Home / consumerist.com rss archive / September-06-2007


Polls: Most Of Our Readers Self-Identify As Citizens Rather Than Consumers
Happily, most of our poll's respondents say they are citizens before they are consumers.Perhaps there is hope yet.

For The Win: Rite Aid Recalls Antifreeze-Laced Smoke Machine Fuel
Jennifer reports, "Spoke to someone in [Rite Aid] corporate today- while they still insist the product is safe (no msds, though), they did say that due to "customer concern" (later rephrased as "all your calls") they are recalling the product!"Looks like the first official Consumerist.com recall was a success.PREVIOUSLY: Rite Aid Selling Smoke Machine Fuel Containing Antifreeze

Eco-shopping: In The Store, "Green" Is A Matter Of Opinion
Do you try to be a green consumer? Says who? The problem with eco-friendly shopping today is that it's become the "Wild West" of marketing, says the Los Angeles Times, with dozens of self-appointed labels, grass roots seals-of-approvals, and no unified, federally mandated guideline. According to Bruce Hamilton of the Sierra Club,"People are consciously trying to fuzzy the boundary lines between clarity and lack of clarity so they can sell more products. Everybody is trying to promote their products as green even though they may not be."One site that can help you decide what to buy is eco-labels.org, run by the Consumers Union (who publish Consumer Reports). The site provides detailed information on various seals you can find on products, as well as the meanings behind phrases like "eco safe," "biodegrades without forming microtoxins" (whaa?), and "cruelty free."Eco-labels believes a universal seal would be too difficult to implement, and that simply more consistency in labeling...

The Ramen Years: Bush Will Sign Bill Increasing Pell Grant Funding
In a not-too-surprising announcement after all the recent bad news about student loan firms—and in an apparent "victory" for both Bush and Congress—the White House said today that President Bush intends to sign into law a bill that reduces federal subsidies to those firms, including Sallie Mae, by $20.9 billion over the next five years, and will instead use that money to increase funding for Pell Grants (which recipients don't have to pay back).Current Pell Grants top out at $4050, but the bill will gradually increase that to $5400 by 2012. The bill will also temporarily reduce interest rates on need-based student loans from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent over the next four years (the reduction will expire two years after that)."Lawmakers to Cut Subsidies To Student-Loan Providers" [Washington Post]RELATEDDepartment Of Education Busts Student Loan Party Once And For AllCuomo Goes After Student Lending Criteria, Is So Not Bored Of This Investigation YetPrivate...

Eco-shopping: In The Store, "Green" Is Still A Matter Of Opinion
Do you try to be a green consumer? Says who? The problem with eco-friendly shopping today is that it's become the "Wild West" of marketing, says the Los Angeles Times, with dozens of self-appointed labels, grass roots seals-of-approvals, and no unified, Federally mandated guideline. According to Bruce Hamilton of the Sierra Club,"People are consciously trying to fuzzy the boundary lines between clarity and lack of clarity so they can sell more products. Everybody is trying to promote their products as green even though they may not be."One site that can help you decide what to buy is eco-labels.org, run by the Consumers Union (who publish Consumer Reports). The site provides detailed information on various seals you can find on products, as well as the meanings behind phrases like "eco safe," "biodegrades without forming microtoxins" (whaa?), and "cruelty free."Eco-labels believes a universal seal would be too difficult to implement, and that simply more consistency in labeling...

Marketing: Apparently Marketers Still Have A Lot To Learn
Adweek reports that in a recent Nielsen study of shoppers' in-store behavior, even the study authors were surprised to discover how little some marketers seem to know about what works and what doesn't. First, they determined how we shop for specific product categories:The study found that shoppers look for discounts and special offers for canned tuna, canned fruit and pasta sauce, but they want products like cheese, mayonnaise and coffee to be recognizable and easy to find.For energy drinks and chocolate, shoppers care little about price but want eye-catching ads and snazzy packages. When it comes to salad dressings and chewing gum, they want to try out new products. Armed with this sort of strangely personal insight, they overlaid data on the type and amount of marketing spent in each category to determine where marketers are wasting money. For example, we shoppers don't care about price when it comes to energy drinks—we just want funny looking packaging. Companies,...

