consumer reporter erika gonzalez focuses on your credit score, and what you don't know can hurt you.m nbc's carrie dan. >> i'm mark murray. >> president obama's state of the union address is tuesday night. his topicings include free community college for call stid fooid student, expanded ak receives to broadband and paid sick leave. >> while some are big eyes they're almost guaranteed to be stonewalled in congress. there are sweeping proposals that president obama talked about in previous addresses. >> in 2009 he used his state of the union address to call for health care and wall street reforms. in 2011 he promised to beat osama bin laden. those goals were met. but immigration reform remains unfinished business. >> the republican who will serve as the voice of opposition after president obama's address is joni ernst, a brand new senator from iowa she's delivering the republican response. be sure to watch nbc's state of the union tuesday night. see you then. ♪ ♪ ♪ i ♪ ♪ know i can't deny... ♪ ♪ that i got a new feeling ♪ ♪ deep inside... ♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] with five perfectly

. >> tonight consumer reporter erika gonzalez examines frustrath a budget airline and what you should watch out for if you're booking your next trip. >>> maybe i can save somebody else the pain. >> and why a heart broken mother is suing >>> a california woman says managers humiliated his son so badly it led him to take his own life. she's suing target over the walk of shame, a claim target denies. kim baldonado reports from pasadena. >> i don't want any other mother to have to go through what i've gone through. this is my only child. >> reporter: her only child committed suicide last july three days after he was fired from his job as a cashiers a ath the target in pasadena. his mother has filed a wrongful death claim against the target corporation and two of its pasadena store managers. >> maybe i can save somebody else the pain. >> reporter: the claim alleges her 22-year-old son was humiliated in front of his co-workers when he was subjected to what her attorney calls the walk of shame. >> it's intended fact is to humiliate, shame, and cause extreme distress to the employee. >> repor

i'm erika gonzalez. welcome on this new year's day. >> i'm adam tuss. starting o with a little bit of a chill. a nice picture of the washington monument rig there. tom tells us it's going to be a comfortable day today right, time? >> yeah. by this afternoon. but it is cold now. a view of the capital under a clear sky. we have very cold temperatures. our weather headlines the first headlines of 2015 cold morning. chilly afternoon. looking wet for this coming weekend. temperatures a all below freezing acros maryland virginia, west virginia and the bay. those are the warm spots. closer to washington, nearby suburbs into the upper teens, including montgomery, loudoun, fairfax and prince william and fauquier. manassas manass degrees. charles county, southern maryland, down into the low 20s. shenandoah valley in the 20s to 30 degrees. no travel problems around 95, the beltway. 66 west, dry pavement all around. a lot of traveling here on this new year's day. the only trouble spot in louisiana and texas where there will be cold rain and a wintry

our reporter erika gonzalez telling you how to get a fresh start with your finances in 2015. >> thank you. >> reporter: sandra is a single mom. she works hard to provide for her family and that you put she was paying all her bills on time. so imagine her surprise when she gets a notice from the mail she's about to lose her home. >> i was like, foreclosu? why am i being foreclosed on? i am not behind on my mortgage. >> reporter: sandra looked into her credit report and found she was falsely being reported at delinquent on her tapes. >> it affects every part of your life. >> reporte the national n of consumer advocates. >> you're ability to rent ant apartment, ability to buy a house, rent a car. your ability to get a job, to buy insurance. affected by your credit report. >> reporte say you're shopping for a car. you ask for financing and you're given a high interest but you know your credit score is healthy. she says don't settle. >> your knowledge of your credit score and credit reports gives you power, because you know that you qualify for good credit and that gives you an opportunity

this was consumer reporter erika gonzalez with ita changes you can face as you file your return this and so much recordkeeping >> rert: rs s good news. congress extended tax provisions that were supposed to have expired. rosemary mcho is a public accountant at mcmahon and company in virginia. she says that c save you money on things like tax deductions and mortgage debt forgiveness an tax credit energy improvements all can be tax write-offs on this year's return. >> it's a g thing. yes. these provision doss save taxpayers money. >> reporterum two and quite possib the biggest change is for those of you who have signed up for health care through the affordable care act. >> it is going to be complicated. >> rorr: mcmahon warns those tax credits you've got pay for out of pocket premiums need to be counted. two new forms and two additional lines for the millions of people who need to claios credits and for those eligible for credit and did not take it the credits will be refunded once the tax return is filed. >> we did not see this last year. and it's important to understand that some peo

