. >>> and if you are trying to get your fiscal house in order for the new year, reporter julie watts gives us three easy things to do to make sure you reach your goal. ,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, medications americans take y year. but now a new study f them.. ter >>> welcome back. generic drugs are used for more than half of the medications americans take every year but now a new study finds many people are not actually taking them. teresa garcia explains why in today's healthwatch. >> reporter: 73-year-old mort allen takes medication for high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes managing all those prescriptions confusing at times. >> this one drug, it's either blue or white, changes colors. and so you don't really know. >> reporter: many of the pills are generic, which can vary in color and shape from brand names. now a new study from brigham and women's hospital shows when pills look different patients are 50% more likely to stop taking them. >> so if you are used to taking these guys and if we give you this you're going to be confused and say what is is this white pill? mine is oblong

let's give it another try with julie watts.ws us the best size and type of big screen for the big game. here it is. >>> reporter: super bowl season is tv buying season and it even beats the holidays. >> i just want a big flat screen tv for 50." as long as it's a good deal. >> reporter: with so many options, plasma, lcd, l.e.d., smart tv, what's a football fan to do? >> the plasma tvs still tend to be the rock stars. >> reporter: cnet's brian cooley says your best bet for the big game is plasma. >> they are not as thin as many of the others or as sexy if you will and then tend to be thought of as an older technology but we did our list of the best cheap, best value and best high-end flat panel tv and a plasma model won in every, single category. >> reporter: with a higher refresh rate, plasma handles motion better meaning that touchdown pass will be crystal clean and plasmas allow for better off angle viewing. >> when you have those folks over to watch the game you may overpack that living room and people are sitting over here l

cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts found out walmart's plan apparently not perfect. julie. >> reporter: yeah, allen. you know, walmart is getting praise and criticism for this big announcement. it sounds like a great deal but keep in mine, walmart will get big tax breaks and critics say what they are offering won't necessarily get vets back on their feet. call it a campaign for good will. in addition to touting everyday low prices, walmart is now offering jobs to veterans. >> i think this is really good news. >> reporter: lance frederick of the department of veterans affairs reiterates the sentiments. veterans make hard working loyal employees but he is concerned about the caveat to hire any honorably discharged veteran. it only applies within one year of active duty. >> i think that's unfortunate that they limit it like that. >> reporter: he says most vets first want to take advantage of the free education offered through the g.i. bill. after three or four years, you might have a vet who is now educated and ready to enter the workforce. >> certainly. when they come

julie watts, cbs 5. >>> a lot of speculation about a mysterious event at facebook tomorrow. they e-mailed reporters last week inviting them to quote come see what we're building without providing details. rumors have been flying about everything from a smart phone to search engine. last time they held a press conference they announced they were going public. >> apple stock fell below $500 a share investors got nervous after rumbling iphone 5 may not be doing as well as expected. wall street journal reported apple reduced orders for iphone parts because of lower than expected sales. >>> you might be surprised the next time you go to the grocery store. somethings have nearly doubled in price almost overnight. lynn ramirez says you can blame the cold weather. >> reporter: salinas valley farm crew, laid down plastic sheets to protect young and tender plants. these emergency actions are happening throughout california. >> for the whole state to be hit all on the same day is rare. >> reporter: chris drew grows artichokes near casterville last night's 28-degree hit was not enough t

julie watts, cbs 5. >>> well, we don't usually hear things like this from senator feinstein. >> i was one to put a finger in a bullet hole, trying to get a pulse. >> coming up, a personal story about a day she rarely talks about. >>> i was just like a jack ass in a jumpsuit. i was a damn fool. >> he's back on stage. hear what it took for this 70's singing sensation to stay alive behind bars. >>> find out which bay area city saw more rainfall today than the previous 23 days combined. that and a beautiful shot of the bay bridge. those bay lights are practicing tonight. your forecast, right on through the weekend, coming up. [ woman ] my boyfriend and i were going on vacation so i used my citi thankyou card to pick up some accessories. a new belt. some nylons. and what girl wouldn't need new shoes? and with all the points i've been earning i was able to get us a flight to our favorite climbing spot, even on a holiday weekend. ♪ ♪ things are definitely... looking up. [ male announcer ] with no blackout dates you can use your citi thankyou points to travel whenever you want. visit citi.com

julie watts, cbs 5. >>> soon you'll be able to take out less than $20 from the atm. chase and other banks will be implementing this soon. the idea is to help out customers with low account balances. >> there you go. so you take out $2 and it costs you $3 fee? >> the atm fee stays exactly the same. >>> all right. well you're paying back nothing to mother nature. mainly sunny skies. unless you're a skier and you want more snow, this is not a good thing for you. we've seen very little snow in the sierra in the past week and zero rainfall in san francisco. clear skies. another chilly night. watch out for ice in our inland valleys. that's napa, sonoma, santa rosa. livermore, right around the freezing mark. fremont and concord, close to that 32-degree mark. radar is dry. cbs 5 hi-def doppler showing nothing out there. it's been that way for a week, really for the entire month. look at the rainfall for santa rosa. a foot of rain in december. now january, where did it go? a half an inch and none coming for the next five or six days, because the big ridge of high pressure we'

