Skechers USA Inc. will pay $40 million to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission that the footwear company made unfounded claims that its Shape-ups shoes would help people lose weight and strengthen their butt, leg and stomach muscles. Kardashian, Burke and other celebrities endorsed the shoes in Skechers ads.

Read: Apply For A Refund

Wednesday’s settlement also involves the company’s Resistance Runner, Toners, and Tone-ups shoes. Skechers made deceptive claims about those shoes, too, says the agency.

Consumers who bought the shoes will be eligible for refunds, though it’s not clear how much money people will get. The FTC says that will depend on how many claims are received in the eight-month filing period. Most of the $40 million will be returned to consumers, the commission said. A small amount of the money will be used to administer the payouts.

“The FTC’s message, for Skechers and other national advertisers, is to shape up your substantiation or tone down your claims,” said David Vladeck, director of the agency’s consumer protection bureau. For millions of consumers, he said, “the only thing that got a workout was their wallet.”

The commission settled similar charges with Reebok last year over its EasyTone walking shoes and RunTone running shoes. That $25 million agreement also provided customer refunds.

Skechers billed its Shape-ups as a fitness tool designed to promote weight loss and tone muscles with the shoe’s curved “rocker” or rolling bottom — saying it provides natural instability and causes the consumer to “use more energy with every step.” Shape-ups cost about $100 and are sold at retailers nationwide.

Ads for the Resistance Runner shoes claimed people who wear them could increase “muscle activation” by up to 85 percent for posture-related muscles and 71 percent for one of the muscles in the buttocks, said the FTC.

The commission says Skechers falsely represented that clinical studies backed up the company’s claims about its toning shoes. The settlement bars Skechers from misrepresenting any tests, studies or research on its shoes in the future.

In Wednesday’s court filing, Skechers says it disputes the charges and is pursuing additional studies. A call to Skechers seeking additional comment was not immediately returned.

The settlement is part of a broader agreement also announced Wednesday — a settlement resolving a multi-state investigation led by the attorneys general from Tennessee and Ohio and involving more than 40 states. The company, based in Manhattan Beach, Calif., will provide $40 million for customer refunds in the federal case and $5 million to the states.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

Some of the fictional sites make promises to help consumers with such things as weight loss, debt relief or loan modification, while others promote huge bargains or easy ways to earn money at home.

Anyone who tries to make a purchase on one of the sites is immediately directed to a state educational website that warns consumers about similar online scams.

The fake sites can be accessed through http://topmassachusettsdeals.com.

Undersecretary of Consumer Affairs Barbara Anthony says cyber criminals not only steal from consumers millions of dollars each year, but in many cases their personal information as well.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

BOSTON (CBS) – They are the fashion accessories of the stars, designer handbags with names like Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci and Chanel. They are well crafted statement pieces that run thousands of dollars each. They are also out of reach for the average woman.

Here’s the good news, bargain hunters with a flair for fashion may be in luck. It’s LUXEDH.com, a website that sells all those high-end designer bags at 50% off. “You can look like the rich and famous without actually being rich and famous,” said Sabina Jacobs of LUXEDH.com

The secret is the bags and wallets are all gently used. “Very, very gently pre-loved bags,” Jacobs explained. The site buys the bags from people who have tired of their bags before they have worn out. “People who really love their bags, people who keep their bags in their desk, people who don’t put them on the floor,” she said.

So how does a buyer know these bags are not like the ones you buy on a NYC street corner that look like the real thing, but are cheap imitations? Jacobs says they take great care to ensure you are getting authentic designer handbags. “We have a team of authenticators who are extremely skilled in the secrets and trademarks of each brand,” Jacobs said, insisting the company has never sold a fake bag.

The handbags range in price from $99 for a small Prada purse to $2,400 a large Chanel bag which retails for over $6,000. The company even offers a six month payment program.

If those prices are still a little steep, sites like BAGBORROWORSTEAL.com will let you rent bag for a few weeks at a time.

BOSTON (CBS) - One of my favorite parts of the spring is when the calendar hits the middle of May.

For me, that’s the sign that it’s tomato time!

Now that we are safely past any frost in greater Boston it’s officially time to plant this years crop of tender veggies.

Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini and all your favorites are now ready to be planted.

But before you do, you need to make sure you have your garden prepped, ready and and supplies in hand.

Here are some helpful tips in preparing for another season of planting the perfect vegetable garden.

First off you need to make sure to spend time and turn the soil and add some fresh compost or manure to your beds.

Adding compost will add microorganisms and nutrients to your garden along with earth worms and good bacteria. All good things in any garden!

Once your beds are ready plan the layout of your veggies. Be sure to give the plants as much space as possible. Remember, in an ideal situation, most veggies would like space to grow so spread them out as best you can, three feet between tomatoes is best.

Once in the ground you will need to have good sturdy stakes or cages for support. I like 1″ x 1″ hardwood stakes that are at at least 6 feet tall. Make sure you have soft ties to use as they grow up along the way.

After that all you need is a nice fertilizer for your veggies. Espoma makes a great organic fertilizers like Plant Tone, Garden Tone and even Tomato Tone.  All are easy to apply and they are very effective.

What?

You don’t have any garden space?

How about using a container?  Big plastic buckets, wood barrels or large pots work almost as well.   Just make sure they are at least 14″ across the top and 14″ deep.

If you want to splurge try an EarthBox?

Looking for the Best Tasting Tomato?

Cherry tomatoes are the most popular type at our garden center and leading the pack is one that we have a hard time keeping enough of –  Sun Gold!

These wonderful little tomatoes are prolific producers that add splashes of colorful and an unmatched taste into your salad.

This delicious cultivar produces bright orange cherry tomatoes that taste sugary sweet!

You are in for a real treat from the tall, vigorous growing plants that bear fruity clusters.

Planting Tips:

* Sun Gold tomato plants require at least 6 hours of direct sunlight.

* The plants can be grown in hanging baskets to drape down several feet or more.

Care:

Indeterminates like Sun Gold tomatoes continue growing and setting fruit all season, usually requiring a cage or stake. This variety produces fruit that is usually about 1 inch in diameter.

These small fruited plants are vigorous, tall, viney growers producing abundant crops.

Harvesting:

Sun Gold cherry tomatoes are ready for harvesting in 57 days.

