Jeff Deal, WFTV.com

Jeff Deal, WFTV.com

Action 9 consumer investigative reporter

Action 9 consumer investigative reporter Jeff Deal joined the Channel 9 Eyewitness News team in 2006. After 17 years covering some of the biggest stories in central Florida for WFTV, Deal was promoted to Action 9 consumer investigator in 2023. He’s just the second investigator to head the Action 9 team since its creation in 1991. Even before he joined Action 9, Deal had a passion for helping consumers. One of his consumer investigations uncovered shocking business practices at a parking lot near Port Canaveral, where the owner was joyriding in customers’ cars while they were away on cruises. The business closed down and the story garnered worldwide attention, earning WFTV the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award. Deal has also been honored with a National Headliner Award and other regional awards during his journalism career. His main priority is to help consumers protect their families and their wallets by shedding light on scams, rip-offs and questionable business practices. Deal and the Action 9 team have already helped consumers recover tens of thousands of dollars, and they continue to work to hold those responsible for the losses accountable. He enjoys life in Central Florida with his wife Beth and their son. As a graduate of Texas Christian University, Jeff is a fan of Horned Frog sports and is now excited to have UCF and TCU in the same conference. If you have a consumer complaint that you would like Deal and the Action 9 team to look into, you can email action9@wftv.com and jeff.deal@wftv.com.

Latest Headlines by Jeff Deal

Local family’s truck cloned and registered out of state

A truck that’s been in the Hempsted family nearly seven years was essentially taken from them, at least on paper. “So, it’s been a huge pain, but I don’t know how else to get around it,” Christine Hempsted told Action 9 Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal. It appears someone cloned the Orange County family’s vehicle and registered it in another state hundreds of miles away. Christine Hempsted said she couldn’t re-register the truck in Florida after someone else registered it in Massachusetts. Part of what makes it so bizarre is that that they’ve never had the truck out of their possession since they got it in 2018. Now, because someone registered it up north earlier this year, they were stuck with expired Florida tags.

Action 9: Timeshare exit nightmare. Local couple stuck with timeshare after spending thousands

A Volusia County couple has been trying to get rid of their timeshare since 2017. They got desperate and hired a timeshare cancellation company, but instead of getting help they got burned. “We wound up doing it. To this day I regret it,” Jeff Lamey told Action 9 Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal. Jeff Lamey and his wife Sandy spent nearly $11,000 with the timeshare exit company and are still stuck with the timeshare.

‘It was pretty shocking’: Customer claims moving company held belongings hostage

A local woman thought she hired the right movers, then got hit with a huge bill. Ashley Rogers said, “We’re not the kind of people that have thousands and thousands of dollars just sitting around. So, it was definitely stressful.” Rogers claims the moving company threatened to hold their belongings hostage unless they paid up. This is the same type of scenario Action 9 has exposed before and the company involved appears to be connected to other companies that aren’t even allowed to do moves in Florida. Rogers told Action 9 Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal, the company let Rogers and her husband know about the new inflated price after their belongings were already loaded on the truck.

‘It’s super shady’: Consumers claim local car dealership didn’t pay off trade-in balance on time

When you trade in your car to buy a new one the dealership is supposed to pay off the old loan. But what if it doesn’t? That’s what Cody Alexander of Winter Garden said happened to him after buying a new ride at an Orlando car dealership. “As far as my bank is concerned, they’ve never received a check. They’ve never received anything validating the fact that I sold the car,” Alexander told Action 9 Consumer Investigator Jeff Deal. He said he’d been waiting around two months for the payoff, and was still stuck with a loan on a car he no longer had in his possession.

Investors claim they lost big money with company often touted on social media

Action 9 is looking into a company that's been pushed hard on social media as a great investment. The investigation started after investors from all over the world, including many in central Florida started to believe it’s nothing but a scam. Even some law enforcement agencies are warning about it. A woman on Instagram showed off a new luxury SUV with a red bow wrapped around it. She said, “Guys, look at my gift. LSSC is not all about the car. It’s about unity.” On another video, Action 9 saw a man in a police uniform who said, “Making money in your free time. It’s literally at the push of a button.” He was also talking about a company often referred to as LSSC. That’s short for Lightning Shared Scooter Company.

Back-to-School Shopping: How to find the best deals

With just days to go before heading back to the classroom, many parents and students may still have back-to-school shopping left to get done. Action 9 spoke with parents and experts about how to find the best deals.

Artificial Intelligence could determine your individual price next time you fly

Artificial intelligence could help determine the price you pay for airline tickets next time you fly. It’s possible it may have already happened. Earlier this year, Action 9 looked into how personal information could be used to set your individual price on products you buy at stores. It’s often called surveillance pricing. Now, Delta Airlines is coming under fire for how its embracing AI technology to determine prices.

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