uU.S. Approves Licenses For Ferry Services Between Florida And Cubar

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  (Rdog Xtreme)

  It’s been 55 years since ferries were allowed to operate between the United States and Cuba, something that’s about to change now that the Treasury Department has granted licenses to four companies that want to offer services between the countries for the first time since a 1960 trade embargo.

  Now that diplomatic ties with Cuba have been restored and the government has eased up on trade between the two countries, airlines and other travel companies like Airbnb have been working on providing services for travelers heading to Cuba.

  According to the Orlando Sun Sentinel, at least four ferry companies said they were notified this week that the U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments had given approvals after more than five decades. Cuba still has to approve the operations as well.

  The companies are planning to offer trips that are less expensive than charter flights, but haven’t established firm prices yet because there are still arrangements to be worked out on the Cuba side of things.

  “I’m very excited, because this is a historical event in U.S.-Cuba relations,” one company’s managing parner told the Sentinel.

  Since general tourist travel to Cuba is still not approved, the passenger ferries can only carry authorized U.S. travelers, including people in 12 categories that don’t need a license in advance to visit — categories like family visits, religious and educational activities.

  At least five companies have applied for licenses to operate passenger ferry service between Florida and Cuba, with the fifth company telling the Sentinel it expects to get its license in the next month or so, after having applied later than the first four to be approved.

  At least four Florida companies approved for ferry service to Cuba [Orlando Sun Sentintel]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uSenators Call For Attorney General Investigation Into Executives Of Corinthian Collegesr

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  (sparkle-motion)

  Bankrupt for-profit college chain Corinthian Colleges Inc. is already party to a number of state and federal investigations related to the alleged deceptive recruiting practices at its Heald College, WyoTech and Everest University campuses. Now, a group of senators are hoping to add another investigation to the roster.

  The seven senators are urging recently confirmed Attorney General Loretta Lynch to open an investigation into whether or not the Department of Justice can hold executives of CCI personally accountable for their actions related to the company’s unfair practices and eventual downfall.

  The group –– which includes Sens. Dick Durbin of Illinois, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Al Franken of Minnesota –– says in its letter to Lynch that because the Department of Education has limited resources for holding individuals responsible for misconduct related to CCI, that it is critical that the Department of Justice get to the bottom of the issue.

  “Corinthian’s collapse over the past year has come at the cost of hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars and at the expense of thousands of students who were enticed to enroll in – and to incur massive debt for – failing school programs,” the letter states. “At the same time that Corinthian’s executives were enriching themselves on federal student loan dollars, with the CEO making an annual salary that exceeded $3 million, allegations of Corinthian’s misbehavior grew increasingly widespread.”

  The senators point out that CCI is already subject to a number lawsuits, including civil complaints by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and three state attorneys general, as well as investigations by at least 20 more state attorneys generals and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

  “With this much smoke surrounding Corinthian, it is incumbent on the Justice Department to search carefully for fire,” the letter states.

  Although the senators say that it’s important to hold the corporation accountable for its alleged misconduct, it’s also imperative that those who led the company be held responsible for their actions.

  “It is vital that Congress and the public understand what tools the Justice Department can use to hold such executives responsible individually,” the letter states. “If these tools are inadequate, Congress may need to act.”

  The senators’ letter to Lynch comes two days after the company filed for bankruptcy and a week and a half after CCI announced it would close its remaining campuses with just one days notice.

  CCI’s prolonged collapse began last July when it entered into an agreement with the Department of Education to sell or close a majority of its campuses. Prior to the agreement CCI enrolled 72,000 students and received $1.4 billion in federal student aid.

  Since that time, Corinthian completed the sale of some 56 campuses to Education Credit Management Corporation in early February. In order to close that deal, ECMC agreed to provide $480 million in forgiveness for current and former students who took out CCI’s high-cost private student loans.

  Senators Call For Attorney General Investigation Of Corinthian Colleges Failure [Dick Durbin]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uFake Waitress Steals Diner’s Credit Card, Goes On Spending Spree Next Door At Targetr

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• How many times have you put your credit card out to pay for a restaurant meal and had an employee other than your server pick it up? It’s not uncommon, especially in busier eateries, so some diners wouldn’t think twice when it happens. At least until the card hasn’t been returned because the helpful “waitress” who took it is actually at the Target across the parking lot making purchases with it?

  KRQE-TV reports that this is what happened to a customer at a Santa Fe, NM, restaurant last week, where a woman pretending to be a server picked up the diner’s credit card as if she was going to process the payment but then attempted to go on a spending spree.

  The fake waitress probably knew that her time was limited before the customer realized what had happened, which explains why her first destination was the Target store only a short walk across the parking lot from the restaurant:
  

  Police says the scammer was able to purchase more than $200 worth of items from the Target before running out to a BMW waiting in the parking lot.

  She made subsequent attempts to use the card, but the customer had already reported it stolen by then.

  [via Credit.com]

  
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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uValet Service Forgets To Mention They Smashed Customer’s Porscher

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  (Tadson Bussey)

  If handing the keys to your car over to a valet parking service meant knowing that the company will forget to tell you when they damage your car, would anyone use valet parking at all? Probably not. Yet that’s exactly what happened when one restaurant customer, who discovered damage to his vehicle that the valet had sort of forgotten to tell him about.

  The fact that the car is a Porsche isn’t relevant because the car’s owner wanted to brag to every viewer of CBS Sacramento that he owns a Porsche. Well, maybe he wanted to do that, but the real problem is this: after he confronted the parking service about the damage, they didn’t want to do what you’re supposed to after a property damage accident: and file a report with the police and share their insurance information with the person whose car their employee damaged.