For more information feel free to contact me at Mark@PembertonFarms.com or follow me on Twitter @MarksGardening.

BOSTON (CBS) – Boston city officials are working on a licensing program to accommodate what could be the next wave after the food truck craze: A growing fleet of fashion trucks.

At least seven mobile fashion boutiques (list and links, below) have come forward looking for ways to legally do business on city streets, following an explosion in Boston food trucks.

For now, they’ve been paying meter fees instead of rent, dodging inspectors enforcing century-old regulations on street peddlers.

A licensing program would make Boston one of the first cities in the U.S. to carve out special space for fashion trucks, leapfrogging ahead of New York, where the food truck thing started four years ago.

In New York, “General merchandise vendors haven’t seen the renaissance that food vendors have seen since 2007,” said David Weber, president of the NYC Food Truck Association.

“It’s still relatively the same variety of products from general merchandise vendors that there have been for a couple of decades.”

Meanwhile, Boston’s fashion truck vendors are like mobile retail labs.

Case in point: Green Street Vault.

Like larger innovators, they’re training customers to buy now, expecting that a product they see this week will be gone by the next. They’re currently collaborating with Boston designer Annie Mulz on an eight-week pop-up store at 252 Newbury St.

It’s not big business.

“From my understanding some of these trucks could be making $1,000 a day,” said Randi Lathrop, deputy director of community planning at the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

But new varieties of seed can grow fast. Just ask Clover Food Lab founders Ayr Muir and Rolando Robledo, who in three years and eight months have grown to nine food trucks and two restaurants.

You can’t walk by a pretty outdoor space in this town without seeing a white Clover truck and a line of people waiting.

Lathrop, who’s charged with helping hammer out a licensing plan that won’t irritate rent-paying fashion retailers, told the BBJ Boston wants to explore putting fashion trucks off the beaten path – in neighborhood business districts like Dudley Square and Egleston Square in Roxbury and Jamaica Plain.

You don’t have to be Stephen Karp to know that’s a tough sell.

Fashion trucks need crowds of bag-toting shoppers. I like Egleston a lot. I live nearby, and I’m a volunteer board member at Egleston Main Street. We need a hardware store and a good neighborhood bar before we get a fashion truck.

But Newbury Street needs fashion trucks. High-rent districts breed homogeneity. If you don’t believe me, come down to the Financial District some time for lunch. The three trucks on Dewey Square by South Station are a rare freshet in a desert of leaden subs and banal salads. Workers some of the city’s largest employers deserve more choices at lunchtime.

Similarly, Back Bay shoppers – who could draw businesses like Uniqlo and Topshop to Boston – deserve to see something new.

I hope Mayor Thomas M. Menino won’t miss this chance to make space at center stage for a good thing Boston has going.

Here are the seven Boston fashion trucks whose owners are working with the city on licensing, to date:

• BGreen mobile showroom (Barry Greenstein)

• Sneakerbox (Angela Schipano and Tiffany Crews)

• The Fashion Truck (Emily Benson)

• Vintagemobile (Amy Chase)

• Green Street Vault (Howard Travis and Derrick Cheung)

• Lola’s Urban Vintage (Jude Lyons)

• Boston Sports Apparel Company (Marlon Williams)

Lisa van der Pool of the Boston Business Journal can be seen weekdays at 6 a.m. on WBZ-TV.

You can follow Lisa on Twitter at @lvanderpool.

The carrier just added its seventh daily flight between its headquarters city Toronto and Logan Airport.

A trip to Canada and an interview with Porter’s President, Robert DeLuce, shows how a successful airline should be run.

First of all, their headquarters is attached to the Toronto City Airport. Its management team is never far from the action. It all starts with its airport location. About six years ago, Air Canada decided to consolidate its operations at the larger international airport about 35 minutes from downtown.

Bob Weiss, CBS Boston travel contributor

Along comes upstart Porter that starts flying from the in-town airport that is closer to the city. And when we say closer, we mean a couple of hundred yards away by ferry.

The ferry travels back and forth every 15 minutes and business travelers like the convenience, Porter’s competitive prices and its frequent flight schedule in Canada.

The first thing that you notice on the flight is that your juice drink departing Boston is served in a real glass with the logo. The afternoon return trip features a box snack of a surprisingly good chicken sandwich and potato salad.

Porter flies the Bombardier-6400 aircraft on all its flights, holding about a hundred passengers and serviced by two flight attendants. The planes have leather seats. This is a Canadian airline using a Canadian-built aircraft.

“It is an efficient aircraft,” said DeLuce. “We can be profitable at a 50 percent breakeven point, compared to 75 to 80 percent of the legacy carriers. It’s all about speed, convenience and service, along with matching prices.”

Another major plus for Porter is the free bus service from the downtown dock to Union Station and the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in the heart of Toronto’s financial area. Business travelers consider this service a major convenience.

The real heart of its operation may be its Toronto departure area. From the beginning, Porter has designed this area more like an office than an airport waiting area. It has rugs on the floor, dividers and pods for computer-working travelers and free snacks.

DeLuce is very optimistic that the new Brand USA promotion campaign starting this summer will attract more leisure travelers from Canada to Boston. He expects to add more northeast U.S. destinations to Porter’s route system to take advantage of this opportunity.

The airline is in the final stages of planning “Porter Escapes”, a new leisure air and hotel package that will begin in late summer.

Every Porter print ad and poster contains its smiling raccoon mascot.

What other airline has such a friendly symbol?

 Bob Weiss reports on business travel on Mondays at 5:55 a.m. on WBZ NewsRadio 1030.

BOSTON (CBS) – He’s a trend-setting chef, a cookbook author, a TV host, but first and foremost, he’s a restauranteur.

Ming Tsai is one of the most highly recognized and respected chefs in the country. Yet, on most nights, you can still find him in the kitchen at his one and only restaurant, Blue Ginger in Wellesley, where Asian ingredients and French techniques are infused in every recipe.

In Blue Ginger’s feng-shui inspired dining room, popular choices include the wok-stirred garlic-black pepper lobster, Szechwan-style chicken, and the signature miso-sake butterfish with soba noodle sushi.

Over in the more casual lounge side of the restaurant, Asian tapas is the focus with gourmet chicken lettuce cups, short-rib grilled cheese with Thai tomato soup and crispy squash wontons, along with Ramen Noodle soups, and house-made dumplings known as “Ming’s Bing’s.”

