Planning a trip? Some food for thought: CBC’s Marketplace consumer cheat sheet

If you’ve been too busy to follow the consumer news this week, here’s our cheat sheet. And you can get the Marketplace newsletter in your inbox every week.

Booked a flight? Check your tickets

Air Canada may have cancelled yours without warning. A number of customers say it happened to them. One woman found out when she noticed a refund for her trip to Hong Kong on her credit card statement. The problem seems to be the airline’s fraud detection system, which may be rejecting valid credit charges.

The future is female

Some of the Lady Drive-Her team of female taxi drivers. (Steve Berry/CBC)

In this case, it is for airport taxis in Halifax. Lady Drive-Her has all-women drivers and targets female passengers. “Some women feel more comfortable … being driven by a woman,” says the founder. But not everyone is happy about the new taxi service. It’s drawing opposition from male drivers who say it encourages fear and discrimination.

Who’s delivering your dinner?

UberEats delivered a mouldy sandwich. (Anna Kotlikova/Facebook)

Imagine this: You decide to order in after a long day at work. But when your food arrives, instead of a cheesy pizza, you discover mouldy sandwiches in a brown bag. That’s what this Toronto-area couple says happened when they ordered through UberEats. As for why? It remains a mouldy mystery.

Unscheduled stops on ‘direct’ flights

Air Transat passengers say they booked a direct flight, but it stopped anyway. (Mike Hillman/CBC)

Air Transat passengers say it’s happening to them all too frequently. They book direct, but once in the air the plane makes an unexpected stop to “refuel,” causing what can be major delays. Side note: Air Transat uses Flair Air to handle some of its flights — a company that just bought up discount flight seller NewLeaf.

What else is going on?

• The week in recalls: Heads up parents, this travel bassinette doesn’t meet Canadian regulations. If you have a swimming pool, this motor could pose an electrical shock hazard. And there’s another flour recall: this brand could be contaminated with E. coli.
• Tellers tell all: Former bank employees told a parliamentary committee they are under pressure to sell Canadians products they don’t need to turn a better profit.
• Internet access: The CRTC declared internet access a vital service, and now some are calling on the regulator to mandate affordable plans. The good news? At least Canada has some of the world’s fastest wireless internet speeds.

Fake video testimonials: Inside the world of fake reviews 

In her videos, she pretends to be a certified financial adviser, a teacher, a dietitian or even a real customer. We go inside the booming business of fake online testimonials. Watch it again this weekend on TV or online.