Latest news with #OnYourSide
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Arizona business changed credit card processor to save money — then got charged for items it never asked for
Small business owners have enough to deal with, between making customers happy and maintaining a positive cash flow. But an entrepreneur in Phoenix trying to save money got more than he bargained for. Anthony Perez, who owns A to Z Auto Detailing, was looking for a new credit card processing company. He says about 95% of his customers get their bills via email. 'We submit invoices to our customers, they pay online,' he told AZ Family's On Your Side in a story published April 15. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) Perez, like many other business owners, pays a fee to a credit card processing company for each transaction. So, when a company called Synergy Payment Solutions told him it could save him money on transaction fees, he jumped at the opportunity. Initially, everything was fine. Until Perez received something in the mail. 'The issue came when they had sent equipment which I didn't request,' he said. Perez says he was sent a physical card processor, which he doesn't need because the vast majority of his customers' payments are made online. What's more, his business location at the bottom of an office tower isn't suited for the equipment Synergy Payment Solutions uses. 'We don't get very good Wi-Fi signal down here, which is what's needed to actually operate the system,' he said. On top of that, Perez says he was charged to lease the equipment — a total of $3,120 over four years. Perez says he tried explaining things to Synergy Payment Solutions and refused to pay the leasing charge. His account was then sent to collections. Read more: BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has an important message for the next wave of American retirees — here's how he says you can best weather the US retirement crisis On Your Side reached out to Synergy Payment Solutions to investigate. The company told reporters that it resolved the issue back in February, and they 'agreed to close the account as well as his equipment agreement.' Perez says he was never notified his account was closed, nor was he asked to return the equipment. In any case, he's hopeful the situation has been resolved. Running a business means staying on top of every aspect of your operations, including unforeseen fees. It pays to dig into what you'll be paying, even if a vendor or company charges you less than another competitor. To avoid paying more than expected, be clear about your needs with the company you're dealing with. For example, if you're signing up for marketing services, outline that you only need help with writing email newsletters or setting up social media ads, and nothing else. Be sure to read the fine print of any vendor contract after you've negotiated what service or products you need. Note any terms you may agree to and what they could cost. Bring up any questions or concerns you have before signing the contract. Otherwise, you may end up agreeing to pay for something you weren't fully aware of. Also, note any other costs, such as cancellation fees, so you know what you may need to pay if you break the contract. Unfortunately, unexpected fees may not always be avoided. That's why it's critical to monitor your business spending and investigate any changes. Being proactive means you can work with the company you're working with to resolve any issues efficiently. You could tell representatives that you weren't made aware of additional charges, and see if you can get them removed or pay a lower amount. If you're responsible for extra charges, a business emergency fund can be handy. Setting aside a buffer means you can easily pay for additional expenses without disrupting your business. Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man faces burglary charges after police respond to West Knoxville
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Knoxville man is facing burglary and vandalism charges after police officers responded to a reported home burglary in West Knoxville on Tuesday. Knoxville Police released on Wednesday that Bryan Keith Cole, 63, is facing two counts of aggravated burglary and two counts of vandalism of up to $1,000 after he was arrested in the area of Calumet Drive. Former patients of TN-based clinics now eligible for compensation Around 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, officers were dispatched to the 200 block of Century Court because of a report that someone was attempting to break into houses. According to court records, officers learned that two homes in the area had been broken into. KPD wrote that the suspect, who was later identified as Cole, had used a rock to shatter a door or window before entering the homes. While officers were on Century Court, there were reports that Cole had been spotted in the backyard of homes in the Noelton Drive area. A general sessions docket stated that officers found Cole behind a fence in a cemetery in the 4700 block of Calumet Drive, and he was taken into custody without incident. Athens couple out $9,000 after contractor never finishes job According to KPD, Cole admitted that he had broken into one of the homes to steal items to support his drug habit. When he was found, court records state that Cole had a silver necklace, a gold necklace and several gold dollar coins but those items may have been taken during a previous burglary. Cole is also facing charges of aggravated burglary in connection to similar incidents that happened in March on Fairmont Boulevard and Coker Avenue, KPD said. He is expected to appear in court on those charges on May 21. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Yahoo
Copper thieves cut phone service to seniors in South L.A.
