Consumer Confidential: IPhone woes, fewer jobs, title compliance letters

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Here’s your take-me-out-to-the-ballgame Tuesday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

-- The market is up, but Apple’s stock is taking a whupping. Investors weren’t pleased that Consumer Reports took a dim view of the company’s iPhone 4, which has been troubled with technical glitches since going on sale last month. Consumer Reports says it won’t recommend the latest incarnation of the iPhone until Apple finds a way to fix an antenna reception problem. If you hold the iPhone 4 a certain way, your call can be dropped. Apple says just don’t hold it that way. Consumer Reports says that’s not a very good answer. More than a few investors may be wondering whether a recall or upgrade is in the cards.

-- Looking for work? It may be a little harder. Job openings fell in May from the previous month and layoffs edged higher as employers continued playing things cool, worker-wise. The Labor Department says job openings fell to 3.2 million in May from 3.3 million in April. That translates to an average of 4.7 unemployed people for every opening, which is a good deal worse than the average 1.8 unemployed per opening as of the beginning of the recession.

-- Have you received an official-looking letter from a ‘title compliance’ agency informing you that you should pay about $150 for a copy of your property deed? Don’t be fooled. The letters are actually from private companies that scour property records looking for potential suckers. In Los Angeles County, you can get a copy of your deed for about $12. Check out my column for more info.

-- David Lazarus