consumerwatch reporter julie watts went undercover... >>> alameda county taking a look at target stores coupon practices. julie watts went undercover and found out bay area stores are short changing their coupons. >> reporter: more than just a hobby, it is a lifestyle. >> you spent all this time looking for deals and the full value doesn't come off when you come in here it is frustrating. >> reporter: she noticed four months ago this target wasn't giving full value for her coupons. >> they are basically stealing from the customers because we are only getting half the value and sometimes none of the value and then they are going around and turning it into the clearing house and manufacturers and they are getting the full value. >> reporter: pretty serious claims. so we went undercover coupon shopping in targets all over the bay area and sure enough, we got short changed at five out of six stores ranging from 1 cents to $4. each time we point out the mistake target did make good on the coupon but according to the department of weights and

julie watt >>> mortgage rates keep falling. in fact, they are now at their lowest level in 40 years. julie watts on the consumerwatch with what it means for folks who want to refi and those trying to buy a home, too. >> reporter: consider this. the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage is now 4.19%. that's what home owners were paying back in the '70s. these low rates can mean big savings but first you have to qualify. >>> reporter: ron sibley is one of the lucy ones. he just bought a home in the oakland hills and hits interest on the 30-year mortgage just under 4.4%. >> i don't think my parents had a rate this low. >> it's a tremendous opportunity now. >> reporter: this certified mortgage planning specialist points out it was just over two years ago that mortgage rates were around 6%. and that 2% drop makes a big difference. for example, the monthly payment on a $400,000 loan at 6% is about $2,400. that payment now, about $1,950. unfortunately, it's not having much of an effect on the housing market. sales are sluggish. but

that after consumerwatch reporter julie watts went undercover found out that the bay area target stores are shortchanging some customers. julie. >> reporter: that's right. you go to the store and hand over your coupon and get back, say, well, two bucks for this coupon then the store is reimbursed for that money by the manufacturer. as we found out, target throughout the bay area is shortchanging customers and keeping the cash. for 17-year-old mary bosley collecting coupons is more than a hobby. it's a lifestyle. >> you spend all this time searching for the deals and clipping your coupons and when you come in here and the full value doesn't come off it is frustrating. >> reporter: she first noticed four months ago that this target in san leandro wasn't giving her full value for a coupon. >> they are basically stealing from the customers because we're only getting half the value and sometimes none of the value and then they are going around and turning it into the clearinghouse and the manufacturers and they are getting the full value. >> reporter: pretty serious claims so we went underco

on the consumerwatch, julie watts, cbs 5. >>> and julie recommends searching for your name online andpting out wherever you can. and if you have a consume erp problem, please call our hotline. volunteers are standing by. that number is 1-888-5-helps-u. >>> we'll be right back. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> well, today's tip of the day is going to be is with napa cabbage, at one time hard it find it. now they are available anywhere you buy produce. what's great about napa cabbage besides raw it's great to cook and stir fry and actually great for many different stews and soups because told this up and add so much flavor but you have to select and store it right otherwise all those wonderful properties would be depleted. when selecting them, buy the biggest head you can like this one right here. it's nice and has a nice mint green on top white on the bottom and you see here's the key where it's been cut on the bottom it's nice and white free from any browning whatsoever. when you bring them home, take them out of the plastic bag you buy them in and put them in the refrigerator. wrap the moist

on the consumerwatch, julie watts, cbs 5. as ceo, she laid off 30,000 workers and shipped jobs to china. china. india. russia. poland. i know precisely why those jobs go. [ male announcer ] because fiorina shipped them there. to shanghai instead of san jose. bangalore instead of burbank. proudly stamping her products "made in china." 30,000 workers gone while fiorina took $100 million for herself. carly fiorina. outsourcing jobs. out for herself. [ barbara boxer ] i'm barbara boxer, and i approved this message. i say baloney. this state belongs to all of us. we just have to decide we want to change. i know government isn't a business and it shouldn't be, but the same values of accountability and focus that make california businesses among the best in the world could do a lot to fix sacramento. i'm on a mission to create more jobs, stop wasteful spending, and improve our schools. let's get to work. ♪ news at 6. it's an accusation we don t normally hear in political

julie watts, cbs5. >>> the people who make sun chips thought that it sounded like a good idea. sell the chips in environmentally friendly bags. but then the bags sounded like this. the material they use is really loud. they are ditching most of the bags because of complaints about the noisy packaging. the biodegradable bags measured at 95-decibels as loud as a passing motorcycle. the original flavor will still come in the plant based package. >> just eat them really fast. >>> all right, roberta, what do you have? >> it just goes so quickly. who hears them. take a look at the scene today. 63 degrees half moon bay and in san francisco too. lots of clouds all associated with an upper area level of low pressure which produced snow in tahoe. it is true. take a look at this. heavenly valley. that's the stage coach run. i'm sure you know it well. 2 inches of snow did cumulate there. some thunderstorm activity in the overnight hours but most of the precipitation is begin to die down in the high sierra. all this is moving in counter clockwise. the center, core area of low pressure locat

