Consumer News & Alerts

June 14, 2004

"FREE! FREE! FREE!" = $79.99
Like many of us, Kimberly Taylore was worried about her credit. She found her way to ConsumerInfo.com, a site that offered "Free! Free! Free!" credit reports. She thought, logically, that the reports were free but learned later that, in fact, they were $79.99. It's what called a "negative option." You click on the "free" offer but unless you cancel within 30 days, you're stuck. To make matters worse, such "offers" are typically self-renewing, meaning you'll be charged each week, month or year til Abu Ghraib freezes over.

Irked, Taylore complained loudly and is now the lead plaintiff in a class-action suit against ConsumerInfo.com and its corporate parent, Experian. The suit seeks a refund of the fees paid by the estimated 1.6 million consumers who've fallen for the pitch.

Congress to the Rescue By next year, consumers across the country will be freed from credit report rip-offs. Under a law passed by Congress, credit reporting agencies will have to provide one free credit report a year to any consumer who requests it. The Federal Trade Commission has set up a roll-out that starts in the West later this year and winds up in the eastern states, Puerto Rico and D.C. in late 2005.

Texas Sues Cross Country Bank Cross Country, owned by one Rocco A. Abessinio of Boca Raton, specializes in luring low-income consumers into credit card agreements that leave them with no credit and lots of debt. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott calls the practices "egregious and offensive."

Who Lets This Happen? Terri is indignant. She sent $8,000 to pay down her Direct Merchants Bank credit card and the bank sat on her payment for 12 days, meanwhile continuing to charge interest on her balance. Terri wants to know who allows this to happen. Answer: the voters who elect pro-business Congressional representatives. With the blessings of Congress, consumer protections are disappearing rapidly in the banking and credit card arena.

STATES NIX KOOL MIXX
Teen-agers are vulnerable to "cool" advertising and, to make matters worse, they're at just the right age to contract a really bad case of nicotine addiction. Cigarette companies know this and are unrelenting in their search for ways around the laws that prohibit advertising cigarettes to teens. Latest case in point: the "Kool Mixx" DJ contests Brown & Williamson is sponsoring on the Web. 33 states have threatened to sue if the contests continue.

NURSING HOMES "GOING BARE"
Facing rising liability insurance costs, nursing homes around the country are cutting back on their insurance or even doing without in states that allow such a risky practice. A trade group blames lawsuit-happy consumers, such as those who sue when their relatives are killed, raped or disabled by neglect. Other nursing homes are forcing patients to sign a waiver, saying they will not sue if they are injured by the facility's staff. Our advice: head for the door if a nursing home or assisted-living facility wants you to bear the risk of its potential malpractice.

A California study finds more than one-third of nursing homes surveyed did not meet the state's minimum staffing level.

New Senior Scams One entices seniors to invest in high-risk ventures and long-term investments that have almost no likelihood of paying off in their lifetimes. In the other, seniors are frightened into selling them homes to escape an imaginary tax lien. Watch for these and variants of them popping up around the country.

SUVs WASH OUT ON ROLLOVER TESTS
The latest government rollover tests are bad news for the Ford Explorer, Mercury Mountaineer, GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Tahoe and Toyota Tacoma. All tipped up on two wheels during the tests, a profoundly scary experience. Yes, these SUVs need to be safer, all right. But there's something else that needs to be safer too, and that's the people who are driving them. Trucks aren't cars and can't be driven like cars. People who aren't willing to learn some basic driving skills should stick with stations wagons. See our recent editorial for more thoughts along this line.

We'll be adding a new Auto Safety section to our site in the weeks ahead. Among other things, it will include information on where drivers can get the skills they need to survive on today's highways.

TESTING, TESTING ...
Auto transporters have complained bitterly about our publishing consumers' complaints about them. So to be fair, we decided to conduct our own test. We picked one of the supposed top-tier companies -- and also the most expensive -- and signed up to ship a car from coast to coast. We were assured the car would be picked up the week of June 7. Friday came and went and the car is still sitting in a Santa Monica parking lot. More on this exciting saga next week.

EVERYONE IS HAPPY IN APPLELAND
Apple computers are the best. They cost a lot more but are really worth it and everyone who has one is happy, happy, happy. This is apparently the official Apple party line from which no deviation is permitted, at least on Apple's discussion boards. Meanwhile, the natives are restless, grousing about outsourced tech support, invisible international support, continuing g5 problems and iSight irritants.

Not that things are any better in eTown. Now that Gateway owns eMachines, you might think things would improve a little. Then again, you might not, in which case you would have a better chance of being right. At least one thing hasn't changed: eMachine continues to be the world champion in slithering out of rebates.

THOSE GUYS SHOULD BE IN JAIL!
The grunts who show up to load and unload moving vans might not be the gents you'd ask to tea. There's a reason for that. As Mark, a veteran mover, points out, it's hard work for lousy pay. About the only workers willing to put up with it are guys who just got out of jail. But don't be discouraged. This can work in your favor if you follow Mark's advice.

VIRGINIA ARRESTS ALLEGED HGH SPAMMER
It may be the birthplace of the Bill of Rights, but Virginia has some of the harshest laws in the nation. Its anti-spam law makes the federal statute look like something the Parks Department would write. Since it's also home to AOL, UUNet, MCI and other Internet players, most Internet traffic passes through the Old Dominion. This is bad news for spammers, who can find themselves being dragged kicking and screaming into Virginia for trial and, quite possibly, prison. Jennifer Murray of Fort Worth, an alleged human growth hormone spammer, is the latest to be nabbed.

States Settle with New Access
New Access LLC, a local and long-distance reseller, has settled charges filed by ten states and agreed to halt misleading telemarketing campaigns.

Water Purification Claims Murky
Pennsylvia has sued a water purification company. Its salesmen allegedly told consumers their water purifiers would help cure Alzheimer's disease, acid reflux and dry skin. They also promised free soap, which prosecutors say was sometimes not delivered, and claimed their system was used by NASA. Where? On Mars?

RECALLS

• Home Depot SMC Oscillating Fans A wiring problem could cause a fire.
• Fobus Gun Holsters The strap can bump the trigger when the handgun is being reholstered.
• Gravitron Amusement Park Rides Riders were thrown from one of the riders recently.
• Old Navy Children’s Zippered Outerwear The zipper pull can come off, causing a choking hazard for infants.
• Targus International Plug Adapters A wiring problem poses a shock and fire hazard.
• Dynamic Cooking Systems Wall Ovens The door can get too hot.
• Honda CR-V & Accord Models Airbag and instrument panel problems.
• Subaru 2005 Legacy & Outback Sedans There's a problem with the side airbags.
• 2001-04 PT Cruisers A hose can leak, possibly starting a fire.

THE WRITING'S ON THE WALL
Those diplomas, certificates, licenses and so forth that doctors, lawyers and other professionals plaster all over the office wall? It's a good idea to take a look at them. A phony "lawyer" in Santa Monica, California, tried to handle legal tasks for at least 35 clients. The results were disastrous in many cases. Moral of this story: Cheapest isn't always best, especially when big bucks or your health hang in the balance.

HELP WANTED
Automan has driven off into the sunset, leaving us to find a replacement. We are also seeking a Chicago-area correspondent for a new newsletter that's in the works. Is this you? See the Job Postings page for more info.

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