i'm chris chmura. we'll show you how to pick one. emergency planning for kids.t predict when an emergency will happen. so that's why it's important to make a plan with your parents. here are a few tips to stay safe. know how to get in touch with your family. write down phone numbers for your parents, siblings and neighbors. pick a place to meet your family if you are not together and can't go home. remind your parents to pack an emergency supply kit. making a plan might feel like homework, but it will help you and your family stay safe during an emergency. >>> chris chmura is going to show us how to pick a tax preparer and maybe even get help for free. >> each year about 15 million people file their federal tax returns on paper. many are do it yourself. as a diyer myself with many home projects i deeply respect that. but this year with your taxes there are a lot of reasons to seek help. >> i love helping people save money on their tax. >> lisa green lewis says you may be eligible for big deductions or credits for the first time. if you misunderstand two credits,

chris chmura says taking that cash changes your taxes.to show us how. >> if you dip into your 401(k) account before you're 59 1/2, uncle sam normally takes a 10% penalty. but 2020 wasn't normal. covid-19 hit. people lost work and congress passed the c.a.r.e.s act. that allowed some people to take money out of their 401(k) accounts without the usual penalty. if covid-19 affected you, you could take up to $100,000 with no penalty. lots of people did. fidelity told us 1.6 million of its customers took out an average of $9400. families could use that money to pay bills and make ends meet. penalty free. but not tax free. distributions from traditional 401(k) accounts are taxable. here's how that will happen. it starts with a 1099 r form. you should get it in the mail. when you do your taxes, give that form to your tax preparer, or put it into your software, or if you're doing it yourself online, you'll put it on 4 a eventually. but you'll need another form, 8915-e. it deals with disasters. when you fill out 8915-e, pay special attention to the

i'm chris chmura. we'll show you how to tell uncle sam about it like, seeing my mom. it's unthinkable to me that i can't see her and i can't hug her. not being able to hug is just like somebody has to tie me down. touching someone to say i love you, to hug you... those are the things that i miss. ♪♪ ♪♪ . >>> well, all this week, our consumer team is getting us ready for tax time. your federal tax returns are due april 15th. this year it's staying that way. this year a lot of people will have extra work to do because they've dabbled into the stock market. chris chmura will show us how to bring uncle sam into the loop on that. >> more people are trading stocks. apps make it easier and cheaper than ever. >> mom and pops. >> kind of david conquering goliath. >> it's not about making money but can we destroy wall street. >> secondary motives aside, when you make money selling stock you have a primary duty to tell uncle sam about it. gains and losses go on line seven of your 1040. first-time traders should get a 1099-b, as in broker. and that's who should send it to you, yo

key camera, back to you. >> chris chmura always with the great information, thanks, chris. >>> still on "today in the bay," vianey has your full microclimate forecast. we hope you stay with us. >>> more students in contra costa county return to the classroom. we'll break down the plan going into effect monday. >>> plus, basketball fans are excited as the warriors take on the chicago bulls. the big milestone that's also happening off the court. >>> hey there. it's sunday funday and the sunshine is going to be so bright today. 43 degrees right now in tiburon. look at the skies. we have some fog in the distance there hugging the golden gate bridge so if you're headed to san francisco expect a warm day ahead. we'll be in the 70s out there, believe it or not. if you're around the coastline, a little bit cooler in the 60s but in san jose right now 48 degrees. clear skies inside the interior valleys. dublin area, 42 degrees and the next couple of hours in the north bay, it is cold. 38 degrees so as you head outside right now, it will feel chilly but look at 1:00 and 2:00, right around your

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura.ea responds" next. >>> but first our team always on social media, laura got a chance to get away to tahoe over the weekend. she said on facebook it was her first time skiing with her kids. look at them there. looks like a lot of fun. follow laura on facebook, twitter and instagram. we'll be right back. 5:20. >>> 5:22. welcome back. "nbc bay area responds" to a union city family and $1,500 travel dispute. >> they asked for help. >> yvonne chung canceled three airline tickets to barcelona because of the pandemic. asap tickets told her it would collect a $250 fee per ticket, that's 750 bucks. yvonne did not think that was fair so she did two things. she started a dispute with her credit card company and she called us. we contacted asap tickets parent company and here's what they told us. "when the pandemic started, many airlines were not allowing refunds and they were offering credits only." they went on to say "it wasn't until months later that airlines started relaxing these rules." asa

i'm investigator chris chmura, next. emergency planning for kids.can't predict when an emergency will happen. so that's why it's important to make a plan with your parents. here are a few tips to stay safe. know how to get in touch with your family. write down phone numbers for your parents, siblings and neighbors. pick a place to meet your family if you are not together and can't go home. remind your parents to pack an emergency supply kit. making a plan might feel like homework, but it will help you and your family stay safe during an emergency. this is a no-nonsense message from three. small business insurance is usually so complicated, you need to be a lawyer to understand it. that's why three was created. it's a better kind of business insurance. it's only three pages. straightforward. if you own it, three covers it. got a cheese slice for "spokesperson?" that's me. i don't even need to see what's happening behind me to know it's covered. (screaming) this commercial is now over. logo. three. no nonsense. just common sense. >>> right now at 6:30