It’s all prepared in an open kitchen staffed with one one of the most talented kitchen crews in New England.

For more food and fun, watch the Phantom Gourmet every Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on myTV 38.

BOSTON (CBS) – For many women their hair is an important part of their identity so suffering unexpected hair loss can be devastating, especially when it is triggered by a common prescription medication. Some women even find themselves choosing their hair over their health.

Every day, wig store owner Flora Shepelsky sees how hair loss can destroy a woman’s self-esteem. “When they come in the first thing is tears. No one wants to come into a wig store,” she said.

One woman, who did not want to be identified, was in the shop looking for a wig to cover the hair weave that is no longer enough to hide her hair loss. She and several other women in the shop blame prescription drugs for their hair loss.

“I would have done anything to get my hair back,” she said. The woman even stopped taking her medication. “But then my health was suffering,” she said.

She was forced to go back on the drugs.

We’re not talking about powerful drugs like chemotherapy and other medications known to cause hair loss. These are common medications that millions of people take every for all kinds of health problems, drugs like antibiotics, antidepressants, blood pressure and cholesterol medications.

“There’s nothing that has no side effect,” one of the women in the wig shop said. “Everything that you take they can fix one thing and something else goes wrong.”

Mary Speciale says her hair began to fall out following hip surgery 18 months ago. “I took some of the medications post-operatively and no one told me that they could cause hair loss,” she said.

But doctors said they are not sure if it was the surgery or the medicine that caused the hair loss.

“We don’t know if it’s due to the surgery itself or due to medication she got for anesthesia. Sometimes they’re given medications during surgery, so it’s very difficult to pinpoint,” explained Dr. Richard Mizuguchi, the director of The Hair Loss and Restoration Institute.

Specialists said that they will work with primary care physicians to help change patients to medications that do not cause hair loss. They also explained that only a small portion of the population suffer from this type of hair loss.

BOSTON (CBS) – A growing number of tech startups in the Boston area work in the realm of connecting restaurants and diners, with the goal of proving that dinner out (or ordered in) can be a little bit nicer with tech.

They include Tasted Menu (dish recommendations), FoodieBytes (dish reviews paired with deals) and TotalTab (mobile app for paying a restaurant bill).

But one of the latest innovations hitting the Boston restaurant scene — a site that lets diners search for a restaurant based on its ambiance — hasn’t come from a local startup.

The service has come from New York startup Hoppit, and it launched in 25 cities, including Boston, earlier this month.

Steven Dziedzic, 27, founder and CEO of Hoppit, called his startup “Pandora for restaurants.”

“For New Yorkers, and people in other big cities like Boston, San Francisco, or Chicago, there are a thousand Italian restaurants,” he said. “So the only thing that differentiates them is the ambiance.”

The service has attracted more than 10,000 unique users in three weeks of availability, the company says.

Boston has about 1,000 restaurants on the site, and has been No. 4 in Hoppit traffic so far, behind New York, San Francisco and Chicago.

Similar to how music site Pandora assigns “genes” to songs, each restaurant on Hoppit has from 10 to 100 genes, such as fireplaces, exposed brick or kid-friendliness. The site uses 250 attributes as genes so far.

Dziedzic said the problem with sites like Yelp is that they have huge amounts of content. “The name of the game is relevance and personalization,” he said. “We try to make sense of all the chaos.”

Lisa van der Pool of the Boston Business Journal can be seen weekdays at 6 a.m. on WBZ-TV.

You can follow Lisa on Twitter at @lvanderpool.

BOSTON (CBS) – The initial public offering of Facebook stock is expected to be one of the biggest IPO’s in years.

But will the average investor get a chance to buy any Facebook stock and, if so, is it even worth it?

Dave Caruso, founder of Coastal Capital Group, told WBZ-TV this IPO could be worth up to $150 billion and it is out of reach for most people.

“There are two things you have to think about. Number one – can I get it? And number two – do I want it if I can get it?”

“The reality is it’s for the big institutions, institutions like Fidelty and T. Rowe Price. They get the lion’s share of these shares, so the average investor doesn’t see it as an IPO, which is that $28 to $35 price tag,” Caruso said.

“But, as soon as it starts trading on the open market, now people can come in and start buying it, just like they can buy any stock on the exchanges.”

“If you’re going to buy it, you’re probably not going to get it new, but you are going to be able to buy it on the market, so set a limit. Find something that you’ll limit yourself so you don’t go out there and say ‘I’m willing to pay $100 for something I don’t know anything about, other than it’s kinda cool to play with.’”

If you take a ‘wait and see’ approach, what happens?

“The first day and the first hours are not the time to do it,” Caruso said.  ”You want the market to settle down a little bit. Set yourself a limit, maybe $40 or $50 a share, that’s what some of the institutions are looking at. And then when you get it, buy a small amount, don’t go crazy. Don’t take more than five-percent of your net worth and put it out there. And then ask yourself the question – why am I buying this? What’s the reason? Does it fit into my portfolio?”

“Yeah, it’s cool. People want to talk about it, but will I make money on it and that’s really what happens in these IPO’s, it’s a frenzy and this is a hyped IPO right now.”

BOSTON (CBS) – Travel miles and rewards are the latest target for cyber criminals. Unsuspecting consumers are losing thousands of dollars to deceptive schemes.

Michael and Katherine Hynes work long hours in the family auto repair business, so they were looking forward to a trip to Las Vegas. When they went to cash in their travel reward points, they were shocked to find someone had beaten them to it.

“They disappeared,” explained Katherine. “Our credit card wasn’t stolen. There were no charges on it, but our mileage points disappeared. We were supposed to have 174,000 and we only had a little over 12,000. “

They don’t know how they got ripped off. The Hynes just know some stranger had a pretty good time in Singapore at their expense.

Tim Armstrong, a malware expert at Kaspersky Lab in Woburn, said these cyber criminals “use schemes to collect people’s miles and buy tickets and resell those tickets to third parties and they will collect money that way. Some of the other things we have seen are just they will infect the computer with malware and just steal money out of people’s accounts directly.”

In one scenario, millions of travel alerts are sent via email. They have a fake confirmation code and a fake flight number.

