West Hartford Attorney Brian Becker won yesterday's Democratic primary for the 19th District House seat. The West Hartford News reports unofficial results have Becker, the party endorsed candidate, leading Board of Education member Terry Schmitt 1,320 to 1029. A number of absentee ballots had yet to be counted, although Schmitt conceded the race late last evening.
Becker will now face West Hartford Town Council Minority Leader Denise Berard Hall to fill the seat being vacated by Beth Bye.
Watch our prior coverage on the race to learn more about the candidates:
By George Gombossy, CTwatchdog.com
In these days of tight mortgage lending standards, getting your home refinanced can be a real challenge, even if you have equity and good credit.
Tim McCarroll of Cromwell faces an additional hurdle: Connecticut Natural Gas damaged his outstanding credit rating by incorrectly telling credit rating agencies that McCarroll was a deadbeat.
And when McCarroll contacted CNG and the state attorney general's office for help, no one appeared to get overly worked up about the problem until McCarroll asked for my help, and a public relations mess was in the offing.
It was only after I sent McCarroll's email to CNG spokesman John Dobos Jr. and to the PR staff at the attorney general's office that CNG apologized and promised to work quickly to clean up the mess it created.
It was only after McCarroll tried to refinance his home through Webster Bank that he learned a collections agency was trying to locate him for allegedly failing to pay a CNG bill. The mortgage officer told a stunned McCarroll that because of that black mark, his $200,000 mortgage would end up costing an extra $4,000 to refinance. No one had tried to contact him about the bill, McCarroll said.
He immediately called CNG, where the service representative checked a database and quickly established that McCarroll was never a CNG customer and that someone with a similar name had the account and had apparently used McCarroll's social security number.
He was also told that is a frequent problem because CNG has so many new customers it doesn't have the time to check everyone's social security number to make sure it belongs to the new customer, since state regulators require quick hookups.
The customer service representative refused to provide McCarroll with free credit monitoring to make sure the problem doesn't crop up again, but did agree to start the process of clearing his credit report.
"I would love to prevent this for future people or myself," he wrote me. "There is no way to prevent this unless the companies opening these accounts are held responsible. I have no idea now if someone has utilities on using my SS Number and wouldn't find this out until they stop payment and some company puts it to collections, then it hits my credit report – it's not like a credit card or line of credit, which hits right away."
After I notified Dobos that I was pursuing this case, McCarroll's issue got the attention it should have had in the first place. He was given an apology, free credit report checks and CNG promised to move quickly to mitigate the damage to his credit rating.
Dobos did not challenge McCarroll's version of events and said the customer representative would receive retraining.
"CNG has policies and procedures in place designed to detect the warning signs — or ‘red flags’ — of identity theft in our day-to-day operations," Dobos wrote me. "Our procedures have changed and developed over the years and our vigilance in protecting customers has improved. We have incorporated new available technology and internet products that now allow us to conduct identity checks on every new account."
But he said "identity issues still occur on accounts, particularly if they were opened in prior years when identity theft was not as prevalent. When a customer brings to our attention a potential identify theft, we work with the customer to verify errors, issue them a letter acknowledging any error, and submit corrected information to the credit bureaus."
A good way to avoid this problem is to check your credit reports at least once a year – it’s free.
George Gombossy can be reached at george@connecticutwatchdog.com or you can send him a letter at Connecticut Watchdog, PO Box 23, East Longmeadow, Ma., 01028.
He will respond to as many inquiries and complaints as time permits. Please check out ctWatchdog.com for other consumer, health and finance tips.
By: Marc Sack, Northstar Wealth Partners
How will you pay for long term care? The sad fact is that most people don’t know the answer to that question. But a solution is available.
As baby boomers leave their careers behind, long term care insurance will become very important in their financial strategies. The reasons to get an LTC policy after age 50 are very compelling.
Your premium payments buy you access to a large pool of money which can be used to pay for long term care costs. By paying for LTC out of that pool of money, you can preserve your retirement savings and income.