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura.u should and should not be doing right now to make sure you get it. >>> we get it, it's always hard to read the fine print. the new stimulus bill includes a big benefit for millions of families who collected unemployment benefits. but it's going to require some work and some patience. let's bring in our consumer investigator kmoour kmoour. -- chris chmura. >> reporter: lots of families got a shock when they learned their unemployment benefits were taxable. people like sarah bower in rohnert park. >> my tax refund dropped by $4,000. i think the lawmakers need to know how much people are going to be suffering as a result of this. >> reporter: congress, listen, the new stimulus bill corrects some of sarah's concerns it makes first $10,000 of benefits tax free if your total income is less than $150,000 for the family. how do you get the fax break? that's still a work in progress. if you haven't filed your tax return yet, the irs says it will provide a new worksheet. it says it's also worki

our consumer investigator chris chmura joins us with the answer. >>> plus looking at making changes. senate democrats look at which parts they want to keep of the nearly $2 trillion covid relief bill that passed the house this weekend. >>> plus, get ready to pay more for your power bill. how much your pg&e bill is expected to go up this month. we'll be back in three minutes. this is a no-nonsense message from three. small business insurance usually doesn't cover everything you need. it's long on pages. short on coverage. that's why three was created. it covers your entire business in just one policy. because small business owners have enough on their hands. so go with three and leave those old policies in the dust. sawdust. technically. don't interrupt the spokesperson. this commercial is now over. logo. three. no nonsense. just common sense. oh, you think this is just a community center? this commercial is now over. no. it's way more than that. cause when you hook our community up with the internet... boom! look at ariana, crushing virtual class. jamol, chasing that college dream. m

chris chmura has been helping people along the way. >> good evening. it's a $3 million pot. i had no idea it existed. apparently almost no one else does because the agency that oversees that stock pile of money doesn't advertise. tonight we're going to give them some free publicity. we want to help frustrated travellers get their money back and protect you when you book your next trip. >> i just felt like i had nowhere to go. >> flora teng felt stranded, ironic because she was dealing way travel agent. she splurged for a luxury right in 2020 but covid-19 hit, emirates cancelled the trip and offered a full refund. no penalties, no fees. but flora's travel agent arrived at a different conclusion. >> they wanted to charge me $250 per person to get my refund. >> flora turned to us. we got the travel agent to reverse course. >> there's a couple bad apples that spoil the cart. but that's why we have tcrc. >> the travel consumer restitution corporation. if you've never heard of it, you're not alone. neither had we. >> there's a lot of people who don't know about it. >> let's rewind

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. we'll show you how next. >>> well, you're likely driving less during this pandemic, a lot less and has the price of the car insurance dropping a lot, too. consumer investigator chris chmura is going to show you how you can try to lower it. >> many families have parked their cars for the long haul during the pandemic. so many aaa reported a 34% increase in dead battery calls over the summer. now more work from home means we're driving less and getting into fewer accidents so over the past year you might have gotten a small discount on your car insurance. >> but it's now clear that insurance companies haven't done enough. >> that's california insurance commissioner ricardo hara. he says drivers are due almost double the discount car insurance companies have given out. he just gave insurance companies an april 30th dead line to explain how they will refund customers a billion dollars. >> you don't have to wait for some statewide discount beam. you can make a personal case for a lower rat

i'm chris chmura. nbc bay area responds, next. >>> $10,000. that's how much money our consumer team just saved a few viewers. consumer investigator, chris chmura, is going to show us how he did it. how did you guys do that? >> picked up the phone. sent some e-mails. you know, more routine. we are calling it a trifecta this week. let's start with fremont. he purchased a $300 gift card but said, immediately after activating it, it had a zero balance. how frustrating is that? noah said he wasn't getting answers from the company so he called us. well, the company then made things right and he got his $300 back. next, let's talk about mary in san jose. 800 bucks on the line here. with a cellphone that wouldn't charge. how useless is that? well, the company that sold it to her wasn't honoring its warranty. even more useless. so she called us. our team helped solve mary's problem. it's an $817 win for her. in san mateo, having trouble with their small business's internet provider. it was some pretty big money here, too. almost nine grand. the consult

