In April of 2010, a Nebraska woman picked up two 46-ounce cans and a two-pound bag of rice at Walmart. The cashier put all of these items in a single bag. The bag broke, causing an injury which became infected. The infection led to the woman’s death. Now her family is suing Walmart, as well as the companies that made and distributed the faulty plastic bag, for wrongful death. [More]
Government Policy
CFPB: Many Of The 33 Million American Workers Eligible For Loan Forgiveness Aren’t Using It
By 8.29.13
Are you working in a job that serves other Americans — in a school, hospital, city hall perhaps — while living saddled with student loan debt? You could be part of the more than 33 million workers eligible to have student loans forgiven, a large number of which aren’t even aware they can do so. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says loan forgiveness program are too confusing for many to take advantage of, leading to a large number of wasted opportunities. [More]
Do You Prefer Food Truck Sandwiches With Or Without Ethnic Slurs?
By 8.28.13
Is it okay to welcome a business with a potentially offensive name to a public space or to government property? That’s the question at the center of a dispute between an upstate New York food truck and the state government. The truck is called The Wandering Dago. Is that an offensive term in 21st-century America? [More]
Please Don’t Press Any Buttons When You Get A Scammy Robocall
By 8.27.13 — Updated: 5.23.17
We regularly receive complaints from readers who receive robocalls even though their numbers are on the Do Not Call List or they pressed “2” to have their numbers removed. The fact is that these robocallers simply don’t care about the law or whether you want to hear from them. [More]
Costco Finally Stops Selling Yummy-Looking Detergent Pods In Clear Candy Jars
By 8.27.13
Several weeks ago, we told you about Costco’s questionable choice of putting its poisonous laundry detergent pods in a clear plastic container that looks an awful lot like the plastic jars it uses for things like animal crackers, nuts, and candies, especially in light of the numerous instances of young children licking, eating, or playing with these toxic toys. Now it looks like the wholesaler has come to its senses. [More]
Do Food Regulators Care If Foreign Farmers Use Veterinary Drugs Banned In The U.S.?
By 8.21.13
Later this week, the United Nations food standards agency will be meeting in Minneapolis to discuss, among other things, standards for ten veterinary drugs that are banned for use in the U.S. but not globally. Fearing that continued use of these drugs by farmers in other countries could result in these banned chemicals still reaching the American market, a group of consumer advocates have called on federal regulators to not only take a tougher stance, but to stop encouraging the use of these drugs elsewhere. [More]
TiVo Adds Mandatory Binding Arbitration For Customers: Here’s How To Opt Out
By 8.21.13 — Updated: 8.22.13
We at Consumerist have crusaded against the evils of mandatory binding arbitration for most of the last decade. Companies love it, though, because it means we can’t sue them. TiVo is only the latest company to insert language requiring customers to use arbitration and give up their right to sue. You can opt out of that provision, though, if you want to. [More]
August Food And Drug Recall Roundup – Ginger Lead Candies And Drug-Packed Supplements
By 8.20.13 — Updated: 8.21.13
Our monthly Recall Roundups have grown so expansive that we’ve had to separate them into two separate roundups: one for consumer goods, and one for consumables. [More]
Studies Link Plastic Food Packaging To Diabetes, Obesity Risks In Kids
By 8.19.13
Because there are apparently not enough studies to convince the Food and Drug Administration that controversial chemical Bisphenol-A (BPA) should not be used in just about every form of food packaging, yet another study has been published linking BPA to childhood obesity. Meanwhile, a separate study released today showed a possible connection between a widely used plasticizer and diabetes. [More]
This Gun Safe Came With 285 Pounds Of Free Pot
By 8.19.13
Buy a large gun safe, get ten free bales of Mexican bud? That’s an appealing and potentially very lucrative promotion, but wasn’t an actual thing. Authorities are still trying to figure out who put 285 pounds of marijuana in a $1,700 gun safe that was shipped from Mexico to a customer in Ohio. They believe the customer that he didn’t order it, namely because he was the one who reported the shipment to police. [More]
Seattle Police Ran Out Of Hempfest Giveaway Doritos In 10 Minutes
By 8.19.13
Maybe it was all of the publicity. Figuring that people ignore flyers and throw them away, but that visitors to Hempfest might pay attention to containers of snack foods, the Seattle Police Department had the idea to distribute mini bags of Doritos with a stickers outlining the basics of current marijuana laws in Washington state. It was a great PR move, and successful: they ran out in ten minutes. [Twitter] [More]
Instagramming Your Day Care Charges With Mocking Captions Is Very Rude
By 8.19.13
It’s rude for an employee of a business to post photos of customers online without their permission, and ruder still for those photos to have mocking captions. And it’s totally unacceptable for a day care employee to post photos of her tiny charges to Instagram with mocking LOLcat-style captions. When one parent found out, she was furious. [More]
IKEA Recalls Two Junior Beds Because Lacerations Don’t Make For A Good Night’s Rest
August 16, 2013
Did you buy your kids a Kritter or Sniglar bed from IKEA at some point in the last eight years, then you’ll want to check out this announcement from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, as 40,000 of these beds have been recalled in the U.S. and Canada over concerns that a metal rod in the bed frame could break and result in lacerations. Affected consumers can get a free repair kit from IKEA. [via CPSC.gov] [More]
EPA Revises Fuel Mileage Numbers For Ford C-Max In Wake Of Consumer Reports Test
By 8.15.13 — Updated: 8.16.13
Back in December, our pals at the not-so-secret above-ground Consumer Reports auto-testing facility called into question the 47 miles per gallon (highway and city combined) number touted by Ford for its C-Max Hybrid, saying their tests showed a still-respectable but lower-than-advertised 37 mpg. Now, only a mere eight months later, the EPA is also saying that number should be lower. [More]
Google: Of Course We’re Going To See What’s In Emails Sent To Gmail Addresses, Don’t Be Silly
By 8.15.13
Raise your hand if you use Gmail. Now look around at your pals, who are ostensibly reading this with you and are perhaps one of 425 million Gmail users. Anyone sending email to those people apparently have no “reasonable expectation” that those communications are confidential, according to a court filing submitted by Google. [More]
Eukanuba And Iams Cat And Dog Food Recalled Due To Possible Salmonella
By 8.15.13
An entire lot of Iams and Eukanuba kibbles for cats and dogs has been recalled because of possible contamination with Salmonella bacteria. Routine tests turned up traces of it, and the company is voluntarily pulling all food manufactured during a 10-day window because it just might be contaminated. [More]
FCC Will “Consider Appropriate Action” If CBS Blackout Continues, But Does That Mean Anything?
By 8.9.13
While it could (and probably does) mean absolutely nothing, the acting Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission did something her predecessors have rarely done — expressed an opinion on, and hinted at possible intervention in, the ongoing war of words and numbers between Time Warner Cable and CBS. [More]
July/August Recall Roundup: Lead Paint And Drop-Side Cribs Return
By 8.8.13
An electric smoker that smokes your house, delicious-looking non-edible polymer balls, a terrifying ladybug chair, and some lamps that are beautiful but not fireproof: all of these items are part of this month’s recall roundup. [More]