on the consumerwatch, julie watts shows us how you can get hd quality tv without cable. >> reporter: ah, hd. an industry game changer. but with the high price of cable these days, getting that crystal clear picture can cost you a pretty penny. >> is she 20? >> $89? >> that's a lot! >> yeah. cable's expensive. >> reporter: well, here's a little known secret that your cable company probably won't like. you can get a picture as good as hd with no strings or cable attached. >> technology moved ahead and digital tv makes this possible with really good results. >> reporter: cnet's brian cooley points to the growing number of portable televisions that pick up local channels over the airwaves with a crystal clear digital picture. it's a big business that works because it comes in a small package. >> because the screen is small, it's easy to make a picture look good on a small screen. it's big screen at home that's a tougher challenge. so this doesn't even need hd nor does it get it to look great. >> reporter: but we all remember the old portable tvs with the grainy flickering picture. so we

on the consumer watch, julie watts, cbs 5. >> if you want to take the test, you can find the link on our web site, cbs 5 .com. just click on links and numbers. >>> and couples getting busy in the big easy. and the reason? it may surprise you. how the super bowl is related to the recent baby boom. ,,,,,,,,,,,, i love to eat. i love hanging out with my friends. i have a great fit with my dentures. i love kiwis. i've always had that issue with the seeds getting under my denture. super poligrip free -- it creates a seal of the dentures in my mouth. even well fitting dentures let in food particles. just a few dabs of super poligrip free is clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat. super poligrip free made even the kiwi an enjoyable experience. [ charlie ] try super poligrip free. >>> today's tip of the day is going to be artichokes. this time the fall artichokes are here from the central coast of california. this is when they're at their best. a little bit of discoloration this time of the year, that's okay. that's frost kiss

on the consumer watch, julie watts, cbs5. >> we are going to take any offer we can get on the weather this weekend. >> it is good as gold, roberta? >> it depends what you like. everybody likes rain. other people like sunshine. we have a little bit of everything in the offing for this weekend. night fall in the city by the bay. highs today 57 degrees. santa rosa. san rafael. to 78 degrees in freemonte. fremont. we have had plentiful rainfall since then. high-def doppler radar. plenty precipitation right now. in fact, we have some heavy rain just now pushing out into the bay. now bay waters traversing in an easterly direction. san jose through willowglen, a smattering of light rain as well. and then your east bay area. anywhere around the 880 and 980 intersection. some pretty moderate rainfall. north bay. again, you're seeing the heavy dousing of rainfall and this will continue throughout the evening hours. bottom line is tonight with the scattered showers, temperatures tumbling into the 40s and 50s. we do have that southeast wind 10 to 15 miles per hour. those temperatures again pinpoi

julie watts on the consumerwatch with word of some of the deals that are out there and that seems odd on something new. >> reporter: there are definitely some good deals that go along with these new cars and there's a lot of reasons to like them. no emissions, less reliance on that expensive foreign oil. well, there are some new models hitting the road and the auto industry says this time they mean business. >> in 1996, electric cars began to appear on roads all over california... >> reporter: but not long after, gm caved to industry pressure and pulled production of their first electric car. well, now they are making up for lost time with the chevy volt. you can't buy it until the end of year but they are driving it around the bay area this week. >> it's the simplest plugging the car in. >> reporter: manufactured in michigan with a battery made in south korea, the plug-in hybrid can travel up to 50 miles on a single charge before the gas engine kicks in. that will get but 300 miles on a full tank of gas. >> you can always go to a gas station if you get stranded. >> reporter: bradley

julie watts found out the first step in preserving denim involves win decks and 409. >> this is a grey dealership im. >> reporter: you found a pair of jeans that fit. now you want to keep them looking new so how do you take care of them. >> i just put 'em in the wash. >> with detergent. >> my wife washes them. >> not so fast. karl tiara says when it comes to wearing denim most of us do too much. >> think about it every time you put that jean in the wash. do you need to wash it. >> instead of detergents check out underneath the sink. to remove spots and stains database them with a song and some win decks or 409. there is a really good concentration of bleach in those things and i find that it brightens them a bit. >> then hangs your jeans in the bathroom while you take a show youer, the steam will freshen them right up. but for a more thorough cleaning stay in the bathroom and use the tub. a mild organic liquid soap and 6" of room temperature water and a tiny bit of white vinegar to set the indigo and keep it from fading. above all, never put them in the drier. if you must use a washing

