Current Events in January 2020

Personal safety is starting to get the attention it deserves from connection-driven companies.

First, there was Uber’s integration of an in-app 911 text feature to increase passenger safety amid reports of sexual assaults. Now, dating app Tinder joins in by adding three new features to its app: 

• A safety service that connects users to personal emergency services; 

• Photo Verification, which will compare a posed photo taken in real-time to profile photos, which can help verify a match's authenticity and increase trust in member profiles; and 

• An in-app Safety Center.

“Every day, millions of our members trust us to introduce them to new people, and we’re dedicated to building innovative safety features powered by best-in-class technology that meet the needs of today’s daters,” said Elie Seidman, CEO of Tinder, announcing the new features. “I’m proud to share these updates, which represent an important step in driving our safety work forward at an unmatched scale.”

The protections

Tinder uses the Noonlight platform for its app, which allows users to trigger an alarm by clicking a button; users can connect other smart devices to automatically trigger alarms for them. Until now, most of Noonlight’s partners have been universities like Washington University in St. Louis and Southern Methodist University.

In Tinder’s situation, the app’s members will also be able to share details about upcoming dates -- including who, where, and when they are meeting. It’s sort of a “bodyguard [and] quick backup for daters” when a user is meeting someone for the first time, claims Brittany LeComte, Co-founder and CCO of Noonlight. “It’s a first-of-its-kind added security measure to help protect Tinder members even when they’ve taken their interactions off the app into real life.”

If at any time a Tinder user feels they’re in a dangerous situation, a quick press of the Noonlight app will quietly contact Noonlight dispatchers who, in turn, will send a text to confirm the situation. If that text goes unanswered, Noonlight will send a code and call them. If the user doesn’t answer the phone at all, Noonlight will dispatch emergency services.

The Photo Verification feature allows users to make sure that who they’re meeting is who they say they are. The feature utilizes artificial intelligence to give Tinder users access to a series of real-time posed selfies, which are compared to existing profile photos of the person they’re meeting.

The feature is still in the incubation phase, according to Tinder’s Safety Center. The team says it will treat it like an on-going update of Tinder’s overall safety features.

Gasoline prices drifted slightly lower during the week as winter-time demand remains weak and fuel supplies are growing.

The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows the national average price of regular gasoline is $2.53 a gallon, three cents lower than last Friday. The price is 28 cents a gallon higher than at this time a year ago. The average price of premium gas is $3.13 a gallon, down three cents in the last seven days. The average price of diesel fuel is $2.98 a gallon, two cents less than last week.

Crude oil prices have fallen since the start of the year, making it less costly for refineries to produce gasoline. At the same time, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports total U.S. gasoline supplies grew by 1.7 million barrels last week, bringing the total up to 260 million barrels.

Estimated gasoline demand grew slightly over the last week but remains lower than demand in January 2019. 

“Increased stocks and low demand have helped the national average to stabilize this week,” AAA said in its latest market update. “As these trends continue, American motorists will likely continue to see lower pump prices.”

Some states saw prices come down faster than others. The statewide average in Michigan is down another nine cents a gallon after falling 10 cents a gallon the week before. Elsewhere, most states saw modest declines in the price at the pump.

This week, only three states -- Hawaii, California, and Washington -- have average gas prices above $3 a gallon.

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:

• Hawaii ($3.66)

• California ($3.52)

• Washington ($3.11)

• Nevada ($2.98)

• Oregon ($2.98) 

• Alaska ($2.96)

• Arizona ($2.82)

• Pennsylvania ($2.75)

• New York ($2.70)

• Utah ($2.61) 

The states with the cheapest regular gas

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

• Missouri ($2.16)

• Texas ($2.22)

• Oklahoma ($2.24)

• Mississippi ($2.24)

• Arkansas ($2.25)

• Kansas ($2.26)

• Louisiana ($2.26)

• South Carolina ($2.27)

• Alabama ($2.30)

• Tennessee ($2.31)

Toyota is recalling about 139,000 model year 1998–2000 RAV4s, model year 1998–1999 RAV4 EVs, model year 1998–1999 Celicas and model year 1997–1998 Supras with a potentially affected Takata-produced single-stage non-azide front driver airbag inflator.

The airbag may not deploy properly resulting in abnormal deployment of the airbag or the chance of an inflator rupture, increasing the risk of injury.

