Consumer News 2001
Feds Zap the Zapper "Cure Packages" distributor agrees to clean up claims
Class Action Suits Hit WaMu Suits allege late fee overcharges and diversion of elderly patrons' savings.
Families Sue Menorah Gardens of Florida Bodies dug up, burial vaults crushed to make room for more bodies, plaintiffs charge.
New Jersey Sues Jennifer Convertibles Company allegedly failed to respond to complaints about missing and damaged furniture.
Judge Refuses to Dismiss $81 Million Bank of America Suit Suit charges bank sold customer credit data on the black market.
American Benefits Club, 1st Financial Solutions, Shut Down Prosecutors say telemarketes sold credit cards that never arrived.
Trailer Home Sales Collapse As Repossessions Soar Industry cut its own throat with high-rate, 30-year loans.
Watch Out for Phony Bioterrorism Potions Numerous Web sites peddling useless dietary supplements.
Red Cross Will Spend All 9-11 Donations on Victims Interim CEO responds to public and Congressional critics.
Supreme Court Makes it Harder to Sue for ID Theft Upholds two-year time limit on filing suit.
Super FuelMAX Not So Max Another additive agrees to temper its claims.
Lawsuit Seeks Recall of Two Daisy Airgun Models Daisy has refused to voluntarily recall the airguns.
Feds & States File Against Telemarketers Companies marketed phony credit card "insurance," advance fee loans, office supplies.
Suit: HP Gouges Inkjet Users Class action suit seeks over $1 billion in rebates.
Seniors Bilked by Annuities Salesmen, Suit Charges Class action status sought in Florida action.
California Company Agrees to Pay $225,000 Fine for Selling Dangerous Cigarette Lighters Cigarettes Cheaper sold knowingly sold lighters that lacked child-resistant mechanism required by law, agency charges.
States Probe Reports of Gas Price-Gouging Some threaten criminal prosecution.
MemberWorks Settles California Consumer Protection Suit Agrees to pay $1.5 million, reform its practices.
Flooz Folds The online currency provider has fired its staff and says it will file for bankruptcy.
Motorized Scooter Injuries Climb Consumer Product Safety Commission issues safety guidelines.
Target Sues Kmart Over Low-Price Claims Accuses Kmart of violating truth-in-advertising laws.
The Limited Fined $500,000 For Selling Flammable Pajamas Chain denies the violation was intentional.
$4 Million Judgment Against Resorts Exchange International Firm used faxes to push "corporate discount" packages.
Recalled Asthma Inhalers May Be Linked to Deaths Public Citizen asks for criminal investigation of Schering-Plough.
Class Action Suit Against Claritin Misleading advertising claimed.
Essential.com Bankruptcy Raises Questions for Consumers Company trying to sell its customer list to raise cash.
FTC Study Finds Lack of Protection For Rent-to-Own Customers Consumers aren't told true cost of rent-to-own, survey finds.
HomeLife Closes, Files for Bankruptcy Sears spinoff fails, 130 stores closed.
Data Medical Fined $500,000 Will stop promoting medical-billing-at-home scheme.
ShopNBC.com/Value Vision Nailed by FTC Shopping channel and Web site accused of peddling phony weight-loss nostrums.
FTC Rounds Up Another Comfrey Peddler Western Botanicals agrees to stop making unsubstantiated claims and to stop selling comfrey products for internal use or on open wounds.
Sears Scrapes Off the Make-Up The loutish retailer is dumping its expanded cosmetics section.
Long-Distance Companies Must Disclose Rates But watch out! There are about as many loopholes in the new regulations as you'd expect.
Government Study Finds Online Fraud "Epidemic" Auctions account for 87% of all online fraud.
Hundreds Fall for New York Housing Scam Broad conspiracy targeted low-income New York City civil servants.
Dramatic Increase in Candle-Caused Fires Report finds overall decrease in house fire deaths but 750 percent increase in deaths caused by candles.
Chase Manhattan Mortage Sued Florida consumers claims timely payments were posted late.
Burger King Replacing Playground Nets After Child Dies in St. Louis New nets will inhibit climbing.
Fisher Price Pays $1.1 Million Fine Failed to report safety defects in Power Wheels.
Lawsuit Seeks Recall of 4 Million Ford Explorers Popular SUV is unsafe and cannot be fixed, court filing alleges.
Blockbuster Suit Nears Settlement Class action cases charge breach of contract in disputed late fees.
Wal-Mart Sued In Exercise Injuries Chain didn't report injuries on Weider, Weslo machines, U.S. charges.
JCPenney Life Insurance Co. Sued For Consumer Fraud Class action suit charges company drafted consumers' bank accounts without authorization.
New Law Allows Garnishing Social Security Checks Federal agencies begin tapping into pension checks this month.
College Resource Management, Inc. Settles with FTC Firm was accused of misrepresenting its ability to obtain college financial aid for students.
A Better Way to Lease? New service helops consumers get out of auto leases or fine new ones.
Fleet, Citigroup, MBNA Impose No-Lawsuit Clause On Cardholders Fleet tries to make clause retroactive.
Feds Ready to Zap the Zappers FTC takes aim at "ultrasonic" insect and rodent zappers.
Three Advance Fee Credit Card Defendants Settle FTC Charges "Credit cards" turned out to be application kits.
Good-bye Float New System Treats Checks as Debit Cards. Downside? No more float.
iMotors Out of Gas Innovative used-car broker found, reconditioned and guaranteed "dream cars."
Kids' Web Sites Fined Sites violated children's privacy regulations, FTC charged.
FTC Sues Three Personal Information Web Sites These are the sites that claim to "find out anything about anybody." Trouble is, they often do.
Mary Sheila Gall Named to Chair CPSC New Federal Nanny likely to be a more permissive parent.