cbs5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts explains that advertisers >>> the big game is going to be more than a spectator sport this year. cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts explains that advertisers are using crowd sourcing to get fans involved. >> reporter: what do you think makes a good super bowl commercial? >> i think it has to be funny. >> something that just relates to the common man. >> reporter: well, this year, the common man is playing a much larger role in the super bowl from getting your photo in the pepsi halftime show to getting a retweet from a major advertiser or naming the budweiser clydesdale. consumers will also vote on the ending of coke's super bowl ad and star in homemade commercials for companies like pizza hut and doritos. >> those are the best ones. >> reporter: it's called crowd sourcing and it's $4 million for 30 seconds of air time for this super bowl. the psychologists say the growing trend is more than just a way for advertisers to save money making their own commercials. >> consumers want to be involved. consumers trust other consumers more than they

consumerwatch reporter julie watts explains, in many case >>> not in my house but billions of dollarsft cards go to waste after the holiday. cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts explains in many cases, you need to use it before you lose it. >>> reporter: >> this piece i got in the early 1990s and i hope my daughter gets to wear this someday. >> reporter: her love for betsy johnson spans generations. >> this was my mom's. >> reporter: so when her husband gave her a betsy johnson gift card a couple of years ago, she was thrilled. >> it was a great gift. i was really excited but i wanted to wait a little while. >> reporter: she says she had a few pounds of baby weight she wanted to lose first but before she knew it, betsy filed bankruptcy and store employees told her the gift card was no good. >> gift cards don't expire but sometimes stores do. if you get a card use it sooner rather than later. >> reporter: the state division of consumer affairs says while california has some of the best consumer gift card protections, bankruptcy is not one of them. >> if it's a liquidation kind of b

in campbell, julie watts, cbs 5. >>> time now is 4:52. which airline has the rudest workers? the results of a survey and what's behind the rudeness. >> why hungry after a big meal? why a sugar substitute may be to blame. >> and many dream of winning the rose bowl. see how david shaw's gang went out and did it. well, well, well. growing up, we didn't have u-verse. we couldn't record four shows at the same time. in my day, you were lucky if you could record two shows. and if mom was recording her dumb show and dad was recording his dumb show then, by george, that's all we watched. and we liked it! today's kids got it so good. [ male announcer ] get u-verse tv with a total home dvr included free for life. only $29 a month for six months. >>> it's freezing out there this morning, cold temperatures, 20s and 30s in the valleys and inside the bay. we'll have more on your weather coming up. >>> our bay area bridges looking good, no road delays. a water main break in hayward may block an off-ramp coming off 92. details coming up. >>> where are the rudest airline workers? american airs

cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts with the security flaw that could leave you exposed. >>> reporter: >> i don't know if it's unprecedented but it's very rarely done if ever. >> reporter: cnet's seth rosenblatt is talk about the homeland security warning to disable the java software on your computer. hackers are exploiting vulnerabilities in the software allowing them to trick you into logging into fake websites stealing bank logins and subsequently money and even using your computer to attack other websites. oracle has now released a patch for its java software but security experts say it's not good enough. >> this is sort of one of the ongoing tensions with java. it's very old. and so as patches are released and they do plug certain holes, other holes may not get addressed. >> reporter: java is a computer language that allows programmers to write apps and software that can run on virtually any computer. but rosenblatt says most websites today don't use java anymore, even though the rarely used software is likely still running on your computer. so i'm not going to see a whole lot of

in campbell, julie watts, cbs 5. >>> the fbi calls new year's eve its super bowl. we'll take you inside the massive security effort in times square. that's tonight on the "cbs evening news." ,,,, to give a break cancer survivor a lifetime-- that's definitely a fair trade. it was such a beautiful experience. (jessica lee) ♪ and it's beautiful (woman) why walk 60 miles in the boldest breast cancer event in history? because your efforts help komen serve millions of women and men facing breast cancer every year. visit the3day.org to register or to request more information and receive a free 3-day bracelet today. it was 3 days of pure joy. ♪ and it's beautiful growing up, we didn't have u-verse. we couldn't record four shows at the same time. in my day, you were lucky if you could record two shows. and if mom was recording her dumb show and dad was recording his dumb show then, by george, that's all we watched. and we liked it! today's kids got it so good. [ male announcer ] get u-verse tv with a total home dvr included free for life. only $29 a month for six months. wa

julie watts with the security flaw that could leave you exposed. >> i don't know if it is unprecedentedt is rarely done. >> reporter: he is talking about the homeland security warn ing to disable java software on your computer. hackers are exploiting vulnerables allowing you to be tricked into logging into fake bank siteusing your computer to attack other sites. or call has released a patch but security experts says the not good enough. >> this is one of the ongoing tensions with java it is very old as patches are released and they do plug certain holes others may not get addressed. >> reporter: java allows programmers to write away from stanford. but cbs reporter sharon chin shows : he's already cooked up a pry clever plan to pay for it. 13 year old tucker f s up at or remove programs. you can download a security patch from oracle website but even homeland security has concerned over security. >> the safest thing to do is disable java. >> reporter: now some people may need java to access corporate sites and apps, if you need it install the update for everyone else the homeland security

