A letter to President-Elect Obama from nine FDA scientists makes alarming charges of mismanagement at the FDA, alleging incompetence, intimidation, and inappropriate industry influence.
Government Policy
Get $90 Or $35 In The Sprint Early Termination Fee Settlement
By 1.9.09
A proposed settlement has been reached in the class action lawsuit against Sprint over early termination fees (ETF). It seems to basically apply to anyone who has had a time-based contact with Sprint that had an etf clause it i.e. most Sprint wireless customers. You get $90 if you were charged an ETF and can provide proof, and $35 if you didn’t cancel a contract for fear of getting charged an ETF. You can file at www.sprintetfsettlement.com, and get a more in-depth and explainer of the terms over at Top Class Actions.
Quest Says Nearly 10% Of Its Vitamin D Tests Were Inaccurate
By 1.9.09
Last October, Quest Diagnostics contacted “thousands of doctors” around the country to notify them that one or more of their patients might have received “questionable” results on vitamin D tests performed over the past two years. It’s offering free retests to anyone who was affected.
9 Ways The IRS Can Help You Save On Taxes This Year
By 1.8.09
Taxes aren’t that far off, and the IRS is here to help you give them less money, or take longer in giving it to them! Here’s 9 ways they can make your tax life easier.
Hooray! CPSC Agrees To Exempt Some Natural Items From Product Safety Act
By 1.8.09
Step back from the ledge, makers of lovingly hand-carved wooden dolls: the Consumer Product Safety Commission has lurched into action and tentatively agreed to exempt some materials and items from the lead-testing requirements in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.
Consumers Union Asks Nancy Nord, CPSC To Do A Better Job Explaining These New Toy Testing Rules
By 1.8.09
In this letter (PDF) sent to CPSC chair Nancy Nord, and released to the public, Consumers Union and a bunch of other consumer interest groups ask the CPSC to please do its part to clear up all the confusion over the coming Toy Testing Apocalypse. Don’t want to read the whole thing? Here’s a much shorter summary:
Consumers Union Asks Congress To Delay Digital Broadcast TV Switch
By 1.7.09
Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports and, um, brand-spanking-new owner of Consumerist, the blog that you are reading right now, is asking Congress to delay the DTV switch until “until a plan is in place to minimize the number of consumers who will lose TV signals, particularly by fixing the flaws in the federal coupon program.” Why are they doing this? Well, the coupon program has already run out of money. Read the letter inside.
News Flash: "Shoe Bomb" Jokes Are Not Appropriate Airplane Banter
By 1.7.09
Ah yes, alcohol and planes mix together once again — resulting in three days of jail for one St. Louis man who thinks “shoe bombs” are funny.
Monster Cable Drops Suit Against Monster Mini Golf
By 1.7.09
Monster Cable has decided to stop pursuing a trademark infringement against Monster Mini Golf. Judging by the post-settlement letter Noel sent the MiniGolf people, it seems that after both parties kicked their lawyers out of the room and talk directly, they were able to come to an amicable solution. Monster Cable will stop opposing the MiniGolf trademark and will cover MonsterMini Golf’s attorney fees. Noel’s letter, inside:
JetBlue Passenger Forced To Cover Arabic Shirt Gets $240k From JetBlue, TSA Employees
By 1.7.09
In 2006, Raed Jaer, an Iraqi-born U.S. resident, was forced by TSA officials and JetBlue to cover his t-shirt—it read, “We Will Not Be Silent” in both Arabic and English—before he could board a flight. The airline and the two TSA officials (TSA was not named in the suit) settled out of court last week for $240,000, although JetBlue still denies they did anything wrong, and the TSA says they don’t “condone profiling in any way shape or form.” [More]
By 1.6.09
../../../..//2009/01/06/monster-cable-has-agreed-to/
Monster Cable has agreed to drop a heavily mocked (by us, anyway) trademark lawsuit against Monster Mini Golf after a private phone call between the founders of the two companies. Great, now you won’t be able to tell if you’re playing mini golf or being gouged by a cable manufacturer. [News10.net] (Thanks to Trever!)
FDA Is Not Impressed By Diet Coke Plus
By 1.6.09
Last month, the FDA sent Coca-Cola a letter warning that their Diet Coke Plus (“it’s what plants crave”) violates FDA standards for products fortified with vitamins.
Gift Card Settlement Refunds Quarter Million Dollars In Inactivity Fees
By 1.6.09
A Connecticut mall has to pay $259,000 in settlement fees to consumers who bought gift cards that had monthly inactivity fees.
By 1.3.09
../../../..//2009/01/03/pepsi-is-suing-an-atlanta/
Pepsi is suing an Atlanta distributor for distributing Mexican Pepsi, sweetened with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, in the U.S.
AirTran Removes Muslim Family From Flight, Refuses To Reseat After FBI Clears Them
By 1.2.09
AirTran removed a Muslim family and their friend from their flight, had them questioned by the FBI, and then refused to re-seat or rebook them after they were cleared by the FBI.
Best Buy Also Falls Victim To Embezzling Buyers
By 12.31.08
Another electronics store was taken for millions by an invoice-fixing scheme: a buyer for Best Buy and a vendor have been charged with overcharging Best Buy $31 million over four years.
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon Uses Liposuctioned Fat As Fuel For Car
By 12.30.08
And here’s number 16 on our grossest stories of 2008 list: an LA plastic surgeon is in trouble for powering his car with “lipodiesel” from his patients’ fat. Ewwww.
Family Of Daughter Who Died After Cigna Denied Her A Liver Transplant Files Lawsuit
By 12.27.08
Remember last December when Cigna delayed approval of a liver transplant for a leukemia patient and she died? The girl’s family has filed a lawsuit against the insurance giant.
