Current Events in April 2017

A consumer group has lodged a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), charging that Uber Technologies tracked consumers who had once used the company's ride-sharing app, but who had deleted it from their phones.

In its complaint, Consumer Watchdog called the ride-sharing app “a renegade technology” and charged company executives with taking pride in being a “disruptive” business.

"It is long past time for the company and its CEO Travis Kalanick to be held accountable for their actions which regularly flout the law," wrote John M. Simpson, the group's privacy project director.

Rocky road

Uber has been engaged in one public relations snafu after another recently. In January there was a “delete Uber” campaign to protest the company's activities that were interpreted by some as interfering with a New York City taxi strike. That campaign intensified when Uber's anti-Trump clientele pressured the company CEO to withdraw from the President's business advisory group.

Kalanick himself was in an uncomfortable spotlight in February when a viral video showed him heatedly arguing with an Uber driver.

The company also had a dust-up with California officials over planned tests of self-driving cars in San Francisco.

New York Times report

Consumer Watchdog launched the complaint on the heels of a New York Times report outlining how Uber continued to track former riders who had deleted the company's app from their iPhones. The complaint alleges that Uber knew what it was doing was deceptive and went to great lengths to conceal it from Apple.

The Hill reports the complaint may resonate in Washington. It quotes Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.) as saying it's an example of why Congress needs to work on a major privacy bill. In a statement to The Hill, Uber disputed information contained in The Times story and said it does track users who have deleted the app.

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) was an early critic of Uber privacy policies. As we reported in December, Franken pressed Uber's CEO to make the company's privacy policy more consumer-friendly.

In particular, Franken said he was concerned that an update to the app eliminated the ability to turn off Uber's access to a consumer's location when the app was not being used.

The Consumer Watchdog complaint calls on the FTC to intervene and enjoin Uber from any deceptive tracking in the future. It also said the FTC should conduct a thorough examination of both the iPhone and Android versions of the Uber app.

Osprey Child Safety Products and Osprey Packs of Cortez, Colo., is recalling about 88,000 Poco child carriers sold in the U.S. and Canada.

A child seated in the carrier can slip through the leg openings, posing a fall hazard to children.

The firm has received four reports of children falling through the carrier leg openings, resulting in one report of a skull fracture and one report of scratches to the head.

This recall involves all models of Poco, Poco Plus and Poco Premium child backpack carriers manufactured between January 2012, and December 2014.

The nylon child carriers were sold in three colors: “Romper Red,” “Koala Grey,” and “Bouncing Blue,” and have a metal frame and a gray padded child’s seat inside. The production date is stamped on a black label sewn into the interior of the large lower zippered compartment on the back of the carrier.

Recalled carriers have a production date code of S12SBPR1, S12SBPR1B, S12SBPR2, S12SBPR3, S12SBPR4, F12SBPR1, F12SBPR2, S13SB IPO, S13SBPR1, S13SBPR2, S13SBPR3, S13SBPR4, F13SBPR1, F13SBPR2, F13SBPR3, S14SBPR1, S14SBPR2, S14SBPR3, S14SBPR4, S14SBPR5.

“Osprey” is printed on the fabric above the kick stand. The model name is printed on the back at the bottom.

The carriers, manufactured in Vietnam, were sold at REI and specialty outdoor stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com from January 2012, to December 2015, for between $200 and $300.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled carriers and contact Osprey for a free Seat Pad Insert for use along with the existing safety straps to secure the child in the carrier.

Consumers who previously received and installed the free Seat Pad Insert in their carriers are not required to take further action.

Consumers may contact Osprey toll-free at 866-951-5197 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (MT) Monday through Friday, by email at pocoseatpad@ospreypacks.com or online at www.ospreypacks.com and click on “Poco Safety Notices” on the navigation bar at the top right hand corner of the page for more information.

Chromag Bikes is recalling about 100 Chromag bicycle stems.

The clamping bolts that secure the stem to the fork steerer and/or the handlebars can break, posing fall and injury hazards to riders.

The firm has received three reports of the clamping bolts breaking. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves Chromag bicycle stems used to clamp the fork steerer and/or handlebars. The recalled stems include models BZA, Director, HiFi and Ranger. Only stems with a “Z” marked inside the bolt head are included in this recall. “Chromag” and the model name are printed on the stems.

The stems were sold separately from bicycles. Bolts used in the stems are 6 mm in diameter and 20 mm in length. The stems were sold in various colors including black, red, blue, gold, purple and silver.

The stems, manufactured in Taiwan and Canada, were sold at Arts Cyclery, Beatchwood Cycles, Beat Cycles, Breadwinner Cycles, Blazin Saddles, Harpers, Quality Bicycle Products, The Bike Hub and Squatch Cycles nationwide or online at www.chromagbikes.com from November 2016, through March 2017, for about $120 for the stem.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using bicycles with the recalled stems and contact Chromag for free replacement bolts for the stem.

Consumers may contact Chromag Bikes at 800-380-4102 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (PT) Monday through Thursday, by email at info@chromagbikes.com or online at www.chromagbikes.com and click on Stem Bolt Recall at the top of the page for more information.

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is recalling 411 model year 2016-2017 E300 and model year 2017 E300 4MATIC vehicles.

The recalled vehicles have a roof-mounted spoiler that may not be properly attached and thus may detach during driving.

If the roof-mounted spoiler detaches, it can become a road hazard, increasing a risk of a crash.

What to do

MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the roof spoilers, replacing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in early June 2017.

Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.