Posts tagged with "bbb"

Village Voice × Goldco

Founded in 1955, the Village Voice was the nation’s first alternative newsweekly and maintains their high-spirited, and passionate journalism today to give its readers the latest local, national and entertainment news.

Village Voice’s mix of in-depth newswriting and reporting provides readers with a unique look at New York’s vibrant culture and this indispensable perspective has earned them three Pulitzer Prizes, along with many other notable awards.

They have now published a detailed Goldco review, which highlights how the gold IRA company has earned its reputation as the best overall precious metals company, due to its great customer service, low fees and large selection of highly rated customer reviews.

Receive The Gold Standard At Goldco

At the Village Voice you can find their Goldco Precious Metals review which not only features the company’s important pros and cons that you should consider, but also provides you with what investing in a gold IRA (Investment Retirement Account) entails, including the minimum investment cost and the selection of other precious metals (such as, silver, platinum and palladium) that you can invest in.

Goldco was founded in 2006 and is a very well-established, full-service gold and precious metals company based in Woodland Hills, California. They specialize in precious metals IRAs and are an excellent company if you are considering a gold IRA rollover or want to establish a new gold IRA.

With their business model and relationships built wholly on trust, as well as the rapport between their gold and silver experts and their clients, you can be assured that you will receive expert advice, including videos and e-books, to help you build up the perfect precious metals portfolio to reach your financial goals.

As shown in the in-depth review by the Village Voice at https://www.villagevoice.com/2022/05/10/goldco-review/, Goldco has received an A+ BBB rating with the Better Business Bureau and a Triple A rating from the Business Consumer Alliance that are based on positive reviews from customers regarding ethical business practices and reliability. On top of these impressive ratings, Goldco also has over 600 reviews and 4.8/5 stars on Trustpilot that supports their excellent customer service and commitment to protect your IRA for a long time.

Investing in gold and other precious metals can diversify and stabilize your portfolio, help protect your income when you retire and safeguard your investment capital from stock market volatility and runaway government spending.

Along with these positives in precious metal investing, there are several key benefits in choosing Goldco as your gold IRA company, such as:

  • Client Focused – Compared to other precious metal IRA companies, Goldco places emphasis on educating their clients on precious metal investment by supplying educational materials and professional advice, so that you can make an informed decision. Not only this, but their knowledgeable team will listen to your financial goals and work together with you to help select the best investment to suit your specific needs.
  • Wide Range of Precious Metals – By offering a wide range of different precious metals, from gold, silver, palladium to platinum, Goldco can advise you on which will be the most advantageous metal to maximize your investment.
  • Experience – Goldco has been working with gold and silver IRAs for over 15 years and use this experience to stay on top of market trends and offer reliable and expert advice to their clients.
Container House by Heather Skovlund for 360 Magazine

5 Useful Tips When Hiring a Garage Door Repair Company

When it comes to something as important as your home, you don’t want to get into the risk of hiring the wrong garage door repair company. The outcome can be costly and can pose a danger to your family too. Unfortunately, several garage door repair companies are not qualified to properly handle the job. With that in mind, it is therefore essential for you to know what to look for when hiring a garage door repair company.

Regardless of the kind of company you are dealing in, there will always be individuals or companies that will want to take advantage of the uninformed customer. This poses more risk when it comes to a more technical field, such as garage door repairs. Below are the tips to help you distinguish between a trusted and a manipulative company:

Tips for Choosing a Garage Repair Company

·       Look for Critical Information

·       Get different Bids

·       Seek Recommendation from Your Trusted people

·       Check the BBB ranging

·       Be Aware of Red Flags

1. Look for Critical Information

When considering having a garage door repair company, you always need to do enough research. You need to seek out and verify critical information. Some of the information you need to seek out about the hurricane garage doors include its physical address, online presence, and the company’s online reputation.

Any reputable company has got physical address listed down on their online platform. You need to verify its location provided is correct. Any great company should have an online presence. It doesn’t matter the website’s quality, but a company without a website should be of worry. Another thing is online reputation. Consider checking the online reviews of the given garage door repair company. It can be useful if you combine all of this information; it should provide you with a good idea of whether or not the company is good.

