consumer investigator chris chmura just pinned his team's annual message. he has a tradition of making it rhyme, and, well, it's no different this time. grandpa. chris. hello, terry. hi, janelle. twas the night before christmas. and on our small team, we were basically following the normal routine. we're taking calls and emails from viewers like you. because a corporate grinch is making you stew. like renee in the east bay, a rental car business owed her $350, but nothing in her stocking. despite emails and hollers, she contacted our workshop to lend her a hand. we picked up her case and met her demand. we contacted the company and stated renee's case. the business then apologized with candor and has. next, they did something we can cheer. they gave renee her money, totally free and clear. so many of you, like renee, have called us in 2024, but there's room for more. scan the qr code. we're going to put on the screen. it will help you jingle our jolly old team in 2025. we will keep up the fight. merry christmas to all and to all a good night. that's it. we'l

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura, nbc, bay area responds next. i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri with our dry weather lately. i'll take a look at how the reservoirs are doing across the state, and also the drought and where that drought is coming back across the west. and we'll he wasn't fulfilling a promise, so he did the smart thing and contacted our consumer investigator, chris chmura kris one in san jose, says his blunder was among the 4.8 million blendjet blenders, recalled almost a year ago because of what the government said were fire and laceration hazards. one requested a free replacement because that's what the company was offering. but months later, no replacement. so one added us to the mix. we reached out to blendjet. here's what it said. we've shipped a free replacement blendjet two, along with some extra items as a goodwill gesture to apologize for the delay. juan was happy to finally receive his new blender over the holidays. you'll likely get some gifts or buy some new stuff on your own. one case is a timely reminder to regist

here's consumer investigator chris chmura with some tips. to figure out what to do with all the boxes, bows, gift bags, and ribbon. we're going to use guidance from the city of san jose. let's start with bows and ribbons. san jose says all bows and ribbons cannot be recycled. they can be thrown in the trash, or you can save them and reuse them next year. wrapping paper is easy to reuse to, provided recipients are unwrapping carefully. ooh, but if it's ripped up beyond reuse, san jose says you can recycle most wrapping paper. don't worry about the tape. san jose says it's fine in the recycle bin. here's the one caveat wrapping paper that is shiny or contains foil and metallic pieces cannot be recycled. instead, try to reuse or just trash that stuff. same goes for tissue paper. the city of san jose says tissue paper contains the wrong fibers for recycling. they're too short to recycle. you have three choices reuse it, trash it, or compost it. as for cardboard boxes, they're generally recyclable, but gift bags are a mixed bag. most of them are

consumer investigator chris chmura has a warning about a blast of bogus text messages. kris people all around saying, did you get it? did you get it? this is the scam message right here. it says that you owe fastrack some money and you better pay up to avoid potential legal action. thanks to janelle. yes, our janelle and several others like jackie and willow glen, who put this on our radar. well, today we checked into it and bay area fast track told us yep, that message is bogus and isis probay just a ruse to get your credit card info by crooks who want to make much larger purchases than just a small toll bill. all right. what are the red flags? well, the phone number is from the philippines, and the link to pay isn't the bay area fast track. we first warned you about this impostor four months ago with a similar text message. barrage. that one right there. the real fast track told us it does not text people about billing issues. the bottom line is that here in the bay area, fast track will not ask for payment by text with a link to a website. period. and lucky us, it's

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. we'll show you how next. i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. i'll update you on how we're doing so far for the rainfall season. and there's quite a bit of a contrast happening on the weather boards. also rain chances. we'll take a closer look at that. and of cour a team with all sorts of problems. among the most common issues that we get a gift card balance that's just disappeared. that's not good. it's the holidays. consumer investigator chris chmura wants to help you protect your gift cards. protecting a gift card starts at the rack in the store, because that's where many criminals start. before you buy a card, look for tampering. some scammers mess with the barcode. you can feel the sticker. it has a little bit of a ridge on it. former police officer michelle loss spotted a tampered card and made a viral video on tiktok. here's the scam that barcode sticker is for a different gift card that the thief has, so any money you load onto that card would actually land on the ththief's ca. so look for a sticker.

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. nbc bay area responds and telemundo quarantotto respond next. and we do have temperatures right now mild in the 50s and 60s. beautiful. mostly calm night, but we do have more rain expected this weekend. i'm going to take you through the hourly forecast. how much we can expect coming hours. yes. and in particular a response and respond. teams. consumer investigator chris chmura joins us with a few presents. happy friday. yes, we give the gift of customer satisfaction all year long because, well, some companies don't. let's start with veronica in san rafael. she contacted the telemundo 48 respond team after her new $598 stove died. she said the store and the manufacturer were just pointing fingers at one another until consumer investigator arlen fernandez stepped in. the store refunded veronica's $598. travis contacted the nbc bay area response team after he saw one of our stories about vanishing concert tickets. well, travis had $2,365 worth of tickets disappear from his account. those