The cost of assisted living or nursing home care alone could motivate you to pay the premiums. Genworth Financial conducts a respected annual Cost of Care Survey to gauge the price of long term care in the U.S. The 2010 report found that in 2010, the median annual cost of a private room in a nursing home is $75,190 or $206 per day – $14,965 more than it was in 2005.
A private one-bedroom unit in an assisted living facility has a median cost of $3,185 a month – which is 12% higher than it was in 2009.
The median payment to a non-Medicare certified, state-licensed home health aide is $19 in 2010, up 2.7% from 2009.[1]
Can you imagine spending an extra $30-80K out of your retirement savings in a year? What if you had to do it for more than one year?
AARP notes that approximately 60% of people over age 65 will require some kind of long term care during their lifetimes.[2]
Why procrastinate? The earlier you opt for LTC coverage, the cheaper the premiums. This is why many people purchase it before they retire. Those in poor health or over the age of 80 are frequently ineligible for coverage.
What it pays for. Some people think LTC coverage just pays for nursing home care. That’s inaccurate. It can pay for a wide variety of nursing, social, and rehabilitative services at home and away from home, for people with a chronic illness or disability or people who just need assistance bathing, eating or dressing.[3]
Choosing a DBA. That stands for Daily Benefit Amount – the maximum amount that your LTC plan will pay per day for care in a nursing home facility. You can choose a Daily Benefit Amount when you pay for your LTC coverage, and you can also choose the length of time that you may receive the full DBA on a daily basis. The DBA typically ranges from a few dozen dollars to hundreds of dollars. Some of these plans offer you “inflation protection” at enrollment, meaning that every few years, you will have the chance to buy additional coverage and get compounding – so your pool of money can grow.
The Medicare misconception. Too many people think Medicare will pick up the cost of long term care. Medicare is not long term care insurance. Medicare will only pay for the first 100 days of nursing home care, and only if 1) you are getting skilled care and 2) you go into the nursing home right after a hospital stay of at least 3 days. Medicare also covers limited home visits for skilled care, and some hospice services for the terminally ill. That’s all.[2]
Now, Medicaid can actually pay for long term care – if you are destitute. Are you willing to wait until you are broke for a way to fund long term care? Of course not. LTC insurance provides a way to do it.
Why not look into this? You may have heard that LTC insurance is expensive compared with some other forms of policies. But the annual premiums (about as much as you’d spend on a used car from the late 1990s) are nothing compared to real-world LTC costs.[4]
Ask your insurance advisor or financial advisor about some of the LTC choices you can explore – while many Americans have life, health and disability insurance, that’s not the same thing as long term care coverage.
2 - aarp.org/families/caregiving/caring_help/what_does_long_term_care_cost.html [11/11/08]
3 - pbs.org/nbr/site/features/special/article/long-term-care-insurance_SP/ [11/11/08]
4 - longtermcare.gov/LTC/Main_Site/Paying_LTC/Private_Programs/LTC_Insurance/index.aspx [6/25/09]
Marc Sack is a Representative with NorthStar Wealth Partners/LPL Financial and may be reached at www.NSTARWP.com, 860-665-7737 or msack@nstarwp.com.
By George Gombossy, CTwatchdog.com
Marcus Patten is a consumer advocate. A full-time associate television producer from Bristol, Patten has been carrying on a small battle on behalf of consumers like himself for the past year.
Patten was upset about signs he saw in stores – especially gas stations – saying that in order to charge a purchase, customers needed to spend at least $10. He decided to find out if that requirement was permitted.
He called Visa, which told him to call the bank that issued his Visa card – Webster Bank in Connecticut. The bank customer service representative told him correctly that Visa – along with MasterCard and Discover Card – did not allow a minimum-purchase requirement.
Knowing that he was on solid footing, Patten began his crusade.
Whenever he went to a store and saw such a sign he explained to the clerk that it was improper and that the major credit card companies had rules prohibiting minimum purchase requirements.
If he could not convince the clerk to waive the store's policy, Patten said he called Webster Bank and reported the offending store.
