on the consumerwatch, julie watts has some options to help you get the most out of those cards this yearreporter: >> i was given two cards. >> gave out quite a few. >> reporter: gift cards have replaced returns as the driving force filling stores the day after christmas. a consumer psychologist warns while gift cards are popular they come with the same perils as other gifts. >> just like giving somebody the wrong sweater you can get them the wrong gift cards and people get stuck with gift cards they don't want to redeem. they can't find anything in particular they want. >> reporter: that's prompting an increasing number of websites where you can sell or trade your unused gift cards. we compared three. gift card.com, cardpool.com and cardwoo.com, selling each a $25 walmart gift card. we had to wait for the first one to mail us a check. the other provided a convenient instant cash option. but it cost us more than 4 bucks. and unlike the others, cardwoo.com wouldn't give us a bid online. we had it mail in the card then wait for our check about a week later we got 22.50 for a $25 card. there

on the consumer watch, julie watts, cbs 5. >> baby, it is cold outside.ntly in the 20s in portions of the bay area tonight. freezing temperatures across the santa clara valley. tomorrow, sunny skies after our frosty start. pinpoint christmas forecast as eyewitness news continues. >>> good evening and welcome back. ken just pointed out, tomorrow is the eve to christmas eve and boy is it a chilly, chilly start going into the holiday. this is our theme right now looking out toward jack london square. in oakland where the temperatures currently and the high 30s. in fact, some of our temperatures in and around our microclimates. san jose at 41. otherwise coopertino all in the upper 30s. coldest spots happen to be north of the golden gate bridge. it's below freezing in santa rosa. 35 throughout the trivalley. 40 evenly in hayward. we do have a freeze warning and those red highlighted areas in effect for the north bay, east bay, and santa clara valley. a frosty start to our friday morning. after redip down to 22 degrees in santa rosa. near record lows in many of

on the consumer watch, julie watts, cbs 5. >> baby, it is cold outside. currently in the 20s in portions of the bay area tonight. freezing temperatures across the santa clara valley. tomorrow, sunny skies after our frosty start. pinpoint christmas forecast as eyewitness news continues. [ male announcer ] citibank's new app for ipad makes it easy for anne to view her finances from anywhere. like gate d12 for the next three hours. citibank for ipad. easier banking. standard at citibank. [ beep ] hi. dave here. [ male announcer ] for dave, using citibank's online bill pay is as easy as setting up voicemail. hi, it's dave. [ male announcer ] actually, it's easier. hi, it's dave. i'm out of the office. [ male announcer ] online bill pay. easier banking. standard at citibank. >>> good evening and welcome back. ken just pointed out, tomorrow is the eve to christmas eve and boy is it a chilly, chilly start going into the holiday. this is our theme right now looking out toward jack london square. in oakland where the temperatures currently and the high 30s. in fac

julie watts, cbs 5. >> one of the most highly trafficked websites in the world has to deal with traffic as it plans a major expansion. social network is hoping to add thousands of new employees to its menlo park campus. kit with how the social website can grow without clogging up the roads. >> they are talking about a deal that would let the company hire more employees as long as they limit the number of cars that those employees drive on the road. for a multibillion dollar company, the sign at their headquarters is low key. and that's the monotray as facebook looks to add 5800 employees in the area pushing the total to 9,400 people. >> air quality, noise, and transportation. >> tonight, neighbors came to talk about the 748 page draft environmental impact report. but being low key with nearly 10,000 employees will take some work. if facebook's expansion is improved, they will need more housing and yes, traffic will get worse. the city will limit the number of solo facebook commuters with a car counting device. if facebook exceeds the cap, the city could fine them. >> keeping those trips

on the consumer watch, julie watts, cbs 5. >> you can't believe everything you see. a fake cover of people magazine featuring the twilight star taylor lawt ner. the headline read, out and proud. and plugged an exclusive interview with lawtner about his sexuality. well, "people" says the cover is an absolute fake and originated on twitter, and then went viral. >> a good picture of him. >> he is not commenting, though. anything about it. >> a great photo but -- >> you know, it is not true. it is a fake. >> a little explaining to do there. >>> when you're a crocodile, and you're hungry, everything looks pretty tasty. >> i take your word for it, frank. we will tell you what happened when one attacked a lawn mower. >>> today's tip of the day is with with bagged apples. more and more stores are carrying bagged apples now. a variety of different apples in some bags and some have one variety like mcintosh but what is great, they display easily and the store can put them up and buy three to five pounds at a time. the drawback is you got to look at that bag very carefully. jus

on the consumer watch, julie watts, cbs 5. >>> i'm meteorologist lawrence in the cw weather center. we had a cold front move through. we have plenty of fog outside. will it stay for the holiday? we'll have that coming up. [ male announcer ] citibank's new app for ipad makes it easy for anne to view her finances from anywhere. like gate d12 for the next three hours. citibank for ipad. easier banking. standard at citibank. [ beep ] hi. dave here. [ male announcer ] for dave, using citibank's online bill pay is as easy as setting up voicemail. hi, it's dave. [ male announcer ] actually, it's easier. hi, it's dave. i'm out of the office. [ male announcer ] online bill pay. easier banking. standard at citibank. >>> technically rain today or a heavy mist? >> we technically had a few rain drops around the bay area. we got more drizzle, quite honestly. especially along the coastline. heavy drizzle, but not much in the way of precipitation at all. it looks like that will be our last best chance until the new year. we have a lot of fog that is developing out there. lights looking bright. you

