 a gallon, nearly three cents less than last week but the same as a month ago. Gas is 15 cents a gallon cheaper than at this time in 2018. The average price of premium gas is $3.29 a gallon, down from $3.32 last Friday. The price of diesel fuel is $2.98, a penny less than a week ago.

Gas prices are giving way under the pressure of falling oil prices. At the same time, consumers aren’t buying as much fuel, keeping supplies plentiful. The  Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports gasoline demand fell last week to 9.55 million barrels a day.

“Alongside a decline in gasoline demand, a cheaper crude price — ranging between $12-15 per barrel less when compared to last year — has helped American motorists to see lower pump prices this summer,” AAA said in its latest market update.

GasBuddy’s Patrick DeHaan predicts gasoline prices will continue to fall. In a tweet, DeHaan said falling oil prices will likely lead to lower gasoline prices in most of the country as summer draws to a close.

The states with the most expensive regular gas

These states currently have the highest prices for regular gas, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Survey:

• California ($3.68)

• Hawaii ($3.65)

• Washington ($3.28)

• Nevada ($3.24)

• Oregon ($3.14)

• Alaska ($3.13)

• Illinois ($2.96)

• Idaho ($2.90)

• Pennsylvania ($2.89)

• Connecticut ($2.87)

The states with the cheapest regular gas

The survey found these states currently have the lowest prices for regular gas:

• Mississippi ($2.35)

• Louisiana ($2.35)

• Alabama ($2.36)

• Arkansas ($2.38)

• South Carolina ($2.39)

• Oklahoma ($2.44)

• Tennessee ($2.45)

• Texas ($2.46)

• Virginia ($2.47)

• Missouri ($2.47)

Dorel Juvenile Group USA of Foxboro, Mass., is recalling about 24,000 Eddie Bauer Slumber and Soothe Rock Bassinets; Disney Baby Doze and Dream Bassinets.

Infant fatalities have been reported involving other inclined sleep products, after the infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side while unrestrained, or under other circumstances.

Dorel has received no reports of incidents or injuries.

This recall involves the Eddie Bauer Slumber and Soothe Bassinet with model number BT055CSY and the Disney Baby Doze and Dream Bassinet with model number BT071DHS. The model numbers are located on a label on the underneath side of the fabric of the inclined sleeper pad.

The inclined sleepers are rectangular shaped with a soft bottom, cushioned fabric, stand approximately two feet off the floor and are designed for sleeping or napping infants from birth to six months of age.

The Eddie Bauer Slumber and Sooth Bassinet is beige. The Disney Baby Doze and Dream Bassinet is purple.

The inclined sleepers, manufactured in China, were sold at Target, Kmart, Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx and juvenile product stores nationwide from November 2014, through February 2017, for about $60.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the inclined sleepers and contact Dorel for a refund in the form of a $60 voucher.

Consumers may contact Call Dorel toll-free at (877) 657-9546 or text Dorel at (812) 373-6673 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday, by email at inclinesleeperrecall@djgusa.com, or online at www.safety1st.com at and click on “Safety Notices” for more information.

Lennox Intl of Edison N.J., is recalling Natural Pig Ears that may be contaminated with Salmonella.

The firm says it is aware of two cases in which pig ears caused dog illnesses.

The recalled product comes in an 8 PK branded pouch under UPC 742174 995163, 742174994166 or packaged individually shrinked wrapped under UPC 0385384810, and 742174P35107. UPC codes are on the front label of the package.

It was shipped to distributors and/or retail stores nationwide from May 1 – July 3, 2019.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled product and have proper receipt may return to the place of purchase.

Consumers may contact the company at (800) 5388980 Monday – Friday from 9AM – 5 PM or by email at usaoffice@lennoxpets.com for refund and additional information.

Earlier this week, customers affected by the Equifax data breach of 2017 were promised either a $125 check or free credit monitoring courtesy of Experian.

Now, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is urging consumers to opt for the free credit monitoring option due to “overwhelming” public response to the settlement. The agency said the number of settlement claims has risen so fast that Equifax may not have enough money to send a $125 payout to everyone who requests one.

“Because the amount of money set aside for the cash payment option is capped at $31 million, consumers who select that option may not receive the $125 they had expected,” the FTC said in a notice on Wednesday.

The agency is strongly suggesting that consumers who haven’t already submitted a claim consider choosing the credit monitoring service, which is worth more than the amount of money they would likely receive. 

“You can still choose the cash option on the claim form, but you will be disappointed with the amount you receive and you won’t get the free credit monitoring,” the FTC said.

Credit monitoring ‘worth a lot more’

The decision of whether to choose cash or credit monitoring is ultimately up to each individual and their situation, but the FTC says consumers who choose the cash payout option should be prepared to receive less than they were initially told they’d receive. 

“A large number of claims for cash instead of credit monitoring means only one thing: each person who takes the money option will wind up only getting a small amount of money,” the agency said. “Nowhere near the $125 they could have gotten if there hadn’t been such an enormous number of claims filed.” 

The “millions” of customers who have already requested to receive cash can still switch to the free credit monitoring service. These consumers should “look for an email from the settlement administrator,” the FTC said. 

