Sean O'Shea: Investigative/Consumer Reporter

Garage Sale Guide: Go Beyond Your Neighbourhood

Sean — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:53:00 -0400

For some it's out with the old and for others, well, in with the old.

If you haven't already noticed garage sale season is in full swing.

Red Flag Deals.com has come up with a way to sophisticate the bargain hunting game. Simply type your postal code into their garage sale locator and find the sales closest to you. Better yet, find the sale times, items up for grab and a map to your destination. The site allows sellers to post ads free of charge to attract shoppers from a far.

In the shuffle of things, it's important to remember that what you sell must meet federal safety standards. Visit Health Canada for safety precautions, hazards and recalled items.

Craigslist, Kijiji and Used Toronto.com are some other great resources to find garage sale information.

Two Canadian Women Deported from Cuba after Arriving:

Sean — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:11:00 -0400

Tonight on Consumer SOS we told you the story of the Diaz sisters. Two young Toronto area women, both Canadians, who travelled to Cuba for a spring vacation.

Only, there was no vacation. The women were held up at the airport and eventually turned away by Cuban officials.

The reason? Their father is Cuban-Canadian. Laura Diaz, age 26, was told to produce a Cuban passport or to get out. The Embassy of Cuba has indicated that there are no specific rules indicating special documentation should have been provided. So why should a Canadian, with a proper passport, be deported?

Laura's younger sister, Alexandra, passed through Cuban customs without a hitch. Which is not a surprise. She's been to Cuba many times to visit family. In fact, Laura has been on several occasions, too.

Sunwing Vacations told us it cannot accept responsibility for the actions of a foreign government. But after some prodding, Sunwing has offered the Diaz's a travel voucher toward their next trip worth $300.

Follow the link to watch the story: http://www.globaltv.com/globaltv/ontario/video/index.html?categoryID=1075121599

Fair or unfair? Email me at sos@globaltv.com and let me know what you think.

TV for Free

Sean — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:00:00 -0400

The old TV antenna is back.

Want to ditch the dish or cut the cable?

So do thousands of consumers who've had enough of the monthly bill and questionable quality of signals. HD signals are degraded substantially when they are compressed by cable and satellite companies.

In the Toronto area, I recently reported on Save and Replay, a store that has the distribution rights for Channel Master, a leader in the residential TV antenna field.

For between $55 and $120, you can pay for the antenna set up and get as many as 40 channels of television at no monthly cost.

Cost is the big upside. So is signal quality.

On the downside, you can get only conventional TV: Global, CBC, Radio-Canada, other Canadian channels, and many US networks, including PBS. If you're a specialty TV watcher or a sports junkie who must have TSN, you'll still need to buy cable or satellite. Or be content without these channels.

Also, there's no absolute guarantee you'll get all the conventional channels. Much depends on where you live and how the antenna is installed. Those who live in Windsor, Ontario enjoy the best range of stations - about 40 - given their proximity to Detroit.

But if you can live with less and want to enjoy more quality (and don't want to put more money in the pockets of the TV distributors) consider giving these newest antennas a try.

To reach Save and Replay, click or call them at 905-593-1494. You can find them at 6355 Kennedy Road, Unit 6, Mississauga.

And of course, make sure you're watching my Consumer SOS segment every weeknight on Global's News Hour. I come on around 6:35 p.m. You can email me at sos@globaltv.com with comments, story ideas and suggestions.

Helpline Credit -- February 23 and 24

Sean — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 17:54:00 -0500

We have another Global News Helpline in story this week: Monday and Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Global. The phone number is 1.800.499.3930. You can call and speak to our credit counsellors from Credit Canada.

Thanks to everyone who watches my Consumer SOS segment faithfully (yes, the SOS has a double meaning: and those are my initials.)

Sean O'Shea

Another Helpline Tonight

Sean — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:56:00 -0500

Hello all -- we're doing another Global News Helpline tonight and tomorrow - November 10 and November 11. The focus is on finance - and how to try and cope with all this economic trouble from a personal finance point of view.

The experts will be taking calls starting at 6 p.m.

Insurance Company Won't Pay Bowmanville Family After Hate Crime

Sean — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:27:00 -0400

You buy home insurance with the hope you won't need it - but in the belief that you'll have coverage in the event you do.

That's what the Schwarz family near Bowmanville, Ontario believed.

