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Consumer News & Alerts

January 2, 2006

NO, BUT THIS TIME ...
Another year has come and gone with a new one waiting in the wings. The trouble with the future, of course, is that no one knows exactly what it holds. But there's a lot to be learned from the recent past, no? No one likes unsolicited advice, so don't take this as nagging but here are a few things that might be worth thinking about as the new year dawns:

• Natural disasters Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes and fires are very common. In fact, they happen all the time. As recent events make clear, you can't count on the government to protect you. We have a few tips worth considering.

• Rolling stock Those $40 tanks of gas get old in a hurry but, from what we hear, it's a good idea to think twice before putting down big bucks for a hybrid. Move closer to work, maybe?

• Bubble fever Home prices are falling, or at least rising more slowly while mortgage rates are rising. This means it's a good time to buy a modestly priced home in a good neighborhood, assuming you can get a fixed-rate mortgage. Forget the "creative" mortgages. What they create is trouble.

AIR BAGS LARGELY HOT AIR
There's no question air bags save lives, and it's especially important to note that side air bags can help prevent the debilitating head injuries that so often occur in car crashes. But nothing's perfect. We spent much of the New Year's holiday in an intensive care unit, where a friend, a safety-minded pilot, lay in critical condition after his new Toyota Camry went off the road at about 40 miles per hour and hit a tree. Though the car was totaled, neither front nor side air bags deployed and our friend, who bought the car specifically because he wanted side air bags, suffered a concussion, bleeding in the brain, several broken ribs and severe facial lacerations, among other injuries. His survival at this writing is in doubt.

Another friend was driving his modified Mazda Miata on a race track at about 115 miles per hour when he spun out on a curve. The little car shot across the raceway and hit the wall in the center of the track. No air bag in this car but it does have a six-point racing harness that keeps the driver absolutely immobile, no matter what. Our friend climbed out of the car, dusted himself off and walked away.

Lesson: Modern cars include a strong cage around the passenger compartment but it doesn't do much good if the occupants are thrown around inside. Air bags work only if the sensors in the front of the car detect an accident. All too often, they don't -- as our battered and bruised readers will tell you, including those injured in BMWs, Chryslers, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia, Nissans and, of course, Toyota, among others.

Maybe it's not practical to have a six-point racing harness in every car but it's certainly apparent that air bags aren't as foolproof as most consumers think they are.

FEELING BLUE? HOW ARE THE KIDS?
It's the time of year when many of us feel a little glum. Common wisdom is that having a houseful of children will cure this condition but, in fact, researchers find that parenthood doesn't necessarily spell happiness.

Of course, there's another kid of depression that's common this time of year. It's the remorse we feel about all the money we spent on gifts that didn't work, weren't delivered or can't be exchanged. Many holiday shoppers played Rebate Roulette, as retailers used rebates to hype sales, leaving consumers to collect the often-elusive rebate.

Consumers still steaming include:

• Henry of Villanova is livid about all the fees on the American Express Gift Card his wife bought for his daughter;
• Wallace of New Hampshire has sworn off Circuit City forever after a bad experience with its restocking fee;
• Tamara, who's energized by the lack of batteries in the Nikko cars she ordered from Sears Wishbook;
• John of Kissimmee, FL whose Alienware order went south;
• Ron of Buckeye, AZ, who was reminded by Dell that there are all kinds of identity theft.

HAPPY FLU YEAR
All that holiday cheer comes home to roost as we merrily pass the flu virus to friends and family. Emergency rooms in California and New York have been jammed with achy, feverish flu sufferers and the rest of the country is up next. This is the plain old seasonal outbreak and is not related to bird flu.

Tainted Dog Food Kills 23 Animals The Food and Drug Administration reports contaminated pet food sold in 23 states killed almost two dozen animals and caused another 18 to become sick. The foul feed was sold under Diamond, Country Value and Professional brands.

SUGAR CRAVINGS
It seems that sticky sweet rolls are the latest fad diet. Sales of sweet baked goods have been going through the roof as Americans abandon the late Dr. Atkins' low-carb diet. This is not exactly good news. Those doughnuts and sticky buns contain enough sugar to put a horse into a coma, not to mention a feedbag full of empty calories.

