uAmazon’s New Seattle Facility Reportedly Set To Test “Amazon Flex” Package Pickup Servicer

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  (Chris Yunker)

  When making a purchase through Amazon there are several options for delivery, depending on where you live: free-two day shipping with a Prime membership, Sunday delivery via USPS, Prime Now one-hour delivery, drop-offs at an Amazon Locker, and, of course, traditional several-day delivery. Now, it appears the e-commerce giant is working on another, secret, service at a soon-to-open facility near Seattle. 

  GeekWire reports that Amazon’s facility in Kirkland, WA, will likely be the first test of the company’s new “Amazon Flex” service.

  Although the company hasn’t confirmed it, signs inside the under-construction facility indicate that Flex will be a new way to distribute packages – essentially allowing customers to stop by and pick up their times without the hassle of waiting for the delivery truck.

  Signs inside the new location describe the Flex method as much like waiting in line at the deli counter: customers take a numbered ticket, watch for their number to be displayed on the wall and pick up their package once their number is shown.

  But as GeekWire points out, Flex could also be Amazon’s crowd-sourced delivery service. Back in June, it was rumored that the retailer was working on a mobile app that would essentially allow any regular ol’ Joe to multitask by delivering packages to customers while out and about.

  A source close to the matter reported at the time that under the shipping plan, referred to as On My Way, the new couriers would drop off Amazon packages at physical stores in urban areas.

  Amazon declined to provide comment to GeekWire on exactly what Flex entails.

  In addition to testing a new, mysterious service, it appears the Amazon facility will also be partaking in Prime Now – the one-hour delivery service available in select cities for members of the company’s $99/year membership program.

  GeekWire reports that rumors of the Prime Now service entering the Seattle market have been swirling for months, ever since plans for the facility were unveiled.

  According to documents filed with the county public health department, Amazon’s new facility will deliver hot food from restaurants, and offer a large selection of food and household items, GeekWire reports.

  Adding credence to rumors that the one- or two-hour delivery service will soon launch in the Seattle areas are job postings from delivery companies Act Fast Delivery and Alpha Courier. Those postings describe an opportunity to work with one of the world’s largest retailers. Of course, as GeekWire points out, they don’t specifically name Amazon as the retailer in question.

  The new facility may also have something other Prime Now areas in the U.S. are lacking: alcohol sales.

  GeekWire notes that three Amazon sites in the Seattle-area have applied for liquor licenses, adding speculation that they could be the first Prime Now operations in the U.S. to offer the quick delivery of beer, wine and liquor. Amazon’s Prime Now service in the U.K. already offers such deliveries.

  Amazon set to launch new ‘Amazon Flex’ package pickup service with Prime Now in Seattle area [GeekWire]

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uVery Personal Information For Over 30 Million Ashley Madison Users Set Loose On Internet In Wake Of Hackr

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• Ashley Madison, the website for cheating cheaters who specifically want to go have an affair, was hacked in July. A day later, the company said that it was working to secure its users’ data and all personally identifiable data had been taken down. But perhaps the company is taking after the worst habits of its member base, because that too turns out to be a pack of dirty lies: the full data for over 30 million Ashley Madison accounts is now out there in the wild.

  The good news, such as it is: the 33 million passwords that are part of the data dump are hashed (encrypted) and probably won’t be cracked. That, however, is a very, very small silver lining in a giant, ominous stormcloud of doom. The rest of the leaked data includes 36 million e-mail addresses (including, Ars Technica points out, 15,000 from .gov or .mil domains) and 33 million usernames and first and last names.

  It gets worse for the 33 million users who now have their names and user IDs out there: the rest of their profile information went along with. That includes likes, dislikes, partnership status, sexual preferences, date of birth, and more. Physical addresses and phone numbers are also attached, along with the last four digits of millions of users’ credit card numbers.

  But wait! There’s more! You also get the full records of the last seven years worth of credit card transactions that the site had, to the tune of 9.6 million records. A researcher also says he has found valid, active credit card numbers in the data.

  In sum, this leak is very, very bad for all of Ashley Madison’s users. The internet now has a hold of their private secrets combined with their public identities, and the internet being the internet, is unlikely to be kind.