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. i'll show you how next. we've got rain coming down right now, but i'm keeping a close eye on that radar. we've still got a stronger system expected to make its move, but when does it arrive and how much rain are we meet the traveling trio. each helping to protect their money with chase. wooo! tools that help protect. alerts that help check. one bank that puts you in control. chase. make more of what's yours. give us a sneak peek at some new technology that helps you help them find your lost luggage. our consumer investigator, chris chmura, joins us now from sfo. chris, good evening from terminal three. you know, airlines in general have a 99% on time record delivering your bags at the same time they deliver you to your destination. well, but united showed us today empowers you in the 1% of cases when they don't deliver on time. here's what's new. united is now letting you share your airtag location data. an airtag is a roughly 20 or $30 apple wi-fi tracker that lots of savvy travelers drop in their checked b

but today, consumer investigator chris chmura.ts us to spend some money in a hurry to protect it. okay. you're going to need to explain that one to me. you used to standing here and saying, go spend money in a hurry. yeah. i want you to read the fine print and all that. yes. this is the one time of the year we are okay with hurrying to spend money. we're talking about health care. fsas or flexible spending accounts. over the next two days, please check your balance if you have one, to see if you're about to forfeit some or all of it. a lot of workers have fsas to put away up to $3,200 for medical expenses through pretax payroll deduction. we're talking about expenses like doctor visit co-pays and glasses and medicine, and fsa is a pretty good deal. but the catch is some employers require you to spend your money within the calendar year. otherwise you can lose it. at 11:59 p.m. on december 31st. so thehe good nes here is that over the years, some, but not all fsas have begun giving you a grace period into the new year or a partial

i'm chris chmura.g a hit and run suspect is dead after police officers shot them near union square. nbc bay area's ginger conejero saab says police are also sharing bizarre details about what led to the shooting. sfpd is saying there are some odd parts to this story, but they are still piecing together the facts at this point. continuing with their investigation, the dior store here in downtown san francisco covering up some of the damage that their storefront got from last night's officer, involved shooting. they're just finishing up boarding that last panel there. but take a look at what the storefront looked like a couple hours ago. there appeared to be at least ten bullet holes that shattered the very thick glass of their front window. steps away from here, there are chalked circles where more than a dozen evidence markers were. this morning i was told that these specifically indicate shell casings. so this is what we saw this morning from a rather bizarre series of events that began last night. po

nbc bay area responded, i'm consumer investigator chris chmura.traight ahead a look back and one story we are watching into 2025. invite you to share your consumer problems. you do, and then nbc bay area responds. consumer investigator chris chmura here with a look at the team's accomplishments. fighting for you in 2024. good morning. we just ran the numbers and here we have it. 1945 complaints from viewers like you this year. that includes viewers like us l in the east bay. vicki in san jose and khanna in san francisco. she asked us to make some noise when a piano mover failed to deliver her heirloom baby grand and went silent. i reached out to nbc bay area responds, because i see that bay area responds when nbc reaches out. it's true. khanna got her piano back. we often get results you can take to the bank. companies returned $959,388 to viewers like you since we started the year. one story from 2024 that will continue watching in 2025 is a $100 million construction company's collapse. homeowners all around the bay area tell us they paid anchore

consumer investigator chris chmura just spent his team's annual message.of making it rhyme and well, it's no different this time. good morning. twas the night before christmas. and on our small team, we're basically following our normal routine. we're taking calls and emails from viewers like you. because a corporate grinch is making you stew. like renee in the east bay, a rental car business owed her $350, yet nothing in her stocking. despite emails and hollers, she contacted our workshop to lend her a hand. we picked up her case and met her demand. we contacted the company and stated renee's case. the business then apologized with candor and haste. next, they did something to cheer. they gave renee her money totally free and clear. so many of you, like renee, have called us in 2024, but there's room for more. scan the qr code presently on your screen. it will help you jingle. our team in 2025. we'll continue answering your call and we'll keep up the fight. merry christmas to all and to all a good morning. so close. back to you. so close. all right. chris

here's consumer investigator chris chmura. good evening. two novato travelers. their journey to europe took us on a trip into the airline's fine print. and there's a lesson for you. for all your future flights. about a two week trip. arthur rouda and his wife, lori recently toured italy and croatia. just a fabulous place with great wines. in addition to learning about new reds and whites, they got an airline education that cost them greenbacks. we were in kind of a pickle. the couple booked lufthansa for the flight home from milan to frankfurt to san francisco. well, the day of their flight, they learned the hard way that milan has two airports, an hour apart. on the way, we realized we were really going to the wrong airport, so we had to rush over to the correct airport. but arthur and lori missed their flight. that set off a costly domino effect. first, lufthansa made the couple pay for a new ticket from milan to frankfurt at sky high. last minute fares. they charged us an extra $460 each. arthur and lori flew to frankfurt in time to make