on the consumer watch, julie watts tells us the fbi is now issuing a warning. >> she admits she should have been more skeptical. >> it happened to be a day when we had one thing happen after another. >> back in october, the south bay grandmother got a call from someone claiming to be her grandson. >> he said this is your grandson and i said which one. >> and he said your favorite one. >> and needed money. and he said he was in trouble in mexico in a holding cell and needed $2700 to pay a fine. >> as instructed she sent a western union money transfer to her grandson for $2700. and esther newland of the san francisco d.a.'s office says it is back on the rise especially here in california. >> they are preying on that feeling, that emotion, that gut reaction that you have, when you hear your grandchild is in trouble. >> but it was may who ended up in trouble. according to western union's records someone she never heard of picked up the money intended for her grandson and something may thought was impossible. >> one of the questions i asked when i sent the money, how positive are you the mo

but watch out because as julie watts explains, the special offers could cost you. >>> reporter: >> enough's enough. >> enough is never enough. >> reporter: witness had mixed when it comes to the -- opinions are mixed when it comes to the endless shopping holidays. >> they are going to do whatever they can to get people to spend. >> reporter: but according to new research, from the price tracking website, it's paying off. black friday shoppers saved 34% while this week they are saying more with an average markdown of 342%, plus free shipping. -- of 42% plus free shipping >> retailers need to offer some form of free shipping to capture shoppers' attention. >> reporter: and consumer advisor andrea says that's what sparked the creation of free shipping day back in 2007. four years later there are now thousands of participating retailers but if you aren't careful free shipping could cost. >> lots of people actually spend more to get the free shipping which you would think makes sense. but if you have to spend an extra $30 to get free shipping and you could have just paid $6 for the delivery char

this is a way to keep my sanity. >> reporter: on the consumerwatch, julie watts, cbs 5. >>> now, toy renting websites and toy libraries say those items are all thoroughly sanitized before they go out. and because kids will be kids, and a toy may get damaged, there's usually no penalty for that. for links to the bay area's toy libraries, go to cbssf.com, click "connect" to get to consumerwatch. >>> a toy giveaway add great memorial church today drew massive crowds. people lined up for hours before the doors opened to get the free toys. some parents say these will be the only gifts their kids get this holiday season. glide says it's the biggest turnout ever for the giveaway. >> it's cool to get free gifts and know that people want to spend money and help us. >> still seeing a high volume like today you know we're already around the block which in years past it wasn't that long a line. >> glide says it gave away more than 8,000 gifts today. >>> well, if all you want for christmas is winter, roberta, we're going to get it tomorrow. >> you are. officially it arrives at 9:30 tomorrow night

on the consumerwatch, julie watts investigates of one driver got a big surprise. >>> reporter: >> it's a convenient lot to where i work. >> reporter: so for years this cbs employee has been using a private parking lot in san francisco. >> there's a $15 fee. you pay at a machine and it spits out a ticket that you then take to your car and put it in the dash. >> reporter: it's a routine she knows well. she does it every day. but last month, she returned to her car to find a $40 parking violation for failing to show proof of payment in her dashboard. ann marie insists it was there. it was simply flipped the wrong way. >> i was in a hurry in the morning and i just threw the ticket in and didn't double- check. >> reporter: when she showed proof of payment the company said she still have to pay what ann marie feels is an unfair $25 fine for an upside-down ticket. >> at that point i was concerned that if i didn't pay the $25 fine, there might be -- it might be reported to the dmv or my car might be booted. >> reporter: so she turned to consumerwatch and we decided to find out just how much da

julie watts reports that's because best buy is telling some customers that the gifts that they boughtre not going to be delivered ever. >>> reporter: >> that sucks. that's a bummer. >> that would upset me. >> pretty crappy. >> reporter: best buy customers were shocked when they heard the electronics retailer will be responsible for some unhappy kids this holiday. >> we have had a bunch of complaints related to best buy. >> reporter: and brad wilson says his users are echoing complaints like these on best buy's own website explaining how best buy singlehandedly ruined christmas by waiting until the week before the holiday to inform customers it would be canceling many of the black friday purchases they were counting on. >> you know, every once in a while that happens for legitimate reasons. but, you know, a playstation 3 is not something that is hard to find right now so it's not as if best buy is out of playstation 3s. >> reporter: brad says it's about the bottom line. he thinks the retailer sold too many items like these at deep discounts and is trying to recoup its losses. in a stat

on the consumerwatch, julie watts investigates after one driver got a very big surprise. >>> reporter: >> it's a convenient lot to where i work. >> reporter: so for years, cbs employee ann marie has been using this private parking lot in san francisco. >> that's a $15 fee. you pay at a machine. and it spits out the ticket that you then take to your car and put it in the dash. >> reporter: it's a routine she knows well. she does it every day but last month she returned to her car to find a $40 parking violation for failing to show proof of payment in her dashboard. ann marie insists it was there. it was simply flipped the wrong way. >> i was in a hurry in the morning and threw the ticket in and didn't double-check. >> reporter: but when she showed proof of payment the company said she still had to pay what ann marie feels is an unfair $25 fine for an upside- down ticket. >> at that point i was a little concerned that if i didn't pay the $25 fine, there might be a -- it might be record to the dmv or my car might be booted. >> reporter: show she turned to consumerwatch and we decided to

