Posts Tagged With ‘ Consumer Protection ’

Among the biggest news from last week’s recalls is a portable generator that can amputate fingers. Generac and DR 6500 Watt and 8000 Watt portable generators have caused 37 injuries, 24 resulting in finger amputations and five in finger crushing, according to reports to Generac. The problem is an unlocked handle can pinch consumers’ fingers against the generator frame when the generator is moved, posing finger amputation and crushing risks. About 321,160 of the generators were previously recalled in July 2021 in the United States with an additional 4,575 recalled in Canada. The recall involves... Continue Reading

Big product recalls from last week included an exploding aerosol air freshener for linens, an exercise bicycle with loose pedals, canvas shoes with toxic chemicals, and a garment cleaner that can cause burns. I’m sharing details about the largest one, the garment steamer that has burned 32 people, two of which were second-degree burns. Empower Brands has received 241 reports of hot water spouting from the Black+Decker Model HGS011 Easy Garment Steamer. About 518,500 are being recalled. The steamers have date codes 102ZJ through 210ZJ on the plug blades, and they were sold in a variety of colors.... Continue Reading

When I switched from Verizon to T-Mobile, it wasn’t a problem to cancel once I finally got the correct information on what to do. However, some consumers have found it difficult or nearly impossible to cancel a service because companies illegally trick or trap people who use their services. An example is Vonage, a phone company that didn’t give customers an easy way to cancel their services. Vonage used hurdles called “dark patterns” that made people: hunt for the cancellation phone number; go from agent to agent with repeated sales pitches when they called; and pay high... Continue Reading

Being a consumer and personal finance journalist has many rewards. However, the consumer safety part of it can be gut wrenching. Reading about how the intestines of kids can be sucked out by spa and swimming pool drains, how kids who slump over in an inclined sleeper can die from suffocation, and how kids can be crushed by dressers and TV is sickening. Then, there are window covering cords. See the photo at the left on how this occurs. I’ve been known to cut the loop made by cords of window coverings at the houses with toddlers. Finally, after years of waiting and delays, the U.S. Consumer... Continue Reading

After a loved one dies, going  to a funeral home to make arrangements for a burial or cremation is extremely difficult. Fortunately, in the 1980s I wrote an article on how to pick out funeral goods and services. I learned a lot. I did a survey after funeral directors in the area told me consumers didn’t have any problems picking out funeral goods and services. I found: People who chose the funeral home closest to their home didn’t get the inexpensive funeral they wanted. Funeral homes didn’t tell customers that bodies in airtight caskets can decompose just as quickly as... Continue Reading

Recalls were in the news last week more than usual. Italian pork sausage contaminated with thin blue rubber. Catastrophic engine failure on some Ford Broncos. Pine-Sol cleaners that may contain bacteria. Nearly every vehicle Rivian has produced this year. I picked out a wall-mounted basketball hoop to write about because it caused the death of a teen. Goalsetter is recalling about 18,000 Goalsetter wall-mounted basketball goals. The basketball goal can unexpectedly detach from the wall and fall to the ground, posing a serious impact injury hazard and risk of death to consumers. A 14-year-old... Continue Reading

For years, I’ve suggested that consumers consider banking with a credit union rather than a bank. Why? Consumers often can