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. nbc bay area responds next. hey, there it is. day 12 of the 12 days of christmas snack mix edition. and since today is the last day, i give you something really special. these are my mama's jalapeno poppers. they are so nice! cut a jalapeno in half filled with some seasoned cream cheese mixed with a little bit of shredded cheese and wrapped in a half piece of bacon. put it in the oven and boom, you're done. if you want to elevate it to a different level, you can put them on the smoker like my hubby does. very good, very popular, very popular. they are a big request. all right. so i have all kinds of recipes for you to help you get through your potluck season and your holiday parties. but also i'm linking you to the food agencies that help to feed our neighbors all year long. you can find all of that at kris nbc. and don't forget, our nourishing neighbors continues at your local safeway through christmas viewers who feel like companies are leaving them holding the bag. consumer investigator chris chmura steam. they dive into each

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. we'll break down how that could impact your coverage next. hi, vianey. hey, chris. we've had our very own mobile doppler radar stormranger actively scanning as that incoming storm is expected to intensify. i'm going to give you a view from what it looks like with this truck some big news for those impacted by california's home insurance crisis. it is a big deal. let's get right to our consumer investigator chris kamara. thousands of families kris counting on any sort of good news here because it's impacting so many of our coverages right. because we've been talking about bad news bad news over and over again. well today the department of insurance says it got a major procedural green light to make some changes that might entice insurance companies to stop dropping people's policies and possibly resume selling homeowners coverage. the state says it's now clear to let home insurance companies use future looking computer catastrophe models to set our rates. well, in exchange for those new tools the state says we're getting for the first time a co

chris chmura is joining me now. and, chris, we can call it a banner year for our response team. hi janelle. we just ran the numbers and we logged 1945 complaints from viewers like you in 2024. that includes viewers like us all in the east bay. vicki in san jose and khanna in san francisco. she asked us to make some noise when a piano mover failed to deliver her heirloom baby grand and went silent. i reached out to nbc bay area responds, because i see that bay area responds when nbc reaches out. it's true. conan got her piano back. we often get results you can take to the bank. companies returned $959,388 to viewers like you since we started the year. one story from 2024 that will continue watching in 2025 is a $100 million construction company's collapse. homeowners all around the bay area tell us they paid anchored tiny homes up front to build an adu in their backyard, but now they have little or nothing to show for their money. we've been on hand, as the families have told the state and the fbi that they suspect fraud. now we are following the company owners through bankruptcy

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura will follow the money and help you protect your gift cards. nbc bay area responds. next. hi, vianey. hey, chris. we're quiet now. we've got those low clouds. but here's what's churning. just to our north, we are monitoring the arrival of our next storm system that's going to bring rain and wind. we'll take you through the timing, and we'll look aad at your chrishetm together. kris karma has a warning and some help for one of our viewers on the peninsula. you always talk gift cards is one of your favorite topics here. your favorite? yeah, that's a that's a choice right there. it keeps us busy. i'll tell you that much. all right. yeah. because it's true. there are going to be billions upon billions upon billions of them given and also received. we'll talk about dan in foster city first. he told us he loaded $200 onto that gift card right there. but here's the thing. when he tried to use it the very first time, there was no money on it. a store rep said someone had spent the full balance. dan says he never used it, so he asked the gift card compan

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. nbc bay area responds next. i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. we'll talk more about travel and where we could get into some delays. if you're doing anything at the airports. plus a look at our he sympathized when they stop working. and many of you contact our consumer team, i've contacted our consumer team. our consumer investigator chris kamara joins us now with the recent case in the south bay. chris. hello from the responds back office. let's talk about judy in san jose. she says her kitchenaid dishwasher died a little more than two years after she bought it. she says a tech told her replacing one failed computer board would cost $480, about half the price she paid for the whole dishwasher. judy didn't think that was fair, so she contacted us and we contacted kitchenaid. a rep responded and said, we regret that this consumer had a difficult experience in resolving an issue with her appliance. we stand behind our products and we are pleased to have come to a resolution, judy says. kitchenaid dispatched a t

our consumer investigator, chris chmura, is going to join us to discuss why this is happening now and what today's news might mean for your insurance. even if you're not a farmers customer. another san francisco business closing its doors because of crime. safeway shutting down its store in the fillmore district after 40 years. grocery store chain originally planned to close that location earlier this year, but a spokesperson says it stayed open to give the community some time to adjust. safeway says all employees will be reassigned to other stores in the area. it's going to leave a lot of low income people, seniors and families without a place to go for what we need. there's a wells fargo inside. there's a pharmacy inside. in a statement, safeway said the decision to close the store was because of ongoing concerns about worker and customer safety, as well as ongoing issues with theft. the store is set to officially close february 7th. up next, they worship with cannabis and magic mushrooms. but one of san francisco's most famous churches cannot keep up with the high cost of the city.