  And yet, the breach may be even worse for the business: the data dump, researchers have found, doesn’t just include user data. It also includes an overwhelming amount of Ashley Madison’s internal data. There’s financial and security info in the leak, including information for PayPal accounts company executives use and Windows domain credentials for employees. And there are also a huge number of internal documents in the data stash, including communications, org charts, contracts, and more.

  Ashley Madison’s former CTO, who has been working as a consultant with the company since the discovery of the breach in July, told security expert Brian Krebs that “The overwhelming amount of data released in the last three weeks is fake data.”

  Alas, that does not appear to be true for this massive, final dump. Not only does the volume of internal company data released along with the user profiles indicate that the information is genuine, but also multiple site users confirmed to Krebs that they had identified their own personal info in the leak.

  The most recent statement from Active Life Media, Ashley Madison’s parent company, condemns the hackers for appointing themselves “as the moral judge, juror, and executioner, seeing fit to impose a personal notion of virtue on all of society,” and adds a plea for anyone with information that can ID the hackers and lead to prosecution to come forward.

  Ashley Madison hack is not only real, it’s worse than we thought [Ars Technica]

  
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by Kate Cox via Consumerist

uYou Can Now Rate And Review U.S. Government Services On Yelpr

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• The wait time to get customer support from the Internal Revenue Service is stretching on into infinity. The Transportation Security Administration agents at one particular airport checkpoint always seem to have it out for you. There’s one particular bathroom at Yellowstone National Park that is the best and everyone should know about it. Whatever your experience with U.S. government services, you can now review it on Yelp.

  The country’s General Services Administration and Yelp announced a new Yelp section called Public Services and Government this week that invites taxpayers to rate public services and leave comments about what’s wrong, what’s working or what could be improved.

  Though folks already might be in the habit of complaining about such services online, the GSA says it’ll help federal agencies be more attuned to complaints in real time, allowing reviewers to rate anything from bathrooms in national parks to the Social Security Administration’s customer service, and even local post offices.

  “Adding customer satisfaction ratings and reviews to public services just got easier now that Yelp offers a terms of service for official government use,” the GSA said in a statement.

  Unlike other sections on Yelp, the Public Services and Government section won’t have ads, “to prevent perceived endorsements,” the GSA notes.

  “As this agreement is fully implemented in the weeks and months ahead, we’re excited to help the federal government more directly interact with and respond to the needs of citizens,” Yelp said in a statement.

  (h/t Wall Street Journal)

  
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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uDiscover Card Program Rewards Students Who Get Good Grades. Is That Legal?r

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• Not so long ago, many college campuses regularly played host to credit card company shills, giving away T-shirts and pizzas to students in exchange for filling out account applications. Then the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009 put an end to most of these practices, leading card issuers to devise new ways to market directly to the under-21 crowd.

  That appears to be the case with Discover’s student-focused card program that offers a $20 cashback bonus for students who obtain good grades. But does this new program – and its planned marketing initiative – run afoul of the rules?

  The answer is no, but many of the card’s features certainly seem to toe the line.

  Discover’s Good Grades $20 Cashback Bonus promises to award students who sign up for the card if they achieve a grade point average of 3.0 or higher each year they’re enrolled in school, for the first five years the account is open.

  Under the CARD Act, credit card companies can not offer “tangible inducements” to a student at an institution of higher education to apply for or participate in an open end consumer credit plan.

  As Derek Cuculich, a spokesperson with Discover points out, card issuers are permitted to provide students with non-physical items, such as rewards points, which happens to be Discover’s incentive of choice for the new program.

  “Because the Good Grades feature provides rewards points, it is permissible under the regulation,” he tells Consumerist.

  Offering bonus points may be within the parameters of the CARD Act, but what about the way in which Discover promotes the program to students?

  Card issuers are also prohibited from marketing credit cards near campus – specifically within 1,000 feet of the border of the campus of an institution of higher education.

  Additionally, the restriction extends to “related events” such as concerts and sporting events that may be sponsored by the school.

  The Act defines an event as related to the institution of higher education if the “marketing of such event uses the name, emblem, mascot, or logo of an institution of higher education, or other words, pictures, symbols identified with an institution of higher education in a way that implies that the institution of higher education endorses or otherwise sponsors the event.”