on the consumerwatch, julie watts, cbs 5. >> all kinds of stuff there. >>> 4:47.ing up next, fake nikes and true religion jeans seized in the federal raid. and why former presidential candidate john edwards wants to postpone his criminal trial. plus, their first christmas as husband and wife the royal tradition followed by prince william and the duchess of cambridge. >>> we are off to a very cold start this morning. very chilly temperatures in fact we have a freeze warning in effect for north bay and east bay valleys. coming up, how much warmer we'll get by later on this afternoon. california should be proud. we were the first to ban smoking on airplanes. the first to have smoke-free bars and restaurants. all while saving over $86 billion in health care costs... and over a million lives. we've done a good job. but even if you were born today, you'd still grow up in a world where tobacco kills more people... than aids, drugs, alcohol, murder and car crashes... combined. we have a lot more work to do. crackdown >>> fake chanel bags off the table as part of a major f

from the consumer watch, julie watts explains why the surge in shopping this holiday season translates into a record season for shippers. hey, julie? >> reporter: hi there, dana. that is right. green monday, it is one of the biggest shopping days for online retailers, but it is also the single biggest shipping day for fedex. and as it turns out, the two are directly related. >> how much of your holiday shopping have you done on line? >> i would say 85-90%. >> a majority of my shopping is online shopping. >> reporter: holiday cyber sales are up 15%, totaling more than $25 billion so far. and experts say that's the primary reason fedex is expected to make 17 million deliveries today alone. making it the busiest day in the company's 40-year history. >> consumers are spending more, but fedex having the biggest day ever has more to do with a big increase in online shopping than anything else. >> reporter: and today, green monday, is expected to kick off the biggest cyber shopping week of the season. but consumer psychologist kate yarrow said it might leave some wishing they would wait. >> r

on the consumerwatch, julie watts tells us, well, i guess they're even drawing shoppers from upscale neighborhoods, huh, julie? >> reporter: yeah, that's right, allen. in fact, sales at dollar stores like this one, dollar tree stores, dollar stores, 99-cent stores, have risen substantially over the last three years. according to nielsen research, it's actually affluent households like the ones here in moraga that are driving those sales even though some of those same households are ones that tried to keep this store from opening. >> there is a lot of controversy, petitioning such a big branch coming in. >> reporter: for years many in moraga fought to keep the store from opening here worried about who the store might attract. >> that would bring in people [ indiscernible ] i didn't feel that way. >> reporter: clearly now that the doors are open, she is not alone. business is booming fueled by people shopping from all walks of life. >> i know well off people who shop here and love it. >> reporter: what's not to love? everything for a buck. but lifestyle blogger jeannie chin says there a

on the consumerwatch, julie watts, cbs 5. >>> in san francisco, homeowners in a neighborhood hit hard by foreclosures and evictions got some help today. and it came face to face. wells fargo met with customers to talk about loan modifications and other ways to avoid foreclosure. >> i have hope that i'm going to save my property. >> some customers this can be a little intimidating. it's their home. and so they want to make sure that somebody is really dedicated to helping. >> wells fargo says it has modified more than 720,000 loans since 2009. >>> the garbage police could soon be on patrol in one bay area county. mike sugerman on what could be a very powerful incentive to get people to recycle. >> reporter: alameda county is wasting waste. this is an example outside a chinese restaurant in oakland's chinatown. there is the brown garbage bin, the green compost bin but no blue recycling bin. makes it hard to recycle. take a look in this garbage can. papers, papers, papers, paper. that's not supposed to be here. and the green one? what is this?! yuck! >> 60% of the garbage disposed in thi

and actually probably in a matter of a day. >> julie watts, cbs 5. >>> all right. switching to ro now we sure had fun. it was a beautiful day helping the salvation army today. >> it was a perfect day as far as stats are concerned. 58 degrees in san francisco. that is spot on for this time of year. we were ringing the bell for salvation army in union square. thanks to all of you generous in your donations. clear skies, it's our live cbs 5 weather camera looking toward san francisco where again today mid-50s and currently numbers are trailing off very rapidly as the sun officially set at 4:50. we are now in the 40s and 50s for friday night. now live view, get a good picture of this, transamerica building of weather headlines, fourth straight day tomorrow of a winter "spare the air" day. very hazy day on tap. chance of rain returns monday scrubbing out the haze and more rain on wednesday. areas affected about the pollutants close to the surface eastern portion of the district as the pollutants line up against the diablo mountains and calaveras mountains and north of t