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura, nbc bay area responds next. i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. we are tracking the return of rain this week. we'll talk not only about the rain, but what else is coming with two different storm systems? ll see yi'ou it is inevitable. chloe! hey dad. they will grow up. [cheering] silly face, ready? discover who they are. [playing music] what they want from this world. and how they will make it better. and while parenting has changed, how much you care has not. that's why instagram is introducing teen accounts. automatic protections for who can contact them and d the contt they can see. ♪♪ assistance left him stranded out of town. he asked our consumer investigator chris kamara, the smart decision there to jump start his refund request. chris what do you got. hey there. we're talking about a viewer in san francisco by the name of sam. all right. sam had a lyft pink subscription that came with a roadside assistance benefit for his personal car. well, sam says his car broke down while he was out of town, and lyft

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. see what they're doing and why rockets are part of this equation. that's next. i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. more of that rain today and we're in for even more right into christmas week. i've got a look at meet the traveling trio. the thrill seeker. the soul searcher. and - ahoy! it's the explorer! each helping to protect their money with chase. woah, a lost card isn't keeping this thrill seeker down. lost her card, not the vibe. the soul searcher, is finding his identity, and helping to protect it. hey! oh yeah, the explorer! she's looking to dive deeper... all while chase looks out for her. because these friends have chase. alerts that help check. tools that help protect. one bank that puts you in control. chase. make more of what's yours. drop. customers and others have stopped selling coverage altogether. the combo created a statewide crisis, but today a bay area startup opened up for business and did an about face. it started selling new home insurance policies. consumer

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. nbc bay area responds next, and i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. have you covered? if you're doing any traveling here, we'll take a look at the airport delays and where some of the biggest trouble spots could be. and of course, our bay area rain there are a lot of them who feel like companies have left them holding the bag. we're here to help. let's bring in our consumer investigator chris kamara, who dives through all of these cases. and you got some specific cases you're looking at for us to talk about two of them tonight. if that's okay. we got time for that. we do. yeah very good. go for it. happy friday. all right. yeah. two east bay viewers actually. and their refund battles. we're going to talk about emily in pleasanton to start. so she took a flight. one of my favorite things. well, here's what happened. it was canceled. one of my least favorite things. why? because of the weather, but honestly, doesn't really matter. the airline refunded the ticket price, but emily was s

concessions that have been made to address what they say they need, our own consumer reporter chris chmura says the state is focused on making more policies available, but with these new offerings, no indication of whether it will be more affordable for consumers here in the east bay. bob to a live look this morning inw san francisco, where there are new developments about some changes to parking drivers in the city, now will have more time to get used to some new rules. california's new so-called day lighting law bans drivers from parking within 20ft of any crosswalk marked or unmarked. about a month ago, violators in san francisco started getting warnings, and that was supposed to be the case until the first of the year. but now the sfmta says they're going to hit the brakes, and they are not going to start writing tickets until after march 1st. the law is designed to improve pedestrian visibility at those busy intersections. in just about 15 minutes, the new man in the giants dugout will officially take center stage. willie adams will hold a news conference at oracle park, and it comes

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura, nbc, the outbreak spanned six states and was linked to lettuce from the farm. taylor farms was also the source of tainted onions found on mcdonald's quarter pounders that sickened more than 100 people and killed one. the law firm representing the missouri victims say genetic testing of the saint louis county e.coli cases were linked to several other states that pointed right to the supplier or the farm. one of the attorneys on the case says this isn't the first time taylor farms has had problems with e.coli. in lettuce and other crops, either. they're not fixing something that had gone wrong in the past, or this is some new thing, you know, this is the same company that's involved in the onion outbreak with mcdonald's that does seem like a separate new incidence of e.coli. the attorney also says through these lawsuits, they hope to figure out how this contamination happened, as it could be affecting future crops. tonight, nbc bay area responds to an east bay woman who was fighting pg&e over thousands of dollars. she contacted consumer investigato

nbc bay area responds with chris chmura gia diamonds lowest prices ever. the jewelry exchange has natural one carat gia just 1990 custom mounts are just 4.99 carat, 50 2992 carat, 5990. thousands of diamonds guaranteed the lowest price. the jewelry exchange redwood city. when my grandfather was diagnosed with mesothelioma, he didn't know which law firm to hire. his doctor gave him one name. his old union buddy gave another. but my grandfather. he did his homework and found whites in luxembourg. it was hard to find anyone who could match their experience, so the choice was easy. call whites in luxembourg today at 800 885 miso. that's 800 885 miso. set sail for olo hawaiian barbecue and discover the thrill of the uno keiki meal with fresh made to order food and quality ingredients that bring the flavors of the island to your family. disney's moana two, now playing only in theaters. rated pg. that's our show for this week. my thanks to my guests, and thank you for making us part of your sunday morning. tis the season to shop at sebastopol hardware. make your

consumer reporter chris chmura says the state is focused on making more policies available, but that does not mean that they'll be more affordable to consumers. well, farewell tonight to a longtime bay area representative. anna eschew spoke on the house floor for the last time today, retiring after 32 years in congress. that powerful position of enormous privilege. i was determined to be an ambassador to the future from silicon valley, from that district, drafting and passing 68 bills into law, signed by five presidents. eshoo became the first woman and the first democrat to represent california's 16 congressional district in 1992. she also served in the san mateo county board of supervisors for a decade. former san jose mayor sam liccardo will fill her seat starting in january, and the holiday spirit took over sacramento this evening, where the 93rd annual california state capitol tree lighting ceremony was held. governor newsom and first partner jennifer siebel newsom lit the tree. this year's tree is a 60 foot red fir being adorned with ornaments created by californians with intel