And, for 15 years, the retired couple thought paying their premiums would hold them in good stead.
But when vandals destroyed their modest rental property located on main street in the downtown strip, they got a lesson in insurance company economics.

In the fall of 2007, someone wrecked the home in the worst way. They sprayed anti-Semitic statements on the interior walls, drew a large painted Swastika, jammed a scissors into the wall, pulled down ceiling tiles and turned the water on. The smell of mould and the stench of hate hangs in the air in the abandoned home.

Marion Schwarz, a lovely woman in her 80s, broke down in tears as she showed me and my Global News cameraman the inside of the boarded-up home. Why, she asked, did someone hate her? She was Jewish, she said, but that was hardly news. Everyone who knew her was aware of that fact.
But why perpetrate this kind of hate crime in so vicious and vile a fashion?

The local police investigated the incident more than a year ago. They did not find a suspect who could be charged. Whoever did the deed is free.
Yet, more than a year later, the company that insured Mrs. Schwarz's modest rental property has refused to honour her claim. There, to her family and to anyone who would pay a visit to the home, is the real offence.

The insurance company is Gore Mutual, located in Brantford Ontario. Its president, after originally agreeing to speak to me about the claim, later declined, providing only a written statement. In essence, the company says the claim is unpaid because the company believes the vandalism was committed by former tenants of the Schwarz family.

Were that the case, Gore Mutual might have some justification for declining the claim - which amounts to more than $100,000. The home cannot be rebuilt and is to be torn down.

But in the absence of proof of responsibility (the police have not charged anyone, nor have the courts convicted anyone) Gore Mutual is taking the position that it will not pay.

To see the full story on video, go to www.globaltv.com/sos and look for the section on top where you can watch my story.

Hello Viewers

Sean — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:58:00 -0400

I'm guilty of not keeping this blog updated, but am planning to make a better effort this fall. So, to all the viewers - and web watchers - please check back from time to time. You can also reach me directly by email at Global TV via sos@globaltv.com

Another Global News Helpline

Sean — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 18:47:00 -0400

The tax Helpline will air on Monday, March 31 and Tuesday, April 1.

The phone number for advice is: 1.866.499.3930. Our phone lines will be open from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Consumer SOS - A new segment

Sean — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 23:22:00 -0400

I'm remiss in updating the web page since the summer but now - an update.

I've launched Consumer SOS on Global News (Ontario) - a twice-weekly consumer news segment.Thanks to my regular viewers for all the regular encouragement and constant feedback.

You can always reach me at sos@globaltv.com The Global stories can be found at www.globaltv.com/sos And my toll free phone number in Toronto is 1.866.SOS.1414. Or, if you just want the numbers, that is: 1.866.767.1414

Looking forward to keeping the blog updated and the Consumer SOS story file stoked!

Aeroplan -- My Response to Blogger

Sean — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 11:55:00 -0400

A reader writes the following in response to my story about Aeroplan's new policy of poaching points from members who don't use their accounts for 12 months. I blogged that this practice would be considered stealing if your bank did it. The reader responded:

Your bank analogy doesn't fly. The Bank of Canada exists because banks CAN close your account if you don't use it. Granted it's after 10 years of inactivity not 1, but that actual money you earned, inherited, etc. but as you pointed out - a loyalty program is different in that the points were given not paid for. You still get the product or service that you paid for - PLUS the loyalty points. So they don't equal money and while they do have a real value, it must be acknowledged that they are not the same. The emails aren't vague or subtle - the title states to use your account before the miles expire. Bottom line? Read the contract and stay up to date and you won't lose.

Thanks for the response. Of course, the points aren't cash in themselves. But as a consumer, I would have chosen to transact business with the company with the loyalty program based on my wish to accumulate points and actually use them.

My issue with the 12 month rule is this: I think it's designed to catch napping consumers who don't read every fine print detail and who don't check their Blackberry twenty times a day. If they made it a five year rule, fine. Those consumers really don't use the company's services. But one year? Not good enough, in my book.

And to your point about the bank having ten years before declaring your account dormant: even at that point, the bank account holder can avail of the process with the Bank of Canada to get the money back. With Aeroplan, you have to pay a fat upfront fee to recover the miles. And at what they're charging, there is no point.

Aeroplan: Your Account Is Gone - The Company Has Your Points!

Sean — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 18:54:00 -0400

I reported the Aeroplan story on Global TV tonight (July 22, 2007).