julie watts reports. >> reporter: we were skeptical when we heard this wireless device could rival cableuality hd but we figure hey with the world series right around the corner millions looking for a way to watch why not test it to see if this little guy could rival the big boys? ah, hd. an industry game changer. but with the high price of cable these days, getting that crystal clear picture can cost you a pretty penny. >> is she 20? >> $89? >> that's a lot! >> yeah. cable's expensive. >> reporter: well, here's a little known secret that your cable company probably won't like. you can get a picture as good as hd with no strings or cable attached. >> technology moved ahead and digital tv makes this possible with really good results. >> reporter: cnet's brian cooley points to the growing number of portable televisions that pick up local channels over the airwaves with a crystal clear digital picture. it's a big business that works because it comes in a small package. >> because screen is small. it's easy to make a picture look good on a small screen. it's big screen at home that's a tough

on the consumer watch, julie watts, cbs5. >>> our golden hill will be turning green with all the rain they? >> can't wait to see that. moderate rain falling right now in and around the bay area. live. high-def doppler radar. you can take a look at the precipitation as it is falling right now just due east of the city of san francisco out towards allen rock and throughout the mountain range. also the try valley. that 586 corridor lifting into danville. to the north, that's where the most heaviest rain has accumulated over an inch and a quarter today alone. we will continue to see the scattered rain showers in throughout the entire vicinity throughout the evening hours. temperatures dipping 40s and 50s. otherwise, the main band, this right here, is now digging to the south. and then it will push out in easterly fashion. this right here is what will clip the northwestern section of the state tomorrow leaving us with an isolated scattered shower for your saturday. under mostly cloudy skies a few sunny breaks during the afternoon hours then dry skies by saturday night. meanwhile the temper

some of the stories julie watts following today on the consumerwatch. >> reporter: that's right. we'll start off with airlines. they pack you in, charge you for food and checking luggage. it's no wonder passengers are complaining even though service is improving according to the department of transportation which finds airlines complaints are up 32% even though fewer passengers are being bumped and baggage handling has improved. they think it's due in part to easier online complaint venues and high detention on those airline performances following the new tarmac delay limits that went into effect in april. for their part, the airlines blame it on bad weather and travelers say it's customer service. >>> 92% of american toddlers have an online presence. that's just part of a new study that also found 7% of babies have an email address, 5% have a social network profile. the survey says this reinforces the need of parents to be aware of their privacy settings. >>> and speaking of protecting your kids, we have all heard the criticisms about soft drinks and high fructose corn syrup. on

day baseball's best pitchers go head to head. 7:30 this sunday morning october 17th, 2010 i am julie watts. >> i am phil matier we have a lot of newtalk to cover in our next hour. okay it is not just the tea party movement making waves. both major parties have big names campaigning in the golden state, former president, bill clinton. >>> plus it is hard to believe but it has been 21 years to the day since the earthquake shook the bay area. >>> and some say she was the ultimate tv mom june cleaver, leave it to beaver, almost always wearing pearls. barbara billingsly passed away this weekend. >> supporters of the tea party movement are fired up after a big rally that drew conservative activists. with just two weeks to go until election night the focus now is on support for their candidates. the common themes on display. >> running for california state treasurer because i am tired of politicians, jumping from office to office without any experience. [ applause ] >>> it is a familiar theme, throw the rascals out, cut taxes, undue obama care and get big government out of people's lives. those a

on the consumerwatch, julie watts on the surprising mistakes a lot of people make. >> the temperature inside my refrigerator is at or below 41 degrees. that's a good question. i don't know. >> reporter: sarah is about to find out if her home kitchen makes the grade. she is take the health department's self-inspection test. the same test they give to restaurants. and about 50 questions later? >> your kitchen has received a b with a score of 85. >> reporter: a pretty good grade considering most of us in the cbs 5 newsroom barely passed with a c. but much like the rest of us, sarah found some of the results -- >> surprising. >> reporter: one of the things that was most surprising had to do with raw meat. now, we all know you have to disinfect the counter after coming in contact with raw meat but you know you're supposed to store the meat on the bottom shelf? >> i don't do this. >> reporter: a food microbiologist says storing meat above other foods can be a dangerous mistake and points to one notable restaurant outbreak. >> where raw meat was stored above lettuce in the refrigerator and t

julie watts, cbs5. >>> we're on the eve of the world series here in san francisco.ther could play a factor. lawrence is going to give you the update. >> i think we have a sign today. check in out from chopper 5. a beautiful orange sky, giant orange i might add. looking great out there today and tonight you have mostly clear skies and temperatures getting cold in spots and, yeah, it is going to be a frosty one in parts of the north bay. especially in the north bay mountains and valleys. they can send these temperatures dipping down near the freezing mark. so widespread frost first of the season, a lot of sunshine coming your way. 60s and 70s, mostly sunny skies, the afternoon a couple clouds move in the skies as we'll see a couple of cold fronts make their way in the bay area. numbers, 44 in napa valley, 49 in san rafael, so cooling off in the respective spots. high pressure trying to hold on, not for long, this guy right off the coast, this one is going to swing down off the coastline, the cutoff low over the next couple days. frosty night tonight, i think as we get

