Current Events in January 2024

Joybuy of Irvine, Calif., is recalling about 4,240 Relax 5mm Science Kit, Large Hematite Magnets Magnetic Stones Building Blocks.

The magnetic ball sets do not comply with the requirements of the mandatory federal magnet regulation as they contain one or more magnets that fit within the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s small parts cylinder, and the magnets are stronger than permitted.

When high-powered magnets are swallowed, they can attract each other, or another metal object, and become lodged in the digestive system. This can result in perforations, twisting and/or blockage of the intestines, infection, blood poisoning, and death.

CPSC estimates 2,400 magnet ingestions were treated in hospital emergency departments from 2017 through 2021. The agency is aware of seven deaths involving the ingestion of hazardous magnets, including two outside the U.S.

This recall involves 5mm magnetic balls which are small, spherical, loose and separable neodymium rare-earth magnets with a strong magnetic flux.

The magnets are sold in a set of 216 multi-colored magnetic balls encased in a clear, plastic case and a portable, tin storage box. The set includes a black storage bag.

The magnetic ball sets, manufactured in China, were sold exclusively online at Walmart.com from February 2022, through April 2023, for between $14 and $15.

What to do

Consumers should stop using the recalled magnetic balls immediately, take them away from children and contact Joybuy to receive a pre-paid label to return them for a full refund.

Joybuy is notifying all known purchasers directly.

Consumers may contact Joybuy Marketplace Express collect at (302) 426-4543 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (PT) Monday through Friday, by email at oversea-service@jd.com, or online at https://www.walmart.com/seller/16214 for more information.

Who else but the consumer, the people who use the products and services, understands which companies are best?

In announcing its first-ever Buyer’s Choice Awards, ConsumerAffairs employed an advanced sentence-by-sentence analysis of high-integrity consumer reviews – posted at ConsumerAffairs – to uncover the brands that earned the highest rates of positive feelings from purchasers.

Each review analyzed for the 2024 Buyer’s Choice Awards was conducted by phone interview or detailed questionnaire in 2023. To calculate the winners, ConsumerAffairs then conducted “emotional decoding,” or sentiment analysis, of eligible reviews, using a customized Natural Language Processing (NLP) tool. Experienced auditors confirmed the accuracy of the sentiment analysis.  

 “We decoded millions of reviews to learn what aspects of each industry’s particular buying journey made the biggest emotional difference to purchasers,” said Zac Carman, CEO of ConsumerAffairs.

Of the five awards in the home warranty category, for example, three were pinpointed by review analysis as specific preoccupations of home warranty customers: Best Technicians, Best Coverage Options, and Best Claims Handling. 

“That’s what makes these awards unique,” Carman said. “Each award recognizes one super-important need for customers in that category and the companies that best fulfill it.” 

Each quarter in 2024, ConsumerAffairs will announce Buyer’s Choice Awards in new categories and use its website to flag the winning companies with a signature badge designed to guide consumers in need to trusted companies. The initial five categories with winners are:

Home Warranties

Industry pioneer American Home Shield was the only home warranty company to win all three of those Buyer’s Choice Awards plus the industry’s awards for Best Customer Service and Best Value for Price.  

Solar

In the Solar category, reviews of solar purchasing platform SunPower earned it the Buyer’s Choice Awards for Best Customer Service and Best Value for Price. But the company also was recognized for Best for Installation, which review contents revealed as the second most critical emotional difference-maker to solar customers.  

Debt Relief

In the Debt Relief category, Accredited Debt Relief, National Debt Relief and Freedom Debt Relief each won for Best Customer Service as well as Best Experience with Staff and Best for Transparency, two awards that speak to customers’ need for a high-touch, trustworthy relationship with their debt relief company.

Personal Loans

Among personal loan lenders, Best Egg, Net Credit, and Achieve Personal Loans each won for Best Customer Service, Best Experience with Staff, and Best Loan Process, an award triggered by how important that aspect is to personal loan shoppers.