Customer Service: Verizon Techs Blow Out AP Reporter's Electrical Box During Installation
Verizon FiOs techs have flubbed another install, hitting an electrical wire and leaving the electrical box smoking, this time, the customer was an AP reporter. Oopsy poopsies!The technicians compounded this error by insisting that we pay for the electrical repairs, then bill them. We'd be reimbursed in 30 days, they assured us. My wife was having none of that. Verizon's insurance company cut us a check for the $2,650 repair within days.We got a brand-new electrical box out of the deal, for free. But our electrician tells us ours was not the first botched Verizon installation he's been called out to fix.Oh we know it. Another messed up Fios install caused a fire at a customer's house, causing the fire department to respond, as these photos indicate. After all, as the saying goes, where there's smoke, there's fire.Review: After Smoke Clears, FiOS a Hit [AP via Network World]PREVIOUSLY:Verizon Continues Weird, Pointless Flame War With Networkworld BloggerVerizon: There Was No Fire....

Tanning: FDA Halts Sale Of Libido-Increasing Injectable Tanning Drug
The FDA has warned Melanocorp, Inc., of Tennessee to stop its online sales of Melanotan II, an injectable tanning product that the company claims is "effective in protecting against skin cancer and rosacea." According to the FDA, such claims cause it to be "classified as a drug under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, as well as a new drug because there is no evidence that it is generally recognized as safe and effective for its labeled uses."Melanotan II and its precursor, Melanotan, were developed by the University of Arizona in the 90s as a possible way to prevent sun cancer, by triggering the sort of protective tan that otherwise takes weeks of steady UV exposure to generate. Side effect include increased arousal—in one study, it caused erections in 80% of participants—and reduced appetite, which is why the media promptly dubbed it the "Barbie Pill." As of this afternoon, Melanocorp.com is serving up a blank page."FDA warns Melanocorp for illegal...

Recalls: Hayes Company "Avant Yarde" Decorative Glaze ...
Hayes Company "Avant Yarde" Decorative Glaze Outdoor Candles (fire, burn), Melanocorp Melanotan II (pretending their drug is FDA approved, when it's not).

Confusing: Blockbuster Cancels Your Plan? Or Does It?
Can someone tell us what the hell is going on with Blockbuster? Some readers are writing in saying that they're being allowed to keep their plan but are warned that if they change it they'll be kicked off and charged more. Other readers are saying that their plan has been completely canceled and they have to choose another one. Still other people are on the same plan but now are not receiving coupons. We've gotten about 20 emails about this issue, but are at a loss to understand it. Can we please get a straight answer about what the hell is going on with Blockbuster? They are definitely screwing you, but apparently they're doing it in about 9 different ways, making it hard for us to write the headline.(Photo:Maulleigh)

Customer Service: Lost Cellphone At Credit Union, Would They Turn Over The Surveillance Tapes?
"I went to my Credit Union last night to pay my car payment. I think during sometime between getting out the appropriate papers and leaving the place I must have misplaced my phone. On my drive home, I realized I didn't have my phone. Went back to the Credit Union asked if anyone had turned in a phone. No luck. Called again this morning to see if they had found one. No luck..."I called my phone yesterday and it rang and rang and no one picked up. I called this morning, either the battery drained out, or the "finder" has turned it off. I asked the CSR over the phone to ask if they'd let me or the police view video from within the branch. She said I'd have to talk to the branch manager. My question is, would they let me view the video or even match up the person who "found" the phone, by transaction time and info?-RoyThis issue came up before when a mentally deteriorating and elderly aunt's safe deposit box was raided by a conwoman who had wormed her way into her confidence...

For The Win: Rite Aid's Antifreeze-Laced Smoke Machine Fuel Being Recalled
Jennifer reports, "Spoke to someone in corporate today- while they still insist the product is safe (no msds, though), they did say that due to "customer concern" (later rephrased as "all your calls") they are recalling the product!"Looks like the first official Consumerist.com recall was a success.PREVIOUSLY: Rite Aid Selling Smoke Machine Fuel Containing Antifreeze

Consumer Safety: Critics Say Consumer Agency Needs Complete Overhaul
The CPSC is understaffed and underfunded, and it needs a complete overhaul of its mission if it's to be effective at all in protecting US consumers, says Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin (D):"The laws are written sadly in a way to make it next to impossible to protect consumers. 401 (CPSC) employees today trying to manage trillions of dollars in products ... they do not have enough cops on the beat."He's proposed a bill that raises the CPSC's funding from $63 million now to $70 million in 2008, and $100 million by 2012. The bill would also give the CPSC the power to increase fines from the current $1.25 million limit to as high as $20 million, which is double what even the CPSC thinks it should be able to levy: "The idea of a civil penalty isn't to put companies out of business," says a CPSC spokesperson.The CPSC's current limited effectiveness stems from the fact that it was set up to work with corporations, not to police them. And its reach and capabilities have been slowly strangled...