  Instead, they told him to visit their favored body shop and they would cover all expenses. Here’s where the type of car becomes relevant: the shop didn’t know anything about body repairs on Porsches. “I wasn’t extremely confident taking my car there,” he told the station. Only after the local station got involved did the company relent its mind and allow the car owner to take the car to any shop he wanted.

  The valet parking service says that they’re not firing the employee who struck the customer’s car, but that they’re showing an educational video about what to do after an accident. The owner speculates that the driver panicked and was afraid to tell the car’s owner: that does not help the situation at all.

  Call Kurtis: Valet Crashed My Car And Didn’t Tell Me [CBS Sacramento]

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uWendy’s Selling 640 Restaurants In U.S. And Canadar

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  (kc2gvx)

  It seems selling fast food restaurants to franchisees is somewhat de rigueur these days: After McDonald’s recently said it’s using that plan to steer its big turnaround plan, Wendy’s announced today that it’ll be selling a total of 640 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada this year as well as its baking operation in Zanesville, OH.

  This will bring in cash for the company and reduce expenses as well, as the franchisees buying each location take over the operating costs of the restaurants.

  Wendy’s had announced plans previously to sell some restaurants to franchisees, and says now that the plan to sell 380 restaurants this year and 260 next year will bring in $400-$475 million in pretax proceeds and “significantly reduce future capital expenditure requirements.”

  “Going forward, we intend to buy and sell restaurants opportunistically to act as a catalyst for growth by further strengthening our franchisee base, driving new restaurant development and accelerating Image Activation adoption,” CEO Emil Brolick said in a statement.

  The Wendy’s Company Reports First-Quarter 2015 Results [Wendy’s]

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uUber Halts Operations In Kansas After Legislature Votes To Mandate Background Checks, Insurance Coverager

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  Uber pulled its operation from Kansas on Tuesday.

  It seems like every few months a new city or state announces it will no longer allow Uber to operate in its jurisdiction. But in a slight change of pace, the ride-sharing company is actually taking itself out of the equation in Kansas.

  Uber announced Tuesday that it will immediately end operations in Kansas after the state’s legislature voted for stricter regulations over the ride-sharing company, The Wichita Eagle reports.

  The company’s decision to pull its operations came after the Kansas Senate voted to override a veto by Gov. Sam Brownback and essentially mandated that Uber require drivers to have comprehensive and collision insurance on their cars.

  The measure also requires Uber drivers to undergo a Kansas Bureau of Investigation background check.

  A spokesperson for Uber confirmed the end of operations in the state and said the company was “saddened by the loss of hundreds of jobs, safe rides and transportation choice for consumers in Kansas.”

  Uber’s decision came just before the Kansas House voted to also override the veto.

  State representatives tell the Wichita Eagle that the vote wasn’t about singling out Uber, but about the future of transportation and consumer safety in the state.

  “For us it’s the next player that comes in to do a transportation network and doesn’t do a background check and then all of a sudden we’ve got a couple of 21-year-old girls that were hoping to get a safe ride home and that just went missing,” Rep. Scott Schwab says. “There’s no protections. And we’re not asking for much. I mean in Colorado next to us they go through their bureau of investigation and Uber didn’t leave there.”

  Since beginning a rather aggressive expansion of service across the U.S. and in other countries, Uber has run into similar issues with other states and cities.

  Back in December, the company agreed to suspend service for three months in Portland as part of a deal to work on new regulations with city officials. A month later, the company was ordered to cease operations in South Carolina until it obtained proper state certificates.

  The company has also faced its share of lawsuits from cities – including Los Angeles and San Francisco – and the taxi industry in several areas throughout the U.S.

  Uber to pull out of Kansas after Legislature overrides Brownback’s veto [The Wichita Eagle]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uComcast Customers Will Get $20 When Tech Shows Up Later

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  (Mike Mozart)
  

  While many opponents of the Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger were primarily concerned about putting too much control over the pay-TV and broadband markets in one company’s hands, some just really disliked Comcast for its history of abominable customer service. Now that this acquisition has failed, Comcast is promising to invest some of its money in turning that we-don’t-care image around. The company says it will be hiring thousands of new customer service staffers and customers whose Comcast techs don’t show up on time will receive $20 bill credits.

  “We’ll be successful when our customers see and feel this change in every interaction with us – from the first time they order and use our products to the way we communicate with them or respond to any issues,” explains Charlie Herrin, the guy who Comcast promoted last year to fix its customer service problem.

  Comcast announced yesterday at the National Cable & Telecommunications Association annual show in Chicago that it will begin the process of hiring 5,500 new customer service employees. Around 2,000 of them will work at the three new customer support centers Comcast plans to open in Albuquerque, Spokane, and Tucson.

  And because many consumers now bring their customer service gripes to social media, Comcast says it will be tripling the size of its social care team.

  Comcast also says that starting in the fall, it will automatically credit a customer’s account if a technician is late for an appointment.

  The company has been testing its Tech Tracker app in the Boston area since late 2014. It allows users to get an idea of where their tech is and whether they will show up within the appointed window. The app also gives customers the ability to rate a tech.

  In addition to the merger failure, the last year has not been a good one for Comcast’s reputation. The company was caught ratting out a justifiably upset customer to his employer (which happens to be a consultant to Comcast), getting him fired in the process. Numerous customers recorded their disastrous customer service calls with Comcast and shared them with the public. And a former high-profile exec at the company raked it over the coals in an open letter after multiple customers revealed they had been the victim of rude pranks by surly Comcast staffers.

  “It is unacceptable some of the individual instances that have been well-documented,” Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said at Tuesday’s event. “It was a rallying cry inside the company.”

  Now we can only wait and see if Comcast makes good on its promise.

  
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by Chris Morran via Consumerist