our consumer reporter erika gonzalez tells us what to look out for. >> and make sure you download the app. chuck bell is updating it througho >>> back at 6:45. the "today" show up next right here on nbc 4. let's find out what they're working on. >> erica hill and lester holt join us live from new york. >> coming up on saturday morning on "today," we're looking at travel headaches up and down much of the northeast. dylan will have the latest as the nor'easter makes for some tough going in a lot of places. >> also ahead this morning, we'll have the latest for you on you deflate-gate and the impact on tom brady's rep pew pace andu on tom b and also the nfl. >>> plus jennifer aniston out with a new film. we'll talk about that and reveal a few of the questions she hopes she's never asked again. >>> plus you may remember the review of the olive garden. the food critic is back at it. 88-year-old this time setting her sights on the four mcdonald's this her townin her town. >> all that when we get started here on "today". >> looking forward to her take on mickey d's. thanks. >>> the supreme co

erika gonzalez has more. >>> you may have to put a little more up front but this may wind up being a really inexpensive option for a lot of the movie geeks out there in the long run. we're talking about a service called movie pass. this is a monthly subscription service. you can think of it as like netflix for the big screen. okay. you pay $30 per person up front and you're entitled to unlimited movies tat-box office for that month. people are tired of shelling out lots of cash to catch a flick. a study by the financial firm pwc says the cost of a movie tick set the number-one reason that people don't go to the movies. the price for an adult tick net our area is anywhere from $8 to $15 depending on the time of day that you attend. so let's go back to the movie pass subscription. there are a few limitations on this though. you need to have a smartphone in order to use it. you can only see one movie a day. and the subscription does not include 3d or imax flicks. plus it's not available at all theaters but we did find a number of eligible ones in our area and also important to note here

consumer reporter erika gonzalez ha sorting through them all. sh joins us now with the best of the best. hi erika. >> hi doreen. today it's your turn to chime in. we've heard from you on facebook e-mail twitter, instagra are some of our favorites. victoria in montgomeryville sent us an e-mail with a great money-sa idea. every week she takes $20 and splimts it into three savings, accounts one for long-term savings, one for emergency, and savings f upcoming trips. and her strategy has paid off. victoria lost her job in october, unfortunately, but she's been able to make ends meet with help from her savings. two different viewers shared this next tip with us. dalisa and heather both have created quite the pile of money simply saving their change. by rounding up on purchases and setting the extra money aside, they each put away hundreds of dollars every year. here's another way to pad your wallet. a 52-week money challenge. joan shared her idea on our facebo page. each week for an entire year she settles aside a certain dollar amount.e first week of

consumer reporter erika gonzalez is here to help give you a fresh start in 2015. erika? >> we may not be looking at our credit report or our credit score all the time but companies are. explains all the credit card offers you get in the mail. but the story you're about to see shows what could be hiding in your credit report. >> okay thank you. >> sandra is a single mom. she works hard to provide for her family and thought she was paying all her bills on time. so imagine her surprise when she gets a notice in the mail she's about to lose her home. >> i was like foreclosure? why am i being foreclosed on? i am not behind on my mortgage. >> sandra looked into her credit report and found she was falsely being reported as delinquent on her payments. >> it affects every part of your life-ire your ability to rent an apartment, your ability to buy a house, rental a car, get a job, to buy insurance. it's all affected by your credit report. >> let's say you're shopping for a car. you ask for financing and you're given a high interest but you know your credit score is healthy. ira s

consumer reporter erika gonzalez has a warning about criminals targeting those most vulnerable. >> hi this is john from the shipping department. >> probably got calls from six, eight times. >> reporter: john jensen is talking about phone calls pitching a free medical alert system. >> let's see. it says here that the system has already been paid for. >> reporter: it's a product often marketed to senior citizens that serves as a lifeline in case of an emergency, a way to call for help. >> i never signed up for anything. i'm really too young for that sort of thing. >> reporter: jensen said the caller sounded like a real person. >> i was calling to schedule delivery of your medical alert system. >> it didn't sound like a tele telemarketing call. it sounded like somebody calling up with a shipping error. >> reporter: instead, it was an illegal robocall. and after months of annoying phone calls, jensen filed a complaint with the federal trade commission. his one of more than 15,000 complaints the ftc said it received last year all robocalls pitching free medical alert devices. >> they claim