South Los Angeles resident Shonte Dudley could not get a hold of her mother, Mabel Bush, using the 92-year-old's usual phone for several months. Bush, who lives in South L.A. near the Inglewood border, has kept the same number with AT&T for nearly 50 years. But sometime in September 2024, her landline stopped working. Dudley, 52, called the company, which told her someone had stolen the copper wire from the landline cables. Service was recently restored, but Bush's family spent months worrying as both the landline — which is hooked to the woman's life alert service — and, at times, home cameras that they used to monitor movement inside the home were down. For eight months, Dudley spoke with her mother through a caregiver's cellphone. She said this was not the first time services had been down. 'Its been on again, off again,' Dudley said. 'If the phone and cameras are down, we have no way to communicate with Mommy. We have had this problem before, but it was never this long.' Read more: Copper thieves leave 6th Street Bridge — the 'Ribbon of Light' — completely in the dark Dudley, who reached out to ABC7's On Your Side, said the reporter called the company on her behalf. A technician arrived at her mother's home the next day and, in a few hours, fixed the landline cables. Dudley — who says her landline and neighborhood streetlights also have been out periodically due to copper wire theft — believes it is only a matter of time before the issue resurfaces for her mom. 'My mom's neighbor who lives across the street, her phone was out too. I have several people from my church that are in Compton and South Los Angeles with their phones out,' Dudley said. Cora Brown, 72, told The Times her landline had been down since September 2024. Brown, who lives with her husband in South L.A. near Compton, stopped paying the phone bill about three months ago after their landline stopped working due to a copper wire theft. 'I don't even remember how many times I called AT&T. I've called and called and called and called,' Brown said. The last few times, she said, she got no answer. "And they still send the bill.' Brown received a bill for $537.38 on May 3. 'I'm sick of them,' Brown said. 'I'm considering switching.' Dudley said the bills also piled up while her mother's landline was down. Bush was on auto pay for a time, paying $124 a month for the inoperable landline. Dudley took her mother off auto pay and said AT&T sent gift cards to compensate for overpayment. An AT&T spokesperson said the company had seen a recent increase in copper wire theft across South L.A., a neighborhood with almost 300,000 residents, according to the Department of City Planning in 2021. AT&T's outage website reports multiple landlines down in L.A. due to cable damage, with some missing a scheduled repair date. 'Theft and vandalism of critical communications infrastructure are serious matters that disrupt essential services for our customers, public safety and the community at large. This is a growing problem in the area, and we're working closely with public safety on our shared interest to combat copper theft in Los Angeles,' AT&T said in a statement. 'We understand how frustrating copper theft is to our customers and it's not an acceptable customer experience. We apologize for the inconvenience.' In 2024, the L.A. City Council created a task force in partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department and the Bureau of Street Lighting to curb copper wire theft from public utilities. A total of 82 people were arrested, and more than 2,000 pounds of stolen copper wire were recovered. Prior to the task force, the neighborhoods of Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights and El Sereno saw their streetlights stripped of copper wire, leaving multiple blocks in the dark. City politicians estimated the repair costs to exceed $17 million. Copper wire, the spokesperson said, is costly and difficult to source. 'Historically, in South Los Angeles, copper theft is a big issue,' he said. 'To those that are affected, we offer our AT&T phone advancement products that rely on our fiber wireless network, which is harder to steal.' AT&T's fiber-optic network, which is installed underground, uses thin, bundled glass fibers to provide internet service via light waves, according to AT&T. Verizon's Frontier network offered Hacienda Heights residents a similar fiber-optic service after copper wire thieves tampered with their landlines last year. Customers like Dudley say they are not interested in wireless technology. 'There have been suggestions, like installing cameras to find who is stealing the copper, that people have come up with,' Dudley said. 'It doesn't seem like AT&T is trying to come up with a solution because they want to get rid of landline phones. So, they keep raising the price and dragging their feet about making repairs.' Regina Costa, telecom policy director for the Utility Reform Network, a consumer advocacy organization focused on California utility services, echoed Dudley's sentiment. 'People do want landlines,' Costa said. 