"It’s an economic hardship to make me buy $10 worth of stuff when I simply want to buy a bottle of Gatorade," the Bristol native told me.
He said he understood the position of store owners that they had a pay a minimum fee to the credit card companies for each charge, and said he had no problem in paying an extra 50 cents to use his credit card for a small purchase.
After reporting at least four stores and having debates at many others, Patten contacted the Bristol Press to tell them that everyone should know their rights about using their credit cards. The Bristol Press is one of 11 newspapers that carry my weekly column, and its editor – James Smith – was kind enough to send Patten's suggestion to me.
Frequently, Patten said, he was able to convince clerks that the policy was wrong and they waived it.
"It was probably just to get me out of the store," he quipped.
In other cases, he said he was able to educate the teller about the rule. In general, he said, his sense was that clerks were given the wrong information by the store owners.
Too many people allow stores, businesses, and politicians to take advantage of them because they either don't want to get into a conflict or don't have the time, so I find it refreshing when I hear of people like Patten who stand up for their rights in a legal, diplomatic, and nonviolent fashion.
With that being said, Patten may have to find another cause. The 2,000-plus pages in the financial "reform" bill that passed Congress last week include language that may permit stores to require a minimum $10 purchase for credit card sales.
Webster Bank and other banking sources say that while they have not had a chance to digest every word in the legislation, it appears that it does authorize regulations that would permit stores to give discounts when people pay cash, and permit minimum credit card purchase requirements.
CHECK YOUR CREDIT CARD STATEMENTS CAREFULLY
Two recent incidents serve as a reminder that everyone should closely examine every credit card statement to make sure improper charges are not included.
The Federal Trade Commission busted up what appears to be a four-year scam in which more than $10 million in small, bogus charges were added to about a million credit card accounts.
Phony companies were used to add $10 or less in small charges.
A second, smaller scam involved the popular Apple iTunes program.
Hackers were able to charge scores of customers for unwanted or unordered applications.
I’ve heard from two iTunes users who said they were victims.
Jason wrote me that he discovered three unauthorized purchases through his iTunes account, adding up to more than $100.
"Apple is terrible, their customer service is pathetic, no live support for iTunes store," Jason posted on CtWatchdog.com. "And luckily my bank will recover" the money.
You can reach The Watchdog at George@connecticutwatchdog.com and he will answer as many emails as he can. Please check out his site, www.ctwatchdog.com for comprehensive consumer, health, finance, media, internet, computer, travel and education tips.
George Gombossy can be reached at george@connecticutwatchdog.com or you can send him a letter at Connecticut Watchdog, PO Box 23, East Longmeadow, Ma., 01028.
He will respond to as many inquiries and complaints as time permits. Please check out ctWatchdog.com for other consumer, health and finance tips.
From a press release:
Absentee ballots for the August 10th Primary are now available through the Town Clerk's Office.
The issuance of an absentee ballot is a two-step process. You may obtain an application at the Town Clerk’s Office or download and print an Absentee Ballot (en Español) application form. You must also designate if you are requesting a Republican or Democrat application. Only those affiliated with these two parties are eligible to vote in the Primary. Those wishing to change their Party status must contact the Registrar of Voters.
After the completed application is returned to us, we will mail you the ballot. We must receive the voted ballot back in our office by election day (August 10th) in order for the vote to count. For more information, please contact the Town Clerk's Office at (860) 561-7430, or the Registrar of Voter's Office at (860) 561-7451.
From a press release:
(West Hartford-July 19, 2010) — The Town of West Hartford urges you to register for the statewide Emergency Notification System (ENS). ENS allows state or local officials to send emergency messages to residents in affected geographical areas.
ENS may be used to warn the public of hurricanes or tornadoes, chemical spills, major fires, or police activity.
ENS can already call any number in the state’s Enhanced 911 database, but the database contains only wire-line telephone numbers. By logging on to the Citizen Sign-up Database Web Page (www.ctalert.gov), you can choose to be notified by other means of communication.
You may choose to get messages by mobile phone, Voice-Over-IP phone, wireless personal digital assistant, e-mail, text message, and/or instant message, as well as land-line phone. ENS will try each device in succession until you get the message, and you get to choose the order.
