Houston Consumer Blog

Computer in a credit card

Take a look at this one. It's a credit card with a computer embedded in it. If you have multiple accounts, you can press the "1" button and use the card as a credit card, press "2" and you can use your debit card. Banks are currently issuing these cards to consumers. One card allows you to set a password before it can be used. The magnetic stripe rewrites itself each time you use the card which can prevent fraud. The company won a top award here at CES. They also won awards from Rice University.

The Smallest PC you've ever seen

Get ready for the smallest PC you have ever seen. The Xi3 is turning heads at this year's Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. It is about the size of a soda can and manufacturers say it can do everything your current PC can do without the tower. The device runs on a fraction of the power and can be upgraded so you won't have to buy a new computer every 3 years. It is pricey right now, 850 dollars, and it will not be widely available until March. [LEARN MORE]

More reports from Jeff Ehling at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas

Best lawnmowers for the money

Is your lawn mower on its last leg, but you don't have any money for a new one? Well, don't despair because Consumer Reports has tested dozens of mowers and finds you don't have to pay top dollar to get a good one.  

Lawn mowers can cost as much as $800, but Consumer Reports said you should hold on to your money.

Testers put 50 mowers through their paces. Included in the tests were push and self-propelled mowers from Lawn-Boy, Craftsman, Troy-Bilt, and other manufacturers.

The mowers are tested on six acres of grass in Fort Myers, Florida. Then Consumer Reports' testers get down to business on their hands and knees to inspect how well each mower cuts.

"Here's a classic example of unevenness. And here's a particularly big piece that got pushed down," said Peter Sawchuk of Consumer Reports.

Every mower is rated for its ability to cut in several modes: side discharge, mulching, and bagging.

Good mowers disperse clippings evenly, not in big clumps like this. You'd end up having to rake them so you won't damage your lawn.

If you want to mow your lawn at a budget price, two bare-bones push-mowers, one from Ariens (model number 961360006) and the other from Yard Machines (model number 11A-54MX), did a good job for the money.

"These mowers feature an overhead valve engine that run more cleanly and efficiently than traditional mower engines, and they cost just $200," said Bob Markovich of Consumer Reports.

However, if you like using side discharge for clippings, these mowers are only fair.

Willing to spend more money? For better performance and less effort, this self-propelled $320 Toro Recycler did a very good job overall.

All three mowers mentioned in this report are sold at Home Depot.

If you have a smaller yard to mow, Consumer Reports named a $240 electric mower from Black and Decker (model number MM875) a best buy. Like many electric mowers, it has a power cord you have to maneuver around while mowing.

WATCH VIDEO

Which laundry detergent cleans best?

Companies spend more than $300 million a year advertising laundry detergents, but how do you know which cleans the best? 

Consumer Reports just tested more than three dozen and we've got the results.

Project Runway's Tim Gunn is touting Tide's latest edition, Tide Total Care, which claims to keep colors bright after 30 washes.

Consumer Reports wanted to see if Tide Total Care delivered on that promise. Testers washed three brand new cotton dresses 30 times. One in Tide Total Care, another in All Small & Mighty, and another in 2X Ultra Tide for Cold Water.

Consumer Reports' Pat Slaven then compared the new dress to the washed ones.

"As you can see, the dress washed with All faded compared to the dress washed with Tide Total Care," said Slaven.

The dress washed in 2X Ultra Tide for Cold Water looks about the same as the Tide Total Care dress, but that detergent costs about half as much. Also, the cheaper 2X Ultra Tide for Cold Water did a better job getting out stains in Consumer Reports' stain-removal tests.

Over 40 detergents were evaluated. Testers washed more than 1,500 cotton squares stained with hard-to-clean substances like red wine, grass, blood, and chocolate.

In the end, Consumer Reports named two best buys that will tear through tough stains and save you some money, too.

For conventional top-loading washers, try 2X Ultra Tide for Cold Water.

For high-efficiency front-loaders, Consumer Reports recommends Ultra Cheer Color Guard 2X Concentrated.

Another tip to save more money is to wash your laundry in cold water instead of warm. Consumer Reports says with a conventional top-loader that can reduce your energy costs by $60 a year.

WATCH VIDEO

TV CONVERTER BOX COUPON GLITCH

Homebound disabled senior Betty Hart is afraid her old analog TV set will go dark after she discovered a glitch in the government coupon system.

Hart lives in an apartment complex that the government insists is a business and turned her down for a coupon that would help offset the cost of a converter box. You see coupons are for households only. Without a coupon, Hart can't afford a converter which costs about $50 dollars.

We turned to the CVS Angels and they gladly gave Hart a converter-now these converters go like hotcakes.

Hart's not alone many others are unable to get a coupon or afford a converter box. Girl Scout troop 721 are pitching in by collecting coupons - and Interfaith Ministries, the YWCA, JCC, Catholic Charities, Neighborhood centers, Sheltering Arms Wheels is giving out converter boxes to eligible members of their programs.