julie watts on the consumerwatch with the big deals on the electric wheels >>> reporter: yeah, allen. the volt debut is off to a bang but, of course, it's not without controversy. so chevy calls it an electric car. but motor trend disagrees. they point to the gas engine that kicks in when it loses its charge and that makes it a hybrid but no matter what you call it, it's clear it's the beginning of a new era. and this is not the only one of its kind. the nissan leaf which is an all-electric car also comes out later this year. both will debut and both will cost you a pretty penny. the volt sticker price is $41,000. the leaf costs $32,000. but there are incentives including a $7,500 federal tax credit and a free charging station. you don't have to charge the volt because it has the gas engine that kicks in when you run out of charge. nissan is even offering a personalized free home visit. you will obviously need a charging station with that one. you can expect more electric cars. we spoke to some experts earlier today who say this race is getting crowded. this is just the beginning. we

julie watts, cbs5. >>> and these temperatures are reminding us flu season is on its way. >> we're goingo be getting a lot cooler, 66 trees in half moon bay and in san francisco 88 degrees, concord and livermore, low clouds and fog filling in the city by the bay and the clouds are so low and that marine layer is so deep we have localized rain. official sunrise is at 7:06 and we will have the clouds streaming all the way inland according to our pinpoint forecast. watch the clouds as it continues to pro guess in the earl direction playing tag all the way inland with tracy trying to work its way as far inland as discovery bay. looks like the clouds will begin to retreat. at lunch hour we will see some partly cloudy skies for the oakland raiders game with the game time temperature 67 degrees, 61 degrees for giant baseball action under partly sunny skies. we've got this trough, digging down in a southerly direction, really drawing up some of that moisture from southern california where we do have that risk of thunder bumpers again through the valley, knocking back our temperatures 17 degrees

julie watts put it to the test in our consumer watch report but we start with violent news in oaklandre 9 people were shot and wounded early this morning at a party those shootings happened just after midnight historic suites ballroom, on broadway and 19th street. police are still trying to pinpoint a moistify and mow many people -- motive and how many people fired guns. people shot were rushed to local hospital and are now in stable condition. >> shots fired at a party several victims were hit it appears this time they are all nonlife threatening. we are still trying to investigate how this started, who is all involved. >> and so far police have not made any arrests. >>> also in the east bay a handicapped man recovering this morning after his wheelchair rolled on to the path of a train at hayward bart station it happened 2:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon witnesses say the man was adjusting the chair's position when a wheel slipped off the ledge and platform amid-the man's belongings police found a gun. he was hospitalized no word on his condition. >> mother and daughter are under arrest

julie watts, thank you. >>> most people who enroll in california community colleges never finish. that's what researchers discovered after studying enrollment figures. and len ramirez reports the numbers get even worse for minority students. >>> reporter: at san jose's evergreen community college, >> when you progress to 1a, that transfer level class -- >> reporter: the emphasis is on preparing students for a four- year university but there is a big problem. >> the latino and african- american students aren't doing as well as other students. >> reporter: it's an achievement gap that's as wide as ever and according to a new study of 250,000 community college students called divided we fail, fewer than three out of 10 black or hispanic students actually transferred to a university or got the degree or certificate they expected. >> many students get discouraged. >> reporter: david wayne coon says at least 60% of the students are transfer-ready but give in to pressure that keep them from reaching their goals. >> they hear time after time unfortunately there's fewer and fewer spots tha

that after consumerwatch reporter julie watts went undercover...nd found >>> lament county is looking into target's -- alameda county is looking into target's coupon practices. julie watts went undercover and found bay area target stores are shortchanging their customers. >> reporter: for 17-year-old mary bosley collecting coupons is more than a hobby, it's a lifestyle. >> you spent all this time searching force the deals and clipping your coupons. and when you come in here, the full value doesn't come off it's frustrating. >> reporter: she noticed four months ago this target in san leandro wasn't giving her full coupon's val rue. >> they are stealing from the customers because we are only getting half or none of the value and then they are going around and turning it into the clearinghouse and the manufacturers and getting the full value. >> reporter: serious claims so we went undercover coupon shopping at targets all over the bay area. sure enough from mountain view to albany to colma and novato we got shortchanged at five out of six stores rangi