'It's ridiculous to think it would take customers that long for a service repair. But this is part of AT&T's game plan to reduce their entire service in California, to just target the most profitable areas.' AT&T filed an application last year with the California Public Utilities Commission in an effort to rid itself of its obligation as a carrier of last resort. The company must provide basic phone service — which is commonly landline service — to any customer asking for it in a specific area, according to AT&T. The commission rejected the request. 'The commission is looking to change the rules for carriers of last resort, but in the meantime, AT&T has gone to the Legislature to try to get them to do it for them,' Costa said. 'They are running a bill, AB 470, that would eliminate the obligation to render these services to its customers.' AT&T did not comment on its efforts to eliminate its landline services. Read more: 'Significant victory': More than 80 arrested in copper wire theft crackdown Costa said landlines are essential during natural disasters. As AARP reports, advancements in phones and GPS technology, as well as other factors, have improved 911 support for cellphones. But when storms or fire knock out electricity, copper-wire landlines continue to work. 'I'm out in the woods in Sonoma County, where one of the 2020 fires got within a mile from here. We know that, if the power goes out, anyone with a [smartphone] is going to lose their service unless they have a copper landline,' she said. 'So, these women are like the canary in a coal mine, they are a sign of what is really going on with this company. And there are thousands of Californians that have experienced the same thing.' For Dudley, when it comes to her mother, landline phones provide a sense of safety. 'There are people in their 80s or 90s who don't have someone to advocate for them. With no phone service, you can only stop by and see them,' she said. 'But what if that person falls in the middle of the night? What if the house catches on fire? Or a gas leak. It's very dangerous.' AT&T is offering up to a $5,000 reward for specific and detailed information that leads to the arrest and conviction of copper cable thieves or the attempted sale or purchase of stolen copper cable from AT&T in the Los Angeles area, the spokesperson said. Tipsters can also call AT&T Global Security and Investigations at (800) 807‐4205. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
06-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Copper thieves cut phone service to seniors in South L.A.
South Los Angeles resident Shonte Dudley could not get a hold of her mother, Mabel Bush, using the 92-year-old's usual phone for several months. Bush, who lives in South L.A. near the Inglewood border, has kept the same number with AT&T for nearly 50 years. But sometime in September 2024, her landline stopped working. Dudley, 52, called the company, which told her someone had stolen the copper wire from the landline cables. Service was recently restored, but Bush's family spent months worrying as both the landline — which is hooked to the woman's life alert service — and, at times, home cameras that they used to monitor movement inside the home were down. For eight months, Dudley spoke with her mother through a caregiver's cellphone. She said this was not the first time services had been down. 'Its been on again, off again,' Dudley said. 'If the phone and cameras are down, we have no way to communicate with Mommy. We have had this problem before, but it was never this long.' Dudley, who reached out to ABC7's On Your Side, said the reporter called the company on her behalf. A technician arrived at her mother's home the next day and, in a few hours, fixed the landline cables. Dudley — who says her landline and neighborhood streetlights also have been out periodically due to copper wire theft — believes it is only a matter of time before the issue resurfaces for her mom. 'My mom's neighbor who lives across the street, her phone was out too. I have several people from my church that are in Compton and South Los Angeles with their phones out,' Dudley said. Cora Brown, 72, told The Times her landline had been down since September 2024. Brown, who lives with her husband in South L.A. near Compton, stopped paying the phone bill about three months ago after their landline stopped working due to a copper wire theft. 'I don't even remember how many times I called AT&T. I've called and called and called and called,' Brown said. The last few times, she said, she got no answer. 'And they still send the bill.' Brown received a bill for $537.38 on May 3. 'I'm sick of them,' Brown said. 'I'm considering switching.' Dudley said the bills also piled up while her mother's landline was down. Bush was on auto pay for a time, paying $124 a month for the inoperable landline. Dudley took her mother off auto pay and said AT&T sent gift cards to compensate for overpayment. An AT&T spokesperson said the company had seen a recent increase in copper wire theft across South L.A., a neighborhood with almost 300,000 residents, according to the Department of City Planning in 2021. AT&T's outage website reports multiple landlines down in L.A. due to cable damage, with some missing a scheduled repair date. 