Consumer News & Alerts

May 19, 2008

By James R. Hood
ConsumerAffairs.com

THE CHECK IS IN THE MAIL
After all these years of draining taxpayers' pockets while lobbyists and their pet officerholders perfect their golf and dining skills, Uncle Sam is feeling generous towards those little people the politicians love so much. You might say, Uncle just wants to give something back. And so this week, millions of us will receive tax rebate checks that are supposed to enable us to spend our way back towards prosperity, put the economy on track to a brighter tomorrow, and so forth. Well, how likely that is is anybody's guess but there's no doubt the checks are arriving just in time to put food on the table and gas in the tank for lots of hard-working taxpayers who find it hard to make ends meet these days. Our Truman Lewis reports that supermarkets and other retailers have cooked up a variety of programs to get their hands on the money. Read more ...

Nothing if not liquid, the oil companies are doing nothing to encourage consumers to spend more of their rebate on gas. Hey, why should they? The $4 gallon is becoming more commonplace and high gas prices are likely to cut into this year's Memorial Day travel. Why, the high price of gas is even pushing up the cost of hybrids. Little old Toyota is slashing incentives and raising prices on its iconic Prius hybrid. Environmentalism is good, especially when you can make a buck at it.

• Home to Roost It's not just gas and Toyotas that are getting more expensive. The carnivores at Tyson Foods warn that the price of chicken is going up. Why? Well, it's all that corn that's being used to make ethanol instead of going into chickens' beaks. Not to mention the high price of diesel fuel that's used in the trucks that haul the feed, the chickens, the chicken parts ... well, you get the idea.

• Grounded Air Midwest has tanked. It's the fifth airline to declare bankruptcy in six weeks. A smallish regional carrier, Air Midwest provided the only air service to many of its destinations. Guess that leaves the train. Congress is trying to boost spending on Amtrak, which provides one of the few alternatives to road and air travel.

We don't want to spoil your entire day, but here's some more economic news ...

• Most Mortgage Rates Drift Lower Hopes of a recovery send rates down slightly.

• Government Says Inflation Eased in April yes, but high food prices are expected to linger for 2-3 years, White House warns.

• Foreclosure Filings Up a Record 65% in April One in every 519 homes in foreclosure nationwide.

• Big Drop in Home Prices Median price of a single-family home down 7.7%.

FIGHT BACK AGAINST RISING FOOD COSTS
It's OK to complain about how expensive everything is but it's also a good idea to do something about it when we can. Such is the case with food costs. Lisa Wade McCormick has tips on how to control your food spending and make dinnertime healthier to boot. Read more ...

More shopping news ...

• Chicken Labels Can Be Misleading 'Free range,' 'grain-fed,' 'natural' don't necessarily mean much.

• Organic Milk: Are You Getting What You Pay For? Consumer group wants tougher enforcement, stricter rules.

• FDA OKs Health Claims for Brown Rice 'Whole Grains' logo can now be displayed on brown rice, agency decrees.

• Allergy-Free Grocery May Make Mothers' Lives Easier Virginia women learned about food allergies the hard way.

• Supermarkets Launch Generic Drug Discount Programs Competition heats up but consumers still need to shop around.

SICK AS A DOG
Sure, we all know about the disastrous series of dog and cat illnesses blamed on tainted pet food but now, the Centers for Disease Control says contaminated pet food has made humans sick as well. The CDC has linked a 2006 Salmonella outbreak to dog food. The agency says it's the first time human illness has been linked to dry dog food. Read more ...

• Consumers Press Congress to Pass Strong Product Safety Bill Safety of toys and child care products stressed.

RECENT RECALLS

• 'Tumble Tower' Infant Rattles
• Squeeze Kids Girl's Corduroy Jackets Sold at TJ Maxx
• Firex Carbon Monoxide/Smoke Alarms
• Shindaiwa Backpack Blowers
• 'Tall Red' Fuel Cells
• Umarex Air Pistols
• NY Firm Recalls Ground Beef
• Daiso Children's Rain Ponchos
• Ford F-150, Lincoln Mark LT Pickups

MEDICAL CLASS ACTIONS: CONDITION CRITICAL?
A legal tactic known as 'mass tort' can help patients who don't have the resources to mount a suit on their own, but the courts not always receptive. In a recent case, an appeals court threw out a ruling that would have provided follow-up tests for 11,000 patients who are walking around with an implanted heart valve that may cause serious problems, attorney Joan Lisante reports. Read more ...

• FDA Not Worried About BPA but Critics Demand Moratorium Studies link the chemical to possible hormonal changes.

• FDA Panel Wants Closer Scrutiny of Drug Ads Many of the ads are misleading, doctors complain.

• Chemo Benefits in Doubt for Early-Stage Colon Cancer Patients Mayo Clinic says treatment may reduce survival time for 'substantial subset'.

• Bayer Pulls Trasylol From Market Drug is used to control bleeding during heart surgery.

• FDA Approves Generic Drug for Restless Legs Syndrome Requip also approved for treatment of Parkinson's disease.

• Cheap Earrings May Be No Bargain Nickel exposure can cause dermatitis on the earlobes.

GARDENERS' CHOICE COMPLAINTS SPROUT ONCE MORE
Just like Martha Stewart's glass-topped patio tables, Gardeners' Choice comes through each spring. As table tops shatter, consumers flood our inbox with complaints about the plants they ordered from Gardeners' Choice. Our Joe Enoch dug around and came up with a few seeds for thought. Read more ...

SCAMS & OUTRAGES

• Class Action Alleges Deceptive Marketing by Lifelock Lifelock's CEO is himself a multiple identity theft victim, suit charges.

• Maryland Shuts Down Investment Scam Con artist scammed his own grandmother, prosecutor charges.

• Connecticut Sues Alleged Discount Travel Scammers 'Free' and 'discounted' travel were anything but, state charges.

• Credit Card Processor Agrees To $26 Million FTC Settlement Marketers deceived small businesses nationwide.

• Florida Homeowners Warned of Wildfire Price-Gouging Unscrupulous businesses may take advantage of widespread damage.

ELECTRONICS

• Senate Votes to Overturn FCC's Media Ownership Rule 'Resolution of disapproval' would block greater consolidation of media outlets.

• Comcast, Cox Caught Blocking BitTorrent Researchers detect cable companies' Internet traffic jams.

• Study Questions Effect of Violent Video Games Incidence of violence has declined since the games were introduced.

• Consumer Groups Urge FCC to Reject XM-Sirius Merger Justice Department rubber-stamped the deal in March.

• Will Antitrust Law Save Net Neutrality? Congressman wants to use old regulations to prevent Internet discrimination.

• New BlackBerry Will Take On iPhone Business-oriented phone adds new consumer features.

SMART AND SAFE?
The Smart forTwo is the little two-seater from Europe that sips gas and zips in and out of the smallest parking spaces. It makes the Prius look big and clumsy and, in fact, is smaller than some golf carts we can think of. But is it safe? Well, yes and no. The insurance industry labs say their tests show the little buggy is safe ... considering its size, a judicious use of words. Read more ...

One thing we're fairly sure of is that Woody Allen didn't reap any major placement bonuses from the Smart forTwo manufacturer. Filmgoers who managed to take their eyes off Scarlett Johansson in Scoop may have noticed that Woody Allen wrote himself out of the script through his less than skillful stint behind the wheel of the little car.

WHERE'S MARTIN?
No, Martin H. Bosworth is not bound and gagged in the basement. He voluntarily fled 1 Complaint Plaza for the weekend, enabling your editor to once again seize control. Martin will return next week with his calmer look at the week's news.

Back to the top |