News in August 2019

Politicians are sometimes quick to criticize Amazon, claiming the retail giant pays little in the way of federal taxes.Thanks to a federal court ruling...

Texas Tripe is recalling 35 lots for each of 23 varieties of raw pet food.The products may be contaminated with Salmonella and/or Listeria monocytogene...

The United States government has granted Huawei a 90-day extension to maintain existing telecommunications networks and provide software updates to Huawei...

Following up on the release of its Password Checkup extension for Chrome, Google reports there’s some good news and some bad.The good news is that, sin...

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of British Columbia found that many new investors aren’t picking a wide array of stocks, which can...

Target is introducing a new flagship food brand, dubbed Good & Gather, to all of its locations on September 15. The retailer says the products comprisi...

Mastercard, one of the “big four” credit card issuers, is sticking its toe in the cryptocurrency waters.In a recruiting post last week, the company sai...

In a series of tweets over the weekend, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that his company is relaunching its solar power program and giving consumers the abil...

Volkswagen got caught cooking the books on its diesel emissions. Since then, the company has paid millions of dollars in fines and announced a major electr...

In an effort to help kids better control their asthma, researchers found a new way for young asthma sufferers to go about their medication regimen. Whi...

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has approved final orders settling charges with five companies that it said violated provisions of the Consumer Review F...

Dog Goods USA is recalling Chef Toby Pig Ears Treats.The Food and Drug Administration , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and State partne...

Rosemount Sales and Marketing is recalling Rosemount brand cooked diced chicken meat.The product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.Th...

A group of LGBTQ creators have filed a lawsuit accusing YouTube and its parent company, Google, of discriminating against them by limiting the reach of the...

J.C. Penney, which has been forced to close many of its stores due to disappointing sales in recent years, reported smaller losses in the second quarter, a...

The Bluetooth SIG, the organization that sets standards for Bluetooth communication technology, has issued a security advisory about a critical vulnerabili...

Facebook woke up to another federal lawsuit on Thursday -- the fourth filed against the company so far this month. This go-around, a group of the social me...

Sleep apnea is a common condition that affects consumers’ airways while they sleep at night. While the condition is problematic in its own right, a new stu...

A study by Student Loan Hero shows students are taking out fewer loans to pay for their college education. But that doesn’t mean they’ve taken jobs to pay...

Cigarette smokers are probably aware of the health risks associated with smoking, but to drive home the point the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) propos...

The scope of bullying has increased tremendously with the inception of the internet and social media. In a new study, researchers have found that the taunt...

The price of gasoline continues to fall across most the the U.S. as growing supplies create more competition.The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows the nation...

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling 680 model year 2019 Camrys.The Occupant Classification System (OCS) may have been improperly cali...

Tyson Foods of Pine Bluff, Ark., is recalling approximately 39,078 pounds of Weaver brand frozen chicken patties that may be contaminated with extraneous m...

A bug has been detected in British Airways e-ticketing system which could expose a passenger’s personal data.Researchers at Wandera, a mobile security...

Amazon has announced that it will soon launch a program that will send unsold products from third-party sellers to charities instead of the dump. Under...

The Vapor Technology Association, an industry group representing 800 vaping companies, has filed a lawsuit seeking to delay the FDA’s upcoming review of e-...

A new study could have consumers thinking twice before connecting to guest networks at their next concert or sporting event. According to experts from...

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Southern California could have older consumers keeping a tighter eye on their finances.The...

About 700,000 guests of Choice Hotels -- which is the parent company of chains such as Clarion, EconoLodge, Comfort Inn, and Quality Inn -- may have had th...

Wall Street appears convinced the sky is falling. Consumers are singing “Happy Days Are Here Again.” The two groups have very different outlooks on the U.S...

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has banned certain Apple MacBook Pros from commercial aircraft, branding them a potential fire hazard.The dec...

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reports that home mortgage applications surged 21.7 percent last week from the week before. Refinancing made up a la...

Northfork Bison Distributions is recalling ground bison that may be contaminated with E. coli O121 and O103.While there have been no reported illnesses...

Associated Grocers is recalling Celebrate brand frozen profiteroles and eclairs that may be contaminated with Salmonella.Canada's Public Health Agency...

Ford Motor Company is recalling 108,000 model year 2015 Ford Fusions and Lincoln MKZs.Increased temperatures generated during deployment of the driver...

The days of flying through an airport to catch a flight are long gone. Since 9/11, travelers have had to slow their roll and endure the sloth-like TSA pre-...

Facebook has paid hundreds of its contractors to transcribe users’ messages, according to a Bloomberg report. Sources familiar with the matter, who opt...