here's cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts. >> reporter: call it a campaign for good will. in addition to touting everydie low prices, walmart is now offering jobs to veterans. >> i think this is really good news. >> reporter: lance frederick of the department of veterans afares reiterates the sentiments of walmart's ceo: veterans make hard working loyal employees but he is concerned about the caveat in the offer to hire any honorably discharged veteran within onier of active doubt. >> that's unfortunate that they limit it like that. >> reporter: he says most vets want to take advantage of the free education offered by the g.i. bill. after three or four years you might have a vet ready to enter the workforce. >> certainly. when you come back you're a little out of sync with the civilian population. it takes a while to get back into the swing of things. now they are ready to go work. but they are not eligible. >> reporter: and even if they are eligible, some question why vets would want to work for walmart. >> the 1.4 million people work there is now say we don't get a decen

in campbell, julie watts, cbs 5. >>> the year is not already a day old and we have a baby controversy. why two bay area hospitals are bickering over a bay area birthday. [ drumming ] >> we don't want to disturb our neighbors. >> until now, they were some downbeat drummers. how these bay area musicians found a new place to play. [ laughter ] [ girl ] wow, you guys have it easy. i wish i had u-verse when i was your age. in my day, we didn't have these fancy wireless receivers. blah blah blah. if i had a sleepover, i couldn't just move the tv into the playroom. no. we had to watch movies in the den because that's where the tv outlet was. and if dad was snoring on the couch, we muscled through it. is she for real? your generation has it made. [ male announcer ] the wireless receiver only from at&t u-verse. get u-verse tv for $29 a month for six months. rethink possible. debate over its proposed na. the alisal union school dist >>> construction of an elementary school in salinas hasn't finished and there's already a debate over its proposed name. the school district voted to name the schoo

. >> cbs 5 consumer watch reporter julie watts explains what's the best size and the best type of bigt big game. >> reporter: super bowl season is t.v. buying season. it even beats the holidays. >> i just want a big flat screen t.v. for 46 to 50 inches. >> reporter: but with so many options, plaza, l.c.d., l.e.d., smart t.v., what's a football fan to do? >> the plasma t.v.'s are still the rock stars. >> reporter: brian cooley says your best bet for the big game is plaza. >> not as thin as many of the le.d.lcd's not as sexy but we recently did our list of the best cheap, best value and best high-end flat panel t.v. and a plasma model won in every single category. >> reporter: with a higher refresh rate, plasmas handle motion better, meaning that touchdown pass will be crystal clear and plasmas allow for better off-angle viewing. >> when you have folks over to watch the game you may overpack that living room and people are sitting left and right in different chairs trying to look at the screen. a plasma is very good at that. >> reporter: but while l.e.d.'s may not be ideal for the big g

tonight julie watts introduces us to a woman who says she knows about this problem first hand. >> reporterous deep- dish pizza, something that patrons have come to expect. and since 2009, a couple of dollars from each bill was supposed to go towards employee health expenses, according to city law. >> and we would just say it was for health care. >> reporter: but brandy says that's not what happened. the former server blew the whistle on the restaurant group after she was let go in 2011. she says she asked managers repeatedly about the health care. >> i was pretty persistent, but it wasn't the only issue. so i had this perception that i was, you know, a little bit of an annoyance. >> reporter: last week, the city attorney slapped the restaurant with a 200,000 fine. in response, the company issued this statement, saying they took action the moment they noticed that they made a reporting error. >> in early 2009, we were in compliance. in mid 2009, we dropped the ootingto death. two of them were drug dealers he owed money. the judge sent him to death row. >> i just said, well, i did the crime.

consumer watch julie watts explains how much eligible homeowners will get. >> you may need a spread sheetck on all lawsuits over the years. this is the federal government's attempt to hold them accountable before rushing to foreclose on delinquent hemiones. >> i'm a homeowner who happened to get sick. >>> they don't have legal grounds to foreclose and auction off our house, but they're doing it any way. >> for mike, it was bank of america. >> now both banks could be paying them back. after two years and one false start, a landmark deal punished dealers for skipping steps in the foreclosure process. under the new agreement announced by the federal government, 10 banks will make cash payments to homeowners that were foreclosed on. payments range from several hundred to $25,000. the banks will give loan modifications to other homeowners. their housing advocate is cautiously optimistic. >> so much that has happened and has been touted as housing relief has been a disappointment and failure. >> he says this deal does give to homeowners but concern is that it may add to confusion. >> we have di

julie watts breaks down who is getting those tickets and the cost. >> reporter: they are not cheap. the 9ers won't be selling their lot of tickets to the general public. season ticket holders are automatically entered for the right to buy one. winners announced tomorrow. while 29ers won't say how many tickets they will raffle off, odds are there won't be a lot. the capacity is a little over 76,000. 9ers get about 17.5 of those seats. that is about 13,000 seats to be split. the good news is many will sell their tickets along with other teams in the nfl leaving plenty of opportunities for us, but they don't come cheap. >> how much would you shell out for a seat at the super bowl. >> probably a few hundred dollars >> the most would be $200. >> you may have to pay a bit more. the good muse is -- news is there are plenty available on websites. stub hub has tickets a little over 2 grand. prime sport is the 49ers' official travel partner for the big game. it is not the only game in town. at costco there are tickets. packages 12 to 15,000. there is really no club card discount here. if you

cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts with the security flaw that could leave you exposed. >> i don't know if it's unprecedented but it's very airline done if ever. >> reporter: seth rosenblatt is talking about the homeland security warning to disable java software. hackers are exploiting vulnerabilities allowing you to trick you into logging into fake websites stealing bank logins, money and even using your computer to attack other websites. oracle has released a patch for its java software but security experts say it's not good enough. >> this is sort of one of the ongoing tensions with java. it's very old. and so as patches are released and they do plug certain holes other holes may not get addressed. >> reporter: java is a computer language that allows programmers to write apps and software that can run on any computer. but rosenblatt says most websites today don't use java anymore even though the rarely- used software is likely still running on your computer. so i'm not going to see a lot of impact on my web surfing if i disable java but i will likely be more secure? >> absolutel

in campbell, julie watts, cbs 5. >>> and one of your resolutions may be too lose weight.y be causing you to overeat. a new study shows fructose can trigger certain brain changes. yale scientists studied people who finished sweet drinks with fructose and found brains don't register the feeling of being full as it does when simple sugars are consumed. >>> all right. time now is 6:53. coming up we'll have a final check of your top stories. plus, how a rose bowl win means green for one of the team's cities. ,,,,,,,,,,,, to give a break cancer survivor a lifetime-- that's definitely a fair trade. it was such a beautiful experience. (jessica lee) ♪ and it's beautiful (woman) why walk 60 miles in the boldest breast cancer event in history? because your efforts help komen serve millions of women and men facing breast cancer every year. visit the3day.org to register or to request more information and receive a free 3-day bracelet today. it was 3 days of pure joy. ♪ and it's beautiful of the week. or how to get great prices on things you need. if your resolution is saving money, sa

new year's resolutions to help you get your finances in order. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, cbs 5 reporter julie watts there are 3 easy tricks... keeping your new year's . >>> want to save more money this year? >> i wouldn't mind if i do. there are three easy tricks to keeping your new year's resolutions. >> reporter: as you plunk down a couple of bucks for that cup of coffee. >> two or three times that day. >> reporter: or shell out more for lunch. >> typically around $8. >> reporter: ask yourself: do you make more than $90 an hour. that's what you need to earn to eat out five days a week. >> it's not worth the hassle to make lunch. >> reporter: tip number one, you could save around $1,000 a year if you brew your own cup of joe or brown bag it. >> you think about the taxes that you, you know, that you have to pay and your regular, you know, just day to day living expenses lying your pg&e bill and cell phone bill the $90 an hour gets eaten away quickly. >> reporter: tip number two, save save save. americans on average only save 3.6% of their income. what we should be saving upwards of 10%. and if you'

cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts explains in many cases, you need to use it or lose it. >> i got this in the early '90s and i hope my daughter gets do wear it. >> reporter: her love for betsey johnson spans generations. >> this was my mom's. >> reporter: so when her husband gave her a betsey johnson gift card a couple of years ago, she was thrilled. >> it was a great gift. i was competed but i wanted to wait. >> reporter: she says she had a few pounds of baby weight she wanted to lose first but before she knew it, betsey filed bankruptcy and the gift card was no good. >> gift cards don't expire but sometimes stores do but if you get a gift card, use it sooner rather than later. >> reporter: russ haim rick of the state division of consumer affairs says while california does have some of the best consumer gift card protections, bankruptcy is not one of them. >> if it's a liquidation kind of bankruptcy, you're just another unsecured creditor so chances are you won't be able to use it. >> reporter: but bankruptcy never occurred to her, considering her favorite designer's long-run

. >> julie watts explains advertisers are using crowd sourcing to get fans involved. >> what do you think makes a good super bowl commercial? >> i think it has to be funny. >> something that relates to the common man. >> this year, the common man is playing a much larger role in the super bowl. from getting your photo in the pepsi halftime show to getting a retweet from a major advertiser or naming the budweiser clydes dale. consumers will vote on the end of coke's super bowl ad and star in homemade commercials. >> those are the best ones. >> it is called crowd sourcing and it's $4 million. consumer psychologist says the growing trend is more than a way for advertisers to save money. >> consumers today really want to be involved. consumers trust other consumers more than they do companies and so featuring consumers is the way to get closer to them. >> when it comes to real people, i can really relate. >> it makes them feel more real. >> a direct result of social media. allowing companies to cash in on consumers before, during, and after the game. >> it's an entire campaign. this is what i

cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts says it's got wings fans crying fowl! >> reporter: what will you be eating this super bowl sunday? >> chicken wings. >> and some wings. >> reporter: they are a super bowl staple and this year football fans will chow down on 1.23 billion wings in just one weekend. laid out end to end this weather stretch from candlestick to ravens stadium in baltimore 27 times! but this nerd says this year those wings won't come cheap thanks to last year's drought. >> corn prices are high, chicken prices are up. >> reporter: as a result, farmers produced fewer chickens last year at a time when wings have become a restaurant staple. what used to be the cheapest part of the chicken considered a by-product has now become the most coveted. entire chains are devoted to the wing. >> each bird has only two weeks so that drives the cost up where as breasts, thighs and other parts will be cheaper. >> reporter: this year's super bowl wings will be the most expensive ever up 14% to about $2.11 per pound. >> 14%? guess i'll have to pay. >> it's once a

cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts explains you can get compensation, too. >> thank you for calling comcast. >> reporter: she has called comcast so many times recently, she even has a name for the hold music. >> the hoity. >> reporter: her internet service went down on december 26 not the best time of year for a service problem. she couldn't even reach a service representative at comcast for four days, she said. >> the first thing you always hear is that they have a high volume of calls. >> reporter: when she finally did get someone, he was in the philippines. she says he set up a service appointment to switch out her modem the following monday but no one showed up. >> nobody came and nobody bothered to call me. >> reporter: an expensive hassle for the single mother who took the morning off work to wait. >> so here i am, no comcast. >> reporter: comcast has a customer service guarantee which promises customers a $20 credit if the serviceman is late or doesn't show but california law goes a big step further. it allows customers to collect up to $600 in damages if a repair or delivery

but cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts explains, everyone may soon be paying more. >>> reporter -- >> it's not exactly an imposing body of water. >> reporter: she may live near a creek but linda johnston believes the chances of her house ever flooding are pretty remote. >> there would have to be 4 feet above of water to even get into the house. >> reporter: so the marin county homeowner is fighting a battle over a jump in the cost of her flood insurance, something her mortgage holder requires her to have. four years ago, it cost $350. now it's $1,700, twice what one neighbor pays. >> my neighbor is paying 869. >> reporter: flood insurance rates are set by the government and based on a variety of factors including the size, age and design of your home. but the biggest factors are by far location and the property's risk of actual flooding. that's determined by the government's flood maps, surveys conducted on an ongoing basis to determine an area's flood risk. according to the latest maps, johnson's home is in a high risk area. >> the mapping is the key to the rates. >> reporter:

cbs 5 consumer watch reporter julie watts explain what's the best size and best type of big screen for the big game. >> reporter: super bowl season is t.v. buying season. it even beats the holidays. >> i just want a big flat screen t.v., 46 to 50 inches. assuming it's a good deal. >> reporter: with so many options meraz ma, l.c.d., l.e.d., smart t.v., what's a fan to do? >> the plasma tv's the end on the the rock stars. >> reporter: brian cooley says your best bet is plasma. >> they're not as thin as many of the led/lcd's not as sexy if you will and 2e7bd to be thought of as an older technology. we did our list of the best cheap, best value and best high- end flat panel t.v. and a plasma model, one in every single category. >> reporter: with a higher refresh rate, meraz mas handle motion better, meaning that touchdown pass will be crystal clear and they law for better off angle viewing. >> you have the focus over to watch the game you can overpack the living room people are sitting left and right trying to see the screen. plaza ma is very good at that. >> reporter: while l.e.d.'s may n

cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts shows us what happened during the raid. >>> fans may not mindchandise because it's cheaper than the officially license the items but it is illegal to make and sell. so government agents swooped in on three sellers in the city today and hauled away boxes of counterfeit hats, scarves and t- shirts. customs officials say the fakes are usually poor quality and made in overseas sweatshops that have ties to criminal operations. they say the items will either be destroyed or donated. >>> and beware of counterfeit tickets. if you find one below $1,100, odds are it's fake. even the cheapest ticket is expensive. online ticket resellers say the cheapest tickets so far sold for just under $1,100 last week. the median price is around $2,600. while prices went up today, they are expected to drop a little as we get closer to sunday. typically cheapest on super bowl sunday. >>> here's a cheaper game viewing option for the fourth year in a row the vine cinema in livermore will be showing the super bowl live on its 30- foot hd screen. admission is free but guests

cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts on the additional information being offered to diners in san francisco. >> reporter: when it comes to eating out, clean is just as important as the cuisine. >> it's definitely important to me how clean a restaurant is. it's very important. >> you don't want to go into a restaurant and end up with ptomaine poisoning. >> reporter: well, starting this week san francisco diners will have one more protection against food-borne illnesses. yelp will now post the san francisco health department inspection results next to their reviews and star ratings. so your standard search will also include the numerical grade given to the restaurant from 0 to 100 on its last inspection. >> anything from the structural condition of the restaurant to if there's any type of vermin there to how they handle the food. >> reporter: the san francisco health department says it's sharing information to help better protect consumers. >> i think it's fantastic. >> i think it's great. the more information you can find out the better. >> reporter: but people in the restaurant bu

cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts explains that it still means many of the treats remain on the shelf. >>> reporter: >> we felt we were going to lose her. >> reporter: penelope almost died after she ate them. >> she was like a member of the family. >> reporter: bengie suffered a painful death after he ate them. their owners are just two of the thousands that are shocked that chicken jerky treats made in china remain on store shelves following years of complaints that dogs are dying after eating them. >> i think it's criminal. really. >> reporter: complaints to the fda date back to 2007. but the agency says it can't recall the chinese-made products because it can't identify the specific toxin that's killing the dogs. recent tests by the new york department of agriculture, however, did identify something in the treats that the fda missed, poultry antibiotics, not approved for use in the u.s. while the fda tells us it's unlikely that is what's killing the dogs, the findings are enough of a legal loophole to prompt a temporary recall by two manufacturers, nestle's purina wagon train