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. i have the cases. >>> it's national working moms day.d whether we work outside or not, but on instagram i'm honoring my mom who works in a pediatric's office and my sister, who is a teacher, still working. they find the time to make us feel special and my mom has time to shop for matching jammies. be sure to follow me on facebook, twitter, instagram. i'd love to know which working mom you'd like to honor today. you're watching "today in the bay." this is a no-nonsense message from three. small business insurance usually doesn't cover everything you need. it's long on pages. short on coverage. that's why three was created. it covers your entire business in just one policy. because small business owners have enough on their hands. so go with three and leave those old policies in the dust. sawdust. technically. don't interrupt the spokesperson. this commercial is now over. logo. three. no nonsense. just common sense. >>> 6:25 now. every day our consumer team is taking strides for viewers like you. >> chris chmura is keeping count of our mos

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. we'll show you how to pick one who is right for you. that's next. >>> but first, check out these photos right here, kari instagrs homemade wind band to test this week. kari is always posting a lot of great stuff and fun photos to look at and videos to follow. find her on all of those platforms, facebook, instagram and twitter. much more ahead for you on "today in the bay." it's 5:22. >>> welcome back. 5:4. this year, doing your taxes may be a little more complicated but more lucrative than years past. >> you might want to consider professional help to maximize your refund. consumer investigator chris chmura will show us how to pick a tax preparer. >> each year about 15 million people file their federal tax returns on paper. many are do-it-yourself, but this year with your taxes, there are lots of reasons to seek help. cpa lisa greene-lewis says you might be eligible for deductions or credits for first time. if you misunderstood the earned income credit and the recovery rebate credit you could short yourself as much as $9,000. greene-lew

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. we'll change that, next. >>> and this morning, we're also looking back at the last photos taken before the covid shutdown began. so here are a few of the viewers, look to your left, maria says she went to disneyland with her grandkids, and shenee went to an l.a. clippers game to the right, looked like they had a lot of fun. share your photos and videos with us on social media, i posted it on my facebook page. you can post there and might see your photo right here on "today in the bay." 6:21. i'm morgan, and there's more to me than hiv. more love,... more adventure,... more community. but with my hiv treatment,... there's not more medicines in my pill. i talked to my doctor... and switched to... fewer medicines with dovato. prescription dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment or replacing their current hiv-1 regimen. with... just 2 medicines... in 1 pill,... dovato is as effective as a 3-drug regimen... to help you reach and stay undetectable. research shows people w

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. we'll show you how next. this unplugged device is protecting our beautiful coastlines and more. put off chores and use less energy from 4 to 9 pm to help keep our state golden. roblox. >>> welcome back. it's 5:24. the pandemic hit so many families' finances hard, so hard, more than a million families took out money from the 401(k) accounts. >> chris chmuras says taking that cash changes their taxes. here's what he has to show us. >> reporter: if you dip into your 401(k) account before you're 59 1/2, uncle sam normally takes a 10% penalty. 2020, wasn't normal. covid-19 hit, people lost work and congress passed the cares act. that allowed some people to take money out of their 401(k) account without the usual penalty. this was the deal. if covid-19 affected you, you could take out up to $100,000 with no penalty. lots of people is it. fidelity told us 1.6 million of its customers took out an average of $9400. families could use that money to pay bills and make ends meet, penalty-free. not tax free. distributions

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. manage mistakes and ideally avoid them. next. >>> okay, stay with us here. all this week we're talking about taxes. the do's the don'ts and things that could slow down your refund. >> today consumer investigator chris chmura shows us how to steer clear of the common road block, tax return errors. >> we the taxpayers make lots of goofs on the 1040 form. the irs says it sent people 2,184,366 notices about math errors in 2019 alone. on top of that, gobs of people slow down their refund botching their social security number, bank account number or forgetting to sign their return. >> the bottom line is errors do happen. it's no reason for panic. >> reporter: generally you get a letter requesting a correction. respond and you're good to go. turbo tax cpa lisa greene-lewis says two factors increase the likelihood you'll make a mistake, procrastinating and filing on paper. to avoid errors, first -- >> get started as soon as possible. >> use electronic filing or efile which many families can d