'Theft and vandalism of critical communications infrastructure are serious matters that disrupt essential services for our customers, public safety and the community at large. This is a growing problem in the area, and we're working closely with public safety on our shared interest to combat copper theft in Los Angeles,' AT&T said in a statement. 'We understand how frustrating copper theft is to our customers and it's not an acceptable customer experience. We apologize for the inconvenience.' In 2024, the L.A. City Council created a task force in partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department and the Bureau of Street Lighting to curb copper wire theft from public utilities. A total of 82 people were arrested, and more than 2,000 pounds of stolen copper wire were recovered. Prior to the task force, the neighborhoods of Boyle Heights, Lincoln Heights and El Sereno saw their streetlights stripped of copper wire, leaving multiple blocks in the dark. City politicians estimated the repair costs to exceed $17 million. Copper wire, the spokesperson said, is costly and difficult to source. 'Historically, in South Los Angeles, copper theft is a big issue,' he said. 'To those that are affected, we offer our AT&T phone advancement products that rely on our fiber wireless network, which is harder to steal.' AT&T's fiber-optic network, which is installed underground, uses thin, bundled glass fibers to provide internet service via light waves, according to AT&T. Verizon's Frontier network offered Hacienda Heights residents a similar fiber-optic service after copper wire thieves tampered with their landlines last year. Customers like Dudley say they are not interested in wireless technology. 'There have been suggestions, like installing cameras to find who is stealing the copper, that people have come up with,' Dudley said. 'It doesn't seem like AT&T is trying to come up with a solution because they want to get rid of landline phones. So, they keep raising the price and dragging their feet about making repairs.' Regina Costa, telecom policy director for the Utility Reform Network, a consumer advocacy organization focused on California utility services, echoed Dudley's sentiment. 'People do want landlines,' Costa said. 'It's ridiculous to think it would take customers that long for a service repair. But this is part of AT&T's game plan to reduce their entire service in California, to just target the most profitable areas.' AT&T filed an application last year with the California Public Utilities Commission in an effort to rid itself of its obligation as a carrier of last resort. The company must provide basic phone service — which is commonly landline service — to any customer asking for it in a specific area, according to AT&T. The commission rejected the request. 'The commission is looking to change the rules for carriers of last resort, but in the meantime, AT&T has gone to the Legislature to try to get them to do it for them,' Costa said. 'They are running a bill, AB 470, that would eliminate the obligation to render these services to its customers.' AT&T did not comment on its efforts to eliminate its landline services. Costa said landlines are essential during natural disasters. As AARP reports, advancements in phones and GPS technology, as well as other factors, have improved 911 support for cellphones. But when storms or fire knock out electricity, copper-wire landlines continue to work. 'I'm out in the woods in Sonoma County, where one of the 2020 fires got within a mile from here. We know that, if the power goes out, anyone with a [smartphone] is going to lose their service unless they have a copper landline,' she said. 'So, these women are like the canary in a coal mine, they are a sign of what is really going on with this company. And there are thousands of Californians that have experienced the same thing.' For Dudley, when it comes to her mother, landline phones provide a sense of safety. 'There are people in their 80s or 90s who don't have someone to advocate for them. With no phone service, you can only stop by and see them,' she said. 'But what if that person falls in the middle of the night? What if the house catches on fire? Or a gas leak. It's very dangerous.' AT&T is offering up to a $5,000 reward for specific and detailed information that leads to the arrest and conviction of copper cable thieves or the attempted sale or purchase of stolen copper cable from AT&T in the Los Angeles area, the spokesperson said. Tipsters can also call AT&T Global Security and Investigations at (800) 807‐4205.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Vehicle crashes into support beam on Topsail Ct.; no injuries reported
HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — A vehicle crashed into a support beam on a building on Topsail Court Wednesday morning. According to officials, around 8:50 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 1st block of Topsail Court for reports of a vehicle crashing into a building. 10 On Your Side viewer Doug Hall sent a photo of the scene, showing damage to the stairs and a porch. Police said the vehicle jumped a curb and struck one of the support beams, not the building itself. No injuries have been reported at this time. Continue to check for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