consumer reporter erika gonzalez will join was that later this hour. >>> the weather is causing some problems for travelers out there. nearly 900 flights have been canceled so far across the country and about 5,000 have been delayed. reagan national had about 60 flights canceled dulles more than 30 and at last check flights leaving atlanta and philadelphia were having to wait an average of an hour. >>> while many youngsters in the national area went to school on the a two-hour delay, students in loudoun county got the whole day off. loudoun saw some of the worst conditions and there were several accidents along route 9. but to the east some par questioning the decision to close schools today.'t really understand especially after last week how we didn't get school off when it snowed like five inches. >> i'm surprised. a few hours i got but after last week i mean like come on. >> a little gun shy. >> the school system had 18 people on the roads this morning testing conditions to decide whether or not to close. >>> and we're following new developments in a 40-year-old cold case out of m

consumer reporter erika gonzalez shows us some of the best models for your money. >> so many options. so which tv should you buy? "consumer reports" has tips to help you score the best set for watching sports. a sports bar is a great place to watch the big game. at this one, you can follow the action on 49 tv screens. >> we're going to expect a big crowd, a bunch of noise, and a good time. >> reporter: but if you're buying a tv for your super bowl party at home "consumer reports" says a screen that's at least 50 inches or larger is a good size for a crowd. testers in consumer"consumer reports" labs size up hundreds of tvs every year. also important, a set that delivers a wide viewing angle. >> when you're watching a big game not everyone is going to get that great seat front and center. one of the issues with lcd and led pictures is it can start to look wiped out. >> another consideration, how well the tv handles fast action. >> most tvs do fine with motion but sports is one of the types of contents that can stress a tv with movement without causing the blur. >> they also evaluate the

. >>> then consumer reporter erika gonzalez will be along to explain why you may have to wait a little longer for your tax refund. >>> we're going to see a little refreeze tonight. the change well sunday night we could see a little bit of snow. we'll talk about and what our pattern is now over the next seven days. that's all next on news4 at 4.. >>> we want to hear from you about the stories you're talking about. for example, do you like the snow we got today? do you want more? follow us on facebook and twitter. >>> already thinking about how you're going to spend your tax return? you may have to put those plans on hold not so fast. >> consumer reporter erika gonzalez is here to explain how federal budget cuts may impact that tax refund. >> right. you could have to wait a little while, maybe a week maybe more than that, maybe even a lot longer if you file a paper return or if you have any questions. the irs commissioner put out a letter to its employees about how the budget cuts would be affecting everyone. the $600 million cut means the irs is forced to reduce taxpayer services like w

>> erika gonzalez is here to tell us how to potentially save thousands with a brand-new free tool. >> let's put this in perspective. we were talking about the items that you shop for. when it comes to mortgage rates, listen to this just half a percentage point, half of one can cost you up to about $20,000 more on your payments that according to the consumer financial protection bureau. plus nearly half of home buyers don't shop around for a mortgage rate when they're buying their homes. so the cfpb introduced a new tool designed to help borrowers find the best rates. this is how it works. it's pretty simple. you type in the state where you live. your credit score range, you don't have to have an exact number, the range, the price of the house and your down payment. and then the site's going to populate a range of interest rate offers based on those factors. it's not going to show you the exact companies making those offers rather those interest rates that can serve as a benchmark to show where you may fall. there's a link to our new tool on our website, nbcwashington.com, search mortg

news4's consumer reporter erika gonzalez will be along to explain what you can do now to get on the right track for 2015. >>> also the first funerals are beginning for the victims of the attack in paris. we'll tell you how some people here are paying trib >>> a cruise ship passenger fell overboard but wound up on another ship. you can see a lifeboat helping the man out of the water near a port in cozumel mexico last week. that man fell off the oasis of the seas the worrell's largest cruise ship. but they apparently didn't notice. a passenger on the disney "magic" recorded this video as their crew plucked him out. he says the oasis had already been docked at the time they got to him. it's unclear how long the man was many t. >>> french immigrants from all over the country joined israeli prime minister benjamin u and other israelis for a bilingual funeral at jerusalem's main jewish cemetery. while here in washington tonight, the french ambassador will take part in a service of solidarity at the israel congregation. >>> today, president obama attributed the centcom attack to jihadist sympath