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. we'll show you how next. ♪ ♪ ♪ easy tools on the chase mobile app. simplicity feels good. chase. make more of what's yours. >>> we're talking about the pandemic, of course, this morn. it hit so many families' finances hard. so hard more than a million families took money out of their 401(k) accounts. >> chris chmura says taking that cash changes their taxes and be he's here now to show us how. >> if you dip into normally takes a 10% penalty. 2020, wasn't normal. covid-19 hit, people lost work and congress passed the cares act. that allowed some people to take money out of their 401(k) account without the usual penalty. this was the deal. if covid-19 affected you, you could take out up to $100,000 with no penalty. lots of people is it. fidelity told us 1.6 million of its customers took out an average of $9400. families could use that money to pay bills and make ends meet, penalty-free. not tax free. distributions from traditional 401(k) accounts are taxable. here's how that will happen

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. we'll show you how to pick one who is right for you.t's next. >>> welcome back, everyone. 6:25. this year doing taxes may be more complicated than more lucrative in years past. >> you may want to consider professional help. consumer investigator chris chmura will show us how to pick a tax preparer. >> each year about 15 million people file their federal tax returns on paper. many are do-it-yourself, but this year with your taxes, there are lots of reasons to seek help. cpa lisa greene-lewis says you might be eligible for deductions or credits for first time. if you misunderstood the earned income credit and the recovery rebate credit you could short yourself as much as $9,000. greene-lewis recommends using software for a pro to fill out your return especially if you procrastinate. >> people that wait until the last minute, they tend to leave things out. >> if you choose to go with a preparer instead, we have a word of caution about ghost preparers. that's what the irs calls people who do your taxes for a fee but refuse to sign your retu

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura.ing up next, we'll show you what you should and should not be doing right now to make sure you get it. >>> but first, all week long we're sharing stories of resilience to look forward at the ways we may flourish from the pandemic. we're looking at photos and if before the shutdowns began. sonia sent us from a 12th birthday day and michelle from livermore enjoying drinks with her friends, taken on march 11th, just days before restaurants were shut down across the bay area. all this week, be sure to share your now toes and videos with us on social media. you might see them right here on "today in the bay." i shared mine. you can check it out. we'll be right bag. back. i'm morgan, and there's more to me than hiv. more love,... more adventure,... more community. but with my hiv treatment,... there's not more medicines in my pill. i talked to my doctor... and switched to... fewer medicines with dovato. prescription dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment or replacing thei

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. "nbc bay area responds" next. >>> but first, all week long we are sharing stories of resilience to look for ways that may emerge from the pandemic and also lookinghe last photos taken before the covid pandemic shut everything down. here is a few viewers who have sent us some of their photos, bill sent us his last time dining indoors at a restaurant, this was for a friend's birthday in san francisco, and carla went to a earthquakes game. take a look at that. all this week we will be sharing photos right here on "today in the bay," as well as some videos on social media and you might see them right here, so send them in. can't wait to see them. we'll be right back. 5:22. >>> welcome back. 5:24. spacex celebrating a successful launch of the falcon 9 rocket that lifted off from kennedy space center happened early yesterday morning. the rocket was seen streaking across the sky. it is the first spacex rocket to launch and land successfully nine times. >> pretty amazing to see. >>> nbc bay a

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. before you belly ache let us do some myth busting for you. that's next. >>> plus a mystery behind a mirror. the shocking discovery one new york city woman found behind this wall and the video that has so many people talking this morning. you're watching "today in the bay." for nearly a decade, comcast has been helping students get ready. we've connected 4 million low-income students to low- cost, high-speed xfinity internet. we're working with hundreds of school districts across the country to sponsor free internet and laptops. and parents are seeing an impact. and now we're turning 1,000 community centers into lift zones - wifi enabled safe spaces to study. so more students can be ready for anything. i'm trying to do some homework here. >>> all this week our consumer team has been talking taxes. >> consumer investigator chris chmura is here to end the week on a high note. audits. >> we have five big misconceptions plus three myth-busting tax busts. lisa green-lewis and nate rigney and irs spokesman raphael tulino. let's get started. audit my

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. before you belly ache let us do some myth busting for you. that's next. >>> and our team always on social media, talk about a flashback friday, i posted this for throw-back thursday. this is my first day at nbc bay area. of course, laura, mike, kari and i forming lifelong friendships, strong bonds. i just love you guys so much. i can't wait until the pandemic is over we can all get together. i miss you guys so much. >> i miss you, too. >> we'll go down memory lane later. follow me on instagram, facebook and twitter, check me out. i'll see you back here in a sec. 5:21. explore floor and decor your way, and comfortably shop over a million square feet of in- stock flooring! our expansive store is fully equipped with safe distancing guides, so you can browse our wide aisles and be amazed with our even wider selection. or easily order online, and pick up all the products you need for your flooring project curbside! so come discover the perfect floor at the perfect price in whatever way is perfect for you. all in one stop! visit floor and decor in