You may also choose up to three additional locations about which you want to receive alerts, such as where family members live or attend school.
For additional information, visit the ENS web page. A link is on the Town’s home page for your convenience.
From a press release:
WEST HARTFORD, CT – The West Hartford Chamber of Commerce will hold its August Business After Hours, their premier monthly networking event, at Northstar Wealth Partners, 29 South Main Street, West Hartford, CT. The event will take place on Thursday, August 12, 2010 from 5:30 – 7:30 PM. at which time A Proper Smoke and Green Teehouse, Inc. will be providing samples for all in attendance.
There is no charge for members; $20 for guests. Admission includes hors d’oeuvres, beverages and unlimited business networking. To make a reservation or for more information on this or other Chamber events, please visit www.ExploreWestHartford.com and click the calendar.
From a press release:
The Department of Public Works apologizes for the inconvenience of missed refuse and recyclables collection this week that some residents experienced due to the confusion on whether there was a delay due to the July 4th holiday. Since the holiday fell on a Sunday, there was no delay. We now recognize that the "Holiday Delay Listing" on the DPW web page was difficult to interpret. Many residents interpreted the "celebrated date" as the actual holiday and put their barrels out one day late. As a result, only the holidays that cause a delay in collection will be listed.
DPW will be making the following accommodations for those who missed their collection this week:
Refuse Collection
On your next scheduled refuse collection day during the week of July 12th, you may place any excess refuse in 4-to-6 plastic bags on the ground next to your barrel. Paine's Inc. will collect those bags in addition to the contents of your barrel.
Recyclables: "B week" households only
On your next scheduled recyclables collection day during the week of July 19th, you may also place excess recyclables in paper bags, open containers or your old blue recycling bin on the ground next to your automated recycling barrel. Please note: "B week" households will not receive a collection during the week of July 12th.
In the future if you are not sure as to whether there is a delay due to a holiday, remember this phrase: "When in doubt put it out!"
Links:
Department of Public Works
By George Gombossy, CTwatchdog.com
Nancy Shapiro of Middletown is one of the hundreds of people whom Sirius XM tried to take advantage of by billing for a contract she did not need or want, and had not requested.
When she purchased a new Buick LaCrosse, it came with a standard three-month trial subscription to Sirius XM Radio – a product I will buy with my next car.
And when the trial period ended on March 30, Shapiro contacted the company to get a regular subscription, like she had on her previous car, paying about $44 every three months.
But when her credit card bill arrived in May, she discovered she had been charged $488.86 for a lifetime subscription (the lifetime of the car).
"I contacted the company to dispute the charge," she wrote me in an email asking for my help. "I was immediately told that the subscription was nonrefundable. I explained to the customer service representative that I had not signed up for this and when I received the same response, I spoke with a supervisor."
"Once again, I was told that the subscription was not refundable. After a significant number of calls and virtually the same response from everyone I spoke with, I wrote a letter to the President explaining the problem and requesting a refund of the $488.86. The President has never responded to my letter."
Shapiro also tried unsuccessfully to convince her credit card company to cancel her charge.
After checking the Better Business Bureau – bbb.org – site and seeing hundreds of other complaints about Sirius XM billing practices, I figured I would pull out all the stops.
I sent an email to the satellite radio company’s public relations department, notifying them that I would be writing a column about this complaint as well as the complaints I saw on the BBB site and other consumer sites. I also forwarded Shapiro's email to the attorney general's office and to the state consumer protection commissioner, and informed the PR department about that.
While the public relations department never responded directly to me, they did to Shapiro.
Within 48 hours she became a valued customer. She received a call from the customer relations department apologizing for the problem and agreed to refund the $488.86 they billed to her Capital One account. She was also promised six months of free service.
"I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate your efforts on my behalf," she wrote me last week. "You did in one day what I have been trying to do for more than three months." My pleasure.
State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal also responded to me in a written statement saying that while he was pleased that Shapiro got her money back, others have also had problems.