They only need one response to cash in quickly. Armstrong explained, “It’s really a luck scenario where you will be happening to travel on this scenario and they will happen to catch you at the right time, or it’s an opportunity scenario where people will just be curious and think, ‘I don’t have a flight, I want to make sure I am not charged for this’.”

Another scam started in South America. It promises prizes and extra miles if you log into their website. Once the crooks have that information, they can redeem the miles on their own.

After making call after call, the Hynes’ finally got their miles restored. Their flights are now booked, but they are still mad. “I felt violated,” said Michael.

BOSTON (CBS) – Timing can be everything when it comes to finding the best deal on a hotel room. But, a new website could help you save money even after you make your reservation.

It’s called Tingo. The Charlestown-based company wants to take the gamble out of booking your next hotel room. “When you walk in the lobby and you check in, you know you got the best rate,” says Tingo’s General Manager, David Krauter.

Krauter says all you have to do is look for the Money Back logo on their website. If the hotel price drops for any reason, you pay the lower price.

“We automatically watch your reservation for you. And if the price drops for any reason we’ll rebook you at the lower rate and we’ll refund the difference to your credit card,” explains Krauter.

Just weeks after Tingo’s launch, some customers are already cashing in.

“We’re seeing about one-third of the time that someone books on Tingo that they will receive money back. On average they will receive $35 dollars for a two-night stay.”

Other websites do offer price guarantees, but with a catch.

For example, on Orbitz you’ll get a refund only if another Orbitz customer books the same hotel at a lower rate.

Krauter says at Tingo, “We don’t worry if someone else has booked the same trip with the same room with the same dates. We just look at your reservation.”

BOSTON (CBS) – Looking for a last minute gift idea for Mother’s Day?

No worries, we have you covered.

It’s easy to give mom flowers for her big day by why not take it one step further and get your hands dirty at the same time!

Dave Corsetto from Home Depot showed us a terrific vertical garden that isn’t all that hard to make and the end result is sure to make any mom happy.

For a detailed, step-by-step set of instructions just go to this simple how to on Home Depot.com.

Finally we should mention a terrific new program that Home Depot is offering.

It is called Doing Nation, a special spring initiative on Facebook that allows consumers to turn their outdoor projects into cash for a good cause.

The program runs through May 24, 2012, with the potential of up to $125,000 being donated to four nonprofit organizations serving U.S. military veterans and their families: Fisher House Foundation, Operation Homefront, U.S.Vets and Volunteers of America.

To participate, consumers can go to The Home Depot or The Home Depot Foundation’s Facebook page, and choose how many of the six easy and fun outdoor projects they want to tackle.

Once their project is completed, consumers simply upload a photo of their creation and select which organization they would like to receive $100.

The Home Depot Foundation will donate up to $25,000 to each of the four nonprofits for projects completed in their honor, and will double the total amount for the organization that receives the most projects.

The six spring sprucing projects that people can complete to benefit the organizations include:

· Raised Garden Bed: Raised garden beds help homeowners conserve water while growing gorgeous plants, herbs and vegetables.

· Envirotile Porch/Patio: Innovative tiles made from recycled tires are used to create flooring for the ideal patio space.

· Outdoor Chandelier: Hang an outdoor chandelier from the bough of a tree to add a stunning focal point to an outdoor dinner setting.

· Firepit: Pavers and soil are used to create an easy backyard accent that families will love.

· Vertical Garden: A unique project for the backyard or patio, the vertical garden creates a work of art from live goods and flowers.

· Leaning Ladder Garden: Perfect for herbs and small planters, the leaning ladder is a beautiful design project for both large and small spaces.

Each project will have a detailed how-to video highlighted on the Doing Nation Facebook application and consumers can download shopping lists for each project directly to their mobile phones. The how-to videos will also be posted on the company’s YouTube channel.

Fourteen people in nine states got sick, possibly after having contact with dogs that ate the food.

The recall affects several brands.

For more information, including the full list of brands, visit diamondpetrecall.com.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Fausto Menard talks to AAA’s Mary Maguire

AAA Southern New England reports Monday that self-serve, regular has dropped six cents in the past week to an average of $3.76 per gallon.

Find: Your Best Local Gas Prices

Gas has now dropped 13 cents per gallon in three weeks and remains a penny below the national average for the same grade.

The current price is 18 cents below the price at the same time last year.

The range in prices is growing, with self-serve, regular as low as $3.44 a gallon and as high as $3.99.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

BOSTON (CBS) – Chicken and Waffles dripping with hot pepper syrup, old school mac and cheese topped with Ritz crackers, and a burger piled high with just about everything.

There’s only one place serving up food that looks and tastes that good: Trina’s Starlite Lounge, located on the Cambridge-Somerville line.

This laid-back neighborhood hangout specializes in soul-satisfying comfort food, and hand-crafted cocktails, at pocket friendly prices.

Entrees cost around $15, but lots of customers just order a bucket of beers, and snack on small plates like homemade barbecue sweet potato chips with French onion dip, fresh baked cornbread topped with sweet honey butter and thick-cut fries that can be ordered plain, topped with chili, or smothered with rich meaty gravy.

For more food and fun, watch the Phantom Gourmet every Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on myTV 38.

The approximately 150-page bill detailed Friday is designed to reward doctors and hospitals for keeping patients healthy instead of paying them for each operation or service they provide.

It creates a new consumer website with price and quality information categorized by medical procedure to help patients compare hospitals and insurers, while overhauling medical malpractice laws by letting doctors apologize for mistakes without fearing a lawsuit and creating a 180-day “cooling off period” to give both sides a chance to reach a settlement.

The bill would also establish a new quasi-public agency — the Division of Health Care Cost and Quality — to oversee the new law and consolidate the state’s various health care agencies.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

BOSTON (CBS) – Dan Andelman of the Phantom Gourmet visited some authentic Mexican restaurants.

El Centro is a cool new Mexican eatery in Boston’s South End. The guacamole is amped up with chorizo and cheese, the tacos are authentically delicious, and the Carne asada is served with fresh corn tortillas made on site.

The Howling Wolf in Salem, Mass. is a California style taqueria featuring cuisine inspired by the southwest. What started as a simple take-out taco joint has evolved into much more.