On The Cheap: How to Store Your Food So It Lasts Longer
Helpful household tip site Gomestic teaches us how to store our food so it will last longer. Here's one tip we didn't know:Organize fruits and veggies: We often toss produce into crispers together, but apples and some other fruits give off gas called ethylene that speeds ripening in vegetables. So store them separate, so vegetables don't ripen too fast What? Apples are ruining our veggies with secret gases? Damn it, Apples!How to Store Your Food So It Lasts Longer [Gomestic](Photo:Spidra Webster)

Your Health: Are Food Additives Making Your Kids Hyperactive?
A new study suggests that food additives such as the commonly used preservative sodium benzoate may cause children to become hyper. Researchers gave 150 three-year-olds and about 150 eight and nine-year-olds drinks that contained "either a mixture with sodium benzoate, a preservative, and several food colorings, or drinks that looked and tasted the same but contained none of the additives," according to the WSJ Health Blog. The results of the study showed that the children who ingested the sodium benzoate and food coloring were more likely to suffer from hyperactivity and attention deficit problems. Britian's Food Standards Agency funded the study and is now suggesting parents try eliminating food coloring and sodium benzoate from the diets of hyperactive children to see if that improves their condition. Do people usually let three-year-olds drink Coke? We're so out of touch.Food Additives May Make Kids More Hyper [WSJ Health Blog](Photo:NYCviaRachel)

Hurt Feelings: Letter To Steve Jobs: One Apple Obsessed Fan Becomes "Disenchanted" After iPhone Price Chop
Reader M is obsessed with Apple.In fact, he may be the most obsessed Apple fan who has ever bothered to to complain to us. M buys every single iPod they release. He even owns stock. Now he's feeling "disenchanted" with Apple over their recent "too-soon" price chop of the iPhone.M writes to Steve Jobs:Subject: Disenchanted ShareholderDear Mr. Jobs,So that this message might have some meaning to you other than the ramblings of a disenchanted fanboy, allow me to introduce myself. My name is M [redacted]. I'm a [redacted].For as long as I can remember, I have loved Apple products. I pushed my dad to make our first family computer a Performa 575 back when it was the first computer I played Oregon Trail on at school. I continued this trend pushing my (otherwise PC) family towards the (original G3) iMac, Powerbook G4, Macbook Pro, Apple TV, Airport Express, every iPod you have put out, and the iPhone.When you released the iPhone I was one of those pathetic fanboys seen in pictures...

Customer Service: Lost Cellphone At Bank, Would They Turn Over The Surveillance Tapes?
"I went to my Credit Union last night to pay my car payment. I think during sometime between getting out the appropriate papers and leaving the place I must have misplaced my phone. On my drive home, I realized I didn't have my phone. Went back to the Credit Union asked if anyone had turned in a phone. No luck. Called again this morning to see if they had found one. No luck..."I called my phone yesterday and it rang and rang and no one picked up. I called this morning, either the battery drained out, or the "finder" has turned it off. I asked the CSR over the phone to ask if they'd let me or the police view video from within the branch. She said I'd have to talk to the branch manager. My question is, would they let me view the video or even match up the person who "found" the phone, by transaction time and info?-RoyThis issue came up before when a mentally deteriorating and elderly aunt's safe deposit box was raided by a conwoman who had wormed her way into her confidence...

Famous Flops: The Edsel Turns 50!
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Ford Edsel, long considered the premier example of over-hyped commercial failure. New Coke has nothing on the Edsel!The Washington Post has a fantastic article about Ford's belly flop:Fifty years ago today, Don Mazzella skipped out of school to see the hot new car that everybody was talking about, the hot new car that almost nobody had actually seen.Ford Motor Co. had proclaimed it "E-Day," and Mazzella and two buddies sneaked out of East Side High School in Newark, N.J., and hiked 13 blocks to Foley Ford so they could cast their gaze upon the much-ballyhooed new car that had been kept secret from the American public until its release that day.It was called the Edsel."The line was around the block," recalls Mazzella, now 66 and an executive in a New Jersey consulting firm. "People were coming from all over to see this car. You couldn't see it from the street. The only way you could see it was to walk into the showroom and look behind...

Fry's: 1,300 Unopened Rebate Applications Found In Dumpster
This is a picture of the 1,300 unopened rebate forms a Mercury News reporter found in a dumpster near Vastech, a rebate processor for Fry's Electronics.When confronted, the company's owner blamed it on a lazy employee who no longer works for Vastech and offered to process and sign checks for all of the envelopes in front of the reporter.Stories like this make Matt's "as organized as a Swiss train system" rebate tracking methodology seem less and less insane.Mercury News article reprinted inside so you don't have to register to see it...Tech Talk: Unopened rebate requests found in San Jose dumpsterBy Dean TakahashiMercury NewsI know that Shu Wong of San Jose hasn't received the $3.50 mail-in rebate for a Vastech computer networking USB hub purchased at a Fry's Electronics in May. Richard Louie of Austin, Olivia Sattaypiwat of Saratoga and Buu Duong of San Jose haven't received their rebates, either.I know this because they told me so, and because I am staring at more than 1,300...

