|
By Martin H. Bosworth
ConsumerAffairs.com
Trouble reading this? See /newsletters/0000.html
TOPPS BEEF TOPS MASSIVE RECALL WAVE
It seems there's nothing safe to buy these days, with the near-constant announcements of recalls due to contamination, safety issues, and product defects. Leading off this week's recall roundup is Topps Beef, which announced a nationwide recall of 21.7 million pounds of beef after reports of 25 cases of illness in eight states, caused by E.coli infection. The contaminated beef was first discovered in New York, and the investigation quickly spread toConnecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
TOY RECALLS CONTINUE AS REGULATORS TRY TO GET THE LEAD OUT
After months of criticism for its slow action and lack of attention to wave after wave of defective and lead-contaminated toys, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is ramping up its efforts to
warn consumers of the latest recalls. The CPSC issued seven recall notices for lead-contaminated toys manufactured in China this week, including
200,000 Thomas and Friends toys and 350,000 Happy Giddy Gardening Tools and Children's Sunny Patch Chairs, sold at Target.
INFANT DEATH LEADS TO PLAY YARD RECALL
425,000 infant play yards were recalled after a 10-month-old boy strangled on the changing table’s restraint strap that was hanging down into Kolcraft’s “Sesame Beginnings” Travel Play Yard. Several brands are included in the recall, so, please, read the list carefully.
Recall roundup...
Pottery Barn Kids Strollers
X-15 Model Rockets
Contours 3-in-1 Play Yard
Carter’s Lennon Travelin’ Tot
Jeep Sahara Play Yards
Kolcraft Travelin’ Tot Play Yards
Target Toy Gardening Tools and Chairs
Knights of the Sword Toys
Toy Rakes Sold at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores
Guidecraft Children’s Puppet Theaters
Children's Spinning Wheel Necklaces
TOBY N.Y.C. Expands Children’s Metal Jewelry
CONSUMERS LOSE BIG IN MANDATORY ARBITRATION
Arbitration is supposed to be a cheaper and easier way to settle differences without going to court, but big companies are teaming up with private arbitration firms to stack the deck
against consumers in order to collect on debts. A new report by Public Citizen found that a particular arbitration company ruled against consumers in 95 percent of its cases, favoring the companies
that drive millions of dollars in business their way, and forcing consumers to pay thousands of dollars to get access to records of their own proceedings.
IS WORKING AT HOME AN IMPOSSIBLE DREAM?
Everyone in the rat race dreams of working at home--sitting at the keyboard in your pajamas, not having to deal with annoying co-workers and long commutes, and being able to work when you want. But too many scam artists and thieves take advantage of that desire to fatten their own pockets, and too many people may simply not be suited to the freelance life. Our David Wood takes a look at how to find genuine work-at-home jobs, including signs of scams to avoid and assessing if you're really cut out for the independent workforce.
SCAMS & OUTRAGES
• Bank Regulator Calls for Opt-Out Provision on Fee Hikes Consumers should not get stuck paying new, higher rate on existing balances, he suggests.
• Arkansas AG Probes Concert Ticket Scalping Do scalpers get first call on tickets?
• TJX Data Breach Settlement Has Strings Attached Company offers credit monitoring, store credit and discounts as compensation for losses.
• 'Job Offer' Is Nothing But Phony Check Scam A chance to help the world's orphans? Don't bet on it.
• Scammer Claims To Be 'Verified By Visa' Phishing emails try to trick consumers into revealing passwords.
TOYOTA RECALLS FLOOR MATS
For months, Toyota Prius owners have been complaining about incidents of unintended acceleration. In some cases, Toyota dealers have brushed off the complaints, claiming the floor mat slipped onto the accelerator pedal. The consumers we hear from don't buy this but federal safety regulators apparently do. They're approved a recall of certain Camry and Lexus models because of the floor mat issue, and have also issued a consumer warning about the Prius. Will this quiet the critics? Not likely.
In other automotive developments...