Every meal feels like a ‘Cinco de Mayo’ celebration at “La Siesta” in Winthrop, which is known for fresh, home-style Mexican dishes like tortilla crusted shrimp and crab cakes and Chile Rellenos.

Cinco de Mayo is always one of the busiest days of the year at Mexican restaurants and since it’s on a Saturday…it’s gonna be loco.

BOSTON (CBS) – Kenny Wong is pretty handy when it comes to his cars.

“The occasional problem here and there causes us to find ways to fix it on our own and not take it to the shop because of the cost of car repairs,” said Wong.

But, it’s not always easy to know what’s causing the problem when the check engine light pops up.

Cars are so computerized, most mechanics use special devices to diagnose what’s wrong. And now anyone can get their hands on new do-it-yourself diagnostic code readers.

Car MD and Scan Guage II are two of the new Do-It-Yourself diagnostic tools that are affordable and simple to use.

Users just plug the device into the car’s diagnostics port located underneath the steering wheel. The device will then display a code.

After looking up that code online, you can decide if the problem is small enough to handle on your own or if you’ll have to head to the mechanic.

Keep in mind, here in Massachusetts, not all car manufacturers share the meaning behind the codes. So even with those numbers in your hand, you still might not know what’s wrong with your car.

“It doesn’t always lead directly to the answer but if you go to the mechanic at least with some level of knowledge you’re in a better position,” said Dan Edmunds from Edmunds.com.

It’s all in hopes of saving money down the road.

BOSTON (CBS) – One of the fun parts of owning a garden center is getting to preview the newest plant introductions and decide which ones we want to offer our customers for this growing season.

Annuals, perennials, roses, and in almost every category there are new varieties and species of plants each year, and 2012 is no exception!

Here are some of my favorites annuals and perennials for 2012:

ANNUALS

Calibrachoa Superbells Cherry Star

This calibrachoa features a rich cherry color flower petal that is dissected by a bright golden star that runs from the petal’s edge to the center of the flower’s throat. The distinct star pattern is very stable throughout the growing season.

Ornamental Corn Field Of Dreams

This new introduction produces variegated green and white foliage with touches of rose, ‘Field of Dreams’ adds color and structure to large combination pots and accents in the landscape. It produceS ears that are as attractive after the season as the plants were beautiful during the season.

Osteospermum 3D Purple

This is the first double African Daisy! A double row of short lilac-purple petals surround a 3D center of deep mauve to purple. Its blooms stay open day and night making this truly unique and eye-catching. Cut back in late summer to encourage reblooming and improve habit.

PERENNIALS

Heucherella Brass Lantern

Outstanding vigor combined with brassy gold and red spring color on maple shaped leaves. Spikes of white flowers on dark stems. Best color contrast with some shade.

Hosta Goodness Gracious

If you like Hosta ‘Satisfaction’, you will love this new sport with much showier, wider margins. It has all of the great qualities of its parent, including large, heart-shaped leaves and a wide spreading habit.

Iris Germanica Anaconda

This award winning, ruffled pink-purple bitone iris is overlaid with silvery streaks and blotches. Slightly fragrant and makes an excellent cut flower.

Lupinus Tutti Frutti

Tall, thick flower spikes come in a broad range of solid colors and bicolors including some color combinations never seen before. Especially lovely when grown in masses with similar varieties.

These are only a few of the hundreds of new plants for 2012.

Be sure to visit your local garden center to explore all of the exciting new offerings.

Have you heard of Plant Something MA?

This new website is being produced by the Massachusetts Nursery and Landscape Association and Massachusetts Flower Growers’ Association.

The site offers great gardening tips, ideas and current events in gardening in our area!

Various professional gardeners will offer their skills and knowledge to help you learn about plants, how easy it is to add them to your home and why it is important to the environment and to your health to do so.

For more information feel free to contact me at Mark@PembertonFarms.com or follow me on Twitter @MarksGardening.

“It’s been a really easy transition,” said Heather.

They still watch shows they love, like NCIS, but the savings are the best part.  “It’s huge,” said Rob.  “When you added on the cable box, and then to get HD is an extra fee when you can get all the broadcasters over the air in HD.  Right there, that was $20 on top of the regular cable bill just wiped away.”

If you’re willing to use a computer and an antenna, the number of programming choices is exploding.

Steve Giaquinto, a salesman at Percy’s in Worcester, spends a lot of time explaining all those programming options today.

“If you download Netflix, you pay about $8 a month.  They have a full data base of movies, and what you do is stream movies right off their website onto your TV,” he explained.

Websites like Hulu compile many of the popular shows.  Their basic service is free, but you often have to wait a day or two to access a program.

Hulu Plus turns shows around faster, but costs $8 a month.  That is the service the Conroy family uses.   “Occasionally, if there is something that we can’t get anyplace else, we will buy it on iTunes and we will hook up our iPod to our TV,” said Rob.

Using these types of services with high speed Internet, and an HD antenna for free access to networks like CBS, and the savings can really add up.

“We are talking hundreds of dollars annually, you know $70-$80 a month for the average person,” added Giaquinto.

While any family budget would welcome that windfall, Emerson College professor David Gerzof Richard says there are some important considerations.

“The first question you want to ask is how quickly do I need to see the content? On cable, you get it when it broadcasts.  Can you wait?” asked Gerzof Richard.

“It’s really difficult with these platforms to be able to get live sports.  There is a lot of licensing involved here,” added Gerzof Richard.

These are small trade-offs for the Conroys.  They’re happy with the choices they have, and even happier with the savings.

“That’s formula for a baby, or that’s a good shop at Target,” said Heather.

AAA Southern New England reports Monday that self-serve, regular has dipped three cents in the past week and seven cents in the past two weeks to an average of $3.82 per gallon.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Fausto Menard talks to AAA’s Megan Maguire about gas prices:

Pump Watch: Local Gas Price Finder

The current price is a penny higher than the national average and 12 cents below the price in Massachusetts a year ago.

AAA found self-serve, regular as low as $3.65 per gallon and as high as $3.99.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

BOSTON (CBS) – Online reviews can be a great way to research a new restaurant or store, but some owners think what’s getting posted isn’t always fair.

Some of these establishments are now fighting fire with fire.

Eric Winick shared his opinions online after going out to eat. The sushi was delicious, but the service was slow. The response back from the restaurant was fast, however. They asked Eric to take the post down.