Volunteers from Volunteer Houston are trained to install the boxes. If you're interested-here's their web site www.volunteerhouston.org

Also, our angels at the Furniture Bank replaced the furniture Hart lost during hurricane Ike. The Furniture Bank provides good used furniture to eligible people in referring agencies.you can check out them out at: ww.hfbank.orgwww.hfbank.org

AND A NOTE TO THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE CELEBRATING AT LEAST 50 YEARS OF MARRIAGE OR ARE 100 YEARS OLD- WE'RE STARTING 'GREETINGS' AGAIN- SO PLEASE SEND A PHOTO TO "ANGELS" @ CHANNEL 13 POST OFFICE BOX 13 HOUSTON 77001 WITH A STAMPED SELF ADDRESS ENVELOP OR E-MAIL A PHOTO TO LORI.REINGOLD@ABC.COM

Thanks,LORI

   

 

 

Shriners help a 5 year old Houston child take a big step

At five years old ,Amaya Boutte wants to walk, but she can't.  She crawls on her knees to get around. That's because her premature birth affected her legs.

"I want to walk like my classmates"

Her family didn't have the money for medical care so Amaya's grandmother called "The Action 13 Angels"

"If there's some help up there I pray to God she get it"

"If I ever saw my daughter walk , go out and play it would bring tears to my eyes I've never seen her walk.

We turned to Houston Shriners Hospital for help -and CEO Steve Reiter admitted her

"We're hear to help the community and that's our greatest pleasure"

Treatment is free at Shriners for any child from any where up to the age of 18 with bone, joint or muscle problems. If you know a child the Shriners could help call the Houston Shriners Hospital for children at 713-797-1616 for an application or download one at

                          www.shrinershq.org/

As for Amaya-Shriners Chief of Staff Dr. Doug Barnes put her in a kiddie walker to see how well she can move on her own. She did surprisingly well. well enough to convince the docs she could benefit from treatment here..

"She has what it take to be more independent and off the walker." said Dr. Barmes

IT'S GOING TO BE A LONG HAUL - WITH LEG CASTS, BRACES, THERAPY AND SURGERY

"It's like my heart is beating real fast I'm really excited just to see her walking and just to receive help I'm excited about that." said her mother , ande Amaya's school mates at the Kandy Stripe Academy were so excited when they saw Amaya take the biggest step in her life.

12 tons of debris!

On tonight's "Action 13 Angel's" we met Evelyn Thompson. The 76 year old great-grandma has piles and piles, actually 12 tons, of hurricane debris in her yard. Ike's powerful winds blew down her garage and blanketed her yard with shingles, nails, tree limbs and splintered wood. She tried to bag up the mess by herself, but the huge job proved to be impossible. She called for help and got plenty or promises, but no results. Then, two months after the storm, she called us. We called on Angels from The City of Houston, and in came help from the city's solid waste department, neighborhood protection, citizens assistance and volunteer office- and the job was done. "What a difference, Mrs. Thompson said, what a difference."

Houston has a program called Neighbors Helping Neighbors- if you would like to volunteer and help people like Mrs. Thompson get ride of storm debris that's still in their backyards,www.houstontx.gov/volunteer

Have a good weekend

Lori

Fire Fighters give Channel 13 Angels a 911 Call

We got a 9-1-1- call from Smith Point volunteer fire fighters for help. They asked help for residents of this tight knit Chambers County Community who lost most of their belongings to hurricane "Ike" . Fire Fighter Jackie White saw families scrounging through dumps searching for beds.

"Actually going through the debris grabbing the mattresses and putting them in their house and we immediately that was our first concern we can't have children sleeping on these beds.

"We have four kids sharing one bed and me and my wife stay on the floor" said Smith Point resident Fidel.

Mattress Firm and Houston Children's Charity volunteered to help the volunteer fire fighters and delivered brand new mattresses, box springs, pillows, sheets and blankets to about 50 families.

Refugio Cendejas summed up his neighbors sentiments when he said 'It made me real happy that my kids gonna have a place to sleep."

It was amazing to me to see how much debris- refrigerators, boats, signs, and stuff that blew across North bay to Smith Point from Crystal Beach and Bolivar Penisula. At one time the junk reached 10 feet. We know recovery will take time, but at least the beds may be a start.

If you know a child whose bed is flat worn out or lost to the storm let us know or log on to this website .www.houstonchildrens charity.org

Lori Reingold Action 13 Angels

good nights sleep

Houston Children's Charities provides beds, mattresses, pillows, sheets, and blankets to Houston kids in need of them- *FREE* On tonight, "Angel" story Edna Myer- Nelson Jeff Majewski and Ilene Allen of Houston Children Charities gave new beds to a family of 5 who lost their mattresses after their roof collapsed because of the hurricane, and another family of 5 who had second hand mattresses with holes and springs sticking out. If you know of kids in need of mattresses call Houston Children's Charities at (713) 524-2878 -you'll need proof income, id and birth certificates for you kids- or they may refer you to different agencies they work with. HCC's web address is  www.houston children's charity. org

have a good weekend

Lori

Jeff on the Job

Thanks for watching Jeff on the Job.  As promised, here is the extra web content we talked about in the show.

