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By Martin H. Bosworth
ConsumerAffairs.com
THE 12 DUDS OF CHRISTMAS
Some items under the tree bring joy and satisfaction. Others produce a heartfelt “Bah, humbug!” In the latter category you'll find “The 12 Duds of Christmas,” our annual round-up of the year's worst consumer products. Some are good products poorly produced. Some were simply ill-conceived to begin with. And for some reason, China seemed to play a recurring role in this year’s list.
Like any good holiday list, this one is a lot shorter than it could be. If we omitted your favorite candidate, be patient. It just may show up next year. And now, the envelope please ...
SAFE TOYS FOR YOUR PET
With the many recalls of poisonous food and lead-tainted toys, where can a pet owner go to buy safe pet toys? While the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) passes the buck and manufacturers continue to crank out dangerous toys, our Lisa Wade McCormick helps frustrated pet lovers get answers, and finds some domestic-made alternatives to the typical "made in China" fare.
DECK THE HALLS WITH LEAD AND HOLLY
Forget the stocking stuffers, some holiday decorations are stuffed with lead. Consumers are irate but big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target don't seem to care. Lisa Wade McCormick investigates the issue, including tests conducted by CNN for lead in holiday lights, and tells you what you can do to keep your tree -- and your family -- lead-free this holiday season.
HOUSE PASSES CONSUMER SAFETY BILL
Finally bestirring itself, the House fast-tracked and quickly passed 407-0 a bill strengthening the CPSC and doubling its budget. But the bill's provisions for investigations, whistleblowers, and fines are much weaker than a counterpart bill in the Senate, which has yet to be voted on. As our Joseph Enoch reports, reconciling these bills will be the acid test of how well Congress stands up to industry pressure as the 2008 election nears.
More food and product safety news...
• FDA Warns of Botulism in Canned Green Beans 'GFS Fancy Blue Lake' brand may contain deadly toxin.
• Safeway Warns Some Of Its Beef May Be Tainted Drug-resistant strain of Salmonella found in western states.
• Canada Reports New Mad Cow Case U.S. lifted restrictions on Canadian beef just weeks ago.
• China Agrees to Stepped-Up Food, Drug Inspections New accord puts more responsibility on China to identify, solve problems.
• Lead Poisoning Hazard in Sesame Street Toy Medical Kits Illinois tests once again find high lead levels in Fisher-Price toys.
• Poultry Workers Face Higher Risk Of Exposure To 'Super' E. coli Antibiotics used on chickens put workers at risk of infection.
• Clorox Fined For Distributing Unregistered Chinese Bleach Product was given to charities in Los Angeles area.
This week's recalls...
• Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky, Cadillac CTS-V
• Super Magnet Toys
• Empire Silver Teething Rings
• Manttra Pressure Cookers
• Lenox Covered Warmer Dishes
• Jewel Girls' Hooded Sweatshirts
• Chrysler Recalls 500,000 Pickups and Vans
• AAFES Soldier Bear Toys
• Honda Walk-Behind Lawn Mowers
• Victoria's Secret Stuffer Bear
• Discount School Supply Measuring Chart
• Bombardier Ski-Doo Snowmobiles
• Porsche 911 GT3 Street Racer
• Gorilla Full-Body Safety Harnesses
• Specialized Bicycle Helmets
• Acura RL Sedans
SINUS STUDY ALL CLOGGED UP
According to a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), common treatments for sinus problems such as antibiotics and topical steroids are ineffective. End of story, right? Wrong. Our Dr. Henry Fishman took another look at the study and found holes bigger than a sinus passage -- including the study's lack of differentiation between one-off sinus infections and chronic problems. Dr. Fishman, who treats sinusitis every day, sets things straight.
More health news...
• Can Oatmeal Really Lower Your Cholesterol? The short answer is yes. So is the long one.
• Sensitivity to Caffeine Increases with Age Seniors may have to cut back, or even eliminate, caffeine from their diet.
• Arkansas Researchers Say Chicken Fat Makes Good Fuel Why burn gas with all those chickens fit to be fried?
• FDA Approves New Beta Blocker Bystolic is newest blood-pressure drug.
• Time to Have an Important Talk with Elderly Parents Holiday togetherness offers a chance to catch up on vital matters.