. >> on the consumerwatch, julie watts explains these clearer terms. >> reporter: a lot of people are opening up credit cards with complicated applications for better deals but a study found two-thirds of credit card users don't understand the terms of those credit card contracts. today they unveiled a prototype credit card agreement that may make things more simple. it's written in plain english, it's just two pages, versus the usual five and this could be the future of credit card agreements. it clearly explains the charges, conditions what might trigger a change in terms and your consumer rights. consumer advocates say simple disclosure forms like these are long overdue for all financial consumer contracts. >> confusion may be good for the lender. that's sort of what's led to complicate agreement forms but i think by having more of a simple clear way for people to understand i think that will empower consumers. >> reporter: jose kin jones of the mission asset fund says his group suggests something more simple. financial facts laid out like a nutrition label to help consumers unders

but as julie watts reports on the consumerwatch, all that is supposed to change. julie. >> reporter: every year one million californians fall victim to identity theft more than any other state and now thanks to a new cybercrimes unit the d.a. might finally be able to prosecute many of those crimes. some counterfeit goods to debit cards skimming scams to brazen high-tech robberies. >> they are heavily armed and stolen undisclosed amount of integrated circuits. >> reporter: technology related crimes in california exceeded $40 million last year. and many of them within the unprosecuted due to jurisdiction issues. >> maybe it was because the incident occurred in a cloud and who has jurisdiction over that cloud? or sometimes there wasambiguity about who would take it on because the victims were in many different jurisdictions. >> reporter: so in an effort to ee equipment the department of justice to fight 21st century crimes attorney general kamala harris announced the creation of a new ecrimes unit. launched in august it has a staff of 20 based in l.a. and sacramento,

they look like the real thing but how legitimate are they 13 on the consumerwatch, julie watts investigates after one driver got a big surprise. >> it's a convenient lot to where i work. >> reporter: so for years this cbs employee has been using a private parking lot in san francisco. >> there's a $15 fee. you pay at a machine and it spits out a ticket that you then take to your car and put it in the dash. >> reporter: it's a routine she knows well. she does it every day. but last month, she returned to her car to find a $40 parking violation for failing to show proof of payment in her dashboard. ann marie insists it was there. it was simply flipped the wrong way. >> i was in a hurry in the morning and i just threw the ticket in and didn't double- check. >> reporter: when she showed proof of payment the company said she still have to pay what ann marie feels is an unfair $25 fine for an upside-down ticket. >> at that point i was concerned that if i didn't pay the $25 fine, there might be -- it might be reported to the dmv or my car might be booted. >> reporter: so she turned to consumerwatc

on the consumerwatch, julie watts investigates after one driver got a big surprise. >>> reporter: it's>> it's a convenient lot to where i work. >> reporter: so for years this cbs employee an marie has been using this private parking lot in san francisco. >> there's a $15 fee. you pay at a machine and it spits out the ticket that you then take to your car and put in the dash. >> reporter: it's a routine she knows well. she does it every day. but last month, she returned to her car to find a $40 parking violation for failing to show proof of payment in her dashboard. ann marie insists it was there. it was simply flipped the wrong way. >> i was in a hurry and i just threw it in and didn't double- check. >> reporter: when she showed proof of payment to priority parking, the company said she still had to pay what ann marie feels is an unfair $25 fine for an upside-down ticket. >> at that point i was concerned if i didn't pay the fine there might be a report to the dmv or my car might be booted. >> reporter: so ann marie turned to consumerwatch and we decided to find out just how much damage

on the consumerwatch, julie watts to explain this growing trend. >> it's better to receive than to give. >> reporter: from consumer electronics to clothes to jewelry, experts say sales are up this year because shoppers are adding an extra name to their christmas list. their own. when you're out christmas shopping, checking off that list, do you ever pick up a little something for yourself? >> always. that's the point of christmas. >> the little present that you deserve. >> reporter: self gifting has risen. >> the national retail federation suggests self- gifting which disappeared during the height of the recession, has been slowly returning. >> reporter: and ken perkins of retail metrics says as shoppics are splurging on sales they are also spurring the economy. >> consumers will spend $130 on themselves in order to get what them for christmas this year. >> reporter: the self-gifting trend has some crying consumerism. >> okay, it's for me... >> reporter: criticizing commercials that diminish the true meaning of christmas. but others like dr. charles foster say it may be just what some n

julie watts, cbs 5. ]?2ñ#ñeÑhz >>> this is my last forecast of 2011.m going to try to get this one right. folks, low clouds showing around the bay area right now. it is thick in spots, especially in some of the valley. in toward the santa rosa area. you can see the fog over the city of san francisco. beautiful over the transamerica building. but the temperatures are cooling off, getting chilly in spots outside. in fact, some of the numbers down into the 30s and that's exactly where we are seeing dense fog right now. 36 and thick fog there. 48 degrees in concorde. 50 in oakland and 50 in livermore. we had a cold front sweep through. some light showers fell in the bay area. drizzle outside, but not enough to really make a significant dent in the rain fall total. now it looks like we are drawing out once again. saturday looked like more sunshine and the temperatures going to heat up. by the afternoon, most of the low clouds will mix out and temperatures in the 50s and 60s. that ridge continues to build in. probably an offshore wind. that will help to clea