The first story we showed you deals with fake jobs and fake checks.  It’s a problem that happens a lot in our area and across the country.  In our story, Denise answered a job from the want ads.   The job required her to be a mystery shopper, rating Western Union and Money Gram.  Her employer sent along a check worth thousands of dollars and instructed Denise to deposit the money then take out cash from her account and then use the cash to send money by Money Gram and Western Union out of the country.  The check even came with a rating form Denise was to fill out.  For her troubles Denise could keep several hundred dollars.  WHAT A DEAL!  But when Denise went to cash the big check an alert teller noticed it was a fake.  If Denise had cashed it, Denise could have faced charges of fraud, her bank would have placed a hold on her account once the fake check was discovered and Denise would be out all the money she sent by Western Union.  The paper has pulled the ad, but be warned, NEVER deposit a check from anyone you don’t know who wants you to send them money by Western Union or Money Gram.

www.fakechecks.org

There are real work at home opportunities for people, here are some resources:

http://consumerblog.abc13.com/work_at_home/index.html

In our second story, Charlie Zaid found someone living in a home he was trying to sell.  The Southwest Houston home was listed on the market for sale, but someone broke in, got the locks changed and then rented out the home under false pretenses.  The renter gave the fake landlord more than a thousand dollars up front and even signed a contract that was three pages long.  After the scam was uncovered, the renter had to move out and get this, within days a second renter showed up who also fell for the scam.  Both victims found the home listed for rent on Craig’s List, that ad has since been removed.  Here are a few tips for renters, if you are renting home, check out the realtor at www.har.com to make sure they are registered locally, and remember, the lease for a home is 14 pages long!

Next we showed you the scourge that is SMELLY TOWELS!  Hey, don’t laugh it’s happening all over the country.  We spoke with a Katy woman who had the problem and who found a solution.  The cause is mold and mildew growing in your machine.  The solution Joyce Pelley discovered is here:

http://www.smellywasher.com/

The next story was real fun to shoot.  It’s about converting a gas powered car to run just off of electricity.   Steve Kobb’s project will turn a Chevy S-10 into an “E” car.  For all of you who dream of saying “good bye” to gas, but are not mechanically sound, take heart.  Steve says it’s the network of electric car owners around Houston who have helped him through out the project.  They can help you too!  Check them out here.  Kobb will have about $20,000 in his truck when it's all done and like most conversions, the S-10 will have a top speed of 60 mph and have a range of about 40 miles.  There are S-10 conversion kits available, but to see what others did, check out the e-v album main site.  Look at conversions here.  If you would like to see links and tips for converting car or truck, check out the link here.

Up next, getting what you pay for at the gas pump. 

If you feel that you are getting ripped off at the gas pump you are not alone.  This year the Texas Department of Agriculture has received nearly two thousand complaints about gas station pumps.   That's twice as many as the year before.  About one third of those complaints lead to inspectors discovering a problem at the pump.

   The state maintains a web site that lists every service station with a problem.

   Click here to see if your corner store is on the list!

   Follow the link to the HTML option and check out the stations that had issues.

  If you want to complain about a service station, call the Texas Department of Agriculture at 1-800-TELL-TDA.

If you are looking to save some money, but still have the urge to buy things, check out the resale shops. There are several that offer all kinds of clothing, house hold items, and even furniture.   Workers tell us business is booming.  From buyer to sellers, people are taking advantage of the services the shops provide.  While you can find a resale shop just about anywhere, there is an area of midtown that has several nice shops, here they are:

Assistance League of Houston, 1902 Commonwealth (713) 526-5425.  10am to 3pm  Wed.-Sat. 

Charity Guild Shop of Catholic Women, 1203 Lovett (713) 529-0995.  10am to 3pm Mon.-Sat

Cottage Thrift Shop 607 Westheimer (713) 526-4663.   10am-4pm Mon.-Sat.

Blue Bird Circle Resale Shop 615 W. Alabama (713) 528-0470. 10am-4pm Mon.-Fri.

Salvation Army Thrift Store 2208 Washington (713) 425-8727.  10am-8pm Mon.-Sat.

The Guild Shop 2998 Dunlavy (713) 528-5095. 9:30am-3:30pm Mon.-Fri.  10am-2pm Sat.

Houston Area Women's Center 1435 Westheimer (713) 528-1062. 10am-4:45pm  Tues.-Sat.

Methodist Auxiliary Thrift Shop 1721 Waugh (713) 522-4494.  10am-3pm Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri., & Sat.

St. Vincent DePaul Thrift Resale Stores (713) 862-2605.  9am-5pm Tues.-Sat.

The next story was about free paint.  The City of Houston Recycling program collects paint and gives it away for free.  The City of Houston has an Environmental Service Center at 11500 South Post Oak at South Main Street.  There you can drop off unused paint, fertilizer, lawn care products, cleaners and other household chemicals.  The stuff that's left is sorted, the good from the bad, then the reusable items are put on a shelf for anyone to take for free.   The center gives away hundreds of gallons of paint a month and we saw enough lawn care products to keep your yard green and healthy without ever spending a dime.   Check out the times they are open by going to the Center's web site :

http://www.houstontx.gov/solidwaste/esc-south.html 

or call them at 713-551-7355.