consumer reporter erika gonzalez reveals scam artists' latest tricks and how you can protect yourself. >> reporter: for julia hughes it started with a phone call. the same for michael sullivan. >> hello? >> reporter: and the same for jeannie winslow. phone scams, specifically ones using reloadable prepaid cards, are on the rise in fairfax city so much that police are putting out a warning, don't fall for these scams. >> most of the ones that we see are the green dot card scams. unfortunately for our ending for investigative purposes, those numbers on the cards are not traceable. >> reporter: in the last six months this police department has received nearly 70 fraud-related reports and over half of those are telephone scams. >> he was able to tell me the name of a judge, when my court date would be. quite honestly i was blown away. >> reporter: julia hughes got a call from someone claiming to be a police officer saying she had missed jury duty and now there was a warrant for her arrest but she could settle it by saying $500 with a green dot money card. >> my stress level soared. my kid

tonight at 5:00, erika gonzalez gives you a fresh start for your finances with four things you shouldbefore you file that tax return. >>> today close to 200 people will gather in d.c. to learn about their rights if they're stopped by police. a teach-in will be held it's for people concerned about the recent police killings of unarmed black men in ferguson missouri and new york city. there have been dozens of protests here in d.c. an the country in the past several months. the purpose of tonight's forum is to give people simple steps to avoid a violent confrontation with an officer. the meeting is tonight at 7:00 at the we act radio station on mlk avenue. >>> today you get to weigh in on a bill that would ban the use of pesticides where some of you live in machinery county county. the bill includes some exseveral shons for agriculture and gulf courses. the meeting is at the council office building in rockville. >>> l tonight, you can celebrate dr. martin luther king jr.'s birthday in alexandria. today would have been his 86th birthday. the city is hosting the 42nd annual martin luther

i'm erika gonzalez. it is cold. it is very very cold out there. >> it will sy way.rning, tom. >> feeling like a winter morning. teen toss 20 degrees. right near the bay, near 30. annapolis 30. upper teens to 20 degrees. down to 17. manassas, on 16 degrees. leesburg and dulles 19. low 20s nearby suburbs alexandri arlingt in the low 20s. the skyline of washington under a clear sky. lots of sunshine through the morning. by 8:00 can, jumping into the 20s. by noon near 40. by 5:00 p.m., back down to 40 degrees. into the evening hours, the next 24 hours by 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. and >>> i feel a connection because aoeufp also had -- while in the program we haad a couple of members who have also lost their lives to homicide. >>> one police official that was at the vigil stressed that the department continues to investigate the past year's murders pointing out that 15 homicides from2013 were closed this year. >>> december was a tough month for firefights maryland. 11 people killed in fires. they were kied a plane crashed into their gaithersburg home. the sta frss remdi ev

consumer reporter erika gonzalez shows us some of the best models for your money. >> reporter: so manyions. so which tv should you buy? consumer reports has tips to help you score the best set for watching sports. a sports bar is a great place to watch the game. >> yes! >> reporter: at this one, follow the action on 49 tv screens. >> we're going to expect a big crowd. a bunch of noise. a good time. >> reporter: but if you're buying a tv for your super bowl party at home consumer report says a screen at least 50 inches or large sir a good size for a crowd. testers in consumer reports labs size up hundreds of tvs every year. also important, a set that delivers a wide viewing angle. >> when watching a big game way crowd of friends, not everyone's getting that great seat front and center. one of the issues i l.e.d. and lcd tvs, the picture can look washed out when viewed from an angle. >> reporter: another consideration. how well the tv can handle fast action. these patterns help testers evaluate motion. >> most tvs do fine with ploegs. sports is a con thaent can stress a trch ability to p