What to do

A remedy is currently under development.

Toyota will notify owners by first class mail by late-March.

Owners may contact Toyota at (800) 331-4331.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is considering changes to its Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), which regulates service animals on flights.

Over the past two years, Delta Airlines, American Airlines, and others have made sweeping changes to their service animal policies to accommodate travelers and establish some guidelines for what is and isn’t acceptable.

However, there were several incidents in which airline employees were bitten. A number of fliers have also tried to push the limits by insisting their pets were necessary, but they were unable to prove that. 

United Airlines, for example, tried to shore up the gray areas by mandating that passengers have to provide a letter from a licensed medical/mental health professional, a veterinary health form documenting the health and vaccination records for the animal, as well as confirming that the animal has been trained to behave properly in a public setting. That’s a lot of paperwork for anyone to fill out.

“Today’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) is intended to ensure a safe and accessible air transportation system,” the DOT wrote. “It addresses concerns raised by individuals with disabilities, airlines, flight attendants, airports, other aviation transportation stakeholders, and other members of the public, regarding service animals on aircraft.” 

What’s being proposed

Here are the specifics the DOT is considering: 

• Modify the definition of a “service animal” to read “a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability;”

• Separate what is considered to be an “emotional support animal” and what is considered to be a “service animal;”

• Review whether a psychiatric service animal qualifies as a service animal and, if so, require the same training and treatment of psychiatric service animals as other service animals;

• Permit airlines to require forms developed by DOT that verify a a service animal’s good behavior, health, and in cases of long flights, whether the service animal has the ability to either not relieve itself or can relieve itself in a sanitary manner;

• Permit airlines to require passengers with a disability who are traveling with a service animal the opportunity to check in at the airport an hour prior to the departure time. The DOT’s reasoning here is that it doesn’t clog up the check-in process for the general public and it also gives the airline time to observe and further evaluate the animal; 

• Grant airlines the permission to limit the number of service animals accompanying a single passenger with a disability to two;

• Empower airlines to require a service animal to fit within its handler’s foot space on the aircraft;

• Continue to allow airlines to require that service animals be under the control of its handler, whether harnessed, leashed, or tethered;

• Allow airlines to refuse transportation to any service animal that shows aggressive behavior and, therefore, potentially poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others; and

• Continue to prohibit airlines from refusing to transport a service animal solely on the basis of breed. For example, Delta forbids pit bull type dogs.

For the good of all

The DOT senses that there might be some blowback on these changes, but it thinks too many travelers are trying to work the current system in their favor.

“The Department recognizes the integral role that service animals play in the lives of many individuals with disabilities and wants to ensure that individuals with disabilities can continue using their service animals while also reducing the likelihood that passengers wishing to travel with their pets on aircraft will be able to falsely claim their pets are service animals,” the agency said.

The American Kennel Club and Assistance Dogs International are on board with these changes, too. “We recognize the wonderful service that all dogs can provide to comfort their owners, however we support the ADA definition of service dogs,”  American Kennel Club’s Vice President of Government Relations Sheila Goffe told ConsumerAffairs.

“[We believe] these proposed rules represent a real step forward for assuring the safety of both the traveling public and individuals with disabilities who rely on service dogs to perform tasks that enable them to carry out their daily activities.”

“This is a major step forward for airline accessibility for those with disabilities that travel with Service Dogs that are necessary for their wellbeing,” added Sheila O’Brien, President of Assistance Dogs International, North America, in a statement to ConsumerAffairs.

“By aligning the definition of Service Animals with that of the American’s with Disabilities Act, the 17,504  actively working Assistance Dogs International teams in North America, will be able to travel safely to their destinations.”

Comments on the NPRM must be received within 60 days of the date the notice is published.  The NPRM can be found at regulations.gov, docket number DOT-OST-2018-0068.

Consumers could soon see their credit scores go down, thanks to changes that Fair Isaac Corporation plans for the way the FICO score is formulated.

Consumers who take on additional debt and those who are late in making payments will see more points come off their scores. Fair Isaac says those factors will be more heavily weighted under the new system.

The changes may also damage your credit score if you’ve taken out a personal loan, a type of unsecured debt that has sharply increased over the last two years.

The changes come at a time when credit scores have been trending higher. Fair Isaac recently reported that the average U.S. FICO score had risen to 706. It hit a low of 686 in October 2009, a year after the start of the financial crisis.