"My office remains concerned about Sirius XM's billing practices and will seek information from the company," he wrote. "We have received about 20 complaints about Sirius XM in the last five years, most concerning bill practices and unwanted automatic renewal. My office has resolved all but three. We are in negotiations to resolve the remaining three. None involved lifetime subscriptions, as in Ms. Shapiro's case."
Another approach that Shapiro could have taken was to file a complaint against the company with the better business bureau at bbb.org.
The BBB reports that it has received more than 3,200 complaints against the company in the past three years, with about half involving billing complaints.
Most of the complaints were resolved and the company has a B rating.
George Gombossy can be reached at george@connecticutwatchdog.com or you can send him a letter at Connecticut Watchdog, PO Box 23, East Longmeadow, Ma., 01028.
He will respond to as many inquiries and complaints as time permits. Please check out ctWatchdog.com for other consumer, health and finance tips.
From a press release:
WEST HARTFORD, CT – Playhouse Theatre Group, Inc is seeking non-equity actors for the
upcoming production of Equus by Peter Shaffer. The play tells the story of a psychiatrist, confronted
by a patient who has blinded six horses in a violent fit of passion. To the boy’s parents, it is a hideous
mystery; to the psychiatrist, it is a psychological puzzle that leads both doctor and patient to a
complex and disturbingly dramatic confrontation. The production is being directed by Robert Davis.
The parts available are as follows:
Frank Strang: Male, 40s-50s. British working class, conservative. Authoritarian and
outspoken. Passionate and demanding. Old-style Socialist. Relentlessly self-improving.
Dora Strang: Female, 40s-50s. Former school teacher, British middle class. Smart and
intuitive but often reserved and submissive.
Harry Dalton: Male, 40s-50s, stable owner. No-nonsense but cheerful.
All those auditioning should print off a side from our website, www.playhouseonpark.org, to
read at auditions.
Auditions will be held by appointment July 26th, at Playhouse on Park, 244 Park Road, West
Hartford CT 06119.
Rehearsals begin September 13th, 2010, and the show will run October 6 – 13 and will take
place at Playhouse on Park, West Hartford, CT. Pay Provided.
Anyone wishing to schedule an appointment should e-mail their headshots and resumes to
casting@playhousetheatregroup.org . For additional information please call (860) 523-5900 ext. 10.
Playhouse on Park is a non-profit performing arts center, located on Park Road in West
Hartford just outside of Connecticut’s Capital.
Although the worst of Hurricane Earl will just miss Connecticut, West Hartford officials are preparing for the worst. LocalOnlineNews.TV's Joe Melillo spoke with West Hartford Fire Chief William Austin to learn more. Links: West Hartford's Emergency Preparation Guide (PDF)
Joe Melillo reports on Wednesday’s joint legislative hearing on how the Department of Children and Families removes children from abusive or neglectful homes. Fireworks fly when one lawmaker isn’t given answers to his question about the case that prompted the hearing. Click here for more background on Wednesday’s hearing.
In the United States, getting clean drinking water is as simple as getting to the nearest faucet. But that’s not the case in many places throughout the world. Access to water was limited in the village of Abheypur in India… until the University of Hartford stepped in.
Voters head to the polls tomorrow to determine party nominees for many top state offices. Democratic Candidates Terry Schmitt and Brian Becker are both on tomorrow's ballot running for State Representative in the 19th District that covers portions of West Hartford, Farmington and Avon. Schmitt currently serves on the West Hartford Board of Education and [...]
For the first time in decades, the Governor and Lietuenant Governor's chairs, a US Senate seat, and the offices of Attorney General, Secretary of the State, and Comptroller are all wide open, making this a critical election season. One might assume, based on this, that voters would need more than a well-produced tv ad in [...]
After 34 years the West Hartford Summer Arts Festival is still going strong with the recent performance of "Gypsy" at Hall High School. The SAF gives West Hartford high school and college students the opportunity to perform in popular plays and musicals. Links: West Hartford Summer Arts Festival FAQ (PDF) Summer Arts Festival on Facebook