. >> julie watts, cbs 5. >>> u.s. postal service is about to deliver some more deep budget cuts to avoid bankruptcy and that will result in slower service. the u.s. postal service plans to close nearly half of its 500 mail processing centers. this means starting this spring, first class mail delivery will take two days. >> i'm going to have to go elsewhere. it does happen. >> more than a dozen post offices in the bay area could close. they include five in san francisco, two in oakland. one each in daily city and south san francisco and san jose. >> scientists at nasa have found the goldy lox of planets. one that is not too hot or too cold to support life. this is kepler 22-b. it's orbit ago star similar to our sun and estimates surface temperatures hovering around 70 degrees. there is even a gad chance that it has a rocky surface with water. but don't expect to visit it. it's about 600 light years away from earth. >>> we have some temperatures near 70 degrees today. now they are falling like a rock. how cold it will g

on the consumer watch, julie watts explains why the surge in shopping this holiday season translates into a record season for shippers. julie? >> reporter: liz, well green monday is one of the biggest shopping days for online retailers. it is the single biggest shipping day for fedex. and as it turns out, the two are directly related. how much of your holiday shopping have you done online this year? >> i would say 85-90%. >> a majority of all of my shopping is online shopping. >> reporter: holiday cyber sales are up 15% totaling more than $25 billion so far and experts say that is the reason fedex is expected to make 17 million deliveries today alone, making it the busiest day in the company's 40-year history. >> consumers are spending more, but fedex having the biggest day ever has more to do with a big increase in online shopping than anything else. >> reporter: and today, green money, is expected to kick off the biggest cyber shopping week of the season. but consumer psychologist kate yarrow said some may wish they haven't waited. >> retailers that trimmed inventory are running out

julie watts reports. >> reporter: we have learned tonight that the san francisco district attorney'sffice is looking into best buy for bad business practices because the retail giant is telling them they are not going to be getting their packages ever. >> reporter: best buy customers were shocked when they heard the

on the consumerwatch, julie watts explains how you may be entitled to some of that money. lie. >> reporter: if you bought a laptop or tv between 1999 and 2006, chances are you were overcharged thanks to an elaborate alleged price fixing conspiracy that sounds like something out after spy movie. >> these folks met secretly, privately in hotels, bookstores, coffee shops. they wrote memos to each other saying to be sure that you would use the telephone rather than e-mails because that would be evidence. and then they also would put on the document, destroy after you read it. >>> reporter: the attorney isn't talking about a spy movie. he is talking about the length ten major lcd manufacturers went to, to keep their alleged price fixing scheme under wraps. >> they would meet regularly to determine whether or not they would raise the prices. the fear was there was a lot of competition originally for panels and they wanted to stop that competition. >> reporter: he says consumers were overcharged for tvs and computers an estimated 20 to 27% between the years 1999 and 2006 resulting

on the consumerwatch, julie watts reports that a lot of cybercrimes have been going unprosecuted. but that's all supposed to change, right? >> reporter: yeah, that is. every year one million californians fall victim to to identity theft more than any other state and thanks to a new cybercrimes unit, the d.a. might finally be able to prosecute them. from counterfeit goods to debit card skimming scams to brazen high-tech robberies. >> they are heavily armed and have stolen integrate circuits. >> reporter: it exceeded $40 million last year and many of the crimes went unprosecuted due to jurisdiction incidents. >> who has jurisdiction over clouds? sometimes there was ambiguity who would take it on because the victims were in many different jurisdictions. >> reporter: so in an effort to equip the department of justice to fight 21th century crime, the attorney general announced the creation of a new e crimes unit. launched in august with a staff of 20 based in l.a. and sacramento, utilizes a high- tech crime lab in fresno charged with prosecuting tech- relate crimes across various juris

on the consumerwatch, julie watts shows what you can do to protect your gift card. >> reporter: when his jeep was stolen he thought it was gone forever. >> i went through the seven stages of grief. >> reporter: then he noticed the starbucks card he left inside the jeep was being used. >> apparently they liked caramel frappucinos that's what it showed they were purchasing. >> reporter: lucky for ed he registered the gift card with starbucks before it was stolen giving cops a big lead. by tracking the card, they uncovered these surveillance photos of the suspected car thief. >> if they can register it with a retailer's website, that's certainly something they should do. >> reporter: he says starbucks, subway an crate and barrel are just a few of the companies that allow to you register your gift cards in case they're lost. for companies that don't have registries, he says photocopy or snap a photo of the card as soon as you get it including the number and access code. keep track of your balance for verification. when asked if they would replace a gift card for a consumeer with a photo

julie watts explains some people called day after day and they were put on hold for hours. lie. >> reporter: yeah, allen. we recently received a phone call from a viewer who said virgin america has long been his favorite airline with great customer service but all that changed about a month ago. >> as a result, we're still working through some temporary web issues and hold times may be longer than usual. >> reporter: he knows the virgin america customer service recording well. he had to sit through it dozens of times in an attempt to book a simple airline ticket. >> very, very angry, started on november 25th and for seven-day for at least ten times each day i was put on hold from 18 minutes to 1 hour and 22 minutes. >> reporter: he is not alone. there are dozens of similar complaints online from virgin

on the consumerwatch, julie watts says four stars to one person could be another person's dump, i guess. >> reporter: absolutely. >>> reporter: who wouldn't want to stay at a four or five-star hotel especially for a good price? but that was the dream of one bay area traveler for his first european vacation and that dream soon turned into a nightmare. >>> a four star and a bed was what i was lookin for. >>> reporter: so to make his first trip to madrid memorable clyde turned to hot wire.com where users can book hotels with discounted pricing. the name of the hotel isn't revealed until the booking. >> i went by the description that this will be a unique experience attention to detail. >> reporter: when clyde checked into his 4 navistar hotel, he says it was far from what he had in mind. >> there was scuffs on the walls, wallpaper was ripped. rips in the carpet. >> the picture the guest took of his room would not have met my understanding of a 4 star hotel. >> reporter: star ratings vary from country to country. >> there is not a single system accepted globally or within a single country.