i'm julie watts.lican gubernatorial candidate meg whitman says she and her husband were not aware they had hired an illegal immigrant as their housekeeper for nine years. whitman denies allegations by attorney gloria allred that the social security administration contacted whitman in 2003 about her housekeeper citizenship. >>> today caltrans will hold a ceremony right before it hits a construction milestone. crews are expected to punch through the northern end of the devil's slide tunnel in san mateo county this afternoon. the tunnel will be open to traffic in about a year. >>> and today marks the new chapter for the former nummi auto plant in fremont. tesla motors will now take over the property. the automaker plans to build its model s electric roadster there as well as other vehicles. >>> traffic and weather right after this. ,,,,,,,,,,,, >>> good morning. let's go back out to hayward. traffic is still slow to recover after an earlier car fire on south 880 before the 92 interchange. this is a tough

on the consumerwatch, julie watts, cbs 5. >>> she tweets, she's on facebook. do you believe in privacy? [ laughter ] >> you know, i do. i'm very private about my children. but i believe in sharing your daily doings with all of your 2,163 friends, why not? [ laughter ] i love my facebook and i love my twitter because it's a great social media to get out the word, i have people on the coast telling me when the fog's coming in, people inland telling me hey, roberta, look at the moon right now it's 91% waxing gibbous, friday night october 22 will be a full moon. tomorrow if you have tickets to the game, lucky you. i'm going to be your friend! here's the deal. 59 degrees at 5:00 p.m., partly sunny skies. we'll begin to see the makings of a deeper marine layer by tomorrow night. in fact this evening that marine layer is already about 1,000 feet deep. it's trying to move into the bay. tonight overnight 47 degrees in santa rosa to 53 in redwood city. you can feel the difference in the air, can't you? meanwhile, here you go. the low clouds and fog, already playing tag

in berkeley, july watt, cbs 5. >> the care more medical group hosted its annual drive through flu clinico get their shots for free. didn't have to leave the comfort of their cars. hundreds of people took advantage of the drive through. >> many who gave blood today say they know officer todd young or seen him around the community. organizers say they hope their blood drive is one of the biggest the american red cross has ever seen. officer young is still in the hospital. >>> if you crossed the bay today, you may have seen it. a giant yacht and treasure island. we'll take a look at it and tell you who owns it. >> the neighborhood that will cool by 17 degrees on your sunday. you'll be surprised. the pinpoint forecast as the pinpoint forecast as eyewitness news con,, meet the real meg whitman: serving on the board of goldman sachs, whitman was caught reaping millions from insider stock deals. after ebay shareholders sued and a judge cited the obvious conflict of interest she was forced to pay the money back. what kind of person would be involved in deals a fellow republican congressman calle

on the consumerwatch, julie watts, cbs 5. >>> cheddar, cam em bear, the mysteries of cheese, aged andoing bad coming up in tonight's "good question." >> a lot of clouds around the bay area, some showers, too, but more rain possibly heavy on the way. we'll talk about that coming up. ,,,,,,,,,,,, david harmer wrote an education plan titled "abolish the public schools." he even called our schools "insidious" and "socialism." as families struggle to raise their kids, to provide a good education, harmer bragged, "we can design a plan to dismantle them." david harmer is just too radical. we need jerry mcnerney. protecting local schools from devastating cuts. he's a moderate, endorsed by the stockton record, the independent, and our local teachers. i'm jerry mcnerney, and i approved this message. >>> some things just get better with time. until suddenly they don't. glen wants to know if cheese is sold as aged, why do grocery stores put an expiration date on it? ken bastida has the answer in tonight's "good question." >> reporter: we'll start with the basics. cheese is perishable no matter wh

good morning i am julie watts. >> i am phil matier. first up a budget deal reached in sacramento. >> finally. >> okay but how real is it. state assembly woman fiona mah will be in the studio to talk about details. >>> plus the political side of the meg whitman house keeper issue. we will ask two political experts about the controversy. >> and no h 1 n 1 but still time to get your flu shots the reason health officials says the important. >>> we will get to all that in just a moment first leading the news, a kidnapping and high speed chase that started in san jose and went as far north as daily city a man forced his ex- girlfriend and their young daughter into his car. officers tried to pull the man over he refused to stop and lead police on a two hour chase. when he reached the overpass, wood side road police say he got out and threatened his ex- girlfriend at knife point after letting her go he leapt over the guardrail and fell 30 feet to the roadway below. he survived and was taken to hospital the 11 month old girl and her mother were