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura, nbc bay area responds next on today in the bay. and a reminder for you, our 15th annual nourishing neighbors food drive continues through chrimas day. that's tomorrow. you can donate at the checkout at safeway. i know a lot of folks are heading there today. why don't you get there? you check out and you're going to help so many families in need this holiday season right here in our area. - man, i need some serious help with this health insurance stuff. - check out covered california. it's a free service from the state that helps you get health insurance. millions of people have used it. - wait, for real? - mmm hmm, they even offer financial help to lower the cost. - nooo... how you know about all this? - that's how i got my insurance. i got a great plan for about $10 dollars a month. - okay, i see you. - if you've got questions, covered california can help, every step of the way. enroll by december 31st. covered california. this way to health insurance. yahoo! taking the stand today in his trial for alleged corruption. he is the fi

nbc bay area responds with chris chmura.join nbc bay area and telemundo 48 for northern california's largest drive thru holiday light show, open now through january 5th. purchase tickets in advance and enjoy over 50 sparkling holiday displays. learn more at nbcbayarea.com. that's our show for this week. a reminder we have a sister podcast called sand hill road. it's all about venture capital. i hope you'll give it a try. my thanks to my guests, and thank you for making us part of your sunday morning. california. it's the ford year end telethon, 14 days of the biggest savings on an incredible selection from f-150. explore, escape, or the all electric mach-e and lightning right now. lease a 2024 ford bronco sport big bend for just 269 a month. it's your time to save during ford's year end sell a thon. get 1.9% apr on 2000 bonus cash, plus no payments for 90 days on escape explorer and f-150. it all ends january 2nd at your california ford dealer looking for the perfect gift. the search is over. teetee gia spongebob chia pet. j

our own consumer reporter chris chmura says the state is focused on making more policies available, but's no indication that these policies will be more affordable in the north bay. i hear that highway 121 between napa and sonoma counties is closed in both directions because of all of that rainfall that we've got. right now, storm ranger is pipicking up some lighter amouns of rainfall up there in the north bay. but if you live there or know anybody that you know could be going that way later today, just give them a heads up. we'll alert you if the roads do become open. but remember that there is a flood watch in the north bay until tomorrow night. this is all of the area in that darker green which includes napa and sonoma counties. you see little slivers of red up into mendocino counties are watching the russian river. of course, that is a flood warning until further notice. now, the areas in that lighter green that include parts of the city, the east bay. and as we go on into solano county, that is a flood advisory. so things could potentially get worse. definitely a situation that you

here's consumer investigator chris chmura with more.r bags at the same time they deliver you to your destination. well, what united showed us today empowers you in the 1% of cases when they don't deliver on time. here's what's new. united is now letting you share your airtag location data. an airtag is a roughly 20 or $30 apple wi-fi tracker that lots of savvy travelers drop in their checked bags to keep tabs on them. well, by integrating that info into its baggage tracing system, united is hopeful its reps can reunite more passengers with late or lost luggage and more quickly. the goal is to actually not use this technology and never lose a bag. but when we do, in those rare instances that we do and there's an airtag in someone's bag, we can't see it right now currently. so this will give us the ability to integrate their airtag into our united app, and we can see the bag and recover it. united is the first u.s. carrier to do this, but not the only airline to fold airtag data into their baggage systems. when apple recently announced th

we asked consumer investigator chris chmura on how to deal with all that holiday waste. guidance from the city of san jose. let's start with bows and ribbons. san jose says all bows and ribbons cannot be recycled. they can be thrown in the trash, or you can save them and reuse them next year. wrapping paper is easy to reuse, too, provided recipients are unwrapping carefully. oh, but if it's ripped up beyond reuse, san jose says you can recycle most wrapping paper. don't worry about the tape. san jose says it's fine in the recycle bin. here's the one caveat wrapping paper that is shiny or contains foil and metallic pieces cannot be recycled. instead, try to reuse or just trash that stuff. same goes for tissue paper. the city of san jose says tissue paper contains the wrong fibers for recycling. they're too short to recycle. you have three choices reuse it, trash it, or compost it. as for cardboard boxes, they're generally recyclable, but gift bags are a mixed bag. most of them are recyclable, but san jose says the shiny ones are part plastic, so you can't recycle them. fi