If you do not live in Houston, you can still drop off and claim reused items, however the staff asks that you get a voucher from Harris County before arriving.  To get a voucher, call 713-290-3000.   You can still go to the center without a voucher, but having one in hand speeds up the process.

From paint to plant food, why buy when you can get it for free?

The last story on this edition of Jeff on the Job is one of our most popular.  We visited Southwest Surplus and found armoires, chairs, desks, tables, sofas, lights, and mirrors.  Right now the shop has stuff from the Houstonian, the Warwick, and the Doubletree.  The warehouse is located off of I-45 North.  Here's their web site: http://www.swsurplus.com/

Thanks again for watching Jeff on the Job, it is a great deal of fun to put the show together and extremely rewarding when someone is able to use the information we provide.

I would like to thank all the photographers and editors who helped make the show, I hope you enjoyed it!

See you at 4:55!

Jeff

MARVIN ZINDLER'S WORK GOES ON

FOR THE PAST 25 YEARS MARVIN ZINDLER'S GOLF TOURNAMENT BENEFITED THE HOUSTON EAR RESEARCH FOUNDATION AND THE HOUSTON EYE ASSOCIATES FOUNDATION. THE MONEY RAISED STAYS IN HOUSTON TO HELP THOSE IN NEED HEAR AND SEE. AND THE WORK GOES ON.

A SWEET AND COMFORTING LULLABY - COMES FROM THE MUSICAL MOBILE ABOVE HER CRIB- IF ONLY LITTLE BREISIS COULD HEAR IT. SHE CAN NOT - SHE WAS BORN TOTALLY DEAF.

I just want her to hear how much we love her and care about her." says her dad Julian Ordonez.

A COCHLEAR IMPLANT IS THE BEST HOPE FOR BREISIS.

They all told us the same thing that she had profound hearing loss and she going to need a cochlear implant when she's about 1 year old.

COCHLEAR IMPLANTS CAN BRING INCREDIBLE RESULTS. AFTER LOSING HIS HEARING ÄBOUT 7 YEARS AGO- RADIO TALK SHOW HOST RUSH LIMBAUGH HAD THE SMALL ELECTRONIC DEVICE IMPLANTED SO HE COULD HEAR -AND SHORTLY AFTER HIS SURGERY AND TRAINING ON HOW TO USE IT - HE WAS BACK ON THE AIR.

FOR THE ORDONEZ FAMILY -THOUGH -TIMES ARE TOUGH. JULIAN IS BETWEEN JOBS, AND ISN'T SURE WHETHER HIS INSURANCE WILL COVER THE 60 THOUSAND DOLLAR PROCEDURE.

It's a very expensive operation and we just don't have the money to do it. I just want her to talk. adds her mom

EAR SURGEON DR. G. WALTER MCREYNOLDS, ONE OF OUR LONG TIME CAME TO THE RESCUE. HIS TEAM AT THE HOUSTON EAR NOSE AND THROAT CLINIC WILL HELP HER HEAR

she's ready to go she's an excellent candidate and will do very well. I want the best for her

IF AN INSURER TURNS - YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW--- DOWN FOR - A COCHLEAR IMPLANT, OR RE-CONSTRUCTIVE EAR SURGERY - THERE IS HELP. THE HOUSTON EAR RESEARCH FOUNDATION OFFERS FREE ASSISTANCE WITH INSURANCE APPEALS. YOU CAN ALSO GO DIRECTLY TO THE COCHLEAR MANUFACTURERS… TO REQUEST HELP WITH YOUR CASE.OR… THERE'S THE "LET THEM HEAR FOUNDATION.; THEY WILL CHARGE A SMALL FEE… BUT WILL APPEAL TO THE INSURANCE COMPANY FOR YOU…

AS FOR LITTLE BREISIS - SHE HAD COCHLEAR IMPLANT SURGERY - ON HER FIRST BIRTHDAY WITH GREAT RESULTS.

how's she doing? she's doing great. she's doing greatsome times I hear her say ma da

WHAT A WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY PRESENT- THE PRICELESS GIFT OF HEARING FOR A CLOSER LOOK AT THESE GROUPS - YOU CAN CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITES.

Houston Ear Research Foundation www.houstoncochlear.org (713) 771-9966

Houston Eye Associates  Foundation www."houstoneye.com" (713) 558-8760

Let Them Hear Foundation www. letthemhear.org

"Animeals"

Girl Scouts from Troop 2283 weren't selling cookies to achieve their silver award- they were giving out food they collected to four legged Houstonians.  Zorro, a year old peakiness  was one of the first to receive the pet food.

"You're going to have lots of food and it's your kind of food, too. We appreciate this" remarked Zorro's pal Mr. Mark when he was given the big bags of puppy food .