julie watts on the consumerwatch with some new tricks that clothing sellers are trying. >> reporter:f you try something on there's a better chance you will buy it so many are making the experience more interesting and giving you a different view. aleah is trying on jeans and trying out a new kinds of mirror. >> what do you think? >> reporter: the 20-something is getting a realtime rear view through the lens of a butt cam a closed circuit camera that debuted last night at san francisco's industry denim. >> 360. >> why wouldn't you want to see what your butt looks like in a pair of fine jeans? >> reporter: manager rob says the camera's designed to make shopping easier. >> so that people didn't have to strain themselves as they tried to check out their derrieres in their denim. >> reporter: and he swears it's completely private. luxury retailer prada enhances its shopping experience with plasma mirrors similar to this along with dressing room doors that go from opaque to transparent and computers that track and register merchandise you bring into the dressing room. then there's this. so

on the consumerwatch, julie watts explains that and also answers some last-minute gift giving questions for that one more thing that i have to get. >> reporter: you may be able to get it on christmas and still get it delivered in time. >> explain that. >> reporter: i will. so following a sharp drop in sales after thanksgiving weekend analysts say retailers are stuck with too much merchandise which is bad news for them but good news for last- minute shoppers finding procrastination pays off. >> i'm on my last-minute six people list. >> better late than never. >> normally christmas eve. i'm early. >>> reporter: last-minute somers are out in force with a slough of questions and consumerwatch is here to help. >> can you get deals at the last minute? >> at what point do the retailers finally say let's get it out of here? >> reporter: the answer to that question is now. due to extra inventory, after- christmas sales have come early this year and almost everyone is offering discounts of at least 40%. >> what should i get? >> reporter: well, experts say now is the time to buy certain electronic

on the consumerwatch, julie watts tells us what gm is offering volt owners worried about the recent investigationnto a battery fire. julie. >> reporter: you know, just this morning, consumer reports announced a chevy volt beat the porsche 911 as number one in owner satisfaction. also this morning, general motors' ceo said gm will do whatever it takes to keep the customers happy including buying back chevy volts from buyers worried about the battery issue after the national highway traffic safety administration launched a formal investigation into the volt batteries this week. the problems began in may when two weeks after a standard government crash test a chevy volt battery unexpectedly caught fire in a storage yard. while subsequent testing did have similar results there have been no similar consumer incidence. monday, gm announced it would be offering loner cars to volt owners who want to have theirs inspected but this morning the ap reported that gm was offering to buy back cars from concerned customers. but gm clarified late this afternoon in an it view with cbs radio that -- in an interview

on the consumerwatch, julie watts reports that it's a bank that's not really a bank. >>> reporter: there's a new cafe in san francisco offering free wi-fi, free access to conference rooms, 1700 square feet of meeting space, a good deal on a cup of coffee and, oh, by the way, your barista is also a banker. >> all of our associates can handle savings and checking. five of them can handle the mortgage and two of them can handling the beverage products. >> reporter: that's because the folks at the new ing direct cafe were bankers before they were baristas. you didn't have to go to pete's coffee to learn? >> we did. everyone here attended pete's training facility. >> reporter: probably a good thing since most of the baristas/bankers do more coffee making than banking. >> a lot of people don't even know we're a bank. we don't want them to think of us as first as a bank. >> reporter: the ceo says he wants people to think of the nine ing cafes scattered throughout the u.s. as community centers. while there is an atm, ing bankers don't actually handle money. they are more like consultants providing

on the consumerwatch, julie watts reports that the restaurant has figured out how to stay within the law and give kids what they want. julie. >> reporter: yeah, liz. the san francisco healthy meal initiative has had a nationwide impact which is part of the reason mcdonald's spent the better part of the year lobbying against it and threatening lawsuits but now it has found a solution which some are calling a stroke of marketing genius while others say it simply is a way to skirt the law. >> okay. and a cookie, too. >> reporter: today the uncle is paying extra to add a cookie to her happy meal but beginning thursday he will have to pay extra for the toy. >> i don't think that's good. i think it should come with the meal. >> reporter: but legally it can't. san francisco's so call happy meal ban going into effect thursday requiring kids meals with toys to meet certain guidelines and mcdonald's don't. the owner says the 19 san francisco locations will sell the toy for 10 cents charitable donation to the ronald mcdonald house a move that surprised supporters of the healthy meal initiative l

julie watts, thank you. >>> late today, we learned a toddler shot in the head during a mass shooting in oakland is going to be taken off life support. joe vazquez is outside children's hospital tonight with more on the family's very difficult decision. joe. >> reporter: it's a very emotional decision and we're told that's what's going on right now behind me here at children's hospital. the family has decided they are convinced after a series of tests that the boy's diagnosis of being clinically brain-dead is accurate. now, i want to show you video here. on november 28 the boy was shot in west oakland along with six other p.m. his head wound had him in critical condition on life support since that time. while the hospital told the family the boy was ready to come off life support, the family as recently as yesterday didn't believe that. they wanted a second opinion. according to the family's attorney and their pastor, the family was convinced today after several tests among them they poured water in the boy's ear. no response. they took him off the ventilator. he had difficulty breath