our own consumer reporter, chris chmura, says the state is focused on making more policies available,fordable foronsumers here in the east bay. bob redell, nbcay area news. thank you bob. police in the east bay are investigating a deadly crash that killed two people. it happened last night in fremont on castro lane in mission boulevard. that's near mission san jose community park. police say a bmw hit a tree and then crashed into a home. both people inside the car died. there was some slight damage to the home, but no one inside was hurt. no word yet on what caused this deadly crash. we're going to move on to the weather now, and we're seeing on and off rain across the bay area. here's meteorologist kari hall with our forecast. we've seen scattered showers across the bay area today, and it continues even as we go into the afternoon and this evening. but temperatures staying on the cool side. we're only going to make it up to 55 in santa rosa. and we're looking at a high of 55 in dublin, 59 in san jose, as well as 59 in palo alto. tomorrow it's going to also be cool, only coming up a f

our consumer investigator, chris chmura, wants to help make sure that gift card balance doesn't disappear a gift card starts at the rack in the store, because that's where many criminals start. before you buy a card, look for tampering. some scammers mess with the barcode. you can feel the sticker. it has a little bit of a ridge on it. former police officer michelle law spotted a tampered card and made a viral video on tiktok. here's the scam. that barcode sticker is for a different gift card that the thief has. so any money you load onto that card would actually land on the thief's card. so look for a sticker. take that extra 20s and just kind of feel it. look at it, visually inspect it. you can choose a gift card with extra security. some of them let you set up a pin, especially those used anywhere kind. that might make it tougher for the bad guys to drain your balance. after you get a gift card, use it asap because other criminals are simply hacking to try to drain your balance. there are groups out there that this is all they do, so use your gift card as soon as possible. here's anoth

here's consumer investigator chris chmura on how to protect your gift cards.t's where many crimils start. before you buy a card, look for tampering. some scammers mess with the barcode. you can feel the sticker. it has a little bit of a ridge on it. former police officer michelle loss spotted a tampered card and made a viral video on tiktok. here's the scam. that barcode sticker is for a different gift card that the thief has, so any money you load onto that card would actually land on the thief's card. so look for a sticker. take that extra seconds and just kind of feel it. look at it, visually inspect it. you n choose a gift card with extra security. some of them let you set up a pin, especially those used anywhere kind. that might make it tougher for the bad guys to drain your balance. after you get a gift card, use it asap because other criminals are simply hacking to try to drain your balance. there are groups out there that this is all they do, so use your gift card as soon as possible. here's another idea try to cash out your gift card in california. if

consumer investigator chris chmura is here with a warning. plus, help for a viewer.t the very first time, there was no money on it. a store rep said somebody had spent all of the money. well, dan says it wasn't him. he never used it. so he asked the gift card company for a refund. and, well, he got no response. so next dan contacted us. we emailed the company, then it sent dan a new $200 gift card. this holiday season, gift cards are once again forecast to rain as the number one gift. the problem is, our team too often hears from viewers like dan about their gift card balances vanishing. we're tracking a lot of local cases. plus, this a federal investigation into an international criminal syndicate that drains gift cards galore. those are all gift cards lined up. well, you can see how these thieves empty cards and how to protect yours. you can snap the qr code on screen right now to watch our most recent report. bottom line ideally, only buy gift cardsrom behind a locked store counter. also, look for tampering on the packaging and the card itself. finally, spend the

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura, nbc bay area bay area response to a south bay viewer who says that a company wasn't fulfilling a promise. so he contacted consumer investigator chris kamara's team one in san jose says his blunder was among the 4.8 million blendjet blenders recalled almost a year ago because of what thehe government said were fire and laceration hazards. one requested a free replacement because that's what the company was offering. but months later, no replacement. so one added us to the mix. we reached out to blendjet. here's what it said. we've shipped a free replacement blendjet two, along with some gesture to apologize for the delay, juan was happy to finally receive his new blender over the holidays. you'll likely get some gifts or buy some new stuff on your own. one case is a timely reminder to register any new product in your home. registration forms are how manufacturers inform owners like you about recalls as a bonus, some extend your warranty when you register, but only if you register. if you'd lik to register a consumer complaint with us, snap the qr

but today, consumer investigator chris chmura wants you to spend some money in a hurry to protect it. with hurrying to spend money. we're talking about health care, fsa or flexible spending accounts. over the next two days, please check your balance to see if you're about to forfeit some or all of it. many workers have fsa to put away up to $3,200 for medical expenses like co-pays, glasses and medicine through pretax payroll deductions. it's a good deal, but the catch is some employers require you to spend your money within the calendar year. otherwise, you can lose it at 11:59 p.m. on december 31st. now, over the years, some, but not all fsas have begun giving you a grace period into the new year or a partial balance carryover. just not both. also, the irs says the maximum carryover is only $640 out of 3200, so a lot of money could be at risk. so now please check your account or ask your hr rep about your plan's rules. also, you can just go shopping. it's not hard to spend an fsa. many online stores even list items that are fsa eligible. some also let you filter your searches to only

