consumer

If you feel like you are receiving more political text messages lately, you’re not alone. According to RoboKiller, more than three billion text messages will be sent before Election Day. It’s perfectly legal for political campaigns to send unsolicited text messages. But how did they even get your number in the first place? Likely from your voter registration information....

According to RoboKiller, more than three billion text messages will be sent before Election Day. Susan Hogan explains how to make them stop.

UPS is holding a hiring blitz called “Brown Friday” coming up this Friday, Oct. 30. Susan Hogan reports.

UPS is holding a hiring blitz called “Brown Friday” coming up this Friday, Oct. 30.

The pandemic has reunited many adults with their bicycles. According to a recent survey, nearly 10 percent of American adults rode a bike for the first time in over a year, and 36 percent took their kids for their first bike ride.  But whether you’re biking, scootering, or skating around town, safety should always come first, and that means protecting…

Bike riding has become a popular activity during the pandemic. But not all helmets are designed equally. Susan Hogan has the top picks from Consumer Reports’ tests.

NBC4 Responds has teamed up with more than a dozen NBC and Telemundo stations across the country to collect your stories. Susan Hogan reports.

Nobody knows the trials and tribulations of customer service better than the NBC4 Responds team. It’s why we’re committed to helping all of our viewers resolve their consumer issues. But not every customer service experience is a bad one. We just tend to hear those stories more often. Especially with social media, where consumers can put companies on blast....

A lot of us are getting ready to start choosing our benefits for the year 2021. If you use a dependent-care flexible spending account (FSA), you may want to rethink how much you set aside next year. Leif and Lowrey Redmond from Washington, D.C., depend on summer camps to keep their two little girls busy. Each year, they add money…

A Washington, D.C., family was surprised to find out that their daughter’s virtual camp isn’t an eligible expense under their dependent-care FSA. Susan Hogan reports.

You need to call customer service, but don’t have the number, so you do a quick search online. But beware, doing so could cost you thousands of dollars. It happened to Dr. Melanye Maclin, a Bowie, Maryland, dermatologist who was trying to contact Facebook. She says she searched the app for a customer service number and found one and...

Susan Hogan is Working 4 You with what you need to know before calling another customer service number.

Susan Hogan reports the utility companies are urging customers to contact them immediately to set up payment plans or apply for other assistance.

Seven months into the pandemic, we’re getting a clearer picture of just how many people are falling behind on their bills. Most water, gas and electric providers are reporting a sharp increase in the number of accounts with outstanding balances. The companies are urging customers to contact them immediately to set up payment plans or apply for other assistance....

S&P Global and AARP surveyed more than 1,500 full-time workers who also care for children or older adults. You probably won’t be surprised to hear that women are struggling the most when it comes to work-life balance. “Women already did the lion’s share of the child care and the caregiving before the pandemic, as well as the housework, but...

A new survey finds caregivers who work are feeling more stressed. Consumer Reporter Susan Hogan reports.

Dentists agree that brushing your teeth for two minutes twice a day is the best thing you can do to keep your teeth healthy. And some studies suggest that an electric toothbrush may help keep your teeth cleaner. Consumer Reports just tested some and tells us which models did the best. An electric toothbrush can cost well over $100. How…

Consumer Reports tested electric toothbrushes for cleaning performance, battery life, ease of use and noise. Susan Hogan has the results.

A local family found a scrapbook that didn’t belong to them and turned to NBC4 Responds for help finding its rightful owner. Susan Hogan reports.

Jimmy Weakland was visiting his son and daughter-in-law recently when he noticed a scrapbook on the table. It was full of memories of generations past, including local brothers who served in World War II, became prisoners of war and survived. The brothers’ last name was Weakley. Weakland’s son, Michael, and daughter-in-law, Ashley, weren’t sure how it ended up at...