“He said something along the lines of trying to make a go of it in this area and that we all have families to feed. He sort of tried to prey upon my sympathies,” explained Winick.

More counterattacks to bad reviews are now being launched. One restaurant in Atlanta even went on Twitter and Facebook to respond to a blogger who had given a bad review.

Patrick O’Malley, a social media expert from Malden, says these businesses know how damaging a viral campaign can be. “A single person can now go home and get on Facebook and tell 500-1,000 people what they think of your restaurant.”

That impact can be immense. The Harvard Business School found a one star rating increase on a Yelp review can lead to a 5%-9% increase in revenue for an independent restaurant.

Zalmi Duchman, founder of www.TheFreshDiet.com, says this phenomenon has changed the way they do business.

They now take an active role against negative reviews, asking them to be taken down. Duchman tries to explain to customers the effect of their post might be more negative than they realize.

“We’ve found in the past the faster you react to the customer, the better chance you’re going to have to get that customer to remove their negative review because they see you take their comments and their feedback seriously,” explained Duchman.

Some business experts say this back and forth dialogue can ultimately create a connection to the customer. And a simple apology might also get a customer to take a second chance.

BOSTON (CBS) – The Phantom recently purchased four brands of tomato sauce with cheese at a local supermarket. The slow simmered contenders were Barilla, Bertolli, Francesco Rinaldi, and Prego.

Which one made it to the top of the food chain?

Prego Three Cheese finished in last place. This lackluster sauce had a thin consistency and an even thinner flavor. Worst of all, Phantom tasted virtually no cheese whatsoever. Prego may mean ‘you’re welcome’ in Italian, but Phantom just says ‘no thanks’ to this sauce.

Bertolli Five Cheese was another disappointment. With two more cheeses than the other competitors, Phantom had high hopes for this brand. Unfortunately all Bertolli delivered was a thin sauce with way to much salt and acidity.

The runner up is Francesco Rinaldi Three Cheese. This sauce scored points for its thick consistency, and big chunks of tomatoes in every bite. But when it came to flavor, it was way too sweet, which might be okay for kids, but not for Phantom.

At the top of the food chain is Barilla Formaggi Three Cheese. This thick sauce hit all the right notes. The ricotta gave it a creamy consistency, while the Romano and Parmesan imparted an earthiness that tasted most like homemade. That’s why Barilla Formaggi Three Cheese tomato sauce is at the top of the food chain.

BOSTON (CBS) – It may be the most powerful tool on Facebook. The “Like” button is the key to saving money at all kinds of retailers.

Jennifer Remis of South Boston is getting married in June and she has been shopping quite a bit over the past few months. She’s also a bargain hunter and that’s where Facebook comes in. “I actually follow quite a few on Facebook,” she said.

After liking Lord &Taylor, she saw a post for a huge sale and got a great deal on a dress for her rehearsal dinner. “My dress got marked down 40% and I ended up saving like $200 on it,” she said.

“It’s definitely worth it for a consumer to “friend” or “like” a brand on Facebook,” explained social media expert and Emerson College Professor Dave Gerzof Richard. But he warns some brands, like friends, are better than others when it comes to Facebook. “You have those friends who are constantly updating with junk,” he said

So who offer the best deals? We followed a dozen retailers for more than a month and here’s what we found.

Like Jennifer, we too found great deals at Lord &Taylor. They posted a friends and family sale that offered 25% off most everything and 10% of cosmetics, which are rarely discounted. Another post alerted us to a sale offering 40% off already reduced shoes.

Next on our list is Kohl’s. The department store offered a coupon code for 20% off everything. Another post offered 15% off all golf attire. They also have what they call flash sales. One-day deals on all kinds of different things. We saw one for a pair of Candies pumps marked down from $59.99 to $19.99.

A favorite of the younger crowd, Abercrombie and Fitch consistently posts discounts. They posted 30% off all shorts and 25% all new summer styles.

For every day needs, try CVS, The drug store posts cash back offers like a $10 cash back card for spending $30 dollars on certain items.

If you are hungry, try liking Quiznos. That’s all it takes to get a free sub. Also, Boloco, a local company has given away literally t housands of free burritos to Facebook followers.

Experts suggest liking only the brands you actually like, otherwise your newsfeed will end up looking the ad section of the Sunday paper.

BOSTON (CBS) – Paying household bills each month can be painful and many people might be paying more than they should.

Once a year, Chantay Bridges does her own version of a telethon. She calls every service provider she uses, including those for her cell phone, cable, insurance, and credit cards. She wants to make sure she is getting the best deal possible.

“I remind them of our credit scores. I remind them of our loyalty,” she said.

Some financial advisers even suggest calling a couple of times a year.

University of Hartford business professor Mitchell Weiss says companies don’t want to lose good customers. “It costs money to get them,” he explained. “It costs money to keep them. Why would you want to turn that over to a competitor?”

Roblee Hoffman, a personal finance administrator from Lexington, estimates a family can save $200-$1,200 a year renegotiating existing service contracts.

The first step is to review all monthly bills and then place calls to each of those companies.

Experts say a phone call is the most effective means of negotiating.

When you make that call, have 2-3 months’ worth of bills handy so you are precise about what you pay.

Don’t be afraid to remind companies who you are, said Hoffman. “Be a great customer. A great customer is one who has been with a company for a fair number of years and pays their bills on or before the due date and pays the full balance. “

It can be frustrating to call those 800 numbers and get the right person, or any person, on the line. But getting angry isn’t helpful. The best tact is to stay professional.

Hoffman added, “The only time to get confrontational or say to a company that you’re going to go to another service is when you’ve prepared it ahead of time and done your research to know there are other services available at greater cost savings.”

Chantay follows these rules and says it pays off. “It’s worth your time, and it’s worth your money.”

BOSTON (CBS) – As summer 2012 kicks into high gear, traffic over the bridge will be buzzing and Cape Cod beaches will be full of tourists. Summer rentals are up so you better book now.

Elizabeth Weedon from WeNeedaVacation.com says, “bookings are up 15 percent over the same period last year and last year was a strong year too.”

But there is still plenty of inventory available. Weedon says vacationers should think outside the box to find exactly what they’re looking for, for the right price.

