NBC 5 Responds

The Latest

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  business interruption insurance Jun 19

  Business Owners Accuse Insurers of Unfairly Denying Claims

  Hard-hit businesses owners across the country – still reeling from the pandemic – are facing a new and unexpected obstacle that may determine whether their businesses will survive. Hundreds of companies are getting ready to square off in court against the insurers that have already denied their business interruption claims, claiming losses caused b...
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  Payday loans Jun 12

  NBC 5 Responds: Payday Loans and the Pandemic

  They market themselves as a fast, financial fix. But now some players in the payday loan industry are accused of using the pandemic to target distressed and out-of-work consumers. It is a situation that may be a mirror of what happened in the last financial crisis of 2009, when payday lenders were accused of aggressively courting customers who can ...
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  coronavirus illinois Jun 10

  NBC 5 Responds: What to Know About Coronavirus Pandemic Predators

  About 66,000 times during the coronavirus crisis, consumers nationwide have taken the time to blow the whistle on a COVID-19 related scam. In about half of those reports to the federal government, the targeted consumers did lose money, around $500.
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  small businesses Jun 9

  NBC 5 Responds: Will Insurance Help Small Businesses Get Back Up and Running?

  Students of architecture worldwide will recognize the address: the Monadnock Building has been a witness to history in the south Loop since 1891. Now a new chapter of Chicago history hits home for the building, directly: as retail shops on the ground floor of the Monadnock were battered by the violent side of police protests that raged on the night...
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  NBC 5 Responds Jun 3

  NBC 5 Responds: Consumers in Lurch After Looters Force Pharmacies to Close

  My pharmacy is closed. What do I do now? That is the question on the minds of many Chicago area residents after damaging riots that have closed many pharmacies across the city and suburbs. Some have been looted, vandalized, and others closed for safety reasons, leaving many neighborhoods without their closest pharmacy. “They were slamming the windo...
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  NBC 5 Responds May 27

  NBC 5 Responds: Spike in Fraud Involving Unemployment Benefits Amid Pandemic

  More and more people across the country say scammers are using their personal information to file fraudulent unemployment claims, denying them desperately needed payments. Experts say the bogus claims are clogging systems and slowing payments for everyone. How widespread is it? No one knows for sure. What Michele Evermore, an employment policy anal...
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  coronavirus illinois May 20

  Battle For Benefits in Illinois: Viewers Say Preloaded Debit Cards Don't Work

  When NBC 5 Responds last left Orland Park viewer Nikki Martinez, all fingers were crossed.  The dental office manager and mom of three was laid off in mid-March and says she has been battling since then to get registered for benefits with the Illinois Department of Employment Security. After logging close to 1,000 calls and trying to register ...
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  NBC 5 Responds May 15

  Customers Accuse Ticketmaster of Sitting on Refunds

  Thousands of live events have been postponed amid the coronavirus crisis but customers who bought tickets from Ticketmaster say the company is making it difficult to get a refund. NBC 5 Responds Lisa Parker reports.
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  credit score May 12

  NBC 5 Responds: Protecting Your Credit Score During a Pandemic

  The coronavirus has our world in its grip. With every component of consumers’ lives affected, credit scores are no exception. A new survey from Wallethub shows around 44 percent of Americans anticipate going into more debt during the pandemic, while an estimated 87 million consumers say they are worried about credit score damage. Their worry is wel...
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  unemployment May 8

  ‘This Is Impossible': The Battle to Register For Illinois Unemployment

  The U.S. Jobs report on Friday shared the cold, hard data of the unprecedented unemployment crisis, but the stories submitted to NBC 5 Responds put a human face on the issue. People who write in are asking for help with a system they say makes them feel invisible. Search the word, and “unemployment” benefits complaints fill our NBC 5 Responds&#8230...
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  airline refund May 7

  Where's My Airline Refund? What to Know If Your Flight Was Canceled By an Airline

  There is no question the airlines are reeling from the slowdown in travel and may not survive as we know them. But they also received billions in government grants last month to pay their workers. That’s even more reason that customers say they should also be paid the cash refunds they are legally due.  Earlier this month, after receivin...
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  restaurants reopening May 4

  Restaurants and the Road to Recovery in Illinois

  While plans to reopen Chicago-area eateries are still on hold, there are a few states that gave the green light to get back to business. Some restaurants won’t survive the pandemic, but the ones that do will have to reinvent their business model to exist. What will that look like? What are other states doing to prepare, and will it...
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  coronavirus illinois May 1

  Colleges, Universities in Illinois, Indiana Extend Decision Deadline Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

  As the traditional deadline of May 1 looms for college-bound seniors to accept admission, the immediate future for both incoming freshmen and higher education institutions is uncertain. NBC 5 Responds spoke to local high school seniors and parents, and surveyed 19 Illinois and Indiana colleges and universities to learn more about their evolving pla...
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  Vrbo refund policy Apr 29

  Refund Rejection: Vrbo Customers Shut Down in Battle to Get Money Back

  Would-be travelers who were forced to cancel vacations because of the coronavirus lockdown are now up in arms over Vrbo’s refund policy, which allows the owners of rental properties to decide whether or not to fully reimburse customers. It’s a decision that does not sit well with customers. “So what they’ve now created is a war zon...
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  small business help Apr 23

  One Small Business Owner's Quest to Obtain an Emergency Loan

  With Congress set to approve another aid package for distressed businesses, many small business owners are wondering if they’ll finally receive the lifeline they were promised. As part of a series of reports, NBC 5 Responds’ Lisa Parker has been following one suburban small business owner’s struggle to obtain an emergency loan dur...
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  Returns and Refunds Apr 22

  Can You Get a Refund Or Make a Return During the Coronavirus Crisis?

  Whether it’s a dress that’s the wrong size, or a case of mac and cheese purchased in panic – can you return it? NBC 5 Responds asked retailers and grocers that question as coronavirus complications continue to wreak havoc on returns and refunds. Some of the answers might not sit well with consumers. Let’s start with some of the...
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  Paycheck Protection Program Apr 20

  ‘Corporate Greed' at the Expense of Small Business?

  A proposed class action lawsuit filed in California on Sunday accuses Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Chase and and U.S. Bank of fraud and unfair business practices, among other claims, in the way the banks processed applications for the federal government’s coronavirus relief program, the Paycheck Protection Program known as “PPP.”...