The Goal of the girl scouts is to help needy homebound seniors food the dogs and cats they love.

Senior Margaret Peacock received food for  her dog "Spike" ."

"Everybody's having a hard time, some of them can't afford to buy dog food."

The "Little Angel Scouts" collected more than 300 pounds of pet food to give to seniors who depend on 'Meals on Wheels'. The program for their pets is called "Ani-meals"

Scout Lilly Tippit Painter said the other girls expressed concern about the Seniors and their pets "We heard about how some of the seniors were giving their food to their animals instead of eating it all- actually it's sad"

A Concerned echoed by the Chief of "Meals-on Wheels" David Roberts.

"We're concerned that when we didn't bring out enough food the seniors might redirect the money they might spend on medicine or food for themselves to make sure the animal is take care of so we're concerned it might be hurting the seniors themselves."

Now It's not just the girl scouts doing their part to collect pet food right now. another group called the Rescue Bank is stepping up it's efforts to help needy pet owners.

We sorted through the latest donations of dog, puppy, cat and kitty food the they received. There was pedigree food, organic food and even holistic pet food.

The Rescue Bank is a lot like the Houston Food Bank only their collection is for pets. But like most other charitable organizations these days their donations are down, even so they'll help.

Founder John Kane said "We'll be bringing them out of this 7 thousand pound shipment we've got at least one thousand pounds allocated to them. we;ll help them as much as we can but don't let that stop anyone out there from helping them directly."   

When all that food was un-loaded a "Meals- on- Wheels" volunteer said "This is going to help them by providing food for them the seniors are able to keep their pets at home."

And that's good news for 'Charlie the Cat-whenever he comes out from under the bed. and for his neighbor, Charlie . an Angel gift appreciated by his pal. "We really appreciate this, thank you."

If you, want to volunteer with your child at "Meals on Wheels", "Ani meals", or "The Rescue bank"- here are their links.  www.imgh.org       www.rescuebank.org

"Action 13 Angels" help a Senior Airman overcome hurdles

Un-expexted Action 13 Angel comes to the aid of a retired career Air Force Senior Airman. Cars speed so fast along this curve at Gessner at Westheimer, sometimes it feels like you've got to make a run for it just to cross the street. If you've got a prosthetic foot like David Espinoza and can't run, or quickly get around obstacle courses, it can be daunting. 22 year Air Force Veteran David Espinoza told us "There's no place to walk safely up and down this sidewalk" Every time retired senior airman Espinoza gets off the bus to see his doctor - He's forced to walk out into traffic having to maneuver around this mess of a sidewalk repairman left behind last year. "Acouple of times cars came around the curb and swevered at the last second. I got shaken up. Espinoza needs a walker so imagine what a hazard it has been. He tried calling the city's 3-1-1 HELP LINE, but after months of trying and getting no response, he called us. "I use the term buck passing because somebody doesn't want to take responsibility for his job. If he had been under my command he already would have been court marshaled and fired for dereliction of duty We immediately brought city's public works spokesman Alvin Wright to the scene. "This is very dangerous and unacceptable. this would force people to actually walk out in the traffic they can get hit by a car I just can't imagine who would have done this like this. We're going to get someone out here ASAP to get this thing taken care of." And he did, but it wasn't public works that finally fixed the problem You see in the process of trying to figure out who dug up the sidewalk in the first place Wright called AT&T They said they didn't do it, but agreed to repair it anyway, for safety sake. As for senior airman Espinoza Now I can safely walk without runing the risk of falling and I want to say thank you to you and everyone who helped. You can now address a city problem on line through the 3-1-1 help line. Here's the web address www.publicworks.houstontx.gov/index.html let us know if you have a problems for our action 13 angels. go to abc13 dot com, click on the consumer tab, then the Action 13 Angels Thank you, Lori And on this July 4th I want to express my sympathy to the Zindler family on the death of Kenneth Zindler. Lori

angels in action

"You get $70 dollars worth of groceries for $30," says David Goodrum the director of "Angel Food Ministries" for Sugarland's First United Methodist.

Buying "Angel Food" is a way to save money, which we all are trying to do these days. The food is bought in bulk at the ministries headquarters in Georgia and shipped out day of across the country and to the 15 Houston locations.

"it's restaurant quality food - fresh and delicious " says Kip Johnson of SFUM

I went to a home where they buy angel food and they love it.  The kids, too.

There's a new menu each month with about 22 items. June's menu includes steaks, chops vegetables and a lot of other food.

And here's where the deal gets better.  Anyone can buy it. professional people, those on a tight budget and folks on food stamps. There are no requirements nor qualifications. All you need to do is  order, pay in advance and pick up the box of groceries. If you buy the basic box you can purchase specials. Goodrum says ordering and and paying for the box 'on line' is in the works.

Click on "Angel Food Ministries" for the menu and "Angel Food" pick up points in your zip code.

www.angelfoodministries.org 

And let me know if you or someone you know needs help from an angel.

