Do you own or lease a recent model year, high end car equipped with low profile tires such as an Audi, a BMW, or a Lexus? Have you suffered from tire blowouts and expensive rim damage on your car? Well, those low profile tires and fancy rims sure look good in the driveway. But they… Continue Reading
Monthly Archives: July 2011
Are Consumers Being Cheated By Bidrack’s On-Line Auctions?
Just as consumers’ use of the Internet for recreational purposes has increased, so has the proliferation of on-line scams targeting consumers and their credit cards. Among these scammers is the Internet auction site Bidrack. Bidrack touts itself as “the fun way to save”. According to its site, a consumer must register, and then buy a package of… Continue Reading
Nationwide Class Action Alleges SuperMedia, Inc. Denied Hundreds Of Employees Overtime Compensation
On July 1, 2011, a class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, on behalf of current and former inside sales employees of SuperMedia, Inc., to recover unpaid overtime wages for a three year period. The Complaint alleges that SuperMedia failed to comply with the Fair Labor Standards… Continue Reading
United Marketing Group May Be Imposing Unauthorized Credit and Debit Charges
The Internet continues to grow as an important commercial channel for American consumers. More than half of American adults have either made an online purchase or travel reservation, and e-commerce revenue in the United States accounted for more than $165 billion in 2010. The rapid growth of e-commerce has been immensely valuable to consumers, offering easy access… Continue Reading
Taxation Of Internet Access Is Illegal
In 1996 the United States Congress passed, and President Clinton approved, the Internet Tax Freedom Act. This federal law bars and prohibits state and local governments from imposing fees and taxes on Internet access during the period between November 1, 2003 and November 1, 2014. The law does not prohibit state or local governments from… Continue Reading
California Supreme Court Protects Consumers’ Rights With Regard To Mislabeled Goods
The California Supreme Court has upheld the application of the state’s consumer protection laws in cases involving mislabeled goods. In Kwickset v. Superior Court (Benson), the Court determined that a consumer who has purchased a mislabeled product – for example, one proclaiming it was “Made in the USA” when it was not – may bring… Continue Reading
Honda Car Leases: Paying For Miles You Don’t Use
Under a standard car lease, the consumer agrees to make a monthly payment for the privilege of driving the car a certain number of miles agreed to in the contract, usually 12,000 or 15,000 per year. At the end of your lease term, if you exceed the mileage permitted under your contract, you are typically required… Continue Reading
WhoNu? Cookies: Eat The Cookies, Hold The Milk
Moms are known for lines like “drink your milk” and “eat your vegetables,” but a new generation of moms may be saying “eat your cookies” if Sun Core Products, the creator of WhoNu? cookies, has anything to do with it. According to its website (www.whonucookies.com), WhoNu? cookies are “nutrition rich cookies” “fortified with various sources of… Continue Reading
Bogus Weight Loss Claims Of “1 trick of a Tiny Belly” Advertisements
Con artists have been selling snake oil through association with reputable science for as long as there have been consumers looking for health cures. While fraudsters of yore had to depend on fancy printed labels and persuasive pitches, today’s conman can use fake news video and web pages to confuse and mislead consumers into believing they… Continue Reading
Toning Shoes: Do They Cause Injuries?
The never-ending battle to get into better shape is all too familiar to most of us. While we are told at every turn by our doctors, nutritionists and trainers that the only way to get into shape is through diet and exercise, we each hold out hope that there is an easy fix out there. One such… Continue Reading
Are TurboTax Customers Being Deceived By Intuit’s “100% Accurate Calculations Guarantee”?
As the old adage goes, the only things certain in life are death and taxes. So every spring, without fail, tax season arrives. Just as it is inevitable that tax returns must be filed, we inevitably wish to make the process as easy and inexpensive as possible. As a result, many turn to software programs such as Intuit’s… Continue Reading
Energy Plus And Other Independent Electricity Suppliers May Be Deceiving Consumers Concerning Their Exorbitant Rates
As pressure increases to reduce the size of government and decrease industry regulations, many states have begun deregulating retail electricity rates. Prior to deregulation, retail electricity suppliers had to file the specific kilowatt per-hour rate they would charge electricity consumers, and they were forbidden from charging more than that rate. However, many states, including New York, Connecticut,… Continue Reading
Can Diet Sodas Actually Cause Weight Gain?
Millions of people drink diet soda everyday, and most of them probably believe that diet soda will not cause weight gain. However, some recent studies seem to suggest otherwise. In late June 2011, at a presentation of the American Diabetes Association, researchers from San Antonio, Texas reported the result of an examination into whether diet… Continue Reading
Is Chantix Dangerous To Your Health?
Chantix is a prescription drug manufactured by Pfizer Inc. that is marketed as a smoking cessation drug. It contains an ingredient called varenicline. Chantix is a non-nicotine pill that works in two ways. It targets nicotine receptors in the brain, attaches to them, and thereby blocks nicotine from reaching those receptors. And, it reduces the… Continue Reading
Crayola Crayons Washable May Not Be So Washable
As any parent will attest, kids are messy. That is why many parents were undoubtedly thrilled when Crayola came out with its new “Washable Colored Bubbles” product. Unlike normal soap bubbles, these bubbles come in several vibrant colors, and Crayola sells accompanying wand sets and bubble launchers. Given the bright colors and the inevitable contact with clothes,… Continue Reading