  In the case of Discover’s student-focused card, Cuculich tells Consumerist that it will be marketed to students digitally, through the mail and over the radio.

  So once again, Discover’s Good Grades program meets the CARD Act standards on marketing, as long as it provides clear disclosures in its advertisements.

  While the CARD Act certainly makes it clear where card issuers can market their products, it also provides restriction on who they can market to.

  “No credit card may be issued to, or open end consumer credit plan established by or on behalf of, a consumer who has not attained the age of 21, unless the consumer has submitted a written application to the card issuer that meets [certain] requirements,” the Act states.

  Students under the age of 21 are required to obtain a co-signer before being issued a line of credit. They must also present financial information “indicating an independent means of repaying any obligation arising from the proposed extension of credit in connection with the account.”

  What this means is that if a student can show proof of the ability to make minimum monthly payments – such as submitting salary, wages, tips, bonuses and commissions from full- or part-time jobs and self-employment as well as income from interest, dividends, child support, alimony payments, retirement benefits and public assistance – they could take out a credit card if they’re under 21 years of age.

  Cuculich with Discover tells Consumerist that the student-focused card – and its rewards program – follow all of the CARD Act provisions related to students eligible for open-end lines of credit.

  “If a consumer is under 21, they are still able to apply but they may require a co-signer,” he says. “Our existing processes cover all of these provisions, there are no changes to our process or policy based on this new Good Grades feature.”

  The Good Grades program may meet the conditions put forth by the CARD Act, but but consumer advocates want to remind students – along with their parents, guardians or other co-signers – to be cautious about opening any new line of credit.

  Suzanne Martindale, staff attorney with Consumers Union, notes that while the restrictions of the CARD Act protect students over 21 from being unfairly lured into taking out a credit card, it’s important for those who co-sign for students under 21 to remember their obligations.

  “Parents who co-sign would be on the hook if their student can’t pay the bills, so it’s important to discuss as a family before signing up,” she says.

  Additionally, being attentive to terms and conditions is especially important if a student’s college or university has an agreement with the card issuer to provide information about products to students.

  These relationships, which have come under increased scrutiny by regulators in recent years, often include kickbacks for the schools based on the number of students who open cards.

  Under such agreements credit card companies can issue debit or credit cards to students, while colleges and universities receive millions of dollars a year in royalties and bonuses by allowing said companies to use their logos and approach their students.

  While schools required to made such agreements publicly available, a report from our colleagues at Consumers Union found many colleges make it difficult to obtain such information.

  “We found it can be challenging, if not impossible, for a member of the public to get information about college credit card agreements,” Martindale said at the time. “It just adds to the confusion and secrecy surrounding these partnerships.”

  In light of the investigation’s findings, CU urged the CFPB to continue to implement the CARD Act and actively promote compliance at all colleges and universities that hold agreements with credit card companies.

   

   

  
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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uFDA Approves Addyi, Which Is Absolutely Not Viagra For Womenr

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  (Curtis Perry)

  Late yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration approved the drug flibanserin, which will hit the market under the brand name Addyi. You’ll see a lot of headlines and smirking news anchors using the phrase “Viagra for women” when talking about the drug, but that’s only correct in one sense. This drug wouldn’t be for sale to patients at all if it weren’t for the success of Viagra as a drug marketed directly to consumers.

  Addyi works on the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin in the brain and not on blood flow to the genitals. It has to be taken daily, and works in a similar manner to popular antidepressants. That’s because it is one, or it was supposed to be. The first published animal studies on the drug appeared twenty years ago, but it apparently wasn’t all that promising as an antidepressant.

  What it did have was a minor effect on the libido of female test subjects. Someone could sell that. It’s taken three attempts here in the U.S. and the better part of a decade, but after FDA approval, Addyi will go on sale in October. Medical providers will have to undergo training (an online video) before they can prescribe it.

  One of the factors that helped the drug gain approval was the work of an alleged grassroots group. Even the Score accused the FDA of sex drug sexism for failing to approve any medications that treat Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder, an actual diagnosis defined as a recurring lack of sexual fantasies and desire in women who haven’t yet reached menopause, which causes the patient distress and problems in her relationship with her partner. Problems caused by a known medical condition or the side effects of a different medication do not count.