On Wednesday, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai made his approval of the T-Mobile/Sprint merger official. Although critics have...

Air pollution and climate change have gotten no shortage of headlines recently, and now researchers from the University of Washington have explored how the...

AT&T; and T-Mobile have announced that they will be authenticating calls between their customers in an effort to combat spam calls. Under the new plan,...

A new study has explored the relationship between migraine diagnoses and dementia. Researchers found that the two could be very closely linked, particularl...

The bond market is flashing a recession warning, as the yield on the 10-year Treasury bond has fallen below the interest paid on the government’s two-year...

CBS and Viacom, two entertainment companies that once were one company, are joining forces once again. The two entertainment companies have announced an al...

Quicken Loans, which gauges home values based on appraisal data, reports that the average home value increased 0.6 percent in July, rising at a 4.75 percen...

Delta Pacific Seafood is recalling Western Family brand Original Wild Sockeye Smoked Salmon Nuggets.The product may be contaminated with Listeria monoc...

Google has agreed to pay Pixel owners who experienced problems with their phone’s microphone up to $500 each. The lawsuit, which originated in 2017, al...

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is currently investigating California-based real estate title insurance company First American, according...

Google’s job search service could be the target of an antitrust investigation from the European Union (EU). In a letter to EU competition commissioner...

Apple is taking a major step toward improving its internal security by paying hackers as much as $1.5 million to find flaws in its own devices and software...

They’re definitely not the cheapest or easiest colleges to gain acceptance, but MONEY.com has issued its annual list of the best values in a college educat...

Two U.S. Senators have called on Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to shed more light on the company’s “Amazon’s Choice” badge program. In particular, the lawmakers wa...

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Connecticut discovered that walnuts, in addition to providing several other health benefits, co...

A new study conducted by researchers from the University Health Network found that a high-fat diet can lead to insulin resistance, which can be a precursor...

Inflation picked up its pace in July but is still relatively low, according to the latest report from the Labor Department.The Consumer Price Index (CP...

Mountain Rose Herbs (MRH) of Eugene, Ore., is recalling all sizes ranging from 4-oz. to 50-lbs. of its Fennel Seed Whole.The product may be contaminate...

Agropur Cooperative is recalling Idéale brand, Iceberg Premium brand and Originale Augustin brand ice cream and frozen yogurt.The products may contain...

BMW of North America is recalling 20 model year 2018-2019 X3 sDrive30i, xDrive30i & M40i, and model year 2019 X4 xDrive30i and M40i vehicles.The front...

Polish Trade Center Ltd. is recalling Ryki brand Rycki Edam Cheese Slices.The products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.There have b...

Braun Corporation is recalling 595 model year 2017-2020 Toyota Siennas.The steering shaft extensions may have been improperly manufactured, possibly ca...

A Tesla Model 3 on Autopilot caught fire and exploded over the weekend after colliding with a tow truck in Moscow. The car was being driven by Russian...

Nike launched a subscription service for kids called Nike Adventure Club on Monday. The service aims to give parents an alternative means of navigating the...

Security researchers at Check Point Software Technologies have discovered a security vulnerability on Canon digital cameras. In a report issued Monday, res...

Windows 10 users are facing another critical warning -- one which could potentially impact millions of users.As part of a presentation at hacker clamba...

A new survey finds young borrowers are paying more than 20 percent of their take-home pay to service their student loan debt, which exceeds $1.5 trillion d...

The rewards credit card landscape continues to get more competitive, with lenders not only introducing new cards with lucrative benefits but updating curre...

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has encountered another roadblock in its effort to speed the rollout of 5G wireless service.A federal court...

Researchers from the European Society of Cardiology have found that having greater access to fast food could have a direct impact on consumers’ health....

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Copenhagen is urging type 2 diabetics to rethink their diets in order to better regulate their...

Dole Fresh Vegetables is recalling a limited number of cases of baby spinach.The product may be contaminated with Salmonella.No illnesses have been...

American Honda Motor Co. is recalling 134 model year 2019 CR-Vs.The joint weld between the fuel tank and the vapor return line may have been insufficie...

Getting through the day without caffeine can be difficult for many consumers, but researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are now warning aga...

Though August is just heating up, back-to-school season is right around the corner. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) wants parents to b...

Uber continues to extend its influence to all walks of life -- rideshare, e-bikes, even air transportation. On Friday, the company confirmed that it’s beta...

A class action lawsuit targeting Facebook’s collection of biometric data has cleared its latest hurdle in court. On Thursday, the United States Court o...

Tesla has had its share of headaches in recent months and here’s another one: a Tesla owner has filed a lawsuit claiming the company used a software update...