Thanks, and have a good weekend

lori

"Military Suspension" - Cell Phones

Cell Phone Accounts "put on hold" for Active Military Customers

"Not many guys in my unit didn't know anything about "Military Suspension"

said Army Private Johnathon Alsobrooks of Spring. His account was suspended during a tour in Iraq but by mistake it was re-activated. He was charged hundred of dollars, but we got his money back plus a new contract and phone

A simple call to the customer service at AT&T and Sprint with account or phone number should be enough for a military suspension. Verizon's and T-Mobile's policies are as follows:

VERIZON'S MILITARY POLICY
Verizon Wireless Adjusts Contract Policy To Accommodate Customers On Extended Military Duty
Active Armed Forces Members Can Suspend Contracts Up To 48 Months
BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Verizon Wireless announced today that the company has revised its contract policies to make it easier for customers in the military to manage their accounts when called to active duty. Under the new policy, active military personnel may suspend their accounts for up to 48 months.

“By offering two 24-month suspension periods for accounts held by active military personnel, we're making it easier for our valued customers in the armed forces to do business with Verizon Wireless,” said Charles Falco, Vice President-National Customer Service for Verizon Wireless. “It’s one of the best and most flexible policies available.”

Customers currently deployed in active duty who have already suspended their Verizon Wireless accounts will be grandfathered into the new program, unless a specific automatic reconnect date has been requested. In addition, customers whose military deployment is extended beyond their original request may renew their suspension for a second 24 months. Military personnel requesting suspensions or contract cancellations -- without paying an Early Termination Fee -- are asked to verbally provide their home base and commanding officer's information in order for Verizon Wireless to confirm deployment.

Tips on how to suspend service in connection with deployment:

• Call Verizon Wireless customer service at 1 800 922-0204, or from a Verizon Wireless phone at *611.
• Have account number and/or mobile telephone number handy.
• Be prepared to provide military base and commanding officer information.
• Provide a restart date if available.

* Military personnel may also want to make sure they have assigned account management privileges to a US-based relative or friend so someone else can help manage the account in the event of a duty extension or to make other account adjustments while the customer is overseas.

For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

T-MOBILE'S MILITARY POLICY

T-Mobile USA is committed to providing the best customer experience in wireless. Therefore, if a customer in the military is going to an area that does not have T-Mobile service, they may want to suspend their service until they return.

• The account may be suspended for up to 18 months.
• There is no suspend fee.
• Customers will retain their mobile number, rate plan, any current promotions, and the ability to dial 911 for emergency and 611 for Customer Care.
• Customers will not have access to voicemail or the ability to send/receive text messages.
• Customer's contract will be extended by an amount of time equal to the suspension period.

So,  if you have family members or friends in the Military- call their cell phone company- it could save money and who doesn't want to do that these days.

One more thing,

Marvin's annual golf tournament continues.

The Marvin Zindler Memorial Golf Tournament enters it's 25 year giving sight and hearing to Houstonians. All the proceeds stay right here in Houston benefiting the Houston Eye Associates and Houston Ear Research Foundation.

Date: Sunday, July 27, 2008

Place:  Walden on Lake Conroe

There's a dinner at the Junior League on Thursday and the gold tournament is on Sunday.

dinner tickets can be separate. For more information contact Jan Gilden (713) 771-9966

jgilden@houstoncochlear.org 

Let us hear from you if you need an angel. e-mail me at abc13.com consumer tab- open angels (marvin's legacy) section. Have a good weekend.

Lori

String Quartet

It was fun working with the music class of Hartman Middle school. The kids took to the new musical instruments right away. The young man on the bass was so proud he kept spinning it around with style as he practiced. and, they improved greatly under the direction of teacher Marcia Sadberry.

Principal Joseph Addison, who sang with opera great Pavarotti, emphasized the importance of music in education. Kids get better grades, have more discipline, and confidence.

The American Music Conference said that in Texas, a study of average SAT scores for music students for 8 years showed that kids in programs such as a string quartet scored higher than the national average.  Not Bad.

And check out the Lisle Violin shop on Bissonnet and in Pasadena at VIOLINS.COM

And, If your child's school doesn't have a band and needs musical instruments there are foundations the school can apply to for grants such as the VH1 Foundation 'Save the Music"

By the way- the teacher, Mrs. Sadberry is performing at Miller Park Thurs. Fri. and Sat. May 29,20,31.

click on angels.abc13.com if you need help.

Lori Reingold 

eye tracking computer

We've had a whole bunch of inquiries about the 'eye tracking computer" we were able to provide for little Jemma Leech - a 10 year old Houston school child with cerebral Palsy. Jemma, you may recall, won a writing contest over hundreds of kids with prose beyond her age.

The computer is a keyboard where you focus on a letter for 2 seconds and then move your eyes to the next letter. It takes moments to set up even if you wear glasses or contacts. and, you're imprint is saved if the machine is used by others. after writing what you want to say with your eyes, the machine speaks your words. it's amazing.

so, here's the information once again on the company. tobii ATI www.tobii.com  Betsy Walker represents the company locally. betsy.walker@tobii.ATI.com.

we hope others will benefit from knowing about this technology.

lori reingold lori.reingold@ABC.COM

Rat and Roach Report Q&A with Jeff Ehling

I managed to catch up with the very busy Jeff Ehling the other day to ask a few common questions we get about the Houston Rat and Report.