The company is still defending its decision to grab Aeroplan miles from customers who haven't spent money through the program in the last 12 months.

Gillian Hewitt, Aeroplan's manager of corporate reputation told me by email:

It’s simple: the faster miles are earned by active, engaged members and used towards the rewards they want, the more successful a loyalty program becomes. And just as a retail store manages its inventory in part through its return policy, Aeroplan manages accumulated and redeemed miles through its expiry policy.

Delightful, isn't it?

You earn the points, they renege on delivering the service promised.

Isn't Canada a nation of savers? Just be careful not to save those points or miles for more than a year, unless you want to forfeit them.

As a business practice, the director of the MBA program at the Schulich School of Business at York University says Aeroplan is probably doing the right (corporate) thing.

Ashwin Joshi told me in an interview that these programs were designed to reward consumers who are loyal; when customers don't use the service for more than a year, they are not the most loyal customers.

But what about all the loyalty that went into accumulating those points? Does that count for nothing? Not at Aeroplan. Whether you have 100 miles in your account or 1,000,000 miles in your account -- if you didn't earn or burn miles in the last year, you're a deadbeat.

Good for the government of Ontario for passing a law prohibiting retailers from putting expiry dates on gift cards (gift certificates) as of October 1, 2007. Opportunistic retailers were devaluing the cards to zero, or charging administrative fees to users who didn't use the cards within a fixed period.

That kind of practice, in my view, is tantamount to stealing.

What's the difference between loyalty points and gift cards? Business people will tell you that a customer's cash was used to purchase the latter, while a corporation's good will or marketing was behind the former. In other words, you bought the cash card - they bought the loyalty program. The company should decide how to administer the loyalty program.

Administer it, fine. Spend your time helping me get a flight on Air Canada when I want to travel using my points. But don't zero my balance because I'm not your gold customer.

If you feel like this is wrong, let Aeroplan know it. And tell their partners, too: including Air Canada, Esso, Home Hardware, or the list of companies on their website.

Aeroplan Boondoggle: My Miles Are Gone. My Miles Are Gone!!

Sean — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 17:47:00 -0400

Hoarders of Aeroplan miles, BEWARE!

The frequent flyer reward program is taking back points from loyal members who've saved them up for a big trip.

No, it's not theft (not exactly). But there is definitely something missing from your wallet. Unfortunately, there is no point calling police.

As of July 1, 2007, Aeroplan began carrying through on the policy it announced last October. From their press release last year, here was part of the promise:

Effective July 1, 2007, Aeroplan will change the terms of its mileage
expiry policy to require members to have transacted with the program - either
one accumulation or one redemption - once in a consecutive 12-month period.
This means that, as of July 1, 2007 and onwards from this date, a member must
have transacted once with the program in the 12 months prior to avoid expiry
of all miles in the account.

So, if you didn't use your Aeroplan card by taking a trip, or buy merchandise from a supplier, or book a flight, uh - sorry. As the expression goes: you're OUTTA here.

My friend, Devin Keshavjee, is among the losers. Points losers, that is. My Toronto TV producer pal, who worked at Global and now at places like CBC and Discovery, is out 76,000 miles. That more than enough for a round-trip ticket to Paris. He could have taken his wife on a holiday to Florida this winter. But no - Devin has lost his hard-earned loyalty points. Thanks to Aeroplan.

The company, of course, is looking for every opportunity to shed members like Devin. (Who had been stockpiling points in the hope of using them for a trip to Asia.)

It's house-cleaning time. Out with the in-frequent flyers. Off with the points.

How many Canadians with Aeroplan accounts will forget about this new rule and lose those stockpiled miles? I'm sure there will be many. (Please get in touch if you do; I'm working on a story about this.) The e-mail address is sos@globaltv.com

Undoubtedly, in the millions of e-mails Devin receives, there may have been one subtly warning of the possibility. A gentle reminder, maybe. But is that really licence to take away these miles?

What if your banker did the same? "Yes, sir, you did have $300,000 in your acccount. And I realize you've been sailing the world enjoying yourself these last 12 months. But unfortunately, that frivolity kept you from our bank, and we have every right to seize your money."

Not likely. That's called stealing.

Time to cash in the points, do some Aeroplan business, or to call these guys with your (polite) thoughts.