“They’ll be asking you for the name of the credit monitoring service you already have. Or, if you want to change your mind, you’ll have a chance to switch to the free credit monitoring,” the agency said, adding that the settlement administrator can also be emailed directly at info@EquifaxBreachSettlement.com.

The Federal Reserve has cut its key interest rate a quarter of a point but suggested it isn’t part of a cycle of lower rates.

Wall Street fully expected the rate cut at Wednesday’s meeting but had its heart set on a series of future cuts. When Fed Chairman Jerome Powell referred to the move as a “mid-cycle adjustment,” stocks sold off. 

In its July meeting statement, the Fed policymakers actually found little reason to cut interest rates. The statement noted that the job market remains strong and consumers are still spending generously. Inflation is actually pretty low. About the only reason the Fed could find for its action was some softness in business spending.

So the Fed announced a rate cut but suggested that would be it, at least in the short term. 

Upside for consumers in debt

While that was clearly disappointing to investors who have gotten used to the idea of cheap money, a quarter point cut in the federal funds rate is still good news for consumers, especially consumers who are in debt.

The Fed’s key interest rate doesn’t have that much impact on mortgage rates but it is usually in sync with banks’ prime lending rates. When the federal funds rate goes down, so does the prime rate.

That in turn usually lowers credit card interest rates which are near an all-time high. With so  many consumers carrying credit card balances, a little less in monthly interest charges could mean a little more cash in consumer’s pockets.

The federal funds rate also influences the rate on a home equity line of credit (HELOC) and on auto loans. So all in all, when the Fed cuts interest rates, consumers tend to benefit.

First cut in 11 years

This is the first time since late 2008 that the Fed has cut its key interest rate. It did so 11 years ago in response to the financial crisis, reducing the rate to nearly 0 percent to keep the economy afloat.

The Fed embarked on a campaign of rate increases in December 2015 and over a period of several months increased the federal funds rate to around 2.25 percent, still historically low. With the economy still growing policymakers apparently decided there was no reason to commit to future rate reductions.

“In determining the timing and size of future adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate, the committee will assess realized and expected economic conditions relative to its maximum employment objective and its symmetric 2 percent inflation objective,” the Fed said in its statement.

Amazon will soon introduce new package guidelines for sellers as part of a larger effort to curb its environmental impact and maximize efficiency. 

Starting September 3, sellers who ship items in oversized packages will be fined $1.99, the Wall Street Journal reports. As further incentive to stick to the standards, Amazon will give sellers a $1 credit for each package that meets its guidelines. 

Amazon says it created its package guidelines with the goal of giving customers "minimal, protective and functional packaging.” The company hopes to reduce waste as well as shipping costs through the implementation of the standards. 

However, the Journal notes that the cost element of making packaging smaller means Amazon increases its profitability while sellers’ businesses take a hit. But Amazon says vendors that adhere to the guidelines will benefit from lower shipping costs.

“It does cause some pain, but I think the benefit is there,” Mike Kuebler, technical director and packaging specialist at Smithers Pira, told the Journal.

Last week, the $26.5 billion merger of T-Mobile and Sprint gained approval from the Department of Justice. However, the deal -- which hasn’t yet closed -- still faces opposition from close to a dozen state attorneys general.

A lawsuit filed by these officials argues that the merger will harm competition and raise prices for consumers. Following news that the deal had received DOJ approval, New York AG Letitia James reiterated her concerns on Twitter. 

“I remain deeply concerned about the T-Mobile/Sprint megamerger & the irreparable harm it will cause to millions across the country,” she wrote. “Despite approval from the DOJ, the deal is bad for consumers, innovation, and workers.” 

“This deal is based on speculative promises & will increase prices for consumers & greatly reduce competition. The American people deserve access to affordable, reliable wireless service & this deal is not the answer.”

At a status hearing on Thursday, the states involved in the suit aiming to block the deal plan to ask for the October 7 start date of the merger trial to be pushed back to December 9. State AGs argue that they are owed more time to prepare since T-Mobile and Sprint didn’t provide all the details of their settlement with the DOJ by the deadline of June 28. 

EFF also opposes the deal 

Separately, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) chimed in on Tuesday to express its opposition to the merger. In a statement, the organization raised the concern that “5G hype” could have clouded the DOJ’s judgement when choosing to green-light the deal. 

“The Sprint-T-Mobile merger has been the subject of a lot of 5G hype,” EFF said. “EFF has called attention to the political leveraging of 5G before, and this merger is the perfect example of how it can be weaponized to blow holes in consumer protection laws.” 

“From the outset, Sprint and T-Mobile repeatedly over-represented, claiming the merger would bring 5G wireless services to all Americans. The companies’ argument is that Americans must accept fewer choices at higher prices if they want to see these new services. This is just untrue.” 

Like the state attorneys general involved in the effort to block the merger, EFF argues that the deal is anticompetitive. The group says 5G could still reach all U.S. consumers through “government-regulated licenses” that promote competition.

“Those licenses can be modified with new policies to promote competition and access. In particular, instead of approving anti-competitive mergers, the government could simply change the terms of the licenses it gives companies for their use of spectrum, the radio frequencies used to transmit services,” the group said.