‘Improving, not inflating’

In a blog post, Fair Isaac Vice President Ethan Dornhelm said improved economic conditions are driving the scores higher and stressed that scores are “improving, not inflating.”

But there have been institutional efforts in recent months to help consumers raise their credit scores. A little more than a year ago, Experianintroduced Experian Boost, a method it said consumers could use to instantly raise their credit score.

Consumers enrolling in the system are asked to grant the platform access to their online bank accounts used to pay their bills. Specifically, Boost will look for timely payments on utility and telephone bills, which are currently not included in most credit score formulas.

The Wall Street Journal reports that some lenders worry that some efforts to boost consumers’ credit scores may end up presenting a distorted picture of their creditworthiness. It notes that Capital One’s CEO Richard Fairbank warned that “consumers across the industry might not be as creditworthy as their scores suggest” on an earnings call with analysts last year

Lenders have encouraged higher scores

But The Journal notes that it has been the financial services industry that has urged credit rating agencies to help consumers boost their scores in the first place. Consumers with higher credit scores are eligible for more loans than consumers with poor or marginal scores.

So far, the data doesn’t suggest that borrowers are becoming overextended. The S&P/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices through December 2019 -- measuring defaults on mortgage loans, car loans, and credit cards -- rose only slightly.

The credit card default rate increased one basis point to 2.95 percent. The auto loan default rate was unchanged at 1.02 percent, and the first mortgage default rate rose three basis points to 0.80 percent.

Budget airlines are enjoying some tailwind these days. A new report verifies that U.S.-based low-cost carriers (LCC) chalked up 246 million seats sold in 2018, far and away more than any other country.

GlobalData’s latest report, ‘Global Low Cost Airlines Market to 2023’, found that out of the 59 different airlines in the U.S., it’s the growth of the LCC’s that’s held steady over the last few years. The researchers say that is the way things should stay until at least 2023.

Deal or no deal

The key factor? Price. Delta, American, and United have all felt the pinch of Spirit, JetBlue, and Allegiant -- airlines with average fares of $113, $175, and $67, respectively. One little caveat about that Spirit fare: it’s a stripped-down, “unbundled” fare, which means travelers have to pay extra for anything other than a seat. Spirit’s fare strategy appears to be working its magic. Passengers are dropping an extra $50.94 in ancillary revenue on top of the average $67 fare.

"Affordability factors are the most important within the consumer booking process according to GlobalData’s global consumer survey and is likely to continue to be at the forefront of a traveler’s decision over the next few years,” Johanna Bonhill-Smith, Travel & Tourism Analyst at GlobalData told ConsumerAffairs.

“Followed by the birth of the more independent traveler that is heavily invested in experiences over services, the growth of LCC’s will aid the growth of younger generational travel saving costs on flights and potentially spending more on memorable activities when in a destination. "

Get ready for “ultra” savings

Bonhill-Smith says U.S. travelers are about to see a new level of fares coming into play in 2020 -- the “ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC).” 

JetBlue’s founder, David Neeleman, is first out of that ULCC gate with “MOXY” -- an interesting partnership with Marriott that pitches a high-tech experience on all-new Airbus jets, markets the big carriers don’t cater to, and an ultra-low-cost fare designed to offer a level of customer service the Delta, American, and United only offer in first class.

“JetBlue currently holds the fifth largest airline market share within the US in 2018 and the introduction of brands such as this may be sure to both rattle the industry for full service carriers (FSC) and contribute to the growth of the LCC operator,” Bonhill-Smith said.

A recent outbreak of a strain of coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has made its way to the U.S. after a consumer came back from a trip to Wuhan, China. The virus has already been responsible for several deaths in Asia and has sickened hundreds of people.

While regulators rush to address the issue, a team of researchers has been working to determine the origins of the outbreak. They were able to trace it back to a wholesale market that sold several types of wildlife animals. In particular, they believe that this virus was first transmitted to humans through contact with snakes.

"Results derived from our evolutionary analysis suggest for the first time that snake is the most probable wildlife animal reservoir for the 2019-nCoV," the authors wrote. "New information obtained from our evolutionary analysis is highly significant for effective control of the outbreak caused by the 2019-nCoV-induced pneumonia."