julie watts, cbs 2 news. >> you would have done a cheer if you saw the temperatures come down. >> the of the high school. >>> dana, i have a joke for you. >> what? >> ready? >> yeah. >> on sunday there is a 20% chance of rain at the raiders/49ers game. there's also a 20% chance of the 49ers winning. ba da bump. >> wait. this is like a story problem. i'm not good at math. >> i couldn't resist. keep the e-mails coming to king@cbs5.com! [ laughter ] >> look at all the sunshine, still, boy, temperatures across the bay still in the 80s. today so far we have had one record high that was in santa rosa at 98 degrees. let's look at the raiders 49 ever forecast for sunday at candlestick. 63 degrees a slight chance of showers. you thought i was kidding, right? that's all because of this. this broke off to this. we only have a slight chance of rain showers in the sunday forecast. otherwise, out and about tonight, look at the numbers. still 60s through 70s, 80s and still sitting in the low 90s. tonight overnight bottoming out in the 50s to the low 60s around concord. looks like tomorrow good air q

julie watts is in hayward where the dmv is all spruced up but customers have nowhere to go. julie. >> reporter: you know, you said it there perfectly. folks in hayward have been waiting for this fence to come down since renovations began here back in august. who knows, first up, dmv may make the wait inside a little easier to handle but we may never know because, instead of taking down the fence, they put up this note online. due to the state's fiscal emergency the dmv will stay closed until further notice. evidently when they closed the hay ward branch they sent some employees to different branches and others retired and now there just aren't enough to reopen hayward. cars continuously filed in all afternoon. >> sounds like a major inconvenience actually. >> it's frustrating. >> reporter: why? >> why should we have to go farther if they just remodeled this and spent so much money on it. >> the closest place i know of is back over in walnut creek and pleasanton. i have to go to 580 and pay my registration. it's disappointing, very disappointing, over and over again disappoint

on the consumerwatch, julie watts brings us the case of a consumer ked for a refund >>> having troubling getting' refund, is a business giving you the runaround? on the consumerwatch julie has the case of a consumer who asked for a refund and ended up with a fraud charge. >> reporter: after a miserable flight experience on united airlines michael knight asked about a credit for his troubles. >> they said go on united.com and fill out an online complaint form about your experience in the united would compensate you in some manner. >> reporter: so he did. >> that's when i got the most disturbing letter i received. >> reporter: even though his complaint form explained that the travel agent used the wrong frequent flyer number to book his flight. >> it's been brought to their attention that i fraudulently used my father's mileage account in order to obtain free upgrade for my flight that they were forwarding it to their auditing department and because of this they were denying any credit. >> reporter: first of all, his father's name is not dr. robert knight. >> his name is stewart knight and

as julie watts reports, it's a unique kind of microloan specifically for bills. >> reporter: ready orthey come every month. bills. >> need a little assistance every now and then. >> help us out. my friends. >> they helped me out. >> reporter: now there is an alternative to borrowing money from friends or that payday loan. bill float, a san francisco company co-founded by sean o'malley. >> this is very different from what the industry is providing to consumers today. it's a microlending solution. >> reporter: bill float offers small loans specifically to pay your bills. and everything is done online. now, to use the service you must have a bank account. customers type the name of the bill and the amount they want paid. bill float then tax on a service fee, right now just under $5 per transaction or 6.25% of the loan, which sever greater. and if the transaction is approved, bill float will pay that bill electronically. >> the consumer actually never has the funds, it's sent directly to the bill and that allows us to eliminate fraud and other things that happen in other services. >> repo

on the consumerwatch, julie watts, cbs 5. >>> give birth to a child in california and it will happen. a little needle prick in the foot for a dna sample. why it's being done and what many parents don't know about it. >>> i'm dennis o'donnell in arlington. coming up, we are going to go to london for a report on the 49ers. kim coyle is there. we are going to show you how the ballpark in arlington will favor the texas rangers in game 3 of the world series. ,,,, [ female announcer ] at&t makes it easy to choose the services that fit your life. who doesn't want more choices? i like choices. you can even choose wireless voice service. not with my cable company. well, it's time to switch. check this out. [ female announcer ] call to choose your double bundle, including u-verse tv, starting under $69 a month. switch now and get a 30-day money-back guarantee -- plus dvr is included. with u-verse tv you can record up to four shows at once from any room on a single dvr... and play them back... on any tv. nice. my cable can't do that! internet at home includes access to our entire national wi-fi

. >>> last year it was h1in1 and julie watt shows us what to expect. >> following last year's scare, people are rolling up their sleeves early this year. >> to increase our age. >> for them age is a risk factor, so flu shots are an important annual tradition. public health author says people of all ages should get the shot thot just to protect yourself. >> to keep it from spreading. >> you never know who you're going to come in contact with. >> exactly. >> including for infants too young to be vaccinated. >> doctors stress it important to get it early because it's takes two full weeks before you're vaccinated and regardless of when you got last year's flu shot, it's time to get it now. >> it contains vaccine against three strains of flu and those expected to circulate that season. >> and while h1n1 is a strain included this year, last season's shot won't protect you this year. >> some people say they get sick, and i haven't taken it because you don't get sick. >> doctors admit some people get mild symptoms for 24 hours after getting the shot, but they stress the benefits outweigh the