Civil Rights: Receipt Check Policies For Costco, Sam's Club, And BJ's
In most cases, a receipt check is voluntary, but several wholesale shopping clubs make you agree to them as part of the membership contract.Thanks to everyone who helped unearth these. No shoplifting mentioned. Their given reasons for checking the receipts don't make any sense. If all the checker does it glance and the receipt and make a highlighter stroke across it, how is he checking the correct price?Sam's Club: "To ensure that you are charged correctly for the merchandise you have selected, you will be requested to show your receipt when exiting."Costco [PDF, pg 14]: "To ensure that all members are correctly charged for the merchandise purchased, all receipts and merchandise will be inspected as you leave the warehouse."BJ's Wholesale Club: "BJ's inspects all receipts as Members exit the Club to ensure that Members have not been overcharged or undercharged for an item and that all selections appear on the receipt."PREVIOUSLY:Adventures In Receipt Check Refusals ContinueCircuit...

State Of Retail: Same store sales are up at both Walmart (3.1%) ...
Same store sales are up at both Walmart (3.1%) and Target (6.1%). Target says consumers are shopping more often and buying more stuff per trip. [CNN Money]

Deals: Virgin America Helping Pop Transcontinental Air Fare Prices
As we read in their e-newsletter this morning, a top airline analyst told Farecompare.com, "because of the debut of Virgin America, watch for many airlines to lower the air fares on their transcontinental flights for the foreseeable future." Wow, look at that, increased competition means lower prices for consumer. Who would have ever have thunk it? And yes, that's a view inside one of their planes.(Photo: Ted Shelton)

Hazards: Children, Crocs And Escalators Combine To Produce Mangled Feet
Crocs are both extremely popular and extremely good at gripping surfaces, which can become a problem when they are combined with small children and moving escalators.According to a discussion going on over at Wise Bread, more and than a few children have been seriously injured when their Crocs or other rubber clogs stuck to a moving elevator. A few children have actually had toes ripped off by the escalator.That this was even possible would not have occurred to us, so we thought we'd pass the information along to those of you who have kids. It's probably not a good idea to allow your children to wear these shoes on escalators. The parent of a recently injured child wrote to Wise Bread:There is no point in raising arguments along the lines of escalators being inherently dangerous for children, or of the possibility of similar accidents with every other kind of footwear, or of parents being solely responsible for the safety of their children when under their care. The fact is...

PSAs: Sorry About Delayed Posts
Server issues hamstrung us this morning, preventing any new posts from being made. Our techs worked diligently to solve the problem, but it ended up being a vendor issue beyond our control. The situation seems to have normalized.

Shopping: Morning Deals
Woot: Amcor 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner $199 after rebateJR: Refurbished Wacom Graphire4 4x5" Pen Tablet for $67, shipped. [via BoingBoing Gadgets]Amazon: KitchenAid 5-Speed Blender for $32.39 ShippedHighlights From DealhackApple Store: Save $200: 8GB Apple iPhone now $399 & 4GB iPhone $299 with Free ShippingCompUSA: HP Pavilion AMD Dual Core Desktop PC $400Amazon: Save at least 50% off: MGM DVD Box Sets from $12Highlights From DealhackDrugstore.com: Clearance up to 70% offFrederick's of Hollywood: Up to $75 off couponNordstrom: 50-70% off designer apparel

Photos: Walmart Rolls Back Prices Negative Sixteen Cents
Reader Jonathan's son snapped this photo of a Walmart price "rollback" in Tawas City, Michigan, this Labor Day Monday. The current price is $1.98, the previous, $1.82. "I do see the irony of being in a Wal-Mart on Labor Day," writes Jonathan, "and I still feel unclean for it."PREVIOUSLY:Walmart "Rolls Back" Prices Negative Ten Dollars And Two CentsThis Walmart Sign Also Shows Excellent Attention To DetailWatch Out For Falling Rising PricesWalmart Caught Incorrectly Tagging Food As Organic

Airlines: Did you know you don't have to show your ...
Did you know you don't have to show your ID to TSA employees when flying? Did you know that refusing to do so can get you bumped to the head of the line? [NewsBlog]