on the consumerwatch, julie watts tells us how the fbi is now issuing a warning. >> reporter: it's known as the relative in distress or grandma scam and the fbi says criminals are using social media sites to hunts for victims. -- to hunt for victims. and unfortunately, there are a lot of them. she should have been more skeptical. back in october, the south bay grandmother got a call from someone claiming to be her grandson. >> he said this is your grandson. and i said, which one? he said, your favorite one. >> reporter: and guess what. he needed money. >> he told me he was in trouble in mexico. they had him in a holding cell and that he needed $2,700 for the fine. >> reporter: the well meaning senior isn't a western union money transfer to her grandson for $2,700 and esther of the san francisco d.a.'s office says it's back on the rise especially here in california, the grandma scam. >> they are playing on that feeling that emotion that gut reaction that you have when you hear your grandchild is in trouble. >> reporter: but it was may who ended up in trouble. according to western union's

on the consumer watch, julie watts, cbs 5. >>> bur, who left the door open? we have freezing temperatures followed by frosty sunshine. the full pinpoint forecast as eyewitness news continues. [ monica ] i'm away on a movie shoot and it hasn't been going exactly as planned. cut. cut! [ monica ] i thought we'd be on location for 3 days -- it's been 3 weeks. so i had to pick up some more things. good thing i've got the citi simplicity card. i don't get hit with a fee if i'm late with a payment... which is good because on this job, no! bigger! [ monica ] i may not be home for a while. [ male announcer ] the new citi simplicity card. no late fees. no penalty rate. no worries. >>> first full day of winter 2011. it feels like it. currently the coldest locations is 33 degrees in santa rosa. stepping on out to jack london square, all the glow and christmas lights. it is 39 degrees there. other notable numbers at this 10:00 hour happen to be across the santa clara valley. 42 in san jose. 39 degrees in morgan hill. low 40s in santa clara. otherwise east bay numbers stac

on the consumerwatch, julie watts explains there is yet another shopping holiday. oh, boy. >> reporter: we're not done yet. free shipping friday. another holiday manufactured by retailers. tomorrow thousands of them are offering free shipping with pre- christmas delivery and added discounts. but not everyone is happy about the latest extension of the holiday shopping season. >> enough's enough. >> enough is never enough. >> reporter: opinions are mixed when it comes to the seemingly endless addition of shopping holidays. >> it's an industry like any other so they will do whatever they can to get people to spend. >> reporter: but according to new research from the price tracking website the newest holidays are paying off. black friday shoppers saved an average of 34% while online shoppers this week are saving more with an average markdown of 42%, plus free shipping. >> we tailers realize that they need to offer some form of free shipping if they want to capture shoppers' attention. >> reporter: and consumer advisors say that's what sparked the creation of free shipp

but on the consumerwatch, julie watts explains what happens when the deal turns out to be a dud. >>> reporter: like many 15-year- olds, call of duty is one person's favorite game. when he saw this black friday ad from walmart he was thrilled. >> i say like 28 bucks with the free pack. so i was like, $15 value didn't have to pay extra for. >> reporter: not to mention the game alone sells for 60 bucks with the map pack that's almost a $50 savings totally worth his thanksgiving sacrifice. >> dinner was short. my dad was crazy but -- no, no, we are going to wait until dinner is done. so i had to like hide the turkey. >> reporter: but once the turkey was gone and he finally made it to the register, get to a big surprise. >> it's $59.96. >> reporter: the game and matt pack he rushed through thanksgiving for was more than double the advertised price. >> he was so mad at walmart because the managers did not help me at all. >> reporter: after getting nowhere with three different managers he contacted consumerwatch. we contacted walmart. turns out he was the first to complain. the retailer can

card issuers are offering incentives to get people to swipe their cards but on the consumerwatch julie watts shows us a new tool that rewards you for saving not spending. >> reporter: right? this is kind of exciting. from free trips to cash back many credit cards offer perks for spending but now there is a new website that allows you to win prizes for simply saving money. >> i have about $3,500 in debt. but i'm looking to pay that all off. >> reporter: brian has an added incentive. free prizes. >> i couldn't believe it when i won. i was like, is this real? >> reporter: the 27-year-old recently won an ipad and a $100 macy's gift card after signing up with saveup.com. it's a new website that rewards consumers for good financial behavior. >> the average american right now is struggling just to first get out of basic debt. >> reporter: and founder of the san francisco startup says that makes it even harder for consumers to save. >> the way save up works is every time you make a deposit in your savings account, any account it could be at the bank you already have, it could be at your 401(k) at yo

as julie watts on the consumerwatch explains, sales are way up at the stores where people go for emergency loans. >>> reporter: guitar aficianado ray doesn't just go to pawn shops to play though no one would mind. he also comes to christmas shop. >> i'm looking. i'm looking. maybe a necklace. >> reporter: and so are a lot of other holiday shoppers who don't mind buying gifts that are on sale because their previous owners fell on hard times. >> this is a ladies diamond wedding set. >> reporter: they are picking up presents like jewelry, power tools, musical instruments and, of course, electronics. >> everything is up. >> reporter: done belleville of best collateral says business is up 25% over last year compared to other brick and mortar stores where holiday business is only increasing 2%. one reason? the growing trend that has pawn shops looking less like -- well, pawn shops. >> we have invested heavily into the cabinetry, to the lighting to the paint colors, and everything that we do to create an environment to where people who aren't here to get a loan can actually have a retail experien

