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Government Policy

By consumerist.com 11.15.07

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Recalls: Roost Birch Bark Wrapped Candles (fire, probably not a good idea to put a candle inside a flammable container), Bon-Ton Children’s Bath Robes (burn), Coffee Masters Chipper With Coffee Biscotti (undeclared protein derived from milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and/or soybeans allergens), 2001 Chevy Silverados and GMC Sierras (defective crankshaft), 2007 Chevy Equinox and Pontiac Torrent (increased risk of head injury), 2001 Saturn L Series (timing chain separating), Tiffin RVs (refrigeration coolant leaks), 2004-2007 SUZUKI / GS500 and 2002-2007 SUZUKI / GZ250 (reflectors not reflecting enough).

lawsuits

Comcast Sued For Traffic Meddling

By Meg Marco 11.15.07

Ars Technica is reporting that a California resident has sued Comcast for their traffic shaping shenanigans and is seeking class action status. He’s accusing Comcast of “breach of contract, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and violating the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act.”

fcc

"You're Switching My Apartment to Comcast? I'm Moving Out"

By Meg Marco 11.15.07

Last week the apartment complex I live in near Greenbelt, Maryland, sent a letter stating that starting January 1, 2008, Comcast will be the only Internet service available for residents. That’s reason enough for me to move.

lawsuits

J.K. Rowling Sues To Stop Publication Of Fan-Written Potter Reference Book

By Meg Marco 11.14.07

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling takes a dim view of independently authored reference books, it seems. She’s joined a lawsuit to stop the publication of a fan-written reference book based on a website that she herself admitted to using while fact checking her writing.

recalls

What To Do With A Recalled Toy

By cwalters 11.14.07

In the best scenario, you’ll never make it out of the store with a recalled toy—if you manage to find one still on the shelves, retailers (at least the big ones) will likely catch it at check out because the UPC code will have been flagged. But for those times when you do end up with something that has to go back to the Island of (Really) Misfit Toys, here are some things to consider to reduce problems on your end.

recalls

E.Coli Meat Just Gets A "Cook-Only" Label Slapped On

By consumerist.com 11.14.07

It’s legal for meat companies to sell meat with food-poisoning bacterium E. coli on it, as long it’s labeled “cook-only.” The result, say anonymous USDA inspectors speaking with the Chicago Tribune, is higher levels of E. coli are tolerated in the plants.

advertising

Carbon Monoxide-Treated Meat Is Here To Stay, For Now

By cwalters 11.14.07

In hearings today, the meat producers Hormel Foods Corp and Cargill Inc testified that the practice of treating meat with carbon monoxide to preserve its red color is safe and should be allowed. As a compromise, they suggested a label on all CO-treated meat and fish that reminded consumers to refer to the date on the package to determine its freshness. According to Reuters, “officials at the Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Agriculture Department said they stand by the safety of the carbon monoxide practice and would revisit the process if new data becomes available.”

recalls

By consumerist.com 11.13.07

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Dollar Store children’s sunglasses (lead), Nike Football Helmet Chin Straps (they can break), Iceberg Enterprises folding chairs (falling), Del Rey tortillas (nausea), Tortilla land Beef Tamales (pieces of metal), Napastyle Romano Pitchers and Tumblers (lead), Kroger Light Caesar Salad Dressing (undeclared milk, eggs, and anchovies).

recalls

Recalled Toys Featured In Walmart's Holiday Catalog

By Meg Marco 11.13.07

One of the unintended consequences of so many toy recalls is that holiday catalogs, printed far in advance, are now full of recalled toys.

cable

Police Blotter On Demand? Comcast Helps Catch Bank Robbers Thanks To Bored People

By Meg Marco 11.13.07

Comcast has issued a press release claiming that they’re helping to solve crimes with something called “Police Blotter On Demand” a trial program launched in the Philadelphia area.

warm mist

By cwalters 11.12.07

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Recalled: CareFree warm mist humidifiers by Hunter Fan Co., due to water leaks that could start a fire. [Los Angeles Times]

zyrtec

Zyrtec Goes Behind-The-Counter

By cwalters 11.12.07

Zyrtec users can now buy it without a prescription—but they’ll have to show ID because it going to be sold from behind the counter with the other meth supplies. [Associated Press]

lawsuits

Merck Settles Vioxx Lawsuits For $4.85 Billion

By Meg Marco 11.12.07

Merck has announced that it has agreed to settle the majority of the 60,000 Vioxx-related individual claims against it.

bendeez

9 Children Hospitalized After Eating GHB-Filled Aqua Dots

By consumerist.com 11.12.07

The CPSC says 9 children have been hospitalized after eating Aqua Dots beads. The craft toy contains a glue that breaks down in party drug GHB when ingested. The toy was made by a Chinese factory, whose license was suspended following the recall. Reportedly, the toxic glue cost 1/3 less than the glue they were supposed to use.

cable

FCC Chairman Takes Aim At Cable Monopolies

By consumeristcarey 11.11.07

Newly emboldened FCC Chairman Kevin Martin plans to wield the Cable Communications Act of 1984 to shatter the cable industry’s anti-competitive practices. The proposed regulations would give consumers flexible, diverse programming at cheaper rates, while capping the cancerous growth of conglomerates like Comcast and Time Warner.

The commission is preparing to take steps to make it less expensive for rivals of the largest cable conglomerates to buy their programs — so that, for instance, a satellite company would find it less expensive to purchase programs by the Turner Broadcasting System, a unit of Time Warner.

president bush

House Passes AMT Fix

By consumeristcarey 11.10.07

The House voted 216-193 on Friday to keep 21 million middle-class taxpayers from paying the alternative minimum tax (AMT) next year. Republicans opposed the measure because the bill is funded by raising the tax on carried interest, paid exclusively by investment bankers, from 15% to 35%.

Friday’s bill would extend AMT relief for one year, at a cost of about $51 billion. It includes another $30 billion in largely popular tax relief measures, including expanding the child tax credit, providing a property tax deduction to some 30 million families and extending a tax exemption for the combat pay of military personnel.

lawsuits

Blogger Who Wrote About A Business Wins Defamation Lawsuit

By cwalters 11.9.07

Considering the lifeblood of The Consumerist is publicizing stories of bad businesses and bad business practices—including drawing attention to personal stories on other peoples’ blogs—we were happy to read that blogger Philip Smith won the federal defamation and trademark dilution lawsuit brought against him by a company he wrote about on his personal blog. Although it doesn’t guarantee that other angry business owners or their legal teams won’t come after you for writing about your unpleasant experiences with them, it cheers us to know that, at least in this case, a federal judge felt that Smith should be protected from retaliation for telling his side of the story. “It’s not about the title, it’s about the content, said Judge Henry Hurlong, Jr.; a journalist turns out to be anyone who does journalism, and bloggers who do so have the same rights and privileges under federal law as the ‘real’ journalists.”

recalls

Curious George Dolls Finally Recalled For Lead Contamination

By Meg Marco 11.9.07

About a month ago, the Center for Environmental Health announced that they’d found high levels of lead in an unrecalled Curious George toy. The manufacturer, Marvel, refused to recall the doll because they said they needed to confirm the tests.

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