Sherwood Bridal/Lucia Bridal: Charges Laid Against Employee

Sean — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 11:27:00 -0500

Police in Durham region have laid criminal charges against an employee of Sherwood Bridal in Ajax. Detectives allege Yanique Miller, age 19, defrauded consumers at the store. Police say the charges follow a six-month investigation. Investigators say the woman "committed unauthorized and duplicate charges on customers' accounts, even after her termination date", acccording to the Durham police press release.

I started getting complaints about problems at the store back in the summer of 2006. At the time, store ownership (Jeremy and Rose De Mel) said all was fine. Customers were rightfully angry that their dresses were not showing up on time and, in many cases, had never been ordered from suppliers.

Scores of unhappy customers will be curioius to see how this story develops.

Lucia Bridal - The New Sherwood

Sean — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 12:11:00 -0500

Just an update about the story we did on Global about the name change at the famous (or is it infamous) bridal wear store in Ajax called Sherwood Bridal. The store is now known as Lucia Bridal. But the ownership is the same as ever. If you want to see my story, go to http://www.globaldefenders.com

Wal-Mart Bullets: Where are they?

Sean — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 21:43:00 -0500

My blog is a bit behind, but I'm back with another exclusive, as reported on Monday and Tuesday.

Wal-Mart has a little problem at its store in Brampton, Ontario. Some bullets that were being stored at one of its stores there, prior to the company getting a license to sell ammunition, are missing.

I first got word of this from a former Wal-Mart plainclothes security employee, someone who works in what's known in the company as "loss prevention".

He'd tipped off his employer that an audit of the ammunition in a storage room didn't add up. His bosses said they would investigate. The employee told me at Global that a few days after his report to Wal-Mart superiors, he was first suspended and then terminated. He says he was canned because the company said he broke a confidentiality rule. (Wal-Mart denies this is why he was fired.) The source, who went on camera for my story on Global, said that as many as 1200 rounds of hand gun and rifle bullets were not accounted for when he hand-counted the inventory.

Whatever the reason for his dismissal, the former employee called police with his information about the bullets. Wal-Mart says it too, filed a report with Peel Regional Police in Brampton, citing the possible missing ammunition.

Wal-Mart now acknowledges that there was a security breach at the store. The company's vice president of corporate affairs, Andrew Pelletier, told me that a hole was discovered leading into the locked room that contained the ammunition. A hole that would have made it possible for someone to enter (and conceivably) to retrieve ammunition that was stored within.

The Peel Police Criminal Investigations Bureau has an investigation ongoing into this case. A source told me that it is possible no one will ever know whether, or how many bullets, went missing from the store. Wal-Mart Canada's Pelletier says that when the company discovered the security breach, it removed the balance of ammunition from the store to another location.

All the while, the company did not have a license to sell ammunition at the store. It was awaiting permission from the federal government, which regulates the sale and storage of ammunition in Canada.

Wal-Mart strenuously explains that it is a good corporate citizen and something like this has never happened before. Some would ask why it happened at all, and why a company (which sells ammunition at about half of its Canadian stores) would be storing ammunition when it did not yet have permission to sell it. This, while the Brampton store was under renovations and a major expansion.

Was this the best environment in which to be storing a stash of firepower?

Sherwood Bridal and Bridal Wardrobe: The latest

Sean — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 23:06:00 -0400

My Blackberry beeps several times a day with new emails from those stressed out about their weddings. The mails all describe one chain of stores: Bridal Wardrobe and Sherwood Bridal.

With stores in Ajax, Whitby, Belleville and Mississauga, the chain is under fire from customers because dresses are not being delivered on time as expected by the customers.

Latest news: The company is still in business. It's taking new orders. It's not fulfilling all of its existing orders in a timely way. Many suppliers are still doing business with Sherwood (like Princess of Montreal) and Alfred Angelo of Toronto (at least the company was as of Tuesday).

And, the company is giving refunds, in cash, to some consumers who complain. My previous television story reported on how employees were told to lie to customers and give them various excuses about why their dresses hadn't yet arrived.

If you are considering placing a new order at Sherwood Bridal? Read my previous stories, here or at www.globaldefenders.com. You may also want to search a web chat board. The answers may lie there.