2. Get Different Bids

Any time you require a professional to do any work for you, getting many bids is significant. Having all this should provide you with a clue of the industry’s market value for any given task. It will also help you know whether or not you are signing up for a good deal. Ensure you compare the rate of various companies having similar features on their rates of payment. If they offer a warranty or they have 24hours service. Also, check if they use the sub-contracts or the technicians who the company employs. All this information is essential when comparing different offers. Don’t always go for services that are priced very cheap. This is because it may signify its low quality and shoddy work.

3. Seek Recommendations

The best way to get a reputable garage door repair company is by seeking recommendations from friends, family, and neighbors. There is a high chance that you are aware of someone who has had the kind of work done in the past. A referral or a positive warning can help you in your search for a reputable garage door repair company. The advantage of seeking recommendations from people you know is that there is no skin in the game. You will receive upfront and honest feedback.  This is because they don’t want to damage their relationship with you by giving lousy directions. They also have no benefit from sending you to the company. Due to all this, there is no reason for them to provide you with erroneous information.

4. Check the BBB Ratings

The best way to find a reputable garage door repair company is by checking the rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Before you consider a company, you need to go to the BBB website and search for their name. You will be able to see through reviews and complaints about the company. Always go for a company that has been highly rated and accredited for a long time.

5. Be Aware of Red Flags

To avoid falling into the trap of an untrustworthy company, always take notice of the red flags, for instance, when a company excessively does advertising and multiple company names. Any garage door repair company needs to advertise, but doing excessively may be a cause for concern. There should be consistency in name in the area of advertising, website, and phone calls.

Finding the right company to do your garage door repair will be very easy when you master the above tips. You need to properly verify if hurricane garage doors properly qualify for the task. This is to help avoid the risk of incurring additional costs due to repletion or shoddy work.

COVID 19 by Symara Wilson for 360 Magazine, Covid Travel restriction

Coronavirus Mutations × U.S. Travel Restrictions

By: Emily Bunn

A breaking news article featured in The New York Times announced that the United States will be imposing a mandatory requirement for negative COVID-19 test results from all incoming, international travelers. The requirement for proof of a negative test in order to fly will begin Tuesday, January 25th.

The CDC has ordered for all travelers to provide proof of a negative test taken no more than 3 days before their travels. Without documentation of a negative test or documentation of recovery supplemented with a letter from a health care provider or public health official, passengers will be prohibited to fly.

The United States is not the only country to be putting in place tighter travel regulations. Due to new mutations of the virus, many countries are adopting stricter border protocol. The New York Times reports:

“Even as the United States moved to impose travel restrictions, citing the danger of the fast-moving variants, a case of the variant spreading in Brazil was identified in Minnesota.”

Variations of the virus in Brazil and South Africa, due to international travel, both pose the threat of COVID-19 mutating. If the virus does mutate, it is potential that the new strain of such will be unreactive to current vaccination efforts.

The New York Times reports that Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, an adviser to President Biden, has commented: “With the world travel that you have, and the degree of transmissibility efficiency, it’s not surprising.” Further, President Biden has broadcasted a ban on travel by all non-citizens into the United States from South Africa, the U.K., Ireland, and 26 other European countries.

An article published today on AP News reported that in attempts to increase vaccination efforts, President Biden announced that his administration is planning to purchase 100 million doses of each of the approved coronavirus vaccines–Pfizer and Moderna. Vaccination deliveries to states will be surged for the next three weeks. The Biden administration has announced that they plan to vaccinate 300 million citizens by the end of summer, as reported by The New York Times.

The President, in a White House briefing on January 26th, commented on importance of increasing vaccination supplies to help Americans:

“And to a nation waiting for action, let me be clearest on this point: Help is on the way.  We can do this if we come together, if we listen to the scientists.”

These efforts come at an especially critical time, as the global number of coronavirus cases has surpassed 100 million, reports The Wall Street Journal. However, that has been recent speculation regarding the accuracy of that number. In New York, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration has been accused of undercounting the amount of coronavirus deaths that occurred at nursing homes. A report released by Letitia James, the Attorney General of New York, shows that the coronavirus death count appears to have been cut by approximately 50 percent. The report compares the number of facility deaths publicized by the Department of Health–1,229 deaths, versus the number of facility deaths reported the Office of Attorney General–1,914 deaths. This staggering discrepancy between reported deaths has spurred suspicion against Cuomo, and the Office of Attorney General (OAG) is conducting an on-going investigation concerning the cause of these variances.

