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Consumer News & Alerts

September 24, 2007

By Martin H. Bosworth
ConsumerAffairs.com

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PET TOY TOXICITY STANDARDS NEEDED
While Wal-Mart took the low road and sent its publicists to muddy the waters, pet industry leaders stepped up their own testing of pet products and agreed that national standards are needed to ensure that pet toys are safe for pets and the families they live with. The controversy began after tests ordered by ConsumerAffairs.com found elevated levels of lead, chromium, and cadmium in pet toys sold at Wal-Mart.

It's troubling when a big dog like Wal-Mart goes on the attack instead of taking a leadership position and helping to identify weak links in the safety chain (actually, it's more like a frayed rope but that's another story). There are presently no standards at all for pet toys and no meaningful body of research exists, so no one really knows what's safe and what isn't. Wal-Mart is wasting a lot of money on fast-talking publicists that would be better spent doing some basic research that would help protect its customers.

HUGE CRIB RECALLS FOLLOW INFANT DEATHS
Simplicity is recalling nearly one million of its cribs after reports of three infant deaths due to a design flaw in the crib's assembly. The flaw can cause consumers to assemble the crib's drop-side upside-down, which can cause the drop-side to detach and infants to be caught in the gap. Not only is this the second recall for Simplicity cribs this year, but the Consumer Product Safety Commission's notice leaves out that important detail, as well as other vital information parents need to know about the recall.

In other product safety news ...

• Mattel, Not China, To Blame For Toy Recall, Company Admits Company tries to mend its ties with China, risking backlash at home.

• California's 'Healthy Lunchbox' Promotion Backfires State now urges parents to toss the Chinese-made lunchboxes because of a lead hazard. Bureaucrats fumble their explanation about the delay in alerting parents.

• Dole Recalls Bagged Salad Over E. Coli Fears 'Dole Hearts Delight' was sold in the U.S. and Canada.

Recent recalls ...

FORD TRUCK FIRES CONTINUE DESPITE RECALLS
Although Ford has recalled over 10 million vehicles due to concerns of fire hazard, ConsumerAffairs.com continues to regularly get reports of Ford trucks, SUVs, and cars turning into blazing bonfires without warning. Joe Benton reports on a terrifying case of a 2007 Ford F150 spontaneously combusting that narrowly missed endangering the lives of the family that had just driven the truck home from the hospital with their new baby.

More automotive news...

• Summer Driving Ends, Gas Prices Hold at $2.79 National average fell four cents in the last week.

• Insurance Group: Supersport Motorcycles Deadly Motorcycle death rates double, helmet use down.

• Study Finds Too Many Parking Spaces Parking spaces outnumber drivers 3-1, cause pollution, erosion, excess heat, Purdue study finds.

FED MAKES BIG CUT TO INTEREST RATES; OIL PRICES SPIKE
The Federal Reserve moved to prop up a faltering economy by aggressively cutting the prime interest rate by half a point. As our Truman Lewis noted, while this might seem to be a win for consumers in the form of lower rates for borrowing, oil markets responded by raising prices to a record-setting $81.51 dollars a barrel. Only time will tell if the rate cut spurs more spending and investment, or if the economy will continue along its downward trajectory.

TWO CREDIT BUREAUS WILL OFFER CREDIT FREEZES IN ALL 50 STATES
Consumers scored a big win this week when consumer credit bureaus Trans Union and Equifax reversed their policies and agreed to offer services to "freeze" credit accounts in all 50 states. Trans Union's service will cost $10 to set up and $10 to unlock, while details are scarce on Equifax's offer. Consumer advocates and identity theft experts hailed the move as a significant step to protect consumers from fraud, but said that the plans are more expensive than those already offered by many states. The Experian credit bureau has also not committed to offering credit freezes, which will leave many consumers vulnerable as well.

CREDIT CARD THEFT COMES IN MANY FORMS
The theft of your credit card number and other personal information can be a major annoyance to you and a financial hardship for the merchant who often gets stuck with the tab. The best way to catch problems early? Ask your credit card company to email you whenever large charges are placed on your card and review your monthly statement carefully. Read more ...

More economy & finance news...

• August Foreclosures Up 115% Over Last Year Nevada, California, Florida the Foreclosure Big 3

• Congress May Help Homeowners In Trouble Bills would raise limits on federal loans for homebuyers.

• Bank of America Takes Bigger Bite with $3 ATM Fee How can you avoid lining the pockets of big banks?

• How Consumers Miscalculate Sale Prices 'Double discount' can make savings look unrealistically large.

BIOFUELS MOVING TO THE SUBURBS
You might not think of heating your house with biofuels, but a few brave souls are doing so around the country. Though commonly associated with diesel engines in small cars, biofuels can also be used instead of home heating oil. They're environmentally friendly but, at least initially, may be rather expensive.

OXYCONTIN MAKER AGREES TO $634 MILLION SETTLEMENT
Purdue Pharma, makers of Rush Limbaugh's favorite painkiller cocktail OxyContin, has agreed to a settlement of $634 million with federal and state governments over charges of deceptive marketing, The suit alleged that Purdue claimed OxyContin was less addictive than competing pain medications, and had less potential for harmful withdrawal side effects. Purdue Pharma agreed to pay millions into federal and state Medicaid programs as reimbursment for the costs of dealing with OxyContin addiction, as well as submitting to outside audits and oversight of its marketing and sales programs.

Consumer news around the U.S. ...

• Connecticut Sues Accenture Over Lost Data Lawsuit alleges contractor lost taxpayer data in connection with Ohio data breach.

• New York Sues Vioxx Maker over Drug’s Risks Suit charges taxpayers were defrauded and endangered by Merck.

• Wisconsin Seeks To Block Satellite Radio Merger The deal would stifle innovation, raise prices, state argues.

• Kentucky Targets Bogus Business Opportunities Consumers often duped by get-rich-quick schemes.

• Illinois Uses New Law to Sue Mortgage Rescue Company First case under the state's new Mortgage Rescue Fraud Act.

GOOD NEWS FOR TODDLERS
Kids who hate shots will be glad to know the feds have approved a nasal flu vaccine for children as young as two. This makes life easier for parents and health-care workers alike. Meanwhile, public health officials say there's plenty of flu vaccine this year, so everyone -- especially kids and seniors -- should get in line.

In other health news ...

• You Can Be Your Own Blood Donor What's the safest source of transfused blood? You are.

• Quick Burning Carbs May Cause Fatty Liver Low-fat, high-carb diets can be dangerous.

• Hygiene Habits Stall: Public Handwashing Down Americans say they wash their hands but study finds otherwise.

• FDA Warns P&G About Kids’ Hand Sanitizer Active ingredient is an unapproved drug, FDA warns.

• Second-Hand Smoke Tied to Lower Test Scores Parents who smoke damage their children's academic performance.

• Hip Replacement Surgery Generally Effective Hips and knees most likely to need replacement as we age.

• GAMERS TAKE AIM
Computer game hobbyists are up in arms over what they say are flaws and bugs in NFL Madden 2008, the nation's most popular video game. Fans say the problems are so numerous they make the newest version of the game "unplayable." The exact nature of the problems seems to differ on different players -- Xbox, Nintendo, et al -- and gamers say the company's response is something way less than a touchdown.

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