Johnson & Johnson today recalled several infant cough and cold medicines, citing “rare instances of misuse leading to overdose, particularly in infants under two years of age.”
Government Policy
Court Allows Lawsuit Against T-Mobile To Proceed
By 10.11.07
On Wednesday, the California Supreme Court refused to review two earlier findings, which killed T-Mobile’s final chance at blocking a lawsuit against its early-termination fees and practice of locking phones. This is the third time T-Mobile has tried to stop the case from proceeding, and both a state trial judge and a state appeals court have already rejected T-Mobile’s claims that its customers were required by the terms of their contracts to submit to binding arbitration.
By 10.11.07
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FCC has rejected Verizon’s requested changes of the new open-platform wireless auction, set for January 2008. Google has pledged to buy some of the available wireless bandwidth in order to launch an open-source Google phone to compete with the carriers. [Reuters]
Shareholders File Lawsuit Against Mattel Over Toy Recalls
By 10.10.07
Mattel’s shareholders are upset. A pension fund in Michigan has filed a shareholder lawsuit against the company, claiming that they mishandled product safety procedures and were therefor responsible for 3 toy recalls this summer. The lawsuit also alleges that executives with knowledge of the defects sold $33 million in stock before the recalls were announced.
Class-Action Lawsuits Filed Against Apple, AT&T Over iPhone
By 10.10.07
A class-action lawsuit was filed on October 5th against the unholy duo of Apple and AT&T, charging that they intentionally broke unlocked headsets via the last firmware update, and conspired illegally to monopolize parts of the mobile phone market by preventing consumers from using any services other than those provided by the two companies. The suit charges the two companies, either jointly or separately, with six formal counts, including “alleged violations of the California Business and Profession’s Code, The Cartwright Act, The Sherman Act, The Federal Trade Commission Act, The Communications Act of 1934, and The Telecommunications Act of 1996, as well as rules and policies established by the FCC.”
By 10.10.07
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Submit your email to one of the CPSC’s many subscription lists to make sure you never miss a recall notice. [CPSC]
Do Consumers Actually Participate In Recalls? (No.)
By 10.10.07
Despite all the hand-wringing on our part, we consumers don’t actually participate in recalls at a very high level. This leaves both manufacturers and the CPSC in the dark about whether their warnings are reaching the right people—which is why the House approved a bill this Tuesday that would require manufacturers of certain infant and toddler products to keep registration info on their customers.
Buy All The Toys You Need Now, Because Prices Are Going Up
By 10.10.07
Just buy ’em and scrape off the lead paint. Why? Because toy makers will be passing the cost of higher-quality and better-made toys on to you next year. Says one analyst, “Anything that’s a new introduction, you can make that price point $19.99 rather than $14.99.”
Don't Eat Chicken Or Turkey Pot Pies Right Now
By 10.10.07
You can add another item to your special “unsafe food” list for October: chicken and turkey pot pies, including the Banquet brand and generic store brands that have “P-9” stamped on the side, which may contain salmonella. Several cases of salmonella poisoning have now been reported in various states, and ConAgra and the USDA are asking consumers not to eat the product while they investigate.
By 10.9.07
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Don’t withhold more taxes than necessary, you could be missing out on valuable interest earnings. [Kiplinger]
Alleged "Gunman" In Walmart Parking Lot Was Actually A Guy Returning A Toy Gun
By 10.9.07
When returning a toy gun to Walmart here are two things you should not do:
By 10.9.07
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Winn-Dixie Stores Prestige Chocolate Ice Cream (unmentioned almonds).
Donning Copyright Cloak, DirectBuy Forbids Posting Of Cease And Desist Letter Sent To Consumer Opinion Site
By 10.9.07
DirectBuy got more pushback than they expected after sending a cease-and-desist to InfomercialScams.com over the site’s users calling the direct to consumer seller of furniture and home supplies a “scam” and a “nightmare.” Absurdly, DirectBuy even tried to threaten legal action if their cease and desist was published, saying it was copyrighted!
Sallie Mae Sues Potential Buyers As Deal Evaporates
By 10.9.07
Back in April, we told you that Sallie Mae was going to be sold to JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America for around $25 billion. Now JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America want to bargain, and Sallie Mae is now suing its potential buyers in an attempt to force them to honor the original deal.
Sallie Mae’s potential buyers gave the nation’s largest student lender until Tuesday to consider their reduced buyout offer in light of what they said was “the new economic and legislative environment that faces the company.”
Vonage Settles With Sprint For $80 Million
By 10.9.07
Vonage has settled a patent infringement lawsuit with Sprint, agreeing to pay $80 million. Vonage has also struck a deal with Sprint to license their technology, a move that helped boost Vonage’s stock, according to the NYT.
Dangerous Sealant Recalled, Replaced By Just-As-Dangerous Sealant
By 10.8.07
It’s been more than two years since the CPSC first became aware of problems with the spray-on sealant Stand ‘n Seal—it contained a chemical that can cause extreme respiratory problems in some customers, but was only partially recalled by the manufacturer and then replaced with another product with the exact same chemical—but the CPSC has yet to issue any fines to the company, writes the New York Times. It’s yet another example of how an underfunded, underpowered CPSC fails to protect the public from reckless companies who swap ingredients, lie, and hide important data in order to protect their bottom line.
By 10.8.07
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Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation ground beef (E. coli), More Topps Meat Company ground beef products (E. Coli).