If you are awaiting a dress at Sherwood Bridal/Bridal Wardrobe: you may wish to pay a personal visit to Rose de Mel at the main store on Church Street in Ajax. The store is open Tuesday to Saturday. It closes at 7 p.m. each weeknight. Brace yourself: there is often a feisty group of dissatisfied brides-to-be in the stores each night. Some are demanding their dresses; others are looking for their money back.

There is much more to this story that I have not reported, but to those who call me at work at 416.446.5467 or via email at sos@globaltv.com I am glad to know about what you're experiencing.

I will continue to post and do what I can to answer questions about the predicament many are facing during the wedding season!

More Angry Brides - Sherwood Bridal/Bridal Wardrobe

Sean — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 21:34:00 -0400

Tonight we aired a follow-up story on Sherwood Bridal/Bridal Wardrobe, a chain of bridal wear stores in Ajax, Whitby, Mississauga and Belleville, Ontario. The story dealt with the massive number of complaints against the stores for not delivering wedding gowns/bridal dresses on time. This is the second story (our first aired in late June).

As blogged earlier, we are receiving complaints about these stores daily - about 80 lengthy written complaints so far. These are coming from brides-to-be and others in bridal parties who feel betrayed because they say Sherwood Bridal/Bridal Wardrobe has not lived up to its promises in its purchase agreements.

Our Global Defenders unit was contacted by several former employees at the store who shared their inside insights into what happened at the store. They told me they were told by Rose (the owner) to lie to consumers in order to explain why their dresses were delayed. These lies often included statements like "your dress is still in China" or "the supplier hasn't received it yet". The employees told us these stories were all patently false.

Many employees have not been paid their wages. In at least one case, their salary cheque was returned NSF.

More on this story can be found on my Global Defenders website at www.globaldefenders.com

Please feel free to send me your comments via the Global Defenders website.

More Brides! The Story Doesn't End

Sean — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 15:25:00 -0400

In the 19 years I've worked at Global, the story about Sherwood Bridal in Ajax last month got the biggest response.

I've received no fewer than 40 detailed letters of complaint about this bridal store; most viewers documenting claims of terrible customer service at the shop, or one of its sister stores operated by the same owner. The similarity of the stories, all from different brides-to-be, or members of bridal parties, is remarkable.

The complaints talk about poor service, bad attitude of those working at the store, and broken promises relating to alterations, appointments, and deadlines. Those are typically the types of complaints.

I'm planning a follow-up on this story, but it will have to wait until I return from vacation in late July. I hope the brides with wedding plans in the meantime don't run into troubles like the ones I've gotten by email.

As always, feel free to email your stories to me at sos@globaltv.com

Here's a comment from one of those affected in the wedding story....

Sean — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 23:52:00 -0400

I got married 5 years ago this July and purchased my dress from Sherwood Bridal store. In the beginning the woman Rose was very accommodating. Every two weeks since I ordered and PAID for the dress in September of 2000 I visited the store to see how the alterations were coming along on my dress. Up to two weeks before my wedding there was NOTHING done to my dress. I took my dress - unfinished - and took it to another store in Oshawa (Athena's Bridal) and spent another $400 to have the dress altered. This store usually does not take other people's dress and do alterations but because of my desperation they were kind enough to help me out. When I first tried on the dress for the new alterationist she advised me that the dress was not ordered to my size and that there was no way they could alter the length as Rose had told me she could at Sherwood because of the beeding at the bottom of the dress. I had to end up wearing a 5" heal shoe as a result. Sherwood Bridal is the worst for service, quality and delivery. The gentleman that is speaking out on behalf of the store - who is Rose's son - says that they can get letters of recommendations from past customers but I wonder how many of them will be written by himself and forged - just like everything else that store does and represent - false promises/product/service. I think he got his facts mixed up and the 99% of customers he claims are satisfied with their service is in actuality 99% of DISATISFIED customers. It's about time they got the publicity they deserve!

Wedding Woes Continue!!

Sean — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 23:51:00 -0400

Since I reported on the Ajax, Ontario bridal store that was the focus of complaints from customers alleging dresses not delivered on time, or not at all, I can tell you I've received a tonne of emails. Non stop comments from consumers irate about the way they were treated. Many who emailed are fearful they will not be getting their dresses as promised. I will have more on this....

Wedding Bell Dress Blues

Sean — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 21:06:00 -0400

Lots of brides buying wedding gowns or other attire at an Ajax, Ontario dress salon have complaints about the service and product they've received. Here's my Global story on their plight.