Stairlifts

Among companies providing stairlifts, Bruno Independent Living Aids and Stannah Stairlifts, were singled out for Best Customer Service, Best for Installation, and Best Experience with Staff; and Arrow Lift, for Best for Installation and Best Experience with Staff.

You can check out the full results here.

In 2023, first-time homebuyers drove home sales, led by millennials.

However, a number of people in that generation soon discovered that their money didn’t go nearly as far as it used to because of rising mortgage rates, which was the likely reason why more than 17 million millennials and 4.5 million Gen Z’ers decided to call a rental unit their home and lose out on the benefits of home ownership.

Specifically, they lost out on the benefit of raising their credit score by paying mortgages on time. But have they?

Since rents are rising faster than home prices, shouldn’t those people have the same advantage? That question is starting to surface. It’s not well-publicized – nor is it always easy – but it is doable. 

Not easy vs. doable

The “not easy” side is that currently, renters can’t submit their payments directly to the credit bureaus for one thing. For another, some landlords and property managers do not report rent payments to credit bureaus.

“However, renters have the option to avail themselves of several free and paid services that will report rent payments to the credit bureaus on their behalf,” Severine Bryan, founder of Bryan Financial Empowerment LLC, told ConsumerAffairs.

“Free services include Self which reports to all three bureaus. Renters do not have to go through their landlord to use Self. It does have a paid tier that includes reporting utility and phone payments to the bureaus but those additional payments only report to TransUnion.”

Bryan offered two other “free” suggestions:

• Pinata, which only reports to TransUnion through this method,  but which landlords can use and report to all three bureaus.

• PayYourRent is also free to tenants and reports to all three bureaus. But, landlords might shy away from this since they pay any fees charged by PayYourRent.

As for paid rental payment credit reporting services, there’s Boom Pay, RentReporters and Rental Kharma.

Paid services that report to all three bureaus include Boom Pay. Bryan says the beauty of Boom Pay is that for an additional small fee, it will capture and report up to 24 months of payments before signing up. Rental Kharma, on the other hand, only reports to TransUnion and Equifax.

“Before signing up for any of these services, tenants should verify which bureau they report to,” Bryan cautions.

“This is especially important if they are in the market for a loan and the loan servicer uses one bureau over the others. They should also verify if the loan servicer includes rent payments in their loan processes.”

A credit card solution?

Some credit experts poo-poo using credit cards to pay rent, but Sebastian Jania of Ontario Property Buyers suggests that one of the more atypical credit card benefits being offered is a way that renters can use their rental payments to up their credit score. 

Jania alerted ConsumerAffairs to Plastiq, a company that will pay the landlord on or before the day that rent is due, and the owner of the credit card will have that balance along with a small fee added to their credit card for payment the next month. 

“By doing this one is able to use a credit card and show the credit card company that they are able to use this card responsibly and have it paid every month which will result in improving their credit score over time,” Jania told us.

“Further, as the credit card company sees that they are making consistent payments, they may offer them additional credit products or an increase in credit limit which will reduce credit utilization and ultimately result in an increased credit score.”

Housing experts are largely in agreement when it comes to 2024’s homebuying opportunities. They should be better than last year’s.

The experts ConsumerAffairs consulted this week predict interest rates could fall below 6% in the months ahead.

So if you’ve been waiting patiently for an opportunity to buy your first home, 2024 may be your year. But if your job allows you to work remotely and you’re willing to relocate, the opportunities may be even greater.

A recent ConsumerAffairs study identified the best cities for first-time buyers. While home prices were a key component, the study also considered quality-of-life factors. Each metro received a financial friendliness score and a quality-of-life score, which were added together for an overall score.

The quality-of-life score components include crime rates, unemployment rate, climate and racial diversity.

The top 10

Based on those factors, here are the 10 best metros for first-time homebuyers:

1. Raleigh-Cary, N.C.

2. Provo-Orem, Utah

3. Naples-Marco Island, Fla.

4. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, Calif.

5. Cape Coral-Ft. Myers, Fla.

6. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, Calif.

