Texas’ Attorney General Greg Abbott is going after Bally Total Fitness for the fraudulent “past due” scheme it was using to trick former customers into re-upping with the gym. The AG office says that the gym mailed more than 11,000 fake notices to former customers between last summer and March 2010, and at least 1,000 Texans fell for it and paid the fees. [More]
Government Policy
Um, Shouldn't The FDA Have The Power To Recall Dangerous Food?
By 6.9.10
If you thought the FDA had the power to recall dangerous food already, you’d be mistaken. Apparently, they need to “coax” the company into it. Changing this and increasing the agency’s budget are among the changes recommended by a new report by The Institute of Medicine, says Reuters. [More]
Lawsuit: Land O'Lakes Must Pay $25 Million For Massive Egg Price-Fixing Conspiracy
By 6.9.10
A recent class-action lawsuit against Land O’Lakes alleges that the farmers’ co-operative was part of a price-fixing conspiracy within the the ovo-industrial complex to keep egg prices artificially high. According to court documents, conspirators worked toward having fewer total hens laying in the United States, leading to more money per egg for everyone, and a nice violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. [More]
Coffee Shop Owner Throws Cop Out Of Joint Because He's A Cop
By 6.9.10
Many small businesses like to have police officers as clientele because their presence is a deterrent to would-be criminals, but a Portland, Ore. coffee shop owner threw a cop out of his shop because he feared the officer would start a game of Taser tag. [More]
Got A Shrek Drinking Glass? McDonald's Will Pay You $3 For It
By 6.8.10
McDonald’s is upping the ante in its recall of the not-so-collectible Shrek drinking glasses. Although the four glass designs were recalled officially on June 4th by the CPSC, McDonald’s has announced that starting tomorrow you’ll be able to bring them back to the restaurant, fill out a refund form, and get a $3 refund per glass. [More]
Medicare Donut Hole Checks Being Sent Out This Week
By 6.8.10
Hey people with Medicare, you’re about to become a little more attractive to scammers. That’s because this week the government will start sending out its one-time tax free rebate checks to those of you who have already hit the donut hole gap in your Medicare coverage. The main thing to know, advises Medicare, is that you don’t need to provide any information to anyone to get the rebate–it’s automatic. [More]
Congresswoman Hints That Comcast May Have Tried To Buy Her Support
By 6.8.10
As the merger of Worst Company In America 2010 and only-worth-watching-for-Biggest-Loser network NBC continues to limp forward through the bureaucratic maze, a California Congresswoman hinted not so subtly yesterday that the cable giant had contacted her in a not-exactly-professional manner. [More]
Should Peanuts Be Banned From Airplanes?
By 6.8.10
Among the new regulations under consideration by the FAA, there’s one that hasn’t gotten much press, but which we have a feeling might be something that will get at least a few travelers’ blood up — banning peanuts from airplanes. [More]
"Got ID?" Is A Question Many More Businesses Will Be Asking Soon
By 6.8.10
Your driver’s license could start getting worn down a lot starting in December . That’s because a whole bunch of businesses will soon be required to ask you for your ID, everyone from your dentist to your car dealer. [More]
Heated Wiper Fluid System Wants To Light Your GM Car On Fire
By 6.8.10
1.5 million GM vehicles are equipped with a heated windshield fluid system that was previously recalled due to fires– but that apparently is still smoking even after being fixed.
The Detroit Free Press says that GM kept monitoring the part in question — the so-called HotShot system made by supplier Micro-Heat. After the first recall, GM withheld payments to cover its costs, which forced the company to liquidate. Now that the supplier is out of business and the product is still a potential fire hazard, GM is offering to remove the system and compensate owners with $100.
Science Behind 'Lie To Me' May Be Questionable Even For TV Show Premise
By 6.7.10
Screening Passengers by Observation Technique or (SPOT) is a real, but apparently pseudo-scientific program run by the TSA that claims to train security personnel to detect tiny facial cues that will identify terrorists and other criminals as they pass through the airport. The trouble, it seems, is that the likelihood that all of this is a bunch of bs is rather high. [More]
Report: Growing Number Of Doctors Adding A La Carte Fees
By 6.7.10
Lest you think nickle-and-dime fees for services that were once free is the sole purview of the airline industry, a new report in USA Today claims that the more and more physicians in the U.S. are going the route of charging money for services they say aren’t covered by health insurance. [More]
FTC: Countrywide Mowed Your Lawn, Marked Up The Cost And Called It A Fee
By 6.7.10
The FTC says that Countrywide (now part of Bank of America) has agreed to pay $108 million to settle charges that the company “collected excessive fees from cash-strapped borrowers were were struggling to keep their homes.” So, what exactly did they do? Well apparently, while acting as a mortgage servicer, the company actually hired vendors to service properties after the homeowners had fallen behind on their mortgages, marked up the cost of the services (lawn mowing and property inspections, for example,) and then passed the cost along as fees. Doesn’t sound legal? It wasn’t. [More]
Brake Fluid Leaks & Car Fires Prompt Recall Of 600,000 Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler Vehicles
By 6.7.10
Brake fluid leaks and wiring problems are responsible for the recall of almost 600,000 Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler vehicles NHTSA announced today. What’s wrong? Your brakes could not work effectively or a fire could start inside the sliding doors of your mini-van. [More]
Should Plastic Shopping Bags Be Banned?
By 6.6.10
There’s a growing movement in the United States, especially in coastal communities, to curb the use of plastic shopping bags. In fact, both San Francisco and North Carolina’s Outer Banks are among those communities that have already passed laws forbidding plastic bags. A statewide ban made it to the State Assembly level in California and at least one politician in Seattle is pushing for an end to their use. [More]
Delta Flight Attendant Caught With Gun At Airport
By 6.5.10
It’s not just celebrities who get caught trying to bring firearms onto planes — it also happens to airline employees! Yesterday, a Delta flight attendant was arrested after a scan of her bag turned up a loaded handgun. [More]
Chrysler Recalls 25,000 Dodge Caliber & Jeep Compass Vehicles Over Sticky Pedals
By 6.5.10
In the history of the auto industry, 2010 will likely go down as the Year of the Sticky Pedal, as U.S. automaker Chrysler becomes the third car manufacturer this year to issue a recall over potentially stuck accelerators. [More]
New USDA Rules Seek To End Olive Oil Confusion
By 6.4.10
While the rest of the federal government seems to be wrapped up in cleaning up the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Dept. of Agriculture has had its laser beams set on oil from a different source — olives. [More]
