Consumer Catch-up: hurricane flight waivers, British Airways hack, wet/dry vac recall, Amazon shipping trees

Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Consumer Catch-up: hurricane flight waivers, Amazon shipping trees
Flight waivers ahead of Hurricane Florence continue to expand. Plus, Amazon says it'll ship live Christmas trees this holiday season.

Airline waivers expand ahead of Hurricane Florence



Every major airline is now offering change and rebooking waivers ahead of Hurricane Florence.



Airlines are expanding the locations where the waivers are valid to include Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC.



Already included were airports in North and South Carolina, as well as Georgia and Virginia.



The storm is barreling toward the East Coast, and is expected to make a direct hit later this week.



The exact location is unclear, although forecasters expect it to be a major Category 3 storm when it makes landfall.



Check with your airline for specific information about flight changes.





British Airways hack caused by malware



We're learning more details about what caused the British Airways hack of 380,000 customers' data.



San Francisco-based cyber security company RiskIQ says the hack came from malware installed on the British Airways website.



RiskIQ says the malware was intentionally aligned with normal payment processing, so customers wouldn't notice anything unusual when making a purchase.



The hack was conducted by a large ongoing operation known as Magecart. It is the same operation behind the Ticketmaster website hack we told you about a few months ago.





Emerson wet/dry vac recall



Emerson Tool Company is recalling 208,000 RIGID wet/dry vacuums. Officials say the vaccum's on/off switch can come loose, exposing wiring and potentially shocking the user.



The orange and black vacuums were sold exclusively at Home Depot stores.



The recall includes RIDGID NXT wet/dry vacuums, models HD06000 (6-gallon) and HD09000 (9-gallon).



Customers should stop using the device immediately, and contact Emerson for a free replacement powerhead assembly.




Amazon to ship Christmas trees



Amazon is already planning ahead for the holiday season.



The online retail giant says it will ship live Christmas trees this year.



The trees will include Douglas firs and Norfolk Island pines. They will be bound and shipped without water.



Amazon promises the trees will be sent within 10 days of being cut, and should have no problems surviving shipping.



The trees will go on sale in November.




Click here for a look at more stories by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.



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