The Apple Card, Apple’s branded credit card announced earlier this year, began to roll out this week. Some iPhone owners were able to apply for the car...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sent warning letters to four companies to demand that they stop selling certain flavored e-cigarette and ho...

Are you already tired of seeing political posts and tirades on your social media feed? If so, you’re certainly not alone. A recent survey conducted by...

A steep drop in world oil prices is putting downward pressure on gasoline prices, giving motorists cheaper fuel prices as the summer driving season winds d...

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling 6,925 model year 2019 Lexus LS500, LC500, ES300h, UX250h, LS500h, Toyota Prius, RAV4 HV, model year 2...

“Shh” seems to be the operative word these days at Big Tech. Earlier this year, ConsumerAffairs reported on Amazon employees eavesdropping on consumer’s in...

General Motors (GM) has won a victory in federal court, where a judge narrowed claims concerning faulty ignition switches on some models. Consumers in thre...

Does the idea of shopping locally appeal to you as a consumer? If it does, then you may be paying more for your products without even realizing it.A re...

Two U.S. senators have sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg over what they say is a disturbing privacy issue related to its Messenger Kids app....

A new study has found that consumers’ commuting routes could be affecting their weight. According to the researchers, when consumers pass fast-food res...

Getting enough sleep is crucial for consumers of all ages, though it can be difficult for many people to fall asleep and stay asleep. Now, researchers...

Getting a vehicle report from a company like Carfax before buying a used car has become more common. These reports are not infallible, but they can alert p...

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has settled with an email management company that allegedly deceived consumers about what information it accessed and us...

The Federal Reserve reports that consumer borrowing rose in June, but at the slowest rate in months. The reason for the slowdown can be attributed to consu...

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is recalling 1,957 of the following vehicles: Model year 2019 C300 Cabrios, C300A Cabrio 4MATICs, C300 Coupes, C300 Coupe 4...

BRP U.S. of Sturtevant, Wis., is expanding its earlier recall of model year 2017 Ski Doo MXZ, Summit and Renegade snowmobiles and model year 2018 MXZ and R...

BMW of North America is recalling five model year 2019 X5 xDrive50i and X7 xDrive40i vehicles.The left side wheel bolts may have been insufficiently ti...

Ford Motor Company is recalling about 14,000 model year 2020 Ford Explorers and Lincoln Aviators.Federal law requires the manual park release cover be...

Have you purchased anything at CafePress? T-shirt, coffee mug, flip-flops? If you have, you could be one of the 23 million CafePress consumers who had thei...

FedEx has announced that it is severing ties with Amazon and will no longer be using its fleet of delivery trucks to ship the company’s packages to consume...

It’s a storyline that consumers have become all too used to over the past few years: Sears and Kmart are closing more store locations. After being snat...

A new study revealed that consuming too much red meat could increase the risk of developing breast cancer, though swapping red meat for poultry could help...

A new study conducted by researchers from the American Heart Association revealed the health benefits of consumers switching to more plant-based diets. Acc...

Marriott’s recent data breach has proved quite costly. The company says it has booked a $126 million charge to pay for its massive data breach that was rev...

If you’ve cancelled your cable TV subscription and are relying on video streaming services for your entertainment, you are no longer just a trend-setter. Y...

Cord-cutters rejoice! Another new streaming service bundle has been announced that will deliver sports, TV shows, movies, and children’s content.Disney...

Subway is the latest fast food chain to offer a plant-based “meat,” partnering with Beyond Meat to introduce a meatless meatball sub.The move follows B...

Audi is recalling 144,092 model year 2018 S5 Cabriolets, S5 Sportbacks, S5 Coupes, S4 Sedans, A5 Cabriolets, A5 Sportbacsk & A5 Coupes, and model year 2017...

Toyota is recalling about 18,000 model year 2019 RAV4s and RAV4 hybrids.There is a possibility that a damaged connector in the back-up camera system's...

Hyundai Motor America is recalling 8,059 model year 2018 Genesis G80s and model year 2017-2018 Genesis G90s equipped with 3.3 liter turbocharged engines....

The July robocall report has hit the stands, and just when we thought we were out of the woods thanks to three consecutive months of fewer calls, that tren...

Three major opioid companies have proposed paying a $10 billion settlement over claims that they played a part in fueling the U.S. opioid epidemic, accordi...

Following reports that its employee base is primarily made up of independent and temporary contractors, Google has been taken to task by a group of senator...

Consumer goods can be recalled for any number of reasons, but the process is primarily used to protect people from potentially harmful products. Now, a...

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Cambridge found that parents’ prenatal stressors and emotions can indicate how children will be...