tonight on news 4 at 5:00 erika gonzalez will have four things you should know before you file your tax return. >>> in just a few hour we will find out who is in and who is out at the 87th annual academy awards. the nominations will be announced at 8:30 this morning. and you can watch it live during the "today" show or by using the nbc washington app. the big show will be broadcast live on february 22. >> get everything on that app. >> and what you cannot get on the app. you don't need anything else. >> order a pizza? >> that would be awesome. but speaking of food when you think about american cuisine, you might position hot dogs, pizza, hamburgers. >> but a state by state break down shows we have unexpected cravings when it comes to dining out. people this really like belgian food. it's the most popular type of food around here apparently. in fact thf belgian food consumed in the district is more than 1700% higher than the national average. if y live in maryland and virginia apparently you crave peruvian food. we eat almost 200 times here than anywhere else in the united states. and fo

consumer reporter erika gonzalez ways to climb out of holiday debt. >> reporter: the holidays are a time of spending and for some of us over spending. >> what did you overspend on? >> christmas gifts. for my family members. >> reporter: about how much did you over spend? >> a lot. about $200 $300 more than i usually over spend. >> reporter: really? >> yes. >> reporter: did you go into it thinking knowing you were going to overspend? >> no. creeped up on me. >> reporter: to help you get back on track for the new year we went to the experts at bank rate for the best ways to start chipping away at that lingering holiday debt. >> many people are focused on reducing their weight at the beginning of the year but they should really also be focused on reducing the weight of the debt they may have indeed accumulated over the holidays. >> reporter: first, if you have more than one card carrying a balance. >> attack the one charging the highest rate. maybe not the one with the highest balance. look at the one charging 18%, 20%, 22% 25%. >> reporter: next prioritize the payments. maybe a plan which

tonight on news 4 at 5:00 consumer reporter erika gonzalez gives and youyou a fresh sta your financesso right now you can download facebook at work but you can't use it just yet. according to a website rico.net facebook only released the app for testing. facebook at work keeps your personal life separate online. you're only supposed to friend your contacts and co-workers with this app. >> i know people that didn't want to friend their co-workers. they have a rule against it. >> i think it makes perfect sense. do you they'd to keep some things separate. >>> well, if you are like us you have been riveted by the in inincredible climb of el capitan. >> they reached the summit yesterday, a feat once thought impobl. tommy caldwell, kevin jorgeson used only their hands and feet. that makes them the first to free climb this 3,000 foot dawn wall. the effort took 19 days. >>> and president obama tweeted his congratulations to the climbers standing by a painting of yosemite in the white house. he told the climbers quote, you remind us that anything is possible. hand and feet. incredible. >> i ca

consumer reporter erika gonzalez joins us now with what southwest did wrong. >> this is a hefty number. the department of transportation fined southwest $1.6 million for violatina r that bans airlin from holding passengers three or more hours on a runway. this is the biggest civil penalty ever filed against an airline for a tarmac delay. the u.s. department of transp says 16 different southwest flights broke that rule. airlines als required to provide food water, and working bathrooms a a two-hour delay. t compensated passengers $269,000e the department of transport imposed this fine by the way. passenger compensation that varies based on loss of like baggage and connecting flights. chris? >> thanks erika. you're wrapping up your week of fresh starts for your finances what's coming up at 5:00? >> we've had a lot of response on this. we are turning tables on you, the viewers. we've asked you to tweet, e-mail post your money-saving tips all week and tonight we'll be showing you some of our favorite ideas. that's coming up at 5:00. and whatever your consumer story idea is we want to hear

erika gonzalez has the results of new testing. >> reporter: consumer reports' light bulb lab i of l.e.d. bulbs that can do lots of things. for instance this one changes colors. this one is supposed to keep you awake and alert and the good night l.e.d. fords $70 says it it proves your sleep. using this machine consumer reports measured the amount of blue light in the good night bulb and found it has lower levels than other l.s, but is that worth $70? >> try a cfl. costs a lot left. >> reporter: this one is just over $1.00 a bulb. as for the $70, it claims mover blue light. consumer report find it delivers more blue levels. here is how it compared to the more natural light from this. this connects to your wi-fi and can be controlled using your smart phone. it changes color and even has a strobe light setting. if you just want to light a room the $99 is a long way to go. testimony report says this cree l.e.d. does just that for $8.50 pera gonzalez news 4. >>> 9:09 on this sunday morning. we have much more coming up on "news 4 today." >>> i'm julie carey in arlington where animal welfare ad