• Gas Prices Rise a Penny Average nationwide price $2.81, up from $2.34 last year.
• GM Adds $1,000 Cash Back, Sells Buicks to China Big incentives aimed at moving cars while GM idled by strike.
• Nissan Recalling 372,250 Pathfinders and Infinity QX4s
28 DAYS OF NUTRISYSTEM: FEAST OR FAMINE?
ConsumerAffairs.com's Joseph Enoch may soon be dreaming of burgers and fries. He's just started what is supposed to be a 28-day NutriSystem diet, to get a first-person sampling of the food that brings in a regular streams of complaints from our readers. Will Joe emerge from his odyssey healthier and happier, or will he run screaming back to the world of pizza and beer? Follow Joe's journey as he checks in with regular blogs and video posts documenting his expedition into NutriSystemland.
More health news...
• New Pill May Make Weight Loss Safer More research is needed, though; still no silver bullet.
• FDA Issues Warning about Fentora Deaths and 'adverse events' associated with popular cancer drug.
• Prescription Drug Ads Influence Patients, Poll Finds Doctors fear ads encourage self-diagnosing, increase demand for expensive new drugs.
• National Study Links Asthma to Allergies Cats the most frequent cause of allergic response, researchers find.
• Mixing Acetaminophen and Caffeine May Cause Liver Damage It's not just coffee -- some medications also contain caffeine.
• Fish Oil May Fight Diabetes Omega-3 fatty acid linked to decreased risk of Type 1 diabetes.
• Black Box Warning Linked to Suicide Spike Drops in SSRI prescription rates may coincide with increases in youth suicides.
• Lyme Disease Causes Misery Nationwide Tough to diagnose and treat, but it can be prevented.
• Drug Reduces New Fractures and Deaths after Hip Fracture Osteoporosis drug given once yearly reduces death rate by 28%.
• Study: Acupuncture Beats Conventional Treatment for Back Pain German study also finds 'sham' acupuncture works as well as the traditional form.
•
'Organic Pastures' Raw Cream Listeria Warning Unpasteurized cream was sold throughout California and nationwide via the Web.
CONSUMERS COULD BE HAMMERED BY DEBT CRISIS
Everyone from Wall Street to the Federal Reserve continues to claim that the mortgage meltdown is contained and won't cross over into the general economy, and that consumers should keep spending, borrowing and using credit as if there was nothing to worry about. But as Mark Huffman reports, two economists who have studied Americans' handling of debt and consumer behavior are predicting that if the general
economy begins to falter, our high levels of consumer debt will leave us vulnerable to the biggest economic slowdown since the Great Depression.
More finance & real estate news...
• Mortgage Rates Rise for Third Straight Week 30-year fixed rate hits 6.42%, up from 6.31% a year ago.
• Home Prices Plunge In First Seven Months Of 2007 Fall-off in prices is the greatest since 1991.
• FDIC Closes NetBank, ING Assumes Deposits Competition, mortgage slowdown, delinquent loans blamed.
FACEBOOK FACES SECURITY CRITICISM
Facebook is fast eclipsing MySpace as the premiere social networking site, and with that comes an increased risk of attracting sexual predators and cyberstalkers. Is it up to the task of keeping its members safe? Attorneys general in several states don't think so. Investigators working for New York's AG Andrew Cuomo set up fake profiles of underage students on the site, and were promptly
solicited for sex and nude photos by adult Facebook members. As rumors of a bidding battle between Microsoft and Google for buying the site increase, the news of a multi-state investigation into Facebook's security procedures and lack of protection against sexual predators may throw a wrench in the works.
More Internet news...
• Predator Who Used MySpace Gets Seven-Year Sentence Texan arrived with handgun, rope restraints to meet 14-year-old girl.
• Verizon's Abortion Block Raises Net Neutrality Concerns Telecom reverses course, blames "incorrect interpretation" of its policies.
• Sen. Kerry Wants New Broadband Policy U.S. falls further behind global competitors, he argues.
|