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura.c bay area responds" next. >>> this morning we're looking back at the last photos taken from before the shutdown began and here are a few viewers that sent us some photos. this is douglas on your left that said last night he saw his granddaughter. and michele went out for drinks with her friends. looked like they're having a good time. hopefully he's able to see that granddaughter soon. share your photos with us and videos online and you might see them here on "today in the bay." we'll be right back. >>> new video shows strange but spectacular light shooting through the sky over the pacific northwest. at first, it was a bit of a mystery, but now we're learning it's likely space debris from the falcon 9 starlink launch that's reentering earth's atmosphere after 22 days in orbit. an astronaut says it's unlikely much would reach the ground. >>> new this morning, a nearly 2-year-old mystery only now coming to light. new report from the drive website says six unidentified drones repeatedly

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. we'll show you how next. >>> you know what? we are always looking back at the last photos taken before the covid shutdown began so here are a few viewers that sent us these photos. shelly on the left, this is before their first birthday. look at the cute ones in the other picture. that's maria. she says she took a trip with her grandchildren as well. love seeing that. and we would love to see your photos too so make sure you share those with us. videos as well on social media and you might see them right here on "today in the bay." can't wait to see all those videos. >>> welcome back. you know, you're likely driving a lot less these days, but has the price of your car insurance dropped as well? >> yeah, probably not. consumer investigator chris chmura is going to show us how you can try to lower it. >> many families have parked their cars for the long haul during the pandemic. now, more work from home means we are driving less and getting into fewer accidents. so over the past year you might have gotten a small discount on your

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. "nbc bay area responds" next. >>> this morning we're looking back at the last photos taken from before the shutdown began and here are douglas said that this was the last night he saw his granddaughter. i hope they get to see each other soon. and michele went out for drinks with her friends. looked like they had a good time. share your pictures on "today in the bay." send them on social media and hopefully you'll see them next time. it's 6:22. we'll be right back. i'm morgan, and there's more to me than hiv. more love,... more adventure,... more community. but with my hiv treatment,... there's not more medicines in my pill. i talked to my doctor... and switched to... fewer medicines with dovato. prescription dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment or replacing their current hiv-1 regimen. with... just 2 medicines... in 1 pill,... g regimen... or replacing their current hiv-1 regimen. to help you reach and stay undetectable. research shows people who take hiv treatme

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura.ll show you how next. >>> but first, we are also looking back at the last photos taken before the covid shutdowns began. here are just a few of you sent to us. shelley spent time visiting her twin grand babies just before their birthday. look at the cute babies there. maria, she said she also took a trip to see her grandchildren. oh, having fun in the pool. those were the good days. more days to come, though, of course. look, make sure you share your pictures and videos with us and you might see them right here on nbc bay area's "today in the bay." post the pictures along with the post and hopefully we'll see you here next time. we'll be right back. i'm morgan, and there's more to me than hiv. more love,... more adventure,... more community. but with my hiv treatment,... there's not more medicines in my pill. i talked to my doctor... and switched to... fewer medicines with dovato. prescription dovato is for some adults who are starting hiv-1 treatment or replacing their current hiv-1 r

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. "nbc bay area responds" next. >>> all week long, we are sharing stories of resilience to look for ways that may emerge from the pandemic and also looking back at the last photos taken before the covid shutdowns began. here are a few viewers who have sent us some of their photos, bill sent us his last time dining indoors at a restaurant, this was for a friend's birthday in san francisco, you see that on the left, and then carla on the right, where she says she went to a san jose earthquakes game. all this week we will be sharing photos right here on "today in the bay," as well as some videos on social media and you might see it right here on nbc bay area's "today in the bay." it is 6:21. we'll be right back. my body is truly powerful. i have the power to lower my a1c. because my body can still make its own insulin. and trulicity activates my body to release it, lowering my blood sugar from the first dose. once-weekly trulicity responds when my body needs it, 24/7. trulicity is for type

i'm chris chmura. just in, the cdc just announced students in the classroom might be able to sit closer together. 3 feet apart instead of the current 6 feet apart. nbc bay area's bob redell is live in dublin. bob has been checking in banters parents and teachers. what's the words? >> we spoke to a couple of parents whose kindergarten children just started here. they're comfortable with the 3-foot rule. we also reached out to the california teacher's association and a union for the teachers. they released a statement that reads in part, this move to 3-foot distance ploong a period of challenges. they say, we can't let our guard down now. using these saftd protocols, we can regain the confidence needed to teach and learn in the classroom. another teacher's union, this is the american federation of teachers, they tell "the new york times" that it is staunchly opposed to change the social distancing guidelines in schools from 6 to 3 feet over concerns of safety and logistics. over the past three hour, the