Caution while traveling

Symptoms associated with the virus can vary from person to person, but ailments including fever, cough, and difficulty breathing are common. 

While it’s not clear how easily the virus passes between people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging consumers who have visited China since December to exercise caution. It also recommends that travelers avoid future non-essential travel to Wuhan.

“Chinese officials have closed transport within and out of Wuhan, including buses, subways, trains, and the airport,” the agency stated.

Travelers who intend to visit China are being urged to avoid any contact with sick individuals, animals (alive or dead), and products that come from animals, such as uncooked meat. It is also important for travelers to wash their hands frequently or use hand sanitizer if water isn’t available. 

The CDC says that those who have visited China within the last two weeks and are experiencing symptoms of sickness should do the following:

• Seek medical care right away. Before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room, call ahead and tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms;

• Avoid contact with others;

• Not travel while sick; 

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing; and 

• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

Motorola has announced a February 6 release date for its reboot of the Motorola Razr, a phone that dominated the cell phone universe before Apple released the iPhone in 2007.

The new phone will be available for preorders on January 26, but it isn’t clear if there will be a stampede to get in line. The new phone will sell for $1,500 -- well above the cost of an iPhone 11. Then again, cost might not be such a big headwind.

CNN reports that the company initially planned to release the Razr in early January, but it pushed back the release date because it feared it would not have enough product on hand to meet demand.

The phone can be purchased directly from Motorola and will be available exclusively to Verizon customers, at least in the beginning. The carrier is offering a payment plan of $62.49 a month -- again, well above the monthly payments for an iPhone.

Motorola teased the release in late November, playing on nostalgia for the original Razr. But plenty of industry insiders immediately questioned whether consumers would be that nostalgic, especially at that price point.

Foldable screen

A unique feature of the second-generation Razr is a foldable screen, a concept other manufacturers have struggled with. Samsung stubbed its toe when it introduced the Galaxy Fold, a device that retailed for $2,000. The phone took flak for alleged defective hinges and fragile screens.

This is the second time Motorola has tried to revive the Razr. The last time was 2011 when it introduced the Droid Razr, which failed to generate the anticipated sales.

Motorola has earned a reputation for building a solid phone for an affordable price in recent years. Its Moto Play devices have been very popular among gamers who value the big screens and longer battery life.

Motorola’s most popular phones are the ones with the smallest price tags. The MotoG7 is available for around $300. It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 octa-core processor and an ultrawide 5.7" Max Vision HD+ display. The device is designed for optimal performance for games, movies, and photos, and it also features a 12 MP camera.

Recent studies have shown how our inner circadian rhythms can affect everything from our sleep cycles to the benefits we get from exercise. Now, a new study conducted by researchers from McGill University has revealed yet another way that our internal clocks can affect our bodies. 

According to the researchers, consumers should take their circadian clocks into consideration during surgery recovery, as our bodies respond differently to painkillers, and inflammation more generally, during waking hours versus resting hours. 

“The body has rhythms,” said researcher Faleh Tamimi. “And if you give it anti-inflammatories in the morning you are working with the rhythm of the body and when you give them at night, you are working against it so you disrupt the healing.” 

Timing is key

The researchers conducted their study on mice with broken tibias to determine the best practices for consumers recovering from surgery. 

The mice were broken up into two groups: one group received anti-inflammatories around the clock to help relieve their pain post-surgery. The second group took anti-inflammatories in the morning and were switched to analgesics at night. 

For Tamimi and the team of researchers, this decision was made to see what role the mice’s natural circadian rhythms played in their healing. 

“The idea that I came up with...is that we could perhaps use the circadian variations in inflammation to our advantage,” said Tamimi. “The destructive component of the circadian rhythm as it relates to bone healing occurs during the day, when cells known as osteoclasts break down bones. The constructive cells, known as osteoblasts that rebuild bones are active at night.”

“By limiting the use of anti-inflammatories to the mornings and giving analgesics at night for the pain, I thought we might get better results in terms of bone healing than if anti-inflammatories are given throughout the day.” 

Using the best recovery method

Tamimi’s hunch was right, as the mice who received the combination of painkillers recovered significantly better than those who were on the strictly anti-inflammatory regimen. 

The researchers found that changing the medication at night led to a faster recovery and gave the mice better bone strength over the long-term. The primary takeaway from this study is that consumers should work with their bodies and follow the recovery process that works best. 