However, there is still hope. In Los Angeles, Governor Gavin Newsom rescinded the county’s stay-at-home order this past Monday, reports The Los Angeles Times. This new jurisdiction will allow for all counties in California to return to the four-tier, colored-coded system of assessing coronavirus risk. Lifting the imposed stay-at-home order could allow for the reopening of personal care services and outdoor dining. While LA has been particularly hard hit by coronavirus, the city actually has a higher vaccination rate than most other comparable cities in the U.S. The New York Times reports that “83 percent of the doses the city has received have been administered, compared with 74 percent in New York City; 52 percent in Bexar County, which includes San Antonio; and 58 percent of the doses ordered in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix.”

While the coronavirus situation is still being closely tracked and monitored, hospitalizations and the number of patients in ICUs have been steadily declining. With hospitalizations at their national lowest since December 13th and an increase in vaccination efforts, there is progress to be recognized, despite current setbacks and uncertainties.

Despite progress in vaccination efforts and decreasing corona virus cases, new virus mutations pose critical cause for concern. In countries across the Asia-Pacific region, a new, more infectious variant–the Delta variant–is causing stay-at-home orders to be again put into place. This new variant was first identified in India, and has quickly been spreading. As restrictions begin yet again, countries across the globe are grappling with the harrowing fate that the pandemic is far from over.

In some major Australian cities, such as Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, and Darwin, residents have been forced into strict lockdowns. Flights are even being banned due to the new threat, with Hong Kong barring British entry. Indefinite stay-at-home orders were extended by the Malaysian government on Monday. In Malaysia, the new variant is especially threatening, as only 6% of the country’s residents are fully vaccinated, reports the New York Times.

India has faced a devastating, major second wave of coronavirus due to the Delta Plus variant, a sub-lineage of the Delta variant. This past spring, the dangerous variant caused thousands of deaths per day, and forced residents into partial stay-at-home orders, yet again. Much like in Malaysia, in India only 5% of the population is fully vaccinated. In fear of a third wave of the virus, Maharashtra’s chief minister, Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, has authorized the use of a fourth vaccine in an attempt to increase vaccination supplies.

In good news, the Covid-19 vaccination is largely effective against the new Delta variant. However, this Delta variant is 50 percent more contagious than several of the other variants of concern, such as the Alpha variant.

As countries continue reopening, people look toward high vaccination rates to change the coronavirus game. In the U.S. and Britain, officials are planning to, or already have, lift most pandemic restrictions. White House secretary, Jen Psaki, recently announced that the United States would send two million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to Peru. Additionally, the U.S. looks to send 2.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine to Pakistan. A third shipment of 1.5 million Moderna vaccination doses will be sent to Honduras from the United States.

Looking ahead to this weekend, July 30-Aug 1, 2021, the return of  a major musical festival threatens a super-spreader event. The highly infectious variant of COVID-19 has again created a surge in the number of recent coronavirus cases. As festival fans migrate to Chicago for Lollapalooza – the first of which held since 2019 – the Windy City braces for the potentially devastating impact.

Fortunately, the festival is taking several precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. All attendees must be fully vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of event entry. However, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns that not all guests will be honest about meeting these requirements.

The head of the BBB, Steve Bernas, warns of the potential for festival scammers who fabricate fake vaccine cards and negative test results. “We anticipate a double whammy this year not only the tickets but also the vaccine cards,” Bernas said in a statement. “The scammers will be out in full force.” He continues, cautioning ticket buyers to be on high-alert: “Just like finding tickets, there are countless ways for consumers to find vaccinations cards online, with online marketplaces, ticket sellers, resellers and the like…and unfortunately, some of them are rip-offs”

One of Chicago’s top coronavirus experts, Dr. Emily Landon, also weighed in on the weekend’s festivities. She argues that Lollapalooza’s 72-hour testing window is too lenient, and that the city is inviting in a massive spike of cases by holding the concert. NBC Chicago reports that Dr. Emily Landon commented, “Lolla has let us down with respect to how vigorously they’re restricting people based on the things that they sort of initially told us (about how) ‘we’re going to be really strict’ and now it’s like they’ve lightened up quite considerably on checking vaccines and negative tests.”

Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady expressed concerns similar to Dr. Emily Landon’s. Recognizing the importance of getting vaccinated, she commented the following in a coronavirus update last week: “We want people to have a good time and we want this to be as safe as it can be…And so certainly we’ll be watching that just as we do any other gathering, but I am more concerned about the many people who have not chosen the COVID vaccine.”

Still, Chicago’s mayor and top doctor still haven’t wavered their support for the much-loved music festival. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot expressed her desire the event to occur as safely as possible, though she didn’t comment on the recent uptick in case numbers and coronavirus hospitalizations. NBC 5 Chicago reports on the current coronavirus statistics in the city:

“Chicago’s average daily number of new cases rose to 130 per day early Monday – a 76% jump compared to last week. The city’s average daily case rate was at 90 per day last week and 41 per day the week before that, meaning it’s more than tripled in roughly three weeks. However, it is still significantly lower than the more than 700 cases per day the city was seeing earlier this year and last, before vaccines were widely available.”

Additional safety measures, including mandatory mask-wearing on public transport, will also be enforced. The Chicago Transit Authority is offering reduced ticket rates this weekend for Lollapalooza travelers.

As Summer winds down, COVID-19 cases are beginning to rise yet again. Several virus variants, including the new Lambda variant, are causing major concern among Americans. In an attempt to quell concern, several cities have launched vaccine passport programs.

Across the United States, metropolitan hubs including New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans are requiring residents to show proof of vaccination before entering indoor spaces. That means that visiting gyms, concerts, restaurants, and more will require citizens to have both of their required vaccination shots. Vaccine passports are not being put in place to stop public gatherings, but are intended to creater safer enviroments outside of one’s home.

However, many Americans are opting to stay indoors yet again, thanks to new variant threats. The Lambda variant, which was first detected in Peru and is quckly spreading through South America, is causing concern among citizens. The New York Times reports that “On June 14, the World Health Organization designated it as a “variant of interest,” meaning, essentially, that experts suspect it could be more dangerous than the original strain.

However, it has been reported that the Lambda variant is likely not as contagious as other deadly virus mutuations, like the Delta variant. And fortunately, the Lambda variant is able to be combatted by the vaccines that have currently rolled out across the U.S. The New York Times records the climbing numbers of the Lambda variant, “As of mid-June, Lambda had been reported in 29 countries, territories or areas, according to a June 15 update from the W.H.O. The variant had been detected in 81 percent of coronavirus samples sequenced in Peru since April, and 31 percent of those in Chile to date, the agency said.” However, assessing the virus has been difficult due to Latin America’s limited ability to conduct geonomic surveillance and follow-up laboratory studies, reports the NYT. Scientists and medical professionals around the world are currently conducting research to better understand this new variant and its implications.

HotelPlanner’s Delta Variant Coverage:

America’s comeback is in jeopardy. The Delta variant is surging, prompting concerns that we need another lockdown. Travel executives are already huddling, discussing potential next steps to both protect guests and their businesses’ bottom lines. Americans were traveling in record numbers, and people are wondering if this could slow down the sector. How could the Delta variant, and other emerging variants, impact travel?

“We are watching the rapid uptick in Delta variant case infections closely, says Tim Hentschel, Co-Founder and CEO of HotelPlanner. “Although some families may choose to curtail their summer travel plans, we remain confident that the vast majority of Americans who were planning to travel this summer will keep their plans, while exercising more caution with crowds and destination selection. For those who are already vaccinated, the Delta variant shouldn’t be a deterrent to summer travel because they should be protected.”

ABOUT HOTELPLANNER

HotelPlanner is a leading travel technology company that combines proprietary artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities, and a 24/7 global gig-based reservations and customer service network, to quickly and seamlessly serve all traveler hotel & accommodation needs from a single platform.

HotelPlanner is one of the world’s top providers of individual, group, and corporate travel bookings, specializing in unique “Closed User Group” discount rates.

Founded in 2004, HotelPlanner has enduring partnerships with the world’s largest Online Travel Agencies, well-known hotel chains, individual hotels, online wedding providers, ancillary lodging providers, corporations, sports franchises, universities, and government agencies.