consumer investigator chris chmura has been helping people and he found a pile of cash. >> it's a $3ot i had no idea existed. apparently almost no one else did, the agency doesn't advertise, we're going to give them free publicity, help protect you when you book your next trip. >> felt i had nowhere to go. >> reporter: felt stranded, ironic, dealing with travel agent. splurged for a luxury flight on emirates, they refunded the trip after covid and authorized the refund. no penalties and fees but the travel agent arrived at different solution. >> wanted to charge $250 per person to get refund. >> reporter: turned to us and we got them to reverse course. >> couple of bad apples spoil the cart, that's why we have tcrc. >> reporter: what? thaz the travel consumer restitution corporation. if you've never heard of it, neither have we. >> it's a secret. lot of people don't know about it. >> reporter: rewind to 1995. state legislature created the corporation. tcrc. private corporation set up to take consumer complaints when travel agents fail to deliver or go belly up. california travel agen

the store offered a replacement, but she still needed a consumer investigator, chris chmura to step ins team. what did you do? >> we helped her out. she went to the furniture store. she coughed up $1127 for a cabinet set from a store in fairfield. three weeks later, she noticed discoloration, right here. you can see a little bit on this part and then definitely right over here. so here's what she did. she asked the store to fix it. a tech visited her home and said those cabinets needed to be replaced. here's the problem. when they did the swap, diane says the new cabinets were damaged, so she refused delivery and requested a refund. that's what i would do, too. she asked for a refund but the manager refused. so diane asked us for a hand. our team asked the store to take a second look. while the store says they would give her a full refund, $1127 back. we asked a spokesperson for a statement but didn't get a response. five stars for diane. she kept very good records, and she snapped those photos. she also inspected the replacement shipment before she signed for it. those steps made it v

our consumer investigator chris chmura has tips before you file. california phones offers free specialized phones... like cordless phones. - ( phone ringing ) - big button, and volume-enhanced phones. get details on this state program. visit right now or call during business hours. dana-farber cancer institute discovered the pd-l1 pathway. pd-l1. they changed how the world fights cancer. blocking the pd-l1 protein, lets the immune system attack, attack, attack cancer. pd-l1 transformed, revolutionized, immunotherapy. pd-l1 saved my life. saved my life. saved my life. what we do here at dana-faber, changes lives everywhere. everywhere. everywhere. everywhere. everywhere. this is a no-nonsense message from three. small business insurance usually doesn't cover everything you need. it's long on pages. short on coverage. that's why three was created. it covers your entire business in just one policy. because small business owners have enough on their hands. so go with three and leave those old policies in the dust. sawdust. technically. don't interrupt

our consumer investigator chris chmura has practical advice for staying in a hotel and staying healthy reporter: sometimes travel is necessary, even during a pandemic. here are a few tips to avoid covid-19 if you must stay in a hotel. before you leave for your destination, check local guidelines and transmission rates. some regions have restrictions for out-of-town visitors. what hotels offer contactless check-ins and payments? see ahead of time if they're an option where you're staying. once you check in, it's a good idea to bring your own disinfecting wipes and give your room a quick clean. pay extra attention to surfaces that are touched the most like light switches, the phone, and remote controls. you might even want to put remote in a plastic bag. since the buttons and grooves can be tough to thoroughly sanitize, consider skipping daily made service. that helps prevent unnecessary exposure for you and hotel staff. if you need fresh towels or toiletries, just call the front desk and ask at home leave it at the door. same for room service. if you're ordering food to your room, reque

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. >>> but first, national working mom's day, my mom and my sissyh workout side the home. they do it all. they still find time to make us feel special and shop for matching jammies that's my mom. let me know who you'd like to honor today. working moms, we're thinking of you. you're watching "today in the bay." want to save hundreds on your wireless bill? with xfinity mobile, you can. how about saving hundreds on the new samsung galaxy s21 ultra 5g? you can do that too. all on the most reliable network? sure thing! and with fast, nationwide 5g included - at no extra cost? we've got you covered. so join the carrier rated #1 in customer satisfaction... ...and learn how much you can save at xfinitymobile.com/mysavings. [ sfx: ping ping beep beep bloop bloop ] lisa looks like you've... [ sfx: pop pop pop pop ] lisa, you might be on mute. [ sfx: pop ping bloop ] [ phone buzzing ] the day can wait... enter the golden state with real california dairy. don't miss out on floor and decor's grand opening in pleasant hill! comfortably shop our wide aisles and be

