CONSUMERconnection
Ask David
Horowitz
OUR HOUSE was burglarized. They took keys to
the house and for all three
cars, plus a USB flash
drive on one of the key
rings. We had to get the
house doors rekeyed, as
well as the cars.
My property insurance
is paying for the USB
drive, new locks and keys
for the house and the car
keys that were stolen, but
not the cost of rekeying
the cars. My auto insurance company says they
aren’t responsible either!
Who’s responsible?
AMY CAN TRELL
Tanya,
Miami, FL
TANYA, homeowner’s insurance covers the actual
losses of a theft. That
includes all that was
stolen, plus damage
to the house. Your
insurance company
was both fair and
generous in its coverage of the home and
auto keys, plus the
USB drive.
Generally, auto
insurance won’t
cover the cost of
changing the locks
on a car unless they
were destroyed
during a theft, accident or incident of
vandalism. While
replacing the keys is
certainly a wise move,
it’s considered an
optional choice.
I’m sorry, but
you’re responsible
for that cost. Try
to consider it
money well
spent for peace
of mind.
What ever happened to
real service?
Also:
■ Sound warning
■ Cell phone update
IT SEEMS HARDER than ever to get resolution on I think it’s time for agencies such as the Federal
consumer complaints. People report to fightback. Trade Commission and local and state consumer-com that many companies dodge resolving prob- protection agencies to come down hard on these
lems, despite the presence of legitimate warranties offenders. Companies should be stopped from using
and guarantees. phony and misleading practices that intentionally
A major gripe is customer-service call centers in avoid giving people what they legally deserve.
foreign countries, which can often be frustrating, particularly when screeners have difficulty with English. Crooks may be listening in
They often don’t understand what the problem is or Your computer keyboard may be giving you away,
how it should be handled. The result is that many even if you hide your keystrokes from view. Crooks
angry consumers just give up. can tune in to the sounds, according to researchers at
Even in local call centers, representatives are often the University of California, Berkeley. They found that
powerless to resolve problems. The employees simply the distinct clicks of a keyboard can be interpreted and
read company dogma off a computer script, which translated with up to 96 percent accuracy.
adds up to “Sorry…tough luck!” Being able identify keystrokes can allow snoop-
AM Y CAN TRELL
Some companies, according to fightback.com ers to glean vital information, such as bank account
users, hide their identity behind corporate passwords and Social Security numbers. “It’s a form
Web sites or low-level, poorly trained of acoustical spying that should raise red flags
problem handlers who make it hard to among computer security and privacy experts,”
deal one-on-one with anyone in a according to the study’s principal investigator.
positionofauthority. Call-centeroper- What’s frightening is that the researchers did
ators can make it impossible to get not utilize state-of-the-art technology to build the
the name of the company spying and decoding system used in the study: They
president, CEO, head of cus- used a $10 microphone like those sold in computer-tomer service or even a low- supply stores. The implication is that anyone with a
level executive to discuss the few bucks and very simple equipment can tune in to
problem personally. The rip you off.
only way around it is for a Security experts don’t have a solution yet, but
consumer to find the cor- they’re working on one. Stay tuned.
porate information on
© 2006 FIGH T BACK! INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Google or some other Cell phone insurance: buyer beware
online information service. When you buy a mobile phone, the salesperson
Some businesses provide usually jumps to sell you cell phone insurance, cost-toll-free phone numbers or ing from $3 to $5 a month. That policy provides
e-mail addresses for complaints, coverage for replacing a damaged or lost phone, not
promising that someone will to mention a possible commission and kickback to
contact the customer, but com- the cellular company.
panies that provide such services But to use it, the buyer must make sure the pol-seem to be in the minority. Even icy wasn’t voided by any fine-print exclusions, and
so, there’s rarely any turnaround then pay a deductible, usually about $50. The cus-time guaranteed, and most com- tomer also might be required to provide a police
plaints end up unanswered, unless report to substantiate loss, and there may be other
consumer-complaint intermediaries preconditions that vary from insurer to insurer.
become involved. Whether or not policyholders actually get their
money’s worth out of this kind of insurance is the
David Horowitz is a leading subject of a lawsuit pending in Florida against three
consumer advocate. His “Fight Back!” cell-phone-insurance companies. The class-action
commentaries are heard daily on the suit also accuses the companies of replacing phones
Jones Radio Network. For stations with used ones—worth less than the deductible
and times, check the radio page at amount—and requiring police reports to prove
www.fightback.com. claims of loss or theft.
Take a good, hard look at these policies before
making a decision. Most phones come with a one-
Do you have a question for David? year manufacturer’s warranty, which covers mal-
Just log on to
www.fightback.com and “Ask David.” He will personally functions. And, industry insiders say, if the phone
respond to your problem if you follow the instructions printed on his Web site. is lost, stolen or damaged, the cost of a recondi-
(Costco members receive a rebate off the normal fee.) Questions and answers tioned phone is usually less than you’d spend after
of the greatest interest to Costco members will be used in this column with paying monthly premiums and covering the
the permission of the contributor and will be posted on
www.fightback.com. deductible. C