it's october 1, i'm julie watts. sydnie kohara is off this week. let's check traffic with elizabeth wenger. >> good morning. it's off to a nice start. friday light traffic across the bay area so far. we do have a little bit of roadwork in the south bay. southbound 101 between 880 and bernal you may find some lanes blocked along that stretch for the next hour or so until about 6:00 but coming out of downtown san jose, things still look great. mass transit is off to a nice start here, as well. everything is on time. that's a check of your traffic. here's tracy with your forecast. >>> hey, thanks, elizabeth. it is friday, isn't it. that changes the whole thing. here's a look at what's going on with your temperatures and they continue to cool down. mid-80s today in concord. 84 degrees. 85 in livermore. 70 in oakland, 80 in san jose. mid-70s in redwood city. san francisco from the 90s earlier this week to the 60s today, the lower 60s. mid- to upper 70s from san rafael to vallejo. and 78 degrees today in santa rosa, 79 degrees in napa. today we cool down

good evening, i'm julie watts in for dana king this evening. >> i'm ken bastida.p 19 votes may not mean so much. if california legalizes marijuana, the feds say they will lay down the law. >> reporter: a warning to californians. if proposition 19 passes prepare for the consequences. the attorney general eric holder made this comment. quote. recreational use even if such activities are permitted under state law. in los angeles today the district attorney and sheriff saying they will follow the federal law on marijuana. they don't want to see the whole state go to pot. >> you've got over 500 municipalities in this great state and every one is going to be authorized to be a drug dealing community? i don't think so. >> reporter: sun set junction organic medicine employee says he feels the federal government can't go against the people. >> if they go against the voters then the government is going against the people. that should never happen. >> reporter: president bush wanted to raid medical marijuana places when they first opened. president obama stopped that. >> wel

on the consumerwatch, julie watts shows us several retailers are starting their big sales now? julie? >> reporter: last friday before halloween. stores will do anything to get people to spend money. americans will only spend 2% more this year than last year and last year was the worst holiday season in a decade. >>> reporter: the taylor family isn't trick or treating. they are holiday shopping. >> it's never too soon to start christmas shopping. >> reporter: retailers agree. several big names are cutting prices earlier than ever. >> this christmas, be savvy. it's black friday now at sears. >> reporter: a full four weeks early. black friday is traditionally the day after thanksgiving. that's when stores slash prices to bring in big crowds but with the sour economy, retailers are getting a jump-start and for some shoppers it's too early. >> i think we need to give thanksgiving and halloween a chance before we worry about christmas shopping. >> reporter: j.c. penney disagrees. its holiday deals start next week. while wal-mart, target and amazon.com are cutting prices now -- >> that

julie watts is in for lawrence. you bring cool temperatures. >> i am not happy about the cool temperatures. but unfortunately there is nothing i can do about it. temperatures are cooling down. not a lot of rain. nothing too measurable. maybe .001 of an inch. perfect weather for a run. not too hot or cold, just right for these folks who welcome back ran all the way from the bay bridge to the golden gate. hi-def doppler, lingering showers. none of it in our area. it's in the sierra stretching yosemite to lake toho. thunderstorms are winding down. you can't rule out a shower as we get this weather system sticking around the next few days. we will keep an eye on that. here is a look what to expect out the door tomorrow morning. mostly sunny inland. breezy is the big story area wide. we could see winds gusting upwards of 30 miles per hour. heading out the door on the coast, expect fog and drizzle. cloud cover for the first half of the day by the bay then making way to more sunshine the second half of the day. similar con

some of the stories julie watts is covering today on the consumerwatch. julie. >> reporter: that's right, allen. open enrollment for health plans begins over the next few weeks and it looks like more employers are passing the buck onto employees. the kaiser foundation says next year an employee's share of the premium is going up 14%. that's the nearly $4,000 for a family plan. this in spite of the fact that the total bill including the employer's portion that's only going up 3%. >>> if you have a flex spending account forget about using that money for allergy, cold medicine or pain reliever. over-the-counter drugs will only be reimbursed with a doctor's prescription. >>> starbucks is partnering with companies like apple, "usa today" and harper-collins. they are offering free books, movies and news to customers who log in with their lattes. users can access internet and community news as well as paid websites. the content, however, designed to be consumed in small doses and only while you're at starbucks. the coffee giant has seen 30 million logins since it

julie watts on the consumerwatch with the high- tech tool that's making the classic affordable. hi, julie. >> reporter: times have changed since i was in high school. i had just a few pictures in the old archbishop midi high school year high school. now we found a new way to allow students to get as much face time as they want in their yearbook and it's saving schools money. >>> reporter: margaret flynn is making sure her daughter's school years at saint timothies don't slip away. >> it's nice to see how they have changed and what they have done over the years. >> reporter: most of these memorable moments don't make it into the yearbook so this 6th grade teacher is trying a virtual yearbook made possible by treering.com. >> it's really easy dragging and dropping and with it be online we could all see the yearbook at once. >> reporter: the website allows each student to customize two pages. >> i can take pictures from maybe her birthday party that the school may not have and we can put those in there. >> reporter: and these personalized yearbooks save more than student memories. t