Citigroup Shareholders Protest Associates Purchase A blight on company's "good name."
Home Improvement Scams Bloom in Spring Older homeowners are frequent targets.
Verizon Cleared to Offer Long-Distance in Massachusetts FCC okays one-stop shopping for Bay State consumers.
15-Passenger Vans Prone to Rollovers NHTSA warns that only experienced drivers should operate the vans.
Ford Recalls 2002 Explorers The rear window can fall out.
FTC Winds Up Nationwide Crackdown On Work At Home Schemes "Make big bucks at home." Uh-huh.
PlanetRx Flatlines Another online pharmacy fails.
nationpharmacy.com Closed After Raid Oklahoma pharmacy hired doctors to write prescriptions for patients they never saw, officials charge.
Urgent Recall for 2002 Chevrolet TrailBlazers, GMC Envoys and Oldsmobile Bravadas Defect could cause loss of control. Owners urged to park their trucks immediately.
Cosco, Safety 1st Fined $1.75 Million for Failing to Report Product Defects Hundreds of children injured, two killed.
Web-Based Tax Fraud a Growing Menace Many slick scams promise tax-free living, deliver years in prison instead.
Lasik Vision Collapses High debt, over-expansion blamed. Many patients stranded.
Long-Distance Carriers Introduce Single-Bill Fees The latest bright idea from a disappearing industry.
ATM Fees Up Sharply, Study Finds ATMs save banks money, so they have to charge more for using them. Make sense?
Carnival Agrees to Pay Up Cruise line denies padding port charges but agrees to make refunds anyway.
CVS "File Buy Program" Target of Lawsuit Big chain buys Rx lists from failing mom-and-pop drug stores.
Video Computer Store Sued by PA Attorney General Company reportedly seeks bankruptcy protection.
Office Supply Stores Targeted by Rogue Environmental Group ForestEthics thinks kenaf and hemp are the answer to deforestation.
Cloning Making Great Gains -- Or Is It? Depends on which newspaper you read.
FTC Nabs Companies Peddling Bogus Federal and State Job Opportunities Claims included "secrets to high-paying postal jobs."
Class Actions Charge Kia Brakes Defective More than 160,000 vehicles potentially affected.
Food Poisoning on the Rise Globalization and a desire for convenience are among the factors contributing to an increase in good poisoning.
Consumer Electronics Tops New York BBB Rankings for 2000 Best Stop Digital a familiar entry.
Website Crammers Settle FTC Charges Cases involved Mercury and International Telemedia.
GAO Finds Rising Tide of Consumer Complaints about Interstate Movers But stops short of recommending states be given authority to regulate moving companies.
Reader's Digest Pays $6 Million to Settle Sweepstakes Complaints "You're about to be a winner" will be heard no more.
FTC Charges Associates, Citigroup With Predatory Lending Practices Damages could exceed $500 million.
Chevy Chase Ruling Casts Doubt on Arbitration Clauses Maryland's highest court says consumers did not waive their right to trial.
FTC Sues Medicor LLC Charges medical billing scheme misled consumers.
Senate Ready to Rubber-Stamp Tough New Bankruptcy Bill Credit card companies and banks get payback on their record-setting campaign contributions.
Northwest Slashes Commission for Web Travel Sites Other major airlines mum about their plans.
CyberCash Files for Bankruptcy Web payment system didn't catch on.
eToys Declares Bankruptcy Popularity wasn't lacking. Profits were.
Gero Vita Head Got Clinton Pardon Glenn Braswell paid Hugh Rodham $200,000.
NHTSA Wants Better Head Restraints Most U.S. cars and light trucks provide inadequate protection against neck injuries.
Another Firestone Recall Latest recall is for tires sold on Nissan Altima models.
California Investigating Fake Collect Calls from Mexico Tijuana-based scam facilitated by
ZPDI, frequent source of consumer complaints.
Suit Claims Bank of America Misused Credit Reports $81 million class actions says bank sold data in "black market."
Juno Wants Your Hard Drive The free Internet access service plans to resell its customers' unused hard-drive and processing capacity, requiring users to leave their machines on 24/7.
Maryland Seizes Assets of Bankcard Group Inc. State charges company defrauded investors.
Alaska Jury Awards $13 Million in Ephedrine Suit First open-court judgment involving ephedrine.
Ford Spring Problems May Not Be Limited to Windstars Our readers report problems in F150 and Expedition as well.
Computer Learning Centers files for bankruptcy, cancels classes Students, many just weeks from graduating, stranded.
American Supply Systems Executives Sentenced Telemarketers sold very expensive office supplies.
Pep Boys Pay $110,000 Penalty Some New York customers charged for unnecessary emissions inspection.
Baltimore attorney Peter Angelos enters lawsuit over cell phone safety The majority owner of the Baltimore Orioles, Angelos was a major player in multi-billion-dollar asbestos and tobacco cases.
New Orleans federal judge lets cell suit stand The suit on behalf of a Louisiana man charges manufacturers have done nothing to protect consumers despite knowing the risk posted by radio-frequency emissions.
Computer Learning Centers Appeals U.S. Education Department Ruling Company may have to refund up to $187 million.
DSL Mess Worsens Absolutely, positively need high-speed Internet access? Don't stake your hopes on DSL.
Time to Line Up Student Financial Aid for Next College Year Watch out! Don't get scammed by companies that charge you money to find scholarships. Jan. 15, 2001
GM Sport Utes Perform Poorly in Rollover Tests Honda Accord gets best ranking. Jan. 10, 2001
Artificial Fingernails Raise Health Concerns Heightened risk of infection, irritation, allergic reactions found in studies. Jan. 15, 2001
Ford Goes on Trial in Explorer Rollvers Attorney seeks to pin major share of blame on Ford. Jan. 8, 2001