Just A Little Bit But it's just a little treat, you say? Maybe so but a little goes a long way. Latest research finds that losing as little as four pounds can cut your risk of hypertension as much as 21 percent, our Dr. Henry Fishman reports. Just a few sticky buns a week can keep that from happening.

Whole Truth, Whole Grains Instead of those cinnamon-slathered buns, a few slices of whole-grain bread or toast can deliver some big-time health benefits. Recognizing this, the Food and Drug Administration is allowing food producers to note in their advertising that whole grains can help prevent coronary heart disease.

Full Disclosure Excellent news for those with food allergies -- beginning now, food labels must include allergy information. Manufacturers must list milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybeans, but be careful! Old labels will be on the shelves for months.

LOSING UGLY DEBT
Americans may be piling on the pounds but we're paring down credit card debt. A new survey finds average credit card debt down 11.4 percent -- and that's good news indeed. Credit cards are fine if you pay them off each month but they're deadly if you don't. And watch those cash-back cards: most rebate a measly one percent, meanwhile charging 24 percent or more on the unpaid balance.

H&R Block Pays Up The tax preparer will pay about $30 million to settle the latest batch of suits challenging its payday loan practices.

CALIFORNIA TRIES AGAIN
California's Public Utilities Commission will vote this month on the latest version of its Telecommunications Bill of Rights. An earlier version was suspended a year ago despite the objections of California's attorney general and all of the state's 58 district attorneys. "This proposal gives the CPUC the tools to protect consumers against fraud in real-time, and provides consumers with the tools they need to protect themselves," said CPUC Commissioner Susan Kennedy. But whether it can survive ferocious lobbying by the cell phone industry is another question.

MCI Chairman Gets "Scrooge" Award Among holiday honorees was Nicholas Katzenbach, chairman of MCI. He was "honored" for MCI's sorry record of consumer protection.

NOT SO INDEPENDENT AFTER ALL
Dulles-based Independence Air has formally notified its employees that it will fold Jan. 7 without a major cash infusion. Meanwhile, the upstart airline is continuing to blithely sell tickets through April. United and US Airways responded ruthlessly to Independence's attempt to muscle in on their East Coast routes, slashing fares to blow away the pest.

Airline Maintenance Questioned As airlines outsource more and more critical maintenance functions, one might wonder if this has an effect on safety. The Inspector General of the Transportation Department was wondering the same thing and conducted an investigation. His findings may not help you relax next time you squeeze aboard.

Destinations Travel editor Dan Schlossberg picks two winter playgrounds ...

• Colorado Resort Celebrates Romance in the Rockies Crested Butte is fabled to be Colorado's most romantic ski spot.

• Quirky Casinos Draw the Curious to North Lake Tahoe It's not Vegas, Reno or even South Lake Tahoe. The change is a welcome one to many.

The Road Not Traveled The most heavily-promoted destinations aren't always the best, as Adriana of Albuquerque learned when she researched the infamous Ramada Plaza promotion.

SCAMS & OUTRAGES

• Top 10 Phone Scams of 2005 Government grants lead the list of most common -- and most blatant -- scams.

• Home Loan Scam Scammers claim to be from Fannie Mae, which does not deal directly with consumers.

• LA Weight Loss Company allegedly pushed expensive nutrition bars after persuading consumers to enroll.

RECALLS

• Connecticut Orders Lead-Laden Lunchboxes Off Store Shelves New York ordered recall earlier. Nothing yet from feds.
• Legacy Propane Heaters The propane can leak.
• Aussie Gas Grills Propane can leak.
• Family Dollar Spinning Christmas Tree Topper They can melt, smoke and cause a fire.
• Honda Recalls TRX All-Terrain Vehicles Possible problem with reverse gear.
• Saab Recalls 9-3 Models to Fix Possible Fuel Leak
• GM Expands Recall to Fix Truck, SUV Brakes ABS can malfunction at low speeds.
• Polaroid Portable DVD Player Batteries The battery can overheat.
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class Sedans A problem with the driver's-side air bag.
• Graco Aspen Cribs Recalled for Suffocation Risk The wooden mattress support can come loose.

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