Mike McGuff:  Can you shut down restaurants?
Jeff Ehling:  No, I don’t have that power.  Health inspectors however can shut down restaurants.  In fact we have seen several places closed down for various reasons.  Hot water was not 110 degrees, floor drains were backed up, not having proper permits…all things that have led to closures.

MM:  How do you choose a restaurant to inspect?
JE:  We don’t choose the places, the health inspector does.  In fact we have no idea where they will take us until the day before and even then we only know the first place on the list.

MM:  What's the worst thing you've found so far?
JE:  Roaches, roaches and more roaches.  We went along with one inspector who saw roaches all over the kitchen of a restaurant. 

MM:  When you go to eat a restaurant, does the staff now look at you funny?
JE:  Great question.  I have noticed restaurant owners give me a second look when I go to eat.  The other day I stopped by a place I go to occasionally and the owner asked if I was doing the Rat and Roach report and I said yes.  He then basically ran off.  I think he meant if I was doing the report on his place right then, but I was only just eating there.  The owner of another restaurant owner said I was making people look bad, but then co-owner piped in and said, "no, it's not his fault a place has roaches."

If you have a question, leave it in the comments below.

You can go along with Jeff on the inspections every Thursday night on Eyewitness News at 6pm.

VIDEO: Jeff Ehling talks cheap eats in Houston

Jeff Ehling talks about Collina's Italian Cafe.  It's one of his favorite places to eat a cheap lunch in Houston.

See the last cheap restaurant Jeff talked about

See some of our other favorite Houston restaurants

By the way, no one from abc13 receives money, advertisement or free meals when picking out these favorite restaurants.

We received an EMMY nomination

We received a nomination for Jeff on the Job 2 in the 5th Annual Lone Star EMMY Awards.

Public/Current/Community Affairs-Program/Special

Jeff on the Job 2
KTRK ABC 13
Michael A. Carl, Editor/Photographer
Michael McGuff, Producer/Writer
Michael Lukaszewskyj, Photographer
Jeff Ehling, Talent

There were a lot of KTRK nominations too. Wish us luck!

Go inside Houston restaurant kitchens to see what health inspectors find

By Jeff Ehling

(9/13/07 - KTRK/HOUSTON) - No one could ever replace our late Marvin Zindler, but we're keeping much of his important work living on. Marvin's original Friday rat and roach report highlighted health problems at area restaurants, and we will continue to bring you this valuable information, with a bit of a different look.

Keeping a kitchen clean is not an easy task, but when you run a restaurant, it's the law. The city of Houston makes sure where you eat is up to code. Health inspectors say nothing keeps restaurants on their toes quite like our rat and roach report.

Health inspector Gene Bowden took a thorough look at the kitchen of Amazon Grill at 5114 Kirby during his most recent visit. In the walk-in cooler, Bowden sees a common problem -- the cooler is not cold enough.

Remember, if meat reaches room temperature and stays there for two hours, bacteria could start to grow and could leave you sick. That's something to keep in mind for your own kitchen.

At Amazon Grill nearly 300 pounds of meat had to be thrown away. The owners got a repair man out and fixed the problem on the spot.

"We have our maintenance guy here and we are going to attach our cooler to the alarm system to receive immediate notification when something does drop below temperature," promised Bobby Wells with the Amazon Grill.

Across town, inspector Marcia Washington is doing a follow up at the Shoney's at 2360 South Loop. Store managers called the staff and said they did not want our cameras in the kitchen.  So we waited outside for the results.

Washington reported, "They had grease build-up under the grills and fryers in the cook lines and they did not have paper towels in all of the hand sinks."

Nothing major, and even though managers took corrective action, they still did not want to talk to us.

Up next was Tel Wink Grill at 4318 Telephone Road. The manager didn't mind at all if we tagged along in the kitchen. Inspector Washington found the cleaning solution was not quite strong enough in the dish washer. But the owner fixed the problem right away. It was the only issue in an otherwise clean kitchen.

"It was clean, the temperatures were good," Washington said.  "They had good practices, everything was perfect."

Even in your own kitchen, hot water is not enough when it comes to cleaning dishes. Sanitizing solution is needed to get the job done.

The city health department inspects dozens of restaurants each week and we are showing you just a fraction of those they visit. But if you'd like to see those reports, you can look them up in the city of Houston's online database.
(Copyright © 2007, KTRK-TV)

The new rat and roach report with Jeff Ehling

No one could ever replace our late Marvin Zindler, but we're keeping much of his important work living on.

Marvin's original Friday Rat and Roach report highlighted health problems at area restaurants, and we will continue to bring you this valuable information, but this time with Jeff Ehling.

Here is a way you can look up a Houston restaurant's inspection report.

http://houston.tx.gegov.com/media/search.cfm

This link gets you there, but we need to give some instructions too.