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. i'll show you how. next. hey, there it is. days of christmas snack mix edition. and i give you my friend sonia's mighty little meatballs. she has brought this to so many parties. and let me tell you, this is one of the first things that gets eaten off of the party buffet. it is true. everybody loves sonia's meatballs. you can check out that recipe and the rest of them. and while you're there, you can link to places where you can make a donation to our agencies that feed our neighbors all year long. you can find that on instagram and on facebook. and that includes our nourishing neighbors food drive. it is underway right now at our local safewaway stores. you can donate $10 at the checkout. it is the fastest way to multiply your donation. the money benefits bay area food banks serving hundreds of thousands of people. our nourishing neighbors drive runs through christmasay. d (♪♪) (♪♪) (♪♪) (♪♪) (♪♪) get exclusive offers on select new volvo models. contact your volvo retailer to learn more. where holiday travel is set to really

consumer investigator chris chmura has a look at our team's accomplishments in 2024.s to make some noise when a piano mover failed to deliver her heirloom baby grand and went silent. i reached out to nbc bay area responds, because i see that bay area responds when nbc reaches out. it's true. conan got her piano back. we often get results you can take to the bank. companies returned $959,388 to viewers like you since we started the year. one story from 2024 that will continue watching in 2025 is a $100 million construction company's collapse. homeowners all around the bay area tell us they paid anchored tiny homes up front to build an adu in their backyard, but now they have little or nothing to show for their moneyey. we've been on ha, as the families have told the state and the fbi that they suspect fraud. now we are following the company owners through bankruptcy. the ceo previously told us it was a failed business and that he hated that it happened. customers have one main question. i want to know where my money went. we're asking the same question and we will cont

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura, nbc bay area responds next. but first, we're moving the bay area forward with organizations. you can help this giving tuesday. my name is justin miller. i'm with the american red cross in northern california, and we're looking for individuals to help support our amazing humanitarian organization. in an effort to do so, we ask that you go to redcross.org and that's your one stop shop for all things red cross. whether you're able to give the gift of time, blood or money. so please visit us for a full list of nonprofits you can help, head to our website nbcbayarea.com. a lot more news ahead. 622. we'll be right bkac bounced from one doctor to the next. does it have to be like this? at kaiser permanente, we have a different kind of healthcare... so, how did you like doctor lum? ...where all of us work together for all that is you. to a south bay viewer who says a company wasn't fulfilling a promise. so he contacted consumer investigator chris kamara's team one in san jose, says his blender was among the 4.8 million

consumer investigator chris chmura went to sfo to check out how it works. good evening from terminal three. you know, airlines in general have a 99% on time record delivering your bags at the same time they deliver you to your destination. well, but united showed us today empowers you in the 1% of cases when they don't deliver on time. here's what's new. united is now letting you share your airtag location data. an airtag is a roughly 20 or $30 apple wi-fi tracker that lots of savvy travelers drop in their checked bags to keep tabs on them. well, by integrating that info into its baggage tracing system, united is hopeful its reps can reunite more passengers with late or lost luggage and more quickly. the goal is to actually not use this technology and never lose a bag. but when we do, inhose rare instances that we do and there's an airtag in sosomeone's bag, we can't see it right now currently. so this will give us the ability to integrate their airtag into our united app, and we can see the bag and recover it. united is the first u.s. carrier to do this, b

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura, nbc bay area responds next - man, i need some serious help withs health insurance stuff. - check out covered california. it's a free service from the state that helps you get health insurance. millions of people have used it. - wait, for real? - mmm hmm, they even offer financial help to lower the cost. - nooo... how you know about all this? - that's how i got my insurance. i got a great plan for about $10 dollars a month. - okay, i see you. - if you've got questions, covered california can help, every step of the way. enroll by december 31st. covered california. this way to health insurance. sam had a lyft pink subscription with the rideshare company, which came with a roadside assistance benefit for his personal car. well, he says his car broke down while he was out of town, and lyft couldn't find a tow for two days. he says lyft told him to go ahead and tow it himself and save his receipts. well, he says the tow plus two nights in a hotel totaled $1,347. sam submitted that for reimbursement, but says lyft and its towing contractor simply kept p

we asked consumer investigator chris chmura how to deal with all that holiday waste. to figure out what to do with all the boxes, bows, gift bags and ribbon, we're going to use guidance from the city of san jose. let's start with bows and ribbons. san jose says all bows and ribbons cannot be recycled. they can be thrown in the trash, or you can save them and reuse them next year. wrapping paper is easy to reuse, too, provided recipients are unwrapping carefully. ooh, butf it's ripped up beyond reuse, san jose says you can recycle most wrapping paper. don't worry about the tape. san jose says it's fine in the recycle bin. here's the one caveat wrapping paper that is shiny or contains foil and metallic pieces cannot be recycled. instead, try to reuse or just trash that stuff. same goes for tissue paper. the city of san jose says tissue paper contains the wrong fibers for recycling. they're too short to recycle. you have three choices reuse it, trash it, or compost it. as for cardboard boxes, they're generally recyclable, but gift bags are a mixed bag. most of them are r