7. Port St. Lucie, Fla.

8. Barnstable, Mass.

9. Boise, Idaho

10. Bridgeport-Stamford, Conn.

What makes Raleigh so special? It’s the largest city in the “Research Triangle” of North Carolina, which gets its name from the biggest research park in the U.S. — covering 7,000 acres, where over 50,000 people work at companies including IBM and Cisco.

The Raleigh-Cary area has the fifth-highest financial friendliness score of all metro areas, and it ranks 14th in having the least violent crime.

In addition to comparative affordability and safety, Raleigh-Cary residents benefit from the area’s exceptional greenway system, diverse arts scene, free museums — the “Smithsonian of the South” — and temperate climate.

Madison, Wisc., Knoxville, Tenn., and Elizabethtown, Ky., also rank as markets that are friendly to first-time buyers. Check out the full study here.

What have Americans resolved to do better in 2024? Take care of themselves.

According to a new Statista study, eating healthier, exercising more, losing weight, drinking less, quitting smoking, and becoming a vegetarian/vegan represent nearly half of the goals that we have for the year. One of those, however, stands out like a sore thumb when it comes to getting scammed: losing weight.

Scammers are so resolved to help consumers lose money instead of weight that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says scammers are showing up everywhere. Not just in online pitches for things like weight loss pills, patches, creams, or “fake” Ozempic, but now they’re tying in subscriptions and endorsements to help convince someone to help them shed a few pounds. 

Shark Tank…

A case-in-point of that deception is products claiming to have been endorsed by celebrities or on popular TV shows like Shark Tank. The Shark Tank angle is particularly concerning, given the show’s massive viewership and the fact that its experts invest millions of dollars into product development which, when leveraged in an ad can look impressive to a consumer.

ConsumerAffairs research uncovered everything from Facebook pages for “Purefit KETO” and “One Shot Keto diet pills” that swear their product is either a “Shark Tank Official Product” or that “Every Judge On Shark Tank Backed This Product!" 

One supplement company that is investing all it takes to be the first result when you search for “Keto diet Shark Tank” is the company experthealthreview.com with a paid-for placement that says, "Official Shark Tank diet drink Reviews - #1 Weight Loss Gummies In 2023. Our Health Experts Tested 100s Of The Best Rated Shark Tank Diet Drink On The Market Today."

However, there’s nothing on ExpertHealthReview.com that mentions “Shark Tank” and the company did not respond to ConsumerAffairs' request for clarification and confirmation of Shark Tank’s endorsement. 

But, Shark Tank’s Lori Greiner isn’t too happy about it, that we know. Greiner pulled no punches on her website about how little consumers should trust anything they see related to Keto or diet aid productswith her name attached to it.

“I DO NOT sell or endorse any “Keto”, “Weight Loss” or “Diet Aid” Products and I’m NOT affiliated in any way with these ads,” Greiner says. “These are Fake Ads and Scam Ads. They photoshop their keto product into my hands.”

… or shark bite?

“Scammers will say just about anything to get you to buy their weight loss or fitness products,” Ari Lazarus, an FTC consumer education specialist, says. Lazarus says some of the just-about-anything weight loss promises will look like this:

• If someone says you don’t have to watch what you eat to lose weight? That's a scam.

• If someone says using their product helps you lose weight permanently? Scam.

• If someone tells you that, to lose weight, all you have to do is take their pill? Scam.

• If someone says thatDr. Oz, Dolly Parton, or Kelly Clarkson endorse their product? Very likely a scam.

• If someone promises that you can lose 30 pounds in 30 days? Royal scam.

• If a company says its weight loss product is “approved” by the FDA? Scam, scam, scam. Unlike prescription meds, dietary supplements aren't evaluated or reviewed by the FDA for effectiveness.

• If it’s a “review” site – like the one promoting Shark Tank’s love of a Keto product – or TikTok videos, be doubly careful. It’s best to stick to consumer product review sites that allow both goodandbad reviews of weight loss plans and products. 

For example, ConsumerAffairs has ranked the best weight loss programs based on thousands of verified consumer reviews.