Danger Will Robinson: The World's Worst Credit Card
Golb at Money, Matter, and More Musings has located the worst credit card in the world. It is designed to prey on subprime borrowers who, sadly, cannot get a better card... Meet the Continental Finance MasterCard. After all the fees have been collected, it has a credit limit of $53. From MMMM: Account setup fee: $99 Program participation fee: $89 Annual fee: $49 Account maintenance fee: $120 (charged @ $10/month) Purchase APR: 19.92% Authorized user fee: $30 (great! seems like $53 credit is a bit too much for a single person to handle) Credit limit increase fee: $25 (and you don't even have to ask for it!) Internet payment fee: $4 for each authorized internet payment. Damn. This card is shockingly awful. And to make matters worse: Golb points out that if you use this card to repair your credit history you're stuck with it because canceling the account will shorten your credit history and drop your score. What a headache.The Worst Credit Card I Have Ever Seen [Money, Matter,...

Money: Personal Finance Roundup
5 easy steps to finding an insurance agent [Bankrate] "A good agent will save you money while acting as a risk manager for your household. [Here] are some tips designed to help you find an insurance agent you can trust." Investing With Nickels and Dimes [Kiplinger] "Earl Crawley, 69, better known as Mr. Earl, earns $20,000 a year as a parking-lot attendant. But he has amassed a stock portfolio worth more than $500,000." The Care and Feeding of References [New York Times] "How can you ensure that your references help your chances of getting the job instead of hurting them?" How to Get Paid to Live Overseas [Get Rich Slowly] "Traveling overseas can be a financial opportunity, rather than a liability."— FREE MONEY FINANCE(Photo: What Rhymes With Nicole)

Advertising: Vodkas may be tasteless, but perhaps none ...
Vodkas may be tasteless, but perhaps none so more than Absolut New Orleans, whose profits will be donated to help rebuild the Ground Zero of the South. Tagline? "One Spirit Brings Back Another." [Copyranter]

State Of The Airways: Delta Partner "Atlantic Southeast Airlines" On-Time Only 54.2% Of The Time
US Airways managed to hold on to something as the floor dropped out of a few other airlines' on-time percentages... so let us introduce our new punching bag: Atlantic Southeast Airlines! Atlantic Southeast is part of Delta and operates regional flights with ATL as its hub. And it's not on time that often.During the month of July ASA was dead last with only 54.2% of flights arriving on-time. Other airlines hanging around the bottom of the list were: Comair with 62.4%, American Airlines with 63.4%, and American Eagle with 65.1%. July was the second month of trouble for ASA. As recently as May, ASA's on-time percentage was near the middle of the pack at 78.8%. We'd love to blame the whole thing on the drunk stewardess, but we're thinking there might be deeper problems going on here.The news only gets worse: Not only do you not want to fly with this airline if you value arriving on time, you can't trust them with your suitcases either. ASA lead the pack in mishandled baggage reports...

IPhone: 5 Options If You Got Shafted By Yesterday's iPhone Price Cut
Early Adopter Syndrome can strike anyone—our fancy N95 is less than six months old and has just been kicked to the curb by Nokia for a new version that works with US 3G—so we sympathize with all of you who just shelled out $600 for that great iPod/so-so phone combo from Apple. The Unofficial Apple Weblog offers the following five suggestions on how to fix your little $200 problem.If you can, take advantage of the 14-day return policy, obviously.See if your credit card offers a price guarantee.Call the Apple store where you bought your iPhone (press 5 to get a live person). TUAW says they had no luck with this, but our reader Autogeneric says s/he was able to get a $200 credit issued on a purchase that was 18 days old—ymmv. (See what happens when you stop lurking, Autogeneric?)Call AT&T. Ha ha ha. One TUAW reader notes that he got a total of $150 credit from AT&T for his two iPhones, so it may be worth a shot.Lastly, complain, both to Apple...

Bank Error Not In Your Favor: Chase Accuses You Of Check Fraud, Threatens To Report You
Dan got a new job (Congratulations, Dan!) and moved from Chicago to Indianapolis. The move meant he had to close his Citibank account and open a new one. He chose Chase because they have lots of branches nearby.It's too bad they've accused him of check fraud and even Citibank (who issued the check) can't convince them otherwise. Now he's wondering what he should do. Dan writes:Hey guys--This is Dan who gave you the stunning Buffalo Wild Wings chicken fingers fiasco from a few months with a new major ass-frakking I'm getting from Chase Bank. I recently moved from Chicago to Indianapolis for a new job, and while in Chicago I had a Citibank account. Well those don't exist in Indianapolis, however there is a Chase Bank every 11 feet and were offering a $100 promotion if you open a new checking account with direct deposit. So on August 20th I went to a local branch, did all that, got the hard sell for every other banking product under the sun, declined but the fella was still nice...