“Joining forces with family or friends, if you want to be on the water, consider fresh water, a lake or pond front home,” says Weedon.

For under $3,500 dollars a week, a family of seven can grab a lake home in South Yarmouth, or a home in Dennis that goes for $1,200 a week. “It has three bedrooms and accommodates six people with one bathroom,” says Weedon. “It’s not on the beach but if you’re on the Cape you’re not far, this one is two miles from the beach.”

If summer prices are too expensive consider vacationing during the off seasons like June and September.

“They are beautiful times to be on the Cape and Islands,” says Weedon, “you find so many great prices the water is still warm.”

And still just as much shopping and activities to do as the peak season.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Fausto Menard talks to AAA’s Mary Maguire

AAA Southern New England reports that the price of self-serve, regular gasoline dropped four cents in the past week to an average of $3.85 per gallon.

The current price matches the national average and is still nine cents per gallon more than a month ago.

Pump Patrol: Find Cheapest Gas Prices Near You

AAA found self-serve, regular selling for as low as $3.73 a gallon to as high as $3.99.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

BOSTON (CBS) – The Phantom Gourmet recently purchased four bags of cheese-flavored potato chips at a local supermarket.

The contenders were Kettle, Lay’s, Pringles, and Ruffles.

Ruffles cheddar and sour cream was Phantom’s least favorite. This brand is famous for its ridges, which make it the ideal chip for dipping, but when it comes to flavor, Phantom was underwhelmed. The bag boasts that these chips are made with real cheddar, but Phantom just wishes they used a little more of it.

Next up is Kettle cheddar and sour cream. These earthy krinkle cuts are extra thick, giving this chip the best crunch of the bunch. Unfortunately, the cheese is hard to see, and even harder to taste.

The runner-up is Pringles cheddar cheese. Packaged in that classic tube that Phantom can just barely fit his purple glove into, these ‘potato crisps’ are shockingly orange. Their parabolic shape is a favorite of nerds everywhere, but their processed flavor make Pringles the fast food of the snack world, not that that’s such a bad thing.

At the top of the food chain is Lay’s. This chip had everything Phantom was looking for. The cheddar, sour cream, and potato flavors were all well-represented, and the light and airy texture made him want to devour the entire bag.

For more food and fun, watch the Phantom Gourmet every Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on myTV 38.

The 6-day cruise is the first of 22 weekly cruises from Boston to the popular tourist destination.

Cruiseport Boston at Black Falcon Cruise Terminal sees more than 300,000 passengers pass through each year.

Read: Five Things To Do In Boston’s Fort Point, Seaport Neighborhood

Cruise destinations out of Boston include Bermuda, the Caribbean, Canada, and Europe. Boston is also a port of call stop on a New England/Canada cruise.

The 2012 cruise season runs from April to November.

Saturday, the MBTA announced that mobile ticketing will soon be available on the commuter rail. The system will be the first of its kind in the US.

Commuter rail riders will be able to download an app. for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry that allows them to purchase and store commuter rail tickets and passes right on their phones. The mobile tickets will have bar codes on them to avoid counterfeiting and fare evasion.

App users won’t have to print anything out. They can just display the tickets right on their phones.

Monthly pass holders will be able to link a CharlieCard to their pass allowing them “tap-in” instead of using magnetic tickets for the MBTA subway and bus systems.

A pilot program will launch this summer and the mobile passes are expected to be available to all MBTA customers this fall.

The MBTA says it expects the app to reduce costs by eliminating the need for additional vending machines and lowering cash handling costs.

Masabi US Ltd, a transit mobile ticketing company, says this is their first mobile Ticketing system in the U.S.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Carl Stevens reports.

Well, on Sunday, several retail stores will begin selling that bulb, made by Philips, in honor of Earth Day. All you need is $60. For one bulb.

The LED light bulb, which won a $10 million government contest, emits the same amount of light that a standard  incandescent 60-watt bulb does, but uses just 10 watts of power.

The bulb, if used three hours per day, is designed to last 27 years and save up to 80% in energy costs. So, is it worth it?

Local consumers told WBZ NewsRadio 1030 that $60 is just a bit too pricey.

“Because it’s $60 for a light bulb. That’s a lot of money!” said a woman. “My light bulbs last a long time, and they’re not $60.”

(Photo From Bulbs.com)

“I think that’s way overpriced, and even light bulbs that’s supposed to last a long time generally don’t. They usually blow out for some electrical reason or whatnot,” said a man.

The light bulb won the “L-Prize” competition, which was launched when President George W. Bush signed The Energy Independence and Security Act into law in 2007. The legislation challenged companies to come up with alternatives to one of the biggest energy-wasters: the 60-watt incandescent lamp.

BOSTON (CBS) – It can be a hard balance: work and family.

For Christine Silva, it proved to be too much.

“I was constantly exhausted. I felt like I was never able to keep up,” says Silva.

To regain control of her life, Christine hired a wellness coach.

“Within the first session I realized this is not about just getting exercise. It was about how do I see myself and where do I want to be,” explains Silva.

Unlike personal trainers, who concentrate on physical fitness, a wellness coach takes a more holistic approach, focusing on both the body and the mind.

They meet clients one-on-one and help them create an individualized health plan.

“The coach is really trained to help you take a bigger picture of you over all aspects of your health and wellness. And then come up with a formula that combines all of these things together,” says Margaret Moore CEO of Wellcoaches Corporation.

Of course, hiring the right coach is key. Right now there is no national certification for wellness coaches. So, experts suggest you ask a lot of questions especially to find out all the fees up front.

The medical community is taking notice of this new trend. A limited pilot program from Harvard Vanguard allows patients with health problems to try a coach at no charge.

BOSTON (CBS) – Most people are trying to eat healthier, and more products than ever are promising to help them do just that.

The challenge is figuring out which claims are real, and which ones are hype.

It seems like every item promises to be organic, all natural, or full of fiber.

Consumer advocates like Kevin Tuerff believe shoppers are often getting played. “They’re relying on these companies and what’s on the label and what’s on the TV ad, and they believe it to be true and often it’s not. That’s what we call leanwashing and it’s wrong.”

Tuerff created the “Leanwashing Index” so consumers can help one another sort through the marketing clutter. It’s similar to the “Greenwashing Index” he developed to call attention to bogus environmental claims.