as cbs 5 consumer watch reporter julie watts, what personal information they are getting and what arehey doing with it? >> we can't do any returns unless we have an actual id. >> reporter: asking for id is one thing, but it's what stores do with it that's causing concern. >> they actually took the information and scanned it into their database. >> reporter: from children's stores to home improvement, more and more retailers are scanning and storing your personal information. >> i told her i wasn't comfortable with it. >> reporter: kim blushing says even the manager at michaels couldn't explain what personal information they are collecting or why. >> i don't know who has access to my personal information. >> reporter: retailers are tracking returns in an effort to prevent fraud and weed out returnaholics, eventually banned from bringing stuff back. but exactly what do they get when they swipe the strip? everything on the front of your driver's license, including name, address, birth date, height, weight, even eye color. >> to say you're using that information or they are taking that in

cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts on how you could be compensated, too. >>> reporter: >> thank you for calling comcast. >> reporter: she has called comcast so many times recently, she even has a name for the hold music. >> the hoyty. >> reporter: her internet service went down on december 26 not the best time of year for a service problem. she couldn't even reach a service representative at comcast for four days, she said. >> the first thing you always hear is that they have a high volume of calls. >> reporter: when she finally did get someone, he was in the philippines. she says he set up a service appointment to switch out her modem the following monday's but no one showed up. >> nobody came and nobody bothered to call me. >> reporter: an expensive hassle for the single mother who took the morning off work to wait. >> so here i am, no comcast. >> reporter: comcast has a customer service guarantee which promises customers a $20 credit if the serviceman is late or doesn't show but california law goes a big step further. it allows customers to collect up to $600 in damages if a

. >> i'm julie watts.off tonight. >>> we begin with breaking news. 49ers receiver michael crabtree will not be facing charges related to sexual assault. that word coming from the san francisco district attorney's office moments ago. earlier this month a woman accused crabtree of assaulting her at the "w" hotel in san francisco. police have completed their investigation and they filed the case to the d.a. moments ago, d.a. george gascon said, following a review of all the evidence, my office has determined that no charges will be filed against michael crabtree at this time." >>> san francisco police are gearing up for a citywide super bowl party. and while they prepare for what could be a rowdy post-game, coach harbaugh is keeping his focus on the here and now. we have team coverage tonight starting with cbs 5 reporter len ramirez in santa clara. len. >> reporter: exactly right, ken. as the 49ers get ready to leave for new orleans, it seems there aren't enough hours in the day for everything that needs to b

cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts on the real differences between genuine and counterfeit. >>>orter: it's the closest many of us will come to colin kaepernick. >> i'll take that. >> reporter: many 9ers fans are shelling out big bucks for the official super bowl gear that hit stores this morning. >> i got championship nfc. >> picture of colin kaepernick. >> reporter: look around downtown these days and you'll also see piles of shirts for sale in the streets. shirts this vendor told us were licensed nfl gear. you say these are official, right? >> yeah. >> reporter: so we bought a few for 10 bucks apiece and took them to u.s. customs for an inspection. >> this is just a basic really cheap t-shirt. >> reporter: the verdict? >> definitely not a name brand. no nfl logos on it. nothing to say it's an official product. >> reporter: so what makes sports merchandise official? well, a hologram, tags, a higher price, and the fact that the nfl gets a cut, about $1.50 on every $30 t-shirt money split between all 32 franchises. >> super bowl shirts here! >> reporter: so while you may be savin

julie watts. >> reporter: the 9ers won't be selling their tickets.ered into a raffle for a right to buy one. while the 9ers won't say how many tickets they are going to raffle, odds are it won't be a whole lot and they won't come cheap >> the capacity at the superdome is a little over 76,000. the 9ers reportedly get 17.5% of those seats. that is about 13,000 tickets to be split between players, personnel and a few lucky season ticket holders. the good news is many of those will sell their tickets along with other teams in the nfl leaving plenty of opportunity for us. but again, they will be pricey. >> how much would you shell out for a seat at the super bowl? >> probably a few hundred dollars. >> yeah. >> the most i would give is $200. >> well, you may have to pay a bit more than that. the good news is there are plenty available right now on a variety of reputable websites. stub hub has tickets starting at a little over two grand. prime sport.com starting at $2,255. it is not the only game in town. along with that 12 pack of toilet paper you can now

but as cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts reports, some restaurant owners are expressing reservations reporter: when it comes to eating out, clean is just as important as the cuisine. >> it's definitely important to me how clean a restaurant is. >> very important. >> you don't want to go in a restaurant and end up with ptomaine poisoning. >> reporter: yelp will now post the san francisco health department inspection results next to their reviews and star ratings. so your standard search will also include the numerical grade begin to the restaurant from 0 to 100 on its last inspection. >> anything from the structural condition of the restaurant to if there's actually any type of vermin there to how they handle the food. >> reporter: the san francisco health department says it's sharing the information to help better protect consumers. >> i think it's fantastic. >> i think it's great. you know, the more information you can find out the better. >> reporter: but people who are in the restaurant business are giving the plan mixed reviews. >> it's a good idea to post it. but why do they pos