ann notarangelo among the last- minute shoppers but first, julie watts says one major retailer could be in hot water for not delivering on black friday deals. you have an exclusive on a best buy holiday bummer , huh? >> reporter: yeah. cbs 5 is learning the san francisco d.a.'s office is looking into best buy for bad business practices. that's because the retail giant is telling customers those black friday deals they snagged last month are not going to be delivered ever. >> that sucks. that's a bummer. >> that would upset me. >> pretty crappy. >> reporter: best buy customers were shocked when they heard the electronics retailer will be responsible for some unhappy kids this holiday season. >> we had a bunch of complaints related to best buy. >> reporter: brad wilson says his users are echoing complaints like these on best buy's own website explaining how best buy singlehandedly ruined christmas by waiting until the week before the holiday to inform customers it would be canceling many of the black friday purchases they were counting on. >> you know, every once in a while that happen

on the consumerwatch, julie watts in emeryville to explain a growing trend. really? >> reporter: yeah. black friday week send typically a good indicator for overall consumer spending and this year analysts say 35% of shoppers bought something for themselves. it's the beginning of a self- gifting trend that may be good for the economy, but it's also rewriting a popular old adage. >> it's better to receive than to give. >> reporter: from consumer electronics to clothes to jewelry, experts say sales are up this years because shoppers are adding an extra name to the list, their own. when you're checking off your christmas list, do you ever pick up something for yourself? >> always. that's the point of christmas >> by giving yourself the little present you deserve. >> reporter: self-gifting has risen more than 57% the biggest jump in six years and a good indicator of overall consumer health. >> the national retail federation is suggesting that it's self-gifting which is sort of disappearing during the heights of the recession and now slowly returning. >> reporter: he says

julie watts has the results. >> reporter: there is plenty of citrus, lots of sweets and a mountain of fresh scents in the cleaning supplies. >> i don't like fragrance. >> reporter: this doctor doesn't like added fragrance, either. the scientist from stanford completed a study on scented products. >> i had calls and e-mails from people telling me they were getting sick from common household products. >> reporter: complaints ranged from headaches to breathing difficulties and a loss of conciousness. the lab analyzed 25 popular scented products. she won't reveal which ones. they are commonly used. air freshenerrers and cleaning supplies. >> all of the emitted chemicals either classified as toxic or hazardous in federal laws damage the brain, lungs and central nervous system and cause cancer. >> reporter: the labels green organtic and natural contain the chemicals, too. >> i have not found a label that did not have the chemicals. >> reporter: there is no law that requires manufacturers to list the word fragrance, partly because it is considered a trade secret. >> scented household product

julie watts of our san francisco station kpix has that story. >> reporter: for many in capatola it seemsis no stranger to flooding, this time there was no warning. >> it usually comes up from the ocean or the river and we have plenty of time to sandbag. but this came the opposite way. >> reporter: that's because this was no typical flood. engineers blame an old pipe which unexpectedly broke during an average-sized storm. >> the next day we just shoveled mud. >> reporter: but the following day a larger storm rolled in. and with no pipe to control the water, it turns capatola village into a lake. in its wake a city filled with mom and pop shops already on the brink. and they soon realized the flood was just the beginning of their nightmare. next fema denied disaster relief and many insurance companies did the same. >> the people who had flood insurance were thrilled because finally their flood insurance policy policy was going to pay off. until the insurance company said, no, we don't think it was a flood, it was a broken pipe. so they turned their liability and said, no, we think it is a

julie watts, cbs news san francisco. >> always wondered. interesting stuff.k is as easy as... making breakfast. omelet? sure. scrambled eggs. [ male announcer ] actually, it's easier. citi financial tools. easier banking. standard at citibank. hi it's dave. [ robotic voice ] if you are satisfied with your message -- [ beep ] hi. dave here. [ male announcer ] for dave, using citibank's online bill pay is as easy as setting up voicemail. hi it's dave. [ male announcer ] actually, it's easier. hi, it's dave. i'm out of the office. [ male announcer ] online bill pay. easier banking. standard at citibank. grace lee. a van crashes into a church rodeo {ro-day-oh} >>> good morning. it's 8:25. i'm grace lee with your headlines. >>> a van crashes into a church nursery in rodeo just moments after the service let out. it happened last night at the full gospel fellowship. people were just leaving the parking lot when a van suddenly accelerated and slammed into a children's nursery. no one was inside the building at the time. no one was hurt. >>> and we have another milest

on the consumerwatch, julie watts explains how some dentists are trying to get patients back in the chair. julie. >> reporter: it used to be that most people saw a dentist twice a year without fail and for a while some were using home equity to pay for elective treatment like veneers and braces. in the past few years, all that has changed. >> that's something you're probably going to want to think about getting taken care of on our next visit. >> reporter: but dr. pena says those visits are fewer and far between. his business is down nearly 50% since the start of the recession and he is not alone. i think people have always thought that dentistry is recession-proof but you have found -- >> it's not. people still have to decide, am i going to pay for my children's treatment? am i going to put food on my table? >> reporter: nationwide business at dental offices dropped steadily for three years and that prompts many to turn to dental companies. >> the number of new dentists that we have taken on as new members, it's pretty much doubled probably within the last 18 months. >> reporter: mary an