“When I was a child, and I cut myself, my mother would say to me, don’t worry, go to sleep and tomorrow you will be better,” said researcher Haider El-Waeli. “It turns out she was right because most of the healing happens at night.” 

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling 695,541 of the following vehicles: Model year 2018-2019 Toyota:

• 4Runners,
• Highlanders,
• Camrys,
• Land Cruisers,
• Sequoias,
• Siennas,
• Tacomas,
• Tundras,
• Lexus RC 300s,
• RC 350s,
• GS 350s,
• GX 460s,
• IS 300s,
• LC 500s,
• LS 500s,
• LX 570s, RX 350s
• Model Year 2019 Toyota:
• Avalons & Corollas, and
• Lexus:
• NX 300s, ES 350s and GS 200Ts.

The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

The remedy for this recall is still under development.

The recall is expected to begin March 13, 2020.

Owners may contact Toyota customer service at (888) 270-9371 or Lexus customer service at (800) 255-3987.

Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB02 & 20TA02 for Toyota vehicles, and 20LB01 & 20LA01 for Lexus vehicles.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning consumers about a potentially fatal virus that has finally landed in the U.S.

The agency says that the first case of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCov) has occurred in Washington following a consumer’s return from Wuhan, China. Cases of the bug were first reported last month, and it has already led to several deaths and hundreds of sicknesses in Asia. 

“CDC is working closely with the state of Washington and local partners. A CDC team has been deployed to support the ongoing investigation in the state of Washington, including potentially tracing close contacts to determine if anyone else has become ill,” the CDC said.

Respiratory issues

The agency notes that coronaviruses are actually a family of viruses that affect the respiratory systems of people who catch them. While they have been previously linked to animals, experts say that the viruses can sometimes evolve to infect and spread between people.

Reactions to this kind of virus can range widely; some consumers report only mild symptoms after contracting an illness while others have died due to exposure. Symptoms of infection can include fever, cough, and trouble breathing.

CDC officials say that the infection rate and severity of this coronavirus in China are a major cause for concern, but they believe that the current risk to U.S. consumers is fairly low. The agency says it will continue to update the public on a regular basis about this outbreak on its website. Consumers can also visit the CDC's site for more information about the coronaviruses and travel health information.

If Microsoft didn’t have enough on its plate with malware and the overall mess that came out of Windows 10, then it probably does now. A new report indicates that 250 million of its customers’ records have been exposed online. Why? Because Microsoft left the gateway to those records password-unprotected.

Those quarter-million records span nearly 14 years and contain logs of conversations that Microsoft tech support agents had with consumers, according to Comparitech, a pro-consumer website focused on researching and comparing tech services. Comparitech says it “stumbled” upon the databases and that they could have been accessed by anyone with a web browser.

“The nature of the data appears to be that much of the personally identifiable information was redacted,” commented Paul Bischoff, a tech writer, privacy advocate, and VPN expert at Comparitech.

“However, the researchers say that many contained plain text data including customer email addresses, IP addresses, geographical locations, descriptions of the customer service and support claims and cases, Microsoft support agent emails, case numbers and resolutions, and internal notes that had been marked as confidential.”

Microsoft quickly responds

To the untrained eye, this may seem like another ordinary oops from Microsoft, “but when you consider that Microsoft support scams are pretty rampant, it doesn't take a genius to work out how valuable such information would be to the fraudsters carrying out such attacks,” Bischoff said.

Comparitech says it contacted Microsoft when it happened upon the issue. Within 24 hours, the company fixed the situation and analyzed the data to make sure all was ok. It also said it contacted any consumer whose data may have been purloined. 

“We’re thankful to (Comparitech) for working closely with us so that we were able to quickly fix this misconfiguration, analyze data, and notify customers as appropriate,” Eric Doerr, General Manager at Microsoft, told ConsumerAffairs.

Microsoft couched the incident as one of those “misconfigurations [that] are unfortunately a common error across the industry.” While that may be true, the company is reminding its customers that they should periodically review their computer settings to make sure they’re putting all available protections to good use.

To its credit, the company has been very proactive in that regard. The latest protection comes with the latest version of Microsoft Edge and Bing which, supposedly, gives users more control over their personal data and more transparency into what information is being collected by websites or advertisers.