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. i'll show you ♪ you know i'm a dreamer ♪ ♪ but my heart's of gold ♪ ♪ just one more night ♪ ♪ and i'm coming off this long and winding road ♪ ♪ i'm on my way ♪ ♪ i'm on my way ♪ ♪ home sweet home ♪ there's no place like the road home. receive a $5,500 bonus on a new 2024 audi q5 plug-in hybrid during the season of audi sales event. leftovers. the holiday leftovers, but not the food. yeah, no. if you have those piles of wrapping paper and ribbons you're hoping to recycle, can't always recycle them. our consumer investigator chris kamara has some advice. to figure out what to do with all the boxes, bows, gift bags and ribbon. we're going to use guidance from the city of san jose. let's start with bows and ribbons. san jose says all bows and ribbons cannot be recycled. they can be thrown in the trash, or you can save them and reuse them next year. wrapping paper is easy to reuse to, provided recipients are unwrapping carefully. ooh, but if it's ripped up beyond reuse, san jose says you c

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. nbc bay area responds next. it's day one of the 1212 days of christmas snack edition, and i give you one of my kids favorites. this is queso fundido. yes, it is melted cheese, but no, do not call it queso because it's even more special than that. i officially kicked off my annual 12 days of christmas, and this year i'm switching things up, trying to bring you some simple and budget friendly recipes to handle those last minute potlucks and holiday parties. you can follow along on instagram and facebook. i'm at kris nbc. you're much more ahead. you're watching today in the bay. it takes a rebel to make something beautiful. beauty takes courage. it's an act of joy. so resist the ordinary. and embrace the wow. at floor & decor. who was fighting pg&e over thousands of dollars. so she contacted consumer investigator chris gilmore and his team for some help. patricia in union city says her gas meter broke, so a pg&e tech came out to fix it. well, patricia believes that tech broke her gas line. she says after he worked

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. a gift card starts at the rack in the store because that's where many criminals start. before you buy a card, look for tampering. some scammers mess with the barcode. you can feel the sticker. it has a little bit of a ridge on it. former police officer michelle loss spotted a tampered card and made a viral video on tiktok. here's the scam. that barcode sticker is for a different gift card that the thief has, so any money you load onto that card would actually land on the thief's card. so look for a sticker. take that extra seconds and just kind of feel it. look at it, visually inspect it. you can choose a gift card with extra security. some of them let you set up a pin, especially those used anywhere kind. that might make it tougher for the bad guys to drain your balance. after you get a gift card, use it asap because other criminals are hacking to try to drain your balance. there are groups out there that this is all they do, so use your gift card as soon as possible. here's another

i'm consumer investigator chris chmura, nbc bay area responds the ferry will take you from richmond to the embarcadero and mission in san francisco, and that free fare was made possible through a partnership with the contra costa transportation authority and the san francisco bay area water emergency transportation authority. the richmond ferry operates 14 trips per day on weekends and five trips per day on the weekend. well, the more on during the weekdays i got it wrong. all right. lots of families are still exchanging gifts, including ours in particular our respond and respond teams. consumer investigator chris gilmore joins us now with a few presents. happy friday. yes, we give the gift of customer satisfaction all year long because, well, some companies don't. let's start with veronica in san rafael. she contacted the telemundo 48 respond team after her new $598 stove died. she said the store and the manufacturer were just pointing fingers at one another until consumer investigator arlen fernandez stepped in. the store refunded veronica's $598. travis contacted the nbc bay area re

but today, consumer investigator chris chmura wants you to spend money, do it in a hurry to protect itod morning. this is the only time of year we're okay with hurrying to spend money. we're talking about health care, fsa or flexible spending accounts. over the next two days, please check your balance to see if you're about to forfeit some or all of it. many workers have fsa to put away up to $3,200 for medical expenses like co-pays, glasses and medicine through pretax payroll deductions. it's a good deal, but the catch is some employers require you to spend your money within the calendar year. otherwise you can lose it at 11:59 p.m. on december 31st. now, over the years, some, but not all fsas have begun giving you a grace period into the new year or a partial balance carryover. just not both. also, the irs says the maximum carryover is only $640 out of 3200. so a lot of money could be at risk. so now please check your account or ask your hr rep about your plan's rules. also, you can just go shopping. it's not hard to spend an fsa. many online stores even list items that are fsa eligi

our own consumer reporter chris chmura says the state is focused on making more policies available, but with these new offerings, there's no indication if they will become more affordable for consumers here in livermore. bob redell today in the bay. developing now out of southern california, crews are beginning to make some progress in the franklin fire in malibu. the strong winds are starting to die down, but the fire has burned more than 4000 acres since it started on monday, and thousands of people are still under evacuation orders. the fire. only 7% contained. nine structures have been destroyed and at least six others are damaged. meteorologist kari hall is here. you know the winds are dying down. that will help firefighters. the rain as well. yeah. we were hoping for some of the rain that we're getting to make it down to socal, but it's kind of falling apart before it gets there. so that's the unfortunate news. the good thing is that once again, we are seeing the winds calming down. but as we take a look at this system as it approaches, a lot of that rain is kind of falling apart