Consumers can upload TV ads for food products which make health claims onto www.leanwashingindex.com. “There are 5-6 different questions that you rank and it comes up with an overall score. In this case, it is like playing golf; the lower the score the better,” explained Tuerff.

For example, the Weight Watcher ads with Jennifer Hudson score pretty well in terms of making truthful claims. Those about a new brand of cookie which is vitamin fortified pretty much flunks.

The scores are all generated by users, not experts. The goal is to empower consumers and get them to spread the word on social media.

It was that type of movement which prompted many stores to stop selling “Pink Slime” in ground beef.

Right now the federal government allows food manufacturers to say pretty much anything they want about their product. Edgar Dworsky of www.consumerworld.org explained, “The Food and Drug Administration has some regulations, but it’s really a patchwork. For example, they have rules about low sodium and low fat, but they don’t have rules about saying all natural or organic.”

Tuerff believes those advertising standards put shoppers at a disadvantage. “You believe this is fortified with vitamins or this is all natural and it’s really not, it’s really a type of fraud,” he added.

AAA Southern New England reports Monday that self-serve, regular rose for the fifth consecutive week and is now selling for an average of $3.89 per gallon.

The current price is 16 cents higher than at the same time a year ago and 23 cents more than at the same time a year ago.

AAA Southern New England’s Mary Maguire talks to WBZ NewsRadio 1030

The price in Massachusetts is a penny lower than the national average.

AAA found self-serve, regular selling for as low as $3.78 and as high as $3.99.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

FAIRHAVEN (CBS) – There’s nothing the Phantom Gourmet loves more than getting a good meal, at a great price.

And at The Pasta House in Fairhaven, Mass, that’s exactly what they’ve been providing for over thirty years.

They have classic Italian cuisine and all kinds of incredible sauces.

And over the past decade, owner Mario Ribiero and family have completely renovated this landmark restaurant, while staying true to its roots.

“Being The Pasta House, you have to have a lot of pasta. For string pasta we have linguine, fettucini… angel hair… a lot of raviolis, tortelloni, tortellini, so we have plenty of pasta. But other than pasta, we also have a lot of beef, veal, chicken, fresh seafood,” said Ribiero.

There’s a family-style atmosphere in the dining room, and family-style dinners at every table.

Instead of your standard appetizer platter, the antipasto here is served on skewers.

Meatballs the size of your fist are boosted with big slabs of garlic bread.

There are twelve-inch fire-deck pizzas and four cheese lasagna layered with meat sauce, ricotta, fontina, parmesan and mozzarella.

And everything comes with fresh bread, soup, salad, and sides.

The only bigger value than cooking at your house, is dining at The Pasta House.

For more food and fun, watch the Phantom Gourmet every Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on myTV 38.

The struggling electronics chain said last month that it would close the stores, cut 400 corporate jobs and trim $800 million in costs.

On Saturday, the company notified workers at two stores in Wareham and Boston’s neighborhood of Back Bay that they are among 42 locations that will be closed.

The company has already closed two stores this year. Most of the rest will close May 12, others this summer. Best Buy says it will try to find other jobs in the company for the workers.

Best Buy said CEO Brian Dunn resigned on Tuesday after the board of directors began investigating his “personal conduct.”

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

BOSTON (CBS) – With gas prices on the rise, some people are looking to cut the costs of getting around. They’re saying goodbye to car ownership, and hello to car sharing.

Matty Griffiths doesn’t own a car, but gets one when he needs to visit family, or do errands for work. He uses ZipCar.

Services like ZipCar are growing fast. Drivers get a vehicle by the hour, or by the day, with gas and insurance included.

“A typical Zipster is looking for cost savings,” said Ellice Preze, a company spokeswoman. “They’re looking for simplicity, convenience, and we provide all those things with gas, insurance, and a reserved parking space being included.”

Those parking spots evolve from partnerships like the one they have in Brookline, a community where car sharing makes sense. It is near public transportation and busy commercial areas.

“Car sharing is a great option for those who bike, walk, take public transportation and sometimes they need a car,” said Chris Hamilton, a municipal official from Arlington Virginia.

Other companies are now trying to compete with ZipCar. Hertz is adding a service called, “On Demand.” Daimler’s “Car2Go” is adding more cities as well.

There is also a growing market of peer to peer car sharing. Startups like “Relay Rides” and “Getaround” let drivers rent from neighbors.

BOSTON (CBS) - Three out of ten taxpayers are unaware they’re taking home more money due to the payroll tax cut, says a survey by Boston-based John Hancock Financial Services.

That’s up slightly from 2011, when 26 percent didn’t realize their take-home pay had a bit more money.

The survey also found that about 20 percent of taxpayers think they’ll spend that money instead of saving it, compared to 12 percent last year.

Those saying they’ll save that extra money fell to 22 percent compared to 29 percent last year.

One in five of those surveyed said they’d use the extra cash to pay down debt, the same as last year.

One in seven said they’d increased their retirement plan contribution at work, while ten percent invested in a retirement plan outside the workplace.

Of taxpayers getting a refund, nearly half said they’d put the cash in a savings account, while 25 percent said they’d pay down debt.

One in five said they’d spend the refund, the same as in 2011, and 18 percent said they’d put the refund toward their retirement plan outside of work.

Of those spending their refund checks, just over half said they’d take a nice vacation.

More than a quarter will buy basic household items, 19 percent will buy entertainment items, and 16 percent will spend it on home improvements.

Just 13 percent will spend the money on a luxury item, while 8 percent said they’d make a big ticket purchase like a car.

About 53 percent said they expected to receive a Federal refund, and about 30 percent said they expected to owe Uncle Sam. Of those, 84 percent said they’d pay the taxes due from checking or savings accounts.

The findings were drawn from the quarterly John Hancock Investor Sentiment Index survey, conducted by independent research firm Mathew Greenwald & Associates.

A total of 1,006 investors were surveyed Feb. 13 to Feb. 24, 2012.

To qualify, respondents were required to participate in some of their household’s financial decision-making process and have a household income of at least $75,000 with assets of $100,000.

The margin of error is plus or minus 3.15 percentage points.

Lisa van der Pool of the Boston Business Journal can be seen weekdays at 6 a.m. on WBZ-TV.

You can follow Lisa on Twitter at @lvanderpool.