If someone says you need to sign up for a subscription

If you find a weight loss company that offers you a “free trial” or says you need to sign up for a “subscription” or “plan” to make their weight loss system work, you should also proceed with caution. 

There are some unscrupulous companies that go hard and heavy with their come-ons, yet make it hard to cancel or get a refund. 

Free trial offers should always be viewed with skepticism, regardless of who is offering them. Before committing to any program or product, make sure you understand the terms and conditions. Reading the fine print is a hassle for sure, but it’s five minutes that could save you $500.

Another trick scammers and fraudsters use when making consumers sign up for subscription or membership programs is to have pre-checked boxes designed to trick you into signing up for more than you want without your consent.

Educate yourself about weight loss

Weight loss doesn't have a universal fix, but it certainly is well-studied. Over the years, ConsumerAffairs has produced many articles on the subject. It might be of help to read several of these just so you have a better idea of what's what.

• Probiotics contribute to weight loss, researchers say

• Low carb diets found to burn more calories and help maintain weight loss

• Weight loss is more successful when doctors offer specific tips

• Maintaining weight loss is possible with the right strategies, experts say

• Consumers struggling with poor fitness could have difficulties with weight loss programs

• FDA approves new prescription weight loss drug

• Eating most of your calories early in the day doesn't impact weight loss, study finds

• Mild weight loss could cut the risk of diabetes in half, study finds

• Study shows how consumers with obesity can maintain healthy weight loss

• Prioritizing fitness over weight loss is best for obesity-related health conditions, researchers say

• Rye products trump wheat in terms of weight loss, study finds

• Mayo Clinic launches new diet program focused on weight loss

• Weight loss from bariatric surgery may lower consumers' risk of cancer, study finds

• Non-sugar sweeteners shouldn't be used for weight loss, WHO says

• How does coffee affect weight loss? A new study finds out.

• Weight loss drugs may come with serious digestive risks

The National Institute of Allergy and and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is working on a study to lessen the symptoms of children with multiple food allergies. 

The trial is utilizing omalizumab, or Xolair, a lab-made antibody that is currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating childhood asthma and hives. At this stage of the clinical trial, researchers found that when children took Xolair, they could consume higher quantities of food they were allergic to before initiating a reaction. 

“Despite the significant and growing health burden from food allergies, treatment advances have been limited,” said Dr. Levi Garraway, chief medical officer and head of Global Product Development at Genentech, the company producing Xolair. 

“The FDA’s priority review designation acknowledges the unmet need for these patients, and we hope to make Xolair available to as many people as possible living with food allergies in the U.S.” 

A look at the study

To test the effectiveness of Xolair for children with multiple food allergies, the researchers enrolled children and adolescents with allergies to peanuts and at least one other food like milk, eggs, or tree nuts. 

Researchers gave one group the Xolair injection and one group a placebo injection. Then, participants were given small, varying doses of peanut protein, milk protein, egg protein, and proteins from other foods that cause allergic reactions. 

Overall, 165 children who were given Xolair had milder allergy symptoms compared to children who received the placebo. 

According to the trial results, Xolair was effective at prolonging the start of children’s allergic reaction symptoms. Participants who were given the drug were able to consume more of the foods they were allergic to before showing signs of a reaction. 

What happens next?

The goal now is for Xolair to receive FDA approval for treating children with multiple food allergies, which would expand consumers’ access to the drug for allergy purposes. Currently, Xolair is under Priority Review from the FDA, and the full clinical trial is expected to run through 2026. 

“The major advantage of this medication is that it will cover more than one food and that it has been around for about two decades and we know its safety profile, which is pretty good,” Dr. Alkis Togias, chief of the allergy, asthma, and airway biology branch at NIAID, told NBC News.

By now, most people have seen the horrifying footage of a Japan Airlines jet completely engulfed in flames after colliding with another plane at Haneda Airport in Tokyo.

But amazingly, all 367 passengers and 12 crew members were evacuated safely in a series of events being compared to the “miracle on the Hudson.” In 2009, US Airways Flight 1549, piloted by Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and Jeffrey Skiles, ditched in the Hudson River with no fatalities after striking a flock of geese on take-off from New York’s LaGuardia airport.