Wall Street suffered its worst single day of the year on Monday as concerns about deteriorating trade conditions produced a wave of selling.President T...

Over 12,000 consumers who were deceived into paying for unnecessary tech support services will finally be receiving refund checks from the Federal Trade Co...

It turns out that high-end retailers aren’t immune to the retail apocalypse. Barneys New York has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and announced...

Consumers hoping to buy their first home, or perhaps move up, have been plagued by numerous headwinds over the last year, but those winds may be shifting....

Confidence/romance fraud -- also known as “catfishing” -- continues to rise, with more than 18,000 people claiming they were hit by the love bug to the tun...

Attorneys general from 13 states have filed a lawsuit to block the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) final rule that reduces...

Many companies that produce e-scooters are quick to point to the environmental benefits of using them for transportation, but a recent study suggests that...

A new study has revealed the very different ways exposure to the Zika virus as an infant can manifest by the time the children become toddlers. In a te...

A new study conducted by researchers from University College London found that seniors can help reduce their risk of dementia by staying socially active....

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted new regulations that ban caller ID spoofing of text messages and phone calls originating outside th...

Google has become the latest company to promise that it will be improving its sustainability efforts in the coming years. In a blog post on Monday, the...

CVS Pharmacy announced on Monday that it is jumping on the home delivery bandwagon with the nationwide rollout of its CarePass program.Touted as a loya...

A growing number of economists worry that a recession could be ahead, but the job market has yet to suggest it.Last week’s July employment report shows...

Williams Foods is recalling the following two varieties of taco seasonings: Item number Product Name Package Size Product UP...

Volkswagen Group of America is recalling 27,822 model year 2015-2016 Tiguans and CCs.The airbag Electronic Control Unit (ECU) may have a defective powe...

In the wake of Capital One’s recent data breach, ConsumerAffairs sees a lot of questions swirling around -- was I affected, what did they get, what should...

With autonomous vehicles at the forefront of many consumers’ minds, a new study conducted by researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology explored...

Verizon on Friday unveiled four new plans that will take the place of its current Go, Above, and Beyond unlimited plans. The four new plans -- the entr...

Apple has temporarily pulled the plug on a program that let its employees listen to Siri voice recordings. The practice was called “grading,” and it was in...

The price of new cars keeps going up, but fortunately for consumers, financing costs are coming down.Automotive publisher Edmunds reports that the aver...

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted to require internet service providers (ISPs) to better map their coverage areas so gaps in broadband...

In a new study, researchers deconstructed the struggles many nations are facing in trying to gain ground when it comes to meeting the tenants of the Paris...

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved direct-to-consumer sales of the Impossible Burger. Starting September 4, Impossible Foods’ meatless pat...

Gasoline prices drifted lower during the week for the final stretch of the vacation and summer driving seasons.The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows the aver...

Dorel Juvenile Group USA of Foxboro, Mass., is recalling about 24,000 Eddie Bauer Slumber and Soothe Rock Bassinets; Disney Baby Doze and Dream Bassinets....

Lennox Intl of Edison N.J., is recalling Natural Pig Ears that may be contaminated with Salmonella.The firm says it is aware of two cases in which pig...

Earlier this week, customers affected by the Equifax data breach of 2017 were promised either a $125 check or free credit monitoring courtesy of Experian....

The Federal Reserve has cut its key interest rate a quarter of a point but suggested it isn’t part of a cycle of lower rates.Wall Street fully expected...

Amazon will soon introduce new package guidelines for sellers as part of a larger effort to curb its environmental impact and maximize efficiency. Star...

Last week, the $26.5 billion merger of T-Mobile and Sprint gained approval from the Department of Justice. However, the deal -- which hasn’t yet closed --...

Here a breach, there a breach, everywhere a breach -- or so it seems. Word comes from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that textbook publisher Pearson’s d...

Findings from a new study conducted by researchers from Northwestern University suggest that consumers are being negatively affected by the high amount of...

While countless efforts are being made by consumers to reduce their carbon footprints, a new study conducted by researchers from the University of New Hamp...

Hyundai said it will install rear seat reminder systems as standard equipment on most new models by 2022, a move aimed at preventing children from being ac...

If you drive either a Dodge Charger HEMI or a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, you’d better keep a close eye on it. Both models top  the Highway Loss Data Ins...

Spansive of San Bruno, Calif., is recalling about 950 Spansive Source wireless, multi-phone chargers.Metallic accessories attached to phones placed on...

BMW of North America is recalling 115 model year 2020 750i xDrives, model year 2019 M850i xDrive Coupes, M850i xDrive Convertibles, X5 xDrive50is, X7 xDriv...