erika gonzalez joins us in the studio with the results of some testing. >> it's always about getting most for your money, right? many of today's light bulbs have the potential to do more than just turn on and off. consumer reports checks out sthaefrl claim to improve your mood. the lab is full of light bulbs. this one keeps you awake and alert. and this one the definitely digital good night l.e.d. for $ 0 says improves your natural sleep because it emits less blue light than other l.e.d.s. using this machine, "consumer reports" measured the amount of blue light and found it has lower levels than other l.e.d.s. but is it worth $70? >> cfl costs a lot less than an l.e.d. and gives off a lot less blue light. >> reporter: "consumer reports" recommends walmart's 60 watt replacement cfl at just over a dollar per bulb. as for the $70 definitely digital awake alert it claims more blue light for impruched alertness. "consumer reports" tests find it delivers higher blue light levels. here's a look at the light cast by the alert and awake bulb compared to the more natural light from this l.e.d.

consumer reporter erika gonzalez has the latest. >>> we found four things that you need to know before you file. remember thiz and they could save you time and money. >> so much paperwork and so much recordkeeping. >> r first, some good news. congress extended some tax provisions that were supposed to have expired. rosemary mcmahon is a certified public accountant at mcmahon and company in vienna virginia. she says they can save you money on things like t deductions for teacher expenses mortgage debt forgiveness, and tax credit for home energy efficiency improvements. ss all are tax write-offs on this year's return. >> it's a good thing, yes. these provisions do save taxpayers money. >> number two and quite possibly the biggest change is for those of you who have signed up for health care through the affordable care act. >> it is going to be complicated. >> reporter: mcmahon warns those tax credits you got to pay for out of pocket monthly premiums need to be counted. there are two new forms and two additional lines for the millions of people who need to claim those credits. and for tho

>> every day this week on news4 at 5:00 erika gonzalez is working for you. she'll be helping you start the year off right so you can keep more money in your wallet. everybody likes that erika. >> that's right. do you have a handle on your finances or do your finances have a hold on you? tonight you'll meet a woman who, like so many others works so hard yet can't get ahead spop we're helping her and you with a money makeover. amy has a good job, but her husband lost his as an engineer and now works a part-time gig at night. he also watches their 15-month-old son, monty, during the day while pursuing a graduate degree online and they find themselves putting off one thing to pay for another. >> i'm diabetic. i'm supposed to wear an insulin pump. i don't take my medicine like i'm supposed to because we don't always have the money. you make the sacrifices so that your son has diapers and there's food in the kitchen. >> reporter: we began our efforts to try and help people like amy by consulting with the financial industry regulatory authority. >> the new year is a

erika gonzalez tells us how switching plans could save you hundreds. >> one way to save some money, by switching to less expensive auto insurance. and you can do so without waiting for a policy to renew. >> even if you paid, you know for the next year of insurance, if you switch companies you'll get the unused part of your policy back from the company that you were insured with so you can change at any time and make big savings. >> robert is our go-to for consumer reviews on quality and cost of company services. check checkbook dot according to found the big companies in our area charge more than average and that could mean a savings of $300 to $1,000. also take a look at what your deductible is. if you've got a $250 deductible for instance it may be worth it to your wallet now to up that to $1,000. that could also parlay into a 15% savings. and if your car's best years are behind it robert says think about doing away with collision damage coverage all together. just another way to put more money back in your wallet. >>> it was supposed to be a routine traffic stop, but in an instant t

erika gonzalez has a warning about criminals targeting the most vulnerable. >> hi this is john from thepping department -- >> i probably got these calls for six, maybe eight months. >> reporter: john jenson is talking about phone calls pitching a free medical alert system. >> it says here that the system has already been paid for. >> reporter: it's a product often marketed to senior citizens. it serves as a lifeline in case of an emergency, a way to call for help when alone. >> i never signed up for anything. i'm too young for that sort of thing. >> reporter: jenson said the caller sounded like a. >> i was calling to schedule the delivery of your medical alert system. >> it didn't sound like a telemarketing call. it sounded like somebody calling up with some sort of shipping error. >> reporter: in case it was an illegal row bow calls. after months of annoying phone calls, jenson filed a complaint with the federal trade commission. his was more than 15,000 complaints the ftc says it received last year all row bow calls pitching free medical alert devices. >> they claim a friend or family