  “There are 26 FDA approved drugs to treat various sexual dysfunctions for men (41 if you count generics!),” declares the website of Addyi booster Even the Score, “but still not a single one for women’s most common sexual complaint.” What none of those drugs do is treat day-to-day low sexual desire in men, and critics of Even the Score say that there are really only eight drugs on the market for erectile dysfunction. It’s pointless to “keep score” when the new drug treats a different problem and works on a different area of the body.

  Drugs have side effects, though, and Addyi has some potentially dangerous ones: it can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure, fainting, and severe sleepiness, all of which can be worse when women take the drug along with alcohol or oral contraceptives. The drug performed better than placebo, but not by very much, and patients and their health care providers will have to decide whether the possible benefits are worth the possible risks. Addyi will cost $300 to $400 per month before insurance coverage.

  FDA approves first treatment for sexual desire disorder [FDA]
  Evening the score on sex drugs: feminist movement or marketing masquerade? [BMJ]
  Women’s sex drug gets political hard sell [Politico]
  Flibanserin: The Female Viagra is a Failed Me-too Antidepressant [Mad in America]
  Even the Score: Women’s Sexual Health Equity [Official Site]

  PREVIOUSLY:
  FDA Closer To Approving Twice-Rejected Female Libido Drug

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uWalmart To Keep More Merchandise In Warehouses, Less In Storesr

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  (Mike Mozart)
  

  Retailers’ goal is to sell to us all “omnichannel,” selling to customers across platforms. When Walmart’s profits fell this quarter, the company promised shareholders a money-saving change that makes them seem cool and omnichannel: they’re keeping more of certain merchandise in distribution and less in stores, saving the expense of shipping and stocking items, and selling them online instead.

  These items are still available to Walmart customers: they just have to order them online for delivery either to a nearby store or to their doorstep. If they have their purchases shipped to the store, maybe while they’re in the building, they’ll pick up some orange juice, a pack of socks, and an armful of frozen dinners. Only one of those items could have been ordered online from the distribution center.

  Nobody asked us, but maybe if Walmart had less shelf space taken up with video games from 2007 and digital cameras old enough to attend middle school, they would have plenty of space in every store to stock everything. It’s not just about shelf space, of course: the Wall Street Journal reminds sad customers that keeping items in distribution centers instead of stocking them in every Wally World saves staff time, when merchandise doesn’t move until it’s actually purchased.

  While store employees do fetch and ship items from Walmart store shelves, it’s more efficient to do so from a dedicated distribution center.

  Wal-Mart Reins Back Inventory in a Revamped Supply Chain [Wall Street Journal]

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uExperimenting With New Ingredients Isn’t So Easy For Fast Food Chainsr

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  (frankieleon)

  When I want to make a kale salad, I go to the grocery store and buy a bundle of kale. When McDonald’s wants to make some kale salads in their restaurants, they have to set up an entire supply chain for millions of pounds of kale. As fast-food customers are demanding that restaurants use recognizable, pronounceable ingredients, that makes it difficult to mass-produce food that doesn’t seem mass-produced.

  Today, the Wall Street Journal discussed all of the work behind the scenes to put one fruit in a new summer salad from Wendy’s. No, not this summer: it will be available in the summer of 2016. If that seems like planning far in advance, you should know that the chain has been working on this particular salad for three years. The delay is because of the featured ingredient: blackberries.

  They need 2 million pounds of fresh blackberries to make the summer salad work, and they’re one of the smaller fast-food chains. The problem is that farmers don’t just sow blackberry seeds and harvest them a few months later. They grow on bushes, which don’t produce fruit for three years. The amount that Wendy’s needs means that farmers had to plant bushes three years before the planned salad.

  Not that it’s easy for fast-casual chains that brag about their fresh ingredients and from-scratch cooking. Chipotle has spent the last few months periodically out of carnitas, the chain’s braised pork, because a big supplier didn’t meet the company’s standards for humane treatment of animals.

  Fast Food’s Big Challenge: Fresh Ingredients [Wall Street Journal]

  
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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist