The House has passed not one, but two cleverly-named measures targeting the miscreants who make and promote spyware. Though the FTC, Justice Department, and several state attorneys general are already empowered to prosecute spyware manufacturers, the two measures would extend existing laws by subjecting spyware makers to jail terms and multimillion-dollar fines.
Government Policy
CPSC Broken, Can't Issue Involuntary Recall Of Dangerous ATV For Children
By 6.8.07
Meet the Kazuma Meerkat 50 Youth All-Terrain Vehicle. It has no front brakes, no parking brake and can be started in gear. It is meant for 6 to 11 year-olds. Why isn’t it being recalled?
FCC To Retailers: "Warn Consumers About Analog TVs"
By 6.8.07
CONSUMER ALERT: This television receiver has only an analog broadcast tuner and will require a converter box after February 17, 2009, to receive over-the-air broadcasts with an antenna because of the Nation’s transition to digital broadcasting. Analog-only TVs should continue to work as before with cable and satellite TV services, gaming consoles, VCRs, DVD players, and similar products. For more information, call the Federal CommunicationsCommission at 1-888-225-5322 (TTY: 1-888-835-5322) or visit the Commission’s digital television website at: http://www.dtv.gov.
The FCC supposedly has undercover agents surfing the web and shopping in-store, on the prowl for analog TVs that are not clearly marked as such. Fear the FCC. The warnings come after retailers promised that federal regulations were not necessary, then showed that they were by ignoring the voluntary program. —MEGHANN MARCO
TSA To Airlines: "You Owe Us $219 Million"
By 6.8.07
US Airways Group Inc. owes $18 million; UAL Corp.’s United Airlines, $15 million; Continental Airlines Inc., $14 million; Northwest Airlines Corp., $9 million; and America West Airlines, now part of US Airways, $8 million, Howe said
According to the airlines, the fees are excessive, and they’re refusing to pay them. It all stems from the way the TSA’s budget is calculated. The airlines are responsible for paying fees based on an estimation of what it cost them to run airport security in 2000. The airlines say it cost $300 million, the TSA says the real figure is closer to $750 million.
“We believe it is time for the TSA to develop a new system for allocating these costs, which is based on 2000 market shares,” said Tim Wagner, a spokesman for American, the world’s largest airline. “This old system is fundamentally unfair.”
Walmart Pet Food Recalled Due To Salmonella Contamination
By 6.7.07
Only one specific lot of 55 pound bonus bags of Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition dry dog food was affected. Pets who eat the food or people who handle it could be infected with salmonella, so if you’ve purchased this dog food you’re going to want to throw it out and return the empty bag to Walmart for a refund.
Safeway Recalls Ground Beef Due to E. Coli Contamination
By 6.7.07
If you live in Arizona and bought ground beef at Safeway, you’ll want to return it for a refund or discard it.
Roller Shoes Send 1600 Uncoordinated People To The Emergency Room
By 6.7.07
Here’s a shocking update, putting little wheels on the bottom of your shoes is dangerous. No! Yes! 1600 emergency room visits last year were blamed on roller shoes or “heelys.” For those of you not familiar with “heelys” they’re the wheeled shoe that sends children floating past you like the nun in Blues Brothers as you walk around Target shopping for paper towels and Diet Coke.
Comcast Tech Didn't Rape Customer, His DNA Was Just On Her Breasts
By 6.6.07
A jury acquitted Gustavo Cardenas, an outsourced Comcast cable tech, of raping a 25-year-old-single mother, the Daily Herald reports. Investigators found Cardenas’ DNA in saliva on the victim’s breasts.
Hearing the verdict, Cardenas broke into a broad smile aimed at his bosses from Baker Installations, a subcontractor for Comcast, who watched the trial.
Maytag Sends You A New Dishwasher?
By 6.6.07
Steve thinks he may be getting a new dishwasher. Steve’s old dishwasher was part of Feburary’s potentially flammable dishwasher recall. He called for the repair kit, and never received anything. Someone from Maytag called to follow up and was shocked to hear the dishwasher was still out of commission. So they’re sending Steve a new one.