we put money back in your pocket and here's chris chmura. >> good friday evening. our team has had quite a run lately. telemundo 48 where consumer investigator fernandez. she had paid $2,300 for a brand new couch that arrived damaged. well, the store offered a replacement. but it wouldn't arrive for a month. well, maria wanted a refund, instead. but the store said, no, until started asking questions. it then gave maria her full $2,300 back. at nbc bay area responds, we shared a story on monday about jake who were unable to withdraw their money from the robinhood investing app. after weeks of stalemate, we helped restore their access to $36,000 between them. well, then on tuesday, we heard from cheyenne who had $48,000 stuck in robinhood. we sent one e-mail. next thing you know, cheyenne could withdrawal the full, $48,000. we asked robinhood, what's going on? a rep only told us we generally do not share details of customer' accounts. >> if you have a problem, you can't solve yourself please let us know 888-996-tips. in spanish, 844-408-4848. hope you have a great we

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. i'm show you how, next. >>> first our team's always on social media, check out these photos of kris sanchez shared on instagram, her daughters over the weekend. looks like they were out and about taking advantage of the nice weather, such darling girls. be sure to follow kris on facebook, twitter and instagram, let her know how you're spending your time. you're watching "today in the bay." like, seeing my mom. it's unthinkable to me that i can't see her and i can't hug her. not being able to hug is just like somebody has to tie me down. touching someone to say i love you, to hug you... those are the things that i miss. ♪♪ ♪♪ >>> first, the 1099, many people moved into the gig economy for the first time so you're seeing a 1099 for the first time. do not ignore these forms. >> when you get that 1099 the irs gets the same 1099 for matching so they know how much income you made. >> reporter: speaking of income, if you got a stimulus payment, here's some good news. >> it is not taxable and

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. we'll show you how to next. nearly a decade, comcast has been helping students get ready. we've connected 4 million low-income students to low- cost, high-speed xfinity internet. we're working with hundreds of school districts across the country to sponsor free internet and laptops. and parents are seeing an impact. and now we're turning 1,000 community centers into lift zones - wifi enabled safe spaces to study. so more students can be ready for anything. i'm trying to do some homework here. this unplugged device is protecting our beautiful coastlines and more. put off chores and use less energy from 4 to 9 pm to help keep our state golden. . >>> more people are trading stocks. apps make it easier and cheaper than ever. >> it stopped mattering about making money but started becoming can we destroy wall street. >> secondary motives aside, when you make money selling stock you have a primary duty to tell uncle sam about it. gains and losses go on line 7 of your 1040. first-time traders should get this for the fir

whether it's an essential trip they're taking or a getaway for pleasure, consumer investigator chris chmura some practical advice if you're going to say in a hotel and staying healthy during that visit as well. >> before you leave for your destination, check local guidelines and transmission rates. some regions have restrictions for out of town visitors. a lot offer contactless check-ins and payments so see if they're an option. once you check new york it's a good idea to bring your own disinfecting wipes and give your room a quick clean. pay extra attention to surfaces that are touched the most, like light switches, the phone and remote controls. you might even want to put the remote in a plastic bag. since the buttons and grooves can be tough to thoroughly sanitize. consider skipping any daily maid services, prevent any unnecessary exposure for you and hotel staff. if you need fresh towels or toiletry call the front desk and ask them to leave at your door. room service request a contactless delivery. have a problem or a tip, give us a call. or submit online. we respond to every call and i

. >> still due april 15th, so all this week consumer investigator chris chmura is answering questions099. many people moved into the gig economy for the first time so you're seeing a 1099 for the first time. do not ignore these forms. >> when you get that 1099 the irs gets the same 1099 for matching so they know how much income you made. >> reporter: speaking of income, if you got a stimulus payment, here's some good news. >> it is not taxable and if you received too much, you don't have to pay it back. >> reporter: but not so good if you collected unemployment benefits like sarah bauer. unemployment income is taxable and must be reported. sarah got a shock. >> things went bad real quick. my tax return dropped by $4,000. >> reporter: record layoffs have squeezed family finances but if your income is lower than last year, that might actually boost your refund. you might now qualify for deductions or credits that you couldn't get in years past because you made too much money. the earned income credit is a perfect example. the irs says it increases refunds an average of $2,500 but it's n