. >> cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts explains what you need to know before going online forlications for citizenship or passports. >> this is a homepage. >> reporter: there's a picture of the american flag, the statue of liberty, and enough americana to convince her she came to the right place to get an application for u.s. citizenship. >> everything is perfect. looks like a government website. >> reporter: at least at first glance. in order to access the form, u.s. immigration.com requires a payment of $189. the site also sells a large variety of other forms including passport applications for almost $60 and one for a green card for nearly $150. pretty steep considering almost all government forms are free, something lee didn't realize when she went searching online. >> we typed in u.s. immigration citizenship and this is the first listing that came up. >> we can't control what shows up on a search engine. >> reporter: u.s. citizen and immigration services says the listings that pop up before the official government sites are often advertisements. but the disclaim, may be h

your neighbors pay one rate you may pay more but cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts explains, everyoneay soon be paying more. >> it's not exactly an imposing body of water. >> reporter: she may live near a creek but linda johnson believes the chances of her house ever flooding are pretty remote. >> there would have to be 4 feet above of water to even get into the house. >> reporter: so the marin county homeowner is fighting a battle over a jump in the cost of her flood insurance, something her mortgage holder requires her to have. four years ago, it cost $350. now it's $1,700, twice what one neighbor pays. >> my neighbor is paying 869. >> reporter: flood insurance rates are set by the government and based on a variety of factors including the size, age and design of your home. but the biggest factors are by far location and the property's risk of actual flooding. that's determined by the government's flood maps, surveys conducted on an ongoing basis to determine an area's flood risk. according to the latest maps, johnson's home is in a high risk area. >> the mapping is the key to the r

now, that's the consumer watch reporter julie watts. >> thank you for calling comcast. >> she has been calling comcast so many times recently. they even have a name for the whole music. the internet service went down the day after christmas. not the best time of the year to have a service problem. now, she says she could not reach that service representative at comcast for four days. >> the first thing that you always hear is that they have a high volume of calls. >> and they finally did get a hold of someone in the philippines. that he set up the service appointment to show that there on the following monday, but no one showed up. >> nobody came, but nobody is bothered to call us yet. >> the expensive view that took the morning to wait. and now, here i am. no internet. no comcast. >> reporter: no comcast with the customer service guarantee, which promises customers the $20 credit at the service person that will be late or if they don't show. and now california law, they will go a big step further. allowing customers to collect up to $600 in damages. now, that's if the repair or the de

. >> julie watts explains what is the best actual size and best type of big screen tv for the big gameeporter: super bowl season is tv buying season and beats the holiday. >> i want a big tv 46, 50 inches. >> reporter: with so many options, plasma, led, smart tv, what is a football fan to do? >> the plasma tvs still tend to be the rock stars of the. >> reporter: the best bet for the big game is plasma. >> that not as thin as many of the l.e.d./lcds, not as success error errory and thought of as an older technology. we did our list of the best cheap, best value, and best high-end flat panel tv and a mass pla-- plasma model won in every category. >> reporter: mass plas -- plasmas handle position better. it will be crystal clear. >> and when you have the folks over to watch the gail, you may overpack the living room and people are sitting here left and right in different shares trying to get a good look at the screen. a plasma is good at that. >> reporter: while l.e.d.'s may not be ideal for the big game, the picture is brighter and more vibrant for everyday viewing. when choosing a tv, s

. >> but instead of blaming the phone company, cbs 5 consumer watch reporter julie watts says many arenting the finger at the state public utility commission. >> yeah, that's because the puc voted you man mussily in 2006 to let local phone companies raise rates as often as much as they want. they figure growing competition from the internet and cell phones would force them to stay competitive. well, didn't exactly work out that way. at&t flat rate land line service is up 150% since the decision. call waiting charges, up 180%. even low line rates have jumped 28%. competitor pricing is also within just a few dollars a month, so it's high across the board. now, the utility reform network is among the critics who fought against the puc decision, arguing there wasn't effective competition to prevent sky rocketing rate increases like the ones we're seeing today. he says the puc still has authority to set them and should do just that. >> they didn't take their authority away. they said we're not going to exercise it because the market will exercise its authority, if you will, to keep rates re

cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts says it's got wing fans crying fowl!: the costs of chicken wings is 2.12 a pound making it the most expensive part of a chicken. what will you be eating this super bowl sunday? >> chickening wings. >> and some wings. >> reporter: they are a super bowl staple and this year football fans will chow down on 1.23 billion wings in just one weekend. laid out end to end this weather stretch from candlestick to ravens stadium in baltimore 27 times! but he says this year those wings won't come cheap thanks to last year's drought. >> corn prices are high, chicken prices are up. >> reporter: as a result, farmers produced fewer chickens last year at a time when wings have become a restaurant staple. what used to be the cheapest part of the chicken considered a by-product has now become the most coveted. entire chains are devoted to the wing. >> each bird has only two weeks so that drives the cost up where as breasts, thighs and other parts will be cheaper. >> reporter: this year's super bowl wings will be the most expensive ever up 1

cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts explains that it still means many of the treats remain on the going to lose her. >> reporter: penelope almost died after she ate them. >> she was like a member of the family. >> reporter: bengie suffered a painful death after he ate them. their owners are just two of the thousands that are shocked that chicken jerky treats made in china remain on store shelves following years of complaints that dogs are dying after eating them. >> i think it's criminal. really. >> reporter: complaints to the fda date back to 2007. but the agency says it can't recall the chinese-made products because it can't identify the specific toxin that's killing the dogs. recent tests by the new york department of agriculture, however, did identify something in the treats that the fda missed, poultry antibiotics, not approved for use in the u.s. while the fda tells us it's unlikely that is what's killing the dogs, the findings are enough of a legal loophole to prompt a temporary recall by two manufacturers, nestle's purina wagon train and del monte's milo's kitchen. del mon

as cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts explains, you could get some compensation too. >> thank youcomcast. >> reporter: she has called comcast so many times recently, she even has a name for the hold music. >> the hoyty. >> reporter: her internet service went down on december 26 not the best time of year for a service problem. she couldn't even reach a service representative at comcast for four days, she said. >> the first thing you always hear is that they have a high volume of calls. >> reporter: when she finally did get someone, he was in the philippines. she says he set up a service appointment to switch out her modem the following monday but no one showed up. >> nobody came and nobody bothered to call me. >> reporter: an expensive hassle for the single mother who took the morning off work to wait. >> so here i am, no comcast. no internet. >> reporter: comcast has a customer service guarantee which promises customers a $20 credit if the serviceman is late or doesn't show but california law goes a big step further. it allows customers to collect up to $600 in damages if a repair

julie watts -- tell the story -- >> i was just -- why do you do this to me?nce to that song. elementary school. saint claire in santa clara. >> and you nailed it. i'm sure. >> of course. >> 49ers, since he was a little kid. captions by: caption colorado comments@captioncolorado.com rings ] good evening this is flo. [laughs] yes, i'm that flo. aren't you sweet! licensed phone-ups available 24/7. call 1-800-progressive. look, if you have copd like me you know it can be hard to breathe, and how that feels. copd includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. spiriva helps control my copd symptoms by keeping my airways open for 24 hours. plus, it reduces copd flare-ups. spiriva is the only once-daily inhaled copd maintenance treatment that does both. spiriva handihaler tiotropium bromide inhalation powder does not replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, glaucoma, trouble urinating, or an enlarged prostate. these may worsen with spiriva. discuss all medicines you take, even eye drops. stop taking spiriva and seek

cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts with the security flaw that could leave you exposed. >> i don'ts unprecedented but it's very rarely done if ever. >> reporter: cnet's seth rosenblatt is talk about the homeland security warning to disable the java software on your computer. hackers are exploiting vulnerabilities in the software allowing them to trick you into logging into fake websites stealing bank logins and subsequently money and even using your computer to attack other websites. oracle has now released a patch for its java software but security experts say it's not good enough. >> this is sort of one of the ongoing tensions with java. it's very old. and so as patches are released and they do plug certain holes, other holes may not get addressed. >> reporter: java is a computer language that allows programmers to write apps and software that can run on virtually any computer. but rosenblatt says most websites today don't use java anymore, even though the rarely used software is likely still running on your computer. so i'm not going to see a whole lot of impact on my web surfin

cbs 5 consumerwatch reporter julie watts on the real differences between genuine and counterfeit. >>>will come to colin kaepernick. >> i'll take that. >> reporter: many 9ers fans are shelling out big bucks for the official super bowl gear that hit stores this morning. >> i got championship nfc. >> picture of colin kaepernick. >> reporter: look around downtown these days and you'll also see piles of shirts for sale in the streets. shirts this vendor told us were licensed nfl gear. you say these are official, right? >> yeah. >> reporter: so we bought a few for 10 bucks apiece and took them to u.s. customs for an inspection. >> this is just a basic really cheap t-shirt. >> reporter: the verdict? >> definitely not a name brand. no nfl logos on it. nothing to say it's an official product. >> reporter: so what makes sports merchandise official? well, a hologram, tags, a higher price, and the fact that the nfl gets a cut, about $1.50 on every $30 t-shirt money split between all 32 franchises. >> super bowl shirts here! >> reporter: so while you may be saving on the knockoff you're not necess

i think you will like it, and we've got a nice lineup for you next week, too, with julie bowen, naomi wattsrimes, nicki minaj, from "girls" allison williams, music from gin wigmore, and -- apparently former a-list movie star, matt damon, will be here. i hope to apologize. that will be next thursday night. our first guest is a former musician turned oscar-nominated actor. he is a friend to porn stars and teddy bears alike. you can currently see him starting tomorrow night as disgraced cop turned private eye billy taggart in the new thriller, "broken city." please welcome mark wahlberg. >> break it down, break it down. wait, wait wait. ♪ you got the touch you got the power yeah! after all is said and done you never walk you never run you're at your best when the going gets rough it's never enough ♪ >> all right, i forgot the words. but it was 16 years ago. [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: that was a personal request from me, and i appreciate it. >> you know, i knew that there was an original, when paul thomas anderson sent me the song, he actually sent me the original along with the lyrics,