Complain about a product or service

Consumer News & Alerts

November 12, 2007

By Martin H. Bosworth
ConsumerAffairs.com

Trouble reading this? See /newsletters/0000.html

RITALIN: GODSEND OR ADDICTION?
It's estimated that more than five million children are being treated with Ritalin because they've been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)? But is ADHD a real disease or are we treating the symptoms of a cultural problem? In a two-part series, vagabond correspondent Tom Glaister shares his misgivings about ADHD treatment while Dr. Henry Fishman defends it.

LETTERS TO THE DEAD
Losing a child at birth is terrible enough. Now imagine getting a letter 18 years later inviting your deceased child on an expensive trip to China, based on a "recommendation" from a "teacher" that they never had. That's what happened -- not once, but twice -- to Eugene and Margaret Beil, who received a letter from tour organzer People To People claiming that their daughter Katherine -- who died in 1992 -- was personally selected for an overseas educational trip. As Lisa Wade McCormick reports, People To People apparently harvests names for its mailing lists without any oversight, and the company's tangled structure is preventing angry families like the Beils from getting any answers.

In other scams and outrages...

• Texas Sues Yellow Pages Directories Charges Ad Telamerica defrauds small businesses, charities nationwide.

• High-Fee, Low-Credit Charge Cards Prey Upon the Poor Feds override state consumer protection laws.

• Debt Collector Pays $1.3 Million to Settle FTC Charges LTD Financial Services abused, misled consumers.

• Maryland Shutters 'Investment Firm' Amid Fraud Charges Victims lost more than $50 million in Ponzi scheme.

DATE-RAPE TOYS RECALLED
That headline's not a misprint -- four million "Aqua Dots" toys are being recalled due to contamination with chemicals that also appear in the drug known as GHB, aka the "date rape" drug. There have been at least two reported instances of children getting sick and falling into comas after putting the toxic toys in their mouths. The Consumer Product Safety Commission added the Aqua Dots to their recall list this week, along with seven other recalls of lead-tainted toys from China.

WHITE HOUSE, CONGRESS DUEL OVER CPSC REFORM PLANS
The Bush administration issued its own plan for consumer safety reform to a cool reception from Congress, which noted that the Bush plan didn't offer the most crucial element: funding for the CPSC. Both the Senate and House have their own bills pending to reform the CPSC, and even as Capitol Hill falls over itself to pay attention to consumer safety after years of neglect, Joseph Enoch reports that industry is marshaling its armies of lobbyists to block any changes to law that might actually cause it problems.

• Recalled Topps Burgers Still Sold In New Jersey Consumers in other states should also be cautious.

• Fisher-Price Recalls Kitchen Toys Expensive Fisher-Price kitchen toys pose a choking hazard.

• FDA Seeks Recall of 'All Natural' Potency Drugs ‘True Man Sexual Energy,’ ‘Energy Max’ dietary supplements targeted.

And speaking of recalls, here's the complete list for the week:

• Aqua Dots Bead Sets
• Bassettbaby Cribs sold by Babies R Us
• Curious George Plush Dolls
• Dollar General Children's Sunglasses
• Coby Electronics DVD/CD/MP3 Players
• Honda Lawn Mowers
• Yamaha AC Adapters
• Carrier Air Conditioners, Heat Pumps
• Dollar General Pull-Back Toy Cars
• Duck Family Wind-Up Toys
• Dizzy Duck Music Boxes
• Robot 2000 Toys
• Winnie the Pooh Tops
• Big Red Wagons
• Fisher-Price Recalls Kitchen Toys
• Skippy Pool Toys Recalled
• Hunter Fan Recalls Humidifiers for Fire Hazard
• Polaris Snowmobiles
• NHRA Toy Dragster, Matco Funny Car

GAS PRICES $3 HIGH AND RISING
The pinch you're feeling in your wallet from the pump is getting worse, and there're no signs of it abating any time soon. Gas prices have cleared $3 in 36 states and Washington, D.C., with California seeing prices as high as $3.50. Joe Benton has the regular roundup of which states are getting the most petrol for their pennies and who's being hit the hardest.

Automotive news this week...

• Cadillac Touts Huge Green SUV Machine Escalade Hybrid goes on sale next year.

• Tough Fuel Economy Demands from Senator Clinton She joins other candidates in supporting 40 mpg by 2020.

• Smart and Sassy: The Smart 42 At last: a car that makes the Prius look big and bulky.

HOUSE COMMITTEE PASSES MORTGAGE REFORM BILL
The House Financial Services Committee passed a major overhaul of mortgage standards this week, with a vote in the full House expected soon. The bill establishes minimum lending standards that all brokers must adhere to, toughens penalties for directing borrowers into bad loans, and eliminates excessive fees and charges for mortgages. But consumer groups are concerned that the bill may prevent consumers from suing mortgage brokers and lenders for hawking substandard loans through preempting stronger state laws.

Real estate and finance news this week...

• Tweaking Bankruptcy Law Could Reduce Foreclosures Homeowners missing protection now afforded boat owners.

• Fireman's Fund Offers 'Green' Policy Wildfire victims get the chance to go green when they rebuild.

• Fed Governor Sees Worsening Subprime Picture Higher ARM rates have yet to kick in for many homeowners.

FCC CHAIR PUSHES "LAND GRAB" MEDIA CONSOLIDATION RULES
As the clock runs out on his tenure as FCC chairman, Kevin Martin is making a ferocious last-minute push to relax media ownership rules, enabling titans like Rupert Murdoch to own all the newspapers, television stations, and radio outlets in a single region. But media watchdogs and members of Congress are calling on Martin to put the brakes on, including introducing legislation that examines the potential harm to independent and minority media control if the rules get changed.

SPRINT, T-MOBILE PRORATE CONTRACT CANCELLATION FEES
Both Sprint and T-Mobile quietly announced this week that they would no longer charge customers huge cancellation fees to get out of a contract, agreeing to prorate the fee over the life of the contract instead. The wireless carriers joined AT&T and Verizon in changing their policies, bowing to pressure from consumers, and potentially averting both class-action lawsuits and threatened regulation from Congress.

MERCK COUGHS UP $4.85 BILLION IN VIOXX SETTLEMENT
Despite Merck's claims that it would fight each and every lawsuit filed over its Vioxx painkiller, the company has agreed to pay $4.85 billion to settle the thousands of claims filed against it. Findings that Vioxx increased risk of heart attack and stroke in its users led the company to voluntarily withdraw the painkiller from the market in 2004 after racking up billions in sales, but the profits from Vioxx would be dwarfed by the proposed settlement, one of the biggest in U.S. history.

More health news...

• How Safe Is Your Prescription? Wrong drugs, incorrect dosages are more common than you might think.

• Some Statins Linked to Sleep Disruptions Study finds Zocor may interfere with sleep.

• Birth Control Pill Linked to Heart Disease Researchers say extended use contributes to plaque build-up.

• Would Women Rather Smoke Than Get Fat? Study suggests fear of weight gain keeps women puffing away.

• U.S. Kidney Disease on the Rise Diabetes a major contributor to the problem.

• Aspirin May Reduce Parkinson’s Risk Study finds NSAIDS may protective effect.

• Bayer Withdraws Antibleeding Drug Trasylol Study finds drug carries increased risk of death.

• More Sleep Time May Cut Child Obesity Exercise and diet not the only factors, study confirms.

• VA Study Finds Seasonal Differences in Blood Pressure Weight goes up in winter and so does blood pressure.

Back to the top |