1.  You'll need to enter the name exactly as it appears.
2.  Second, you need to check out the dates, make sure your search start date goes back at least three months.  Some restaurants are reviewed once a year, so you may need to adjust the year if nothing comes up.
3.  You'll need to click on the restaurant name when it appears to see the inspector's findings and corrective actions taken

VIDEO: Jeff Ehling announces new Houston restaurant reports

Today we are proud to announce on The Consumer Blog that Jeff Ehling will continue on the tradition of Marvin Zindler's Original Rat and Roach Report starting this Thursday at 6pm.  Here he is with more:

First day of pre-k

We showed you Jeff's oldest going off to kindergarten, so let's not leave out the youngest Ehling. 

He's headed off to pre-k today.

First day of school

by Jeff Ehling

It's not every day you begin you academic career.  While school starts at HISD in a few days, many other students had to go back a little earlier, including this guy. My oldest son started kindergarten last week and while I usually reserve this space for consumer news, I thought it would be nice to commit his educational milestone to the collective memory of the world wide web.

On a consumer news note, many families like ours could not participate in the Tax Free Weekend because we needed to get uniforms and supplies a week before the sales started.   I spoke with state Senator Rodney Ellis about that and he said the legislature would work to expand the weekend to a full week and try to make it last 2 full weeks before major schools return to classes.

Ellis said it may be a tough fight, but the tax savings should be passed along to the widest range of Texans possible, even those starting kindergarten.

Free Money

by Jeff Ehling

It seems too good to be true.  A company sends you a letter saying you have hundreds of dollars in unclaimed cash, but to get it, you have to give the company a cut.  M. Rosenbaum got one recently and he was instantly skeptical.

"I am furious, I got an unsolicited letter today," said Rosenbaum, "Saying that I had $994 coming to me."

Rosenbaum asked me if this was a scam.  It turns out it is not.  Thousands of Texans, maybe even you, have unclaimed cash out there.  The state has a web site set up, https://txcpa.cpa.state.tx.us/up/Search.jsp, that can show you the money!  The state does not charge a penny for the service, after all the money is yours.  Just click on the link and follow the directions.

The letter Mr. Rosenbaum received is from a company that scours state property web sites for unclaimed cash.  Then they send you a letter telling you they can get the money, for a fee. Remember, you only have to pay if you use the service, but you do not have to pay if you find it yourself.  So check out the web site and the sites of any state where you have lived.

That's the advise I gave Mr. Rosenbaum and guess what?  He found cash in an account he had forgotten about!   Rosenbaum is in the process of claiming his cash for free.  "I feel like a fool for being so defensive, " said Rosenbaum.  Not at all, you are right to be wary of unsolicited offers of free money, in THIS case the money really is there.   I cannot thank you enough, " added Rosenbaum.

Time to play "What is Jeff really doing?"

Our spies captured this Jeff Ehling moment this morning in the newsroom with a camera phone.  Remember, you never know who is watching. 

Now it's your turn to tell us, "What is Jeff really doing?"

Hit the comments.

Is that pill really for you?

Is that pill really for you?  It's a question everyone who takes prescription drugs should ask. We found one pharmacy in Houston with four customers who have the same name. One of those customers got drugs intended for someone else with the same name. (FULL STORY)

It's hard to find out, we asked the Texas State Board of Pharmacy how often this happens, but surprisingly pharmacies don't have to report these cases so it's up to consumers to read the prescription labels, make sure the address is correct, read the medicine insert before taking the pills, and if you have any concerns, call your doctor before taking the medicine.

Consumers can complain to the state and then they will investigate.

http://www.tsbp.state.tx.us/consumer/complaint.htm

Jeff on the Job 4 links

You saw Jeff on the Job Sunday night, now here are the links to the stories!

Cut your beauty costs in half
If you think you can't look great on a budget, think again.  The Houston-area is full of places you can get haircuts, facials, even massages for a fraction of what you'd expect.

How to cut the costs of medical care
You don't need us to tell you how expensive it is to go to the doctor, but we've learned there are ways around high medical bills.

Auctioning your home may be an option if you're facing foreclosure
There isn't a lot of good involved in a foreclosure, but there may be a way to get out from under a home about to be taken by the bank. Selling the house at auction just might be the way to avoid the financial ruin associated with a foreclosure.

What plants to buy this season
If you have the overwhelming urge to plant something, you're not alone. Right now it seems everything is in bloom.

How to work from home
If you have a job you hate or dream of working for yourself, we've got a few leads for you.

Links:
- Recycling Home Builder
- Celebrity Calculator
1. Movie Stars
2. Athletes

RELATED:
- Jeff on the Job 3 links
- Jeff on the Job 2 links

Email us a news tip

 

Jeff Ehling is at it again!

Figures, only a TV reporter would use company time to get styled.  But based on that look, I think Jeff Ehling is up to something else, this time.

Find out what's going on this Sunday night at 10:35 on ABC 13 as consumer news goes late night on Jeff on the Job 4.