julie watts in the consumerwatch call anyone center where volunteers take calls every day. >> reporter: they are busy answering phone calls and solving problems for people calling in to 1-888-5-helps-u. as you can see, they are all hard at work. they are come from different walks of life. this is jerry, a former attorney. jerry what do you specialize in here when you're solving problems in the call-in center? >> certainly for the last couple of months we have been working on mortgages, foreclosures, short sales, besides that we have a slew of phone calls on automobile cases, smartmeters, fake debt collectors. >> reporter: that's a big one. we just did a big story about the fake debt collectors. have you been getting a lot of that? >> absolutely. it seems to be running rampant with our current economic crisis. >> reporter: hopefully we'll close those cases. we have quite a few of those. these guys work really hard to be sure they solve as many problems they can. we have a case closed tonight. take a look at an excerpt from that story. >> you know, i almost fell out of bed. i couldn't be

julie watts on the consumerwatch with a warning. >> i got on the scales there and i kept noticing, hm? >> getting up there. >> reporter: that's when michael decided he wanted to lose some weight. he saw a new diet on something called channel 5healthnews.net and when a reporter said she lost 25 points in less than 4 weeks, he figured it had to work so he signed up for a free trial. >> it was some kind of an acai berry which i had seen on the internet. >> reporter: all he had to do was pay 4.59 shipping and handling via credit card and in a few days he had three bottles of the product. pills infused with acai berries that claimed to boost weight loss. but instead of results he saw a credit card charge for $79.99. >> i just went ballistic because i just -- i had this sense that this had to be too good to be true. >> reporter: that's when he emailed consumerwatch upset that channel 5 had led him astray. the article he saw online wasn't from cbs 5 and neither was a reporter. >> looks like it's a reputable site. looks like you really have a consumer activist or consumer reporter has checked

and as julie watts explains, not everyone is happy to see them. >> reporter: suddenly they are everywhere, new phone books. in some cases, more than one of the same book. even this abandoned house in berkeley got a book. do we use them? >> no we don't. >> reporter: floyd nimitz of the group phone book free san francisco has collected 1500 unwanted directory. >> each one of the phone books is an orphaned phone book. it has been given to us in a vote of no confidence, essentially saying we don't want these phone books. >> reporter: he is not the only one calling for change. last year leland yee sponsored a bill that would have given consumers opportunities to opt out of deliveries. it went nowhere. >> it is doesn't make sense to cater everything to what is a small minority at this point. >> reporter: peter hill represents the yellow pages association and he assists that plenty of people let their fingers do the walking. >> eight of ten people in california use the yellow pages, the print edition. >> reporter: that is a figure opponents dispute. the yellow pages association does have a websi

. >>> julie watts is in for lawrence wearing her orange and black. >> i was the lucky charm. >> yesterday was wearing orange and black. i was determined not to repeat that. great day at the ballpark. >> we did have sprinkles throughout the city today. off and on. a little bit of everything. some sun, sprinkles, thunderstorms as well. but not here in san francisco. but this is a look at san francisco from earlier today. you can see slick streets and a couple of puddles out there. we didn't see a lot of rain. most reporting stations barely got .001. just a little sprinkles, a taste of what is to come as we head into a changing season. here is a look at what is going on outside right now. there is shower activity, though not in our neck of the woods throughout the sierra and the central valley and south of tahoe. see the flashing red lightning bolts, those are lightning strikes that are happening. another cell producing lightning farther north. we will see this throughout the evening hours. you can't rule out a stray shower by the end of the night in the bay but for the most part things are

on the consumer watch, julie watts shows us how the service works and why a lot of cabbies just don'tit. >> reporter: need a cab? there's a hot new app for that. just enter your credit card online, get your confirmation and any time you need a cab, simply click the green button and -- uber cab finds you. and it's not just any car. >> it's a similar way that you find travel reservations through orbit, you find un-demand quality car service. >> reporter: he launched it just a few months ago, but in a city rife with cab controversy, his success has been overshadowed by this. cease and decyst orders from both the state public utilities commission, and the san francisco mta. neither would speak on camera, citing ongoing legal matters, but according to these orders, it's all in the name. they say it indicates a taxi cab company operating without the permits. so they throbbed the -- dropped the cab. >> we're an intermediary between the clients and licensed professional who are, in fact, regulated by the pbc. >> reporter: but apparently that's not enough. the agencies also take issue with the