BUSH SIGNS FUEL ECONOMY BILL
President Bush has signed into law a mandate to raise fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. While consumer advocates and environmentalists groused that the bill was too friendly to the auto industry, and the auto industry groused that the bill existed at all, Congress and the White House found rare common ground in celebrating the bill's passage. But as Joe Benton reports, that
comity was short-lived--the EPA ruled a few hours later to deny California the right to impose stricter gas-emission standards for itself.
More automotive news...
• Grinch Lurks at Holiday Gas Pumps Holiday prices this year are the highest ever.
• Nissan Quest Worst Performer in Minivan Bumper Test Quest sustained twice as much damage as the Honda Odyssey.
FED ENDORSES NEW LENDING PROTECTIONS
Coming to the rescue long after the damage has been done, the Federal Reserve this week released a set of guidelines for lenders to follow when issuing mortgage loans, in order to avoid a repeat of the explosion in easy loans that triggered the mortgage meltdown. While the rules, which include verifying a borrower's income and limiting prepayment penalties on loans, are certainly worthy, it may simply be too late for them to have any effect on the ongoing housing slump.
This week's real estate news...
• Foreclosures Up 68 Percent In November Another surge in defaults expected early next year.
• Nevada Leads In Foreclosures – and Rescue Scams Beware of strangers offering help with mortgage lenders.
CHILDREN PRIME IDENTITY THEFT TARGETS
As soon as a newborn child receives a Social Security number, he or she becomes become vulnerable to identity theft. Hackers and con artists can use the child's identity to open new accounts in their name and rack up thousands of dollars in debt, and neither the child nor the parent may find out for years until the bills start coming and the applications for loans get turned down. Find out what you can do to keep your child's identity safe from harm.
More scams and outrages...
• California Shuts Down Annuity Sales Scam Salesmen posed as lawyers, preyed on vulnerable seniors.
• Texas Reins in Santa.com Site agrees to protect children's privacy.
• Video Professor Drops Subpoena, Goes After Wikipedia Users Comcast protects its customers, Wikipedia surrenders.
• Sara Lee Accused of Whole Grain Whitewash 'Soft & Smooth' white bread isn't whole grain, group charges.
• Sprint Removes Three Fees, Adds Two New Ones Company claims new charges will "defray costs."
• Phone Pretexters Get Off Cheap FTC settles with company that sold consumer calling records.
ONLINE SHOPPING GETS FIVE STARS; NINTENDO WII HARD TO FIND
Brick-and-mortar stores beware--a new Nielsen Online survey found 82 percent of the respondents were happy with their Web shopping experience, providing some welcome news in an otherwise average holiday shopping season. The most popular item for gamers was the Nintendo Wii, but as Mark Huffman reports, all of the buzz and hype surrounding the high-tech game console is just making it all the harder to find to find in stores.
FCC VOTES TO RELAX MEDIA OWNERSHIP RULES; CONGRESS PROMISES OPPOSITION
Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin once again played Santa for corporate titans this year, fast-tracking a vote to enhance media companies' rights to own all the outlets (radio, television, and print) in a given region. Consumer advocates and media watchdogs blasted the move as detrimental to local journalism, but Martin got the support of the White House for the vote, which passed 3-2. Congress has promised to pass legislation to block the new rules until more studies of their effects have been performed.
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From your editor ...
IF YOU CAN'T SAY SOMETHING NICE ...
Yes, thank you, we do enjoy assembling the annual Top 10 Scams and the 12 Duds of Christmas. We also like shooting fish in a barrel. What gets tougher is finding something nice to say, but believe it or not, we do try. Trouble is, there are very few companies that haven't earned a spot in our Rogues Gallery. There are exceptions: Out of nearly 300,000 complaints, we have exactly none about Lands End, only four for Nordstrom and just a handful for Trader Joe's.
We have tried, through our Good Guys section, to ferret out trouble-free products and retailers. But between businesses trying to game the system and consumers complaining loudly about what they consider undeserved praise, we've never quite found the right formula. Maybe next year.
It's true, of course, that many if not most transactions come off trouble-free each day. We try to highlight the ones most likely to go askew, so that at least consumers can have a little warning of how bad things can get just when you least expect it.
Not everyone likes what we do but we think it's helpful and we hope you do too. Thanks to everyone who wrote to us this year. By sharing your experience, you have helped spread the word about troublesome companies and products. You also serve who merely sit and read. Thanks for being there.
There will be no Consumer News & Alerts Dec. 31 and The Daily Consumer will also be among the missing this week.
Every night a child is born is a holy night.
Happy holidays, Merry Christmas!
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