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura, "nbc bay area responds" next. >>> dana said she lost her job forbearance where you and the bank agree to pause house payments with no penalties. in december, dana was ready to repay seven months of missed mortgage payments so she sent allied bank a check for $28,756. but it didn't credit her account, so she called ally. a rep. told her they never got her check but dana could provide proof they did, with delivery confirmation from the united states postal service right there. that didn't convince ally, so dana emailed us. we asked ally where was her $28,000 check. this is where it gets really interesting. first the bank responded with a statement saying "ally is committed to providing our customers with a highly transparent and trusted mortgage experience. we have researched dana's concern. we are sending our response directly, so that this matter can be resolved as quickly as possible." well a few things happened. first dana received a letter, with her check, ally returned it, saying it rejected the check because the amount written right here o

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. we'll show you how to next. think this is just a community center? no. it's way more than that. cause when you hook our community up with the internet... boom! look at ariana, crushing virtual class. jamol, chasing that college dream. michael, doing something crazy. this is the place where we can show the world what we can do. comcast is partnering with 1000 community centers to create wifi-enabled lift zones, so students from low-income families can get the tools they need to be ready for anything. oh we're ready. ♪ ♪ >>> more people are trading stocks. apps make it easier and cheaper than ever. >> it stopped mattering about making money but started becoming can we destroy wall street. >> secondary motives aside, when you make money selling stock you have a primary duty to tell uncle sam about it. gains and losses go on line 7 of your 1040. first-time traders should get this for the first time, a 1099-b as in broker, that's who should send it to. >> it's not going to go away. the irs knows about the 1099-b. >>

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. coming up next, we'll show you what you should and should not be doing right now to make sure you get it. >>> but first, all week long you know what? i'm the eternal optimist and we're sharing stories of resilience to look forward at the ways we may emerge from the pandemic. we're also looking back at some of the last photos taken before the shutdowns before we were where we are. sonia from san jose celebrating a 12th birthday party and michelle murphy of livermore enjoying drinks with friends. remember those days? we'll be back to them soon. all this week, be sure to share your photos and videos with us on social media. you might see them right here on "today in the bay." we love to hear from you. we'll be right back. for nearly a decade, comcast has been helping students get ready. we've connected 4 million low-income students to low- cost, high-speed xfinity internet. we're working with hundreds of school districts across the country to sponsor free internet and laptops. and parent

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura, "nbc bay area responds," next. >>> you know you can always findl media. sometimes we talk about the news and sometimes we talk about the news at home, what we're putting up for dinner, i showed you last hour, this time it's mike inouye's turn, take look at what he cooked up on thursday, a green penne with rowman broccoli sauce. sounds delicious. fizzo, it's a green color, italian but might be perfect to serve on st. patrick's. not everybody liked that corned beef and cabbage. tell us what make your family's mouth water. find us on facebook, twitter and instagram. >>> good morning. diane says she bought a cabinet set from a store in fairfield and paid $1,127 for it. three weeks later she noticed this, discoloration. you can see the yellow right there and obviously right there on the side of the cabinet. diane asked the store to fix it. a tech visited her home and said the cabinets needed to be replaced. when they did the swap, diane says the new cabinets were damaged. she refused delivery and requested a refund. the store manager refused. so diana

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura.to both next. >> but first, we're sharing those stories of resilience to look forward to ways we may emerge from the pandemic, and you know what, we're also looking back at the last photos taken before the covid shutdowns began. here's a few of viewers who sent us some of their photos. angela shared these photos, the last day in the office, which included a birthday party. we love birthdays around here as well. and scott says they visited a comedy club. so all this week, we have been sharing those photos, and we want to keep it up. find us on facebook, instagram, and twitter. share your pictures and us and you might see them right here on today in the bay. it's 5:22, and friday. we'll be right back. >>> good morning. our team has had quite the successful run lately, speaking up for folks like you. let's start at telemundo 48's respond day. arlen just helped maria garcia in san jose. she paid $2300 for a new couch that arrived damaged. well, the store offered her a replacement, but it w

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura, "nbc bay area responds," next. >>> plus you know you can always find us on social media. i spent a lot of time in the kitchen when i'm not out in the field reporting. i made this dish, but there was a big debate, is it mexican style stuffed peppers or chile rejetos that are a little bit naked? they loved it. i love to share my recipes. tell me what you're making for dinner tonight. want to save hundreds on your wireless bill? with xfinity mobile, you can. how about saving hundreds on the new samsung galaxy s21 ultra 5g? you can do that too. all on the most reliable network? sure thing! and with fast, nationwide 5g included - at no extra cost? we've got you covered. so join the carrier rated #1 in customer satisfaction... ...and learn how much you can save at xfinitymobile.com/mysavings. >>> good morning. diane says she bought a cabinet set from a store in fairfield and paid $1,127 for it. three weeks later she noticed this, discoloration. you can see the yellow right there and obviously right there on the side of the cabinet. diane asked the store