Five of the six people aboard the Japan Coast Guard plane that struck the Japan Airways airliner died as their plane exploded.

In the case of the Japan Airways fire, the airline said the flight crew used megaphones and their voices to instruct passengers because the aircraft’s public address system was disabled.

How were they able to get everyone to safety with no loss of life? It turns out the crash looked a lot worse outside – with flames completely engulfing the aircraft – than it did in the cabin. Cell phone footage shot by a passenger and aired by Australia’s Sky News reveals what happened.

This is what it looked like from outside the plane:

The training and skill of the flight crew no doubt played a role in this “miracle.” An airline spokesperson said the passengers – including eight infants – were evacuated through three emergency chutes. 

The airline said there were no serious injuries but 14 passengers requested medical attention.

Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutrition (MJN) is recalling certain batches of Nutramigen infant formula powder.

The product may be contaminated with Cronobacter sakazakii, which can cause severe, life-threatening infections (sepsis) or meningitis (an inflammation of the membranes that protect the brain and spine).

Symptoms of sepsis and meningitis may include poor feeding, irritability, temperature changes, jaundice (yellow skin and whites of the eyes), grunting breaths and abnormal movements.

There are no reports of illnesses or adverse events to date

The following batch codes of the product, sold at retail stores nationwide with a UPC Code of 300871239418 or 300871239456 and “Use By Date” of “1 Jan 2025”, are being recalled:

• ZL3FHG (12.6 oz cans);
• ZL3FMH (12.6 oz cans);
• ZL3FPE (12.6 oz cans);
• ZL3FQD (12.6 oz cans);
• ZL3FRW (19.8 oz cans); and
• ZL3FXJ (12.6 oz cans).

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled product should check the bottom of the can to identify whether the batch number is affected. Any product with the batch codes listed above should be discarded.

Consumers may contact the firm for a total refund at (866) 534-9986, by email at consumer.relations@rb.com for help verifying if the product they purchased was affected or online at https://www.enfamil.com/.

Ford Motor Company is recalling 189,814 model year 2022-2024 Mavericks.

If one of the rear turn signals stops working, the vehicle will not adjust the turn signal flash rate frequency to warn the driver that a turn signal is not working correctly.

A nonfunctioning exterior turn signal will not notify other drivers that the vehicle is turning, increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

Dealers will update the body control module software free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed in early January 2024.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at (866) 436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C41.

Have you tried to cancel your subscription with SiriusXM, only to be met with increasing difficulties and a long, complicated process? You’re likely not the only one. 

New York Attorney General Letitia James recently filed a lawsuit alleging that SiriusXM traps consumers in their contracts, making it intentionally difficult to cancel their plans. 

“Having to endure a lengthy and frustrating process to cancel a subscription is a stressful burden no one looks forward to, and when companies make it hard to cancel subscriptions, it’s illegal,” said James. “Consumers should be able to cancel a subscription they know longer use or need without any issues, and companies have a legal duty to make their cancellation process easy.” 

Employees are encouraged to make things harder

Currently, in order for consumers to cancel their accounts, they need to either call SiriusXM’s customer service line, or chat with a representative online. According to SiriusXM’s own data, that process takes on average 30 minutes online and around 12 minutes over the phone. 

However, the suit claims SiriusXM employees are encouraged and trained to make the canceling process extra difficult for consumers, so these interactions often take far longer than those estimates. 

“The company trains its agents to keep customers on the phone or in the chat for a lengthy six-part conversation that includes asking a series of questions and then pitching the subscriber as many as five retention offers, all to delay cancellation,” the attorney general’s alleges. “When customers decline the offers, agents are trained not to take ‘no’ for an answer and to keep bombarding customers with questions or offers until they either relent or become frustrated.” 

Based on the Attorney General’s report, SiriusXM has approximately 35 million subscribers. The goal of the lawsuit is to not only have SiriusXM revamp its cancellation process to make it easier, smoother, and simpler for customers, but to also recoup the money subscribers have lost.