Best Buy Attorney Admits To Falsifying Emails In Racketeering Case
By 6.6.07
The racketeering case against Best Buy and Microsoft has taken an ugly turn. An attorney for Best Buy has admitted to altering emails that were to be used as evidence in the case. If you’re new to this class action lawsuit, Microsoft is accused of paying Best Buy to collect and use customer’s credit card information without their permission, signing them up for “free trials” of MSN that they didn’t want and or weren’t aware existed. When the free trial period was up, MSN began to bill them without their knowledge or consent. A former Best Buy employee wrote in to confess to pulling this sort of scheme on customers, if you’re looking for more detail on how it all worked.
Home Depot Employees Fired For Helping Police Catch Shoplifters
By 6.5.07
“We saw them with the merchandise. We saw them run out of the store. I never kept my eyes off of them. Then when we asked them for a receipt, and that’s when they dropped the merchandise and they kept running. One guy still had a chainsaw while he was running, and that’s when the cops tackled him,” he said.
IRS Investigates Jackson Hewitt Further
By 6.5.07
The IRS investigation into Jackson Hewitt’s malpractices has deepened, NYT reports:
The lawsuits filed against the Sohail-owned or controlled franchises said that employees had been pushed to crank out returns in exchange for bribes, to accept scant or false documents, like W-2 forms, and to falsify taxpayer data to receive the earned-income tax credit, a federal assistance program.
And that’s why we like accountants. Not only will a good one help you find deductions, they also know enough to not do stupid stuff. It’s you, not the tax form preparer, on the hook if you file a fraudulent return. — BEN POPKEN
DirecTV Installer Jokes That He's "Being Held Hostage," Dispatch Sends SWAT Team
By 6.4.07
Julie Pyle’s DirecTV installation was taking so long she decided to bake cookies for the installers. Sadly for Julie, the installation would not end with snack time. Julie was led at gunpoint out of her Savage, Minnesota home, ordered to the ground and handcuffed. Why? Her DirecTV installer had joked to his dispatcher that they were being “held hostage until they were done.”
RIAA Accused Of Extortion and Conspiracy
By 6.4.07
According to Recording Industry vs The People, a new RIAA case in Tampa, Florida has some interesting counterclaims by the consumer, including extortion, conspiracy, and deceptive trade practices.
In the case of UMG v. Del Cid, the defendant has filed the following five (5) counterclaims against the RIAA, under Florida, federal, and California law:
Should Automakers Be Required To Install Stability Control Systems?
By 6.4.07
A California lawsuit is accusing GM of negligence for not including a stability control system as a standard feature on the Chevrolet Suburban. The lawsuit stems from a 2002 rollover involving a Suburban that killed a woman and her stepdaughter. GM paid the stepdaughter’s family almost half a million dollars to settle out of court.
“The safety benefits of stability control have been known to auto manufacturers since the mid 1990s,” Avila said. “But they delayed implementing because they felt that safety was not marketable, so instead of installing on the SUVs that needed it most because of their rollover problem, they put it on luxury SUVs and cars as a performance item.”
The federal government will require the inclusion of stability control systems by 2012, but GM will offer the systems on all models by 2010. Should automakers be required to install stability control systems? Tell us in the comments. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER
Be Your Own Credit Repair Service
By 6.3.07
Ever wonder how credit repair services work? According to the FTC, they take your money, often illegally, and then perform services that are available to any and all consumers. The shops start by charging an initial registration fee from $20 to $100. This is against federal law, which prohibits payment until the repair has been performed. The shops then charge a fee to obtain your credit report, even though you can access one free copy of your report each year at AnnualCreditReport.com.
Department Of Education Busts Student Loan Party Once And For All
By 6.2.07
Today's Helpful Tip From The FDA: Throw Out Poisonous Chinese Toothpaste
By 6.2.07
Remember how the FDA said there was “no evidence” that Chinese toothpaste tainted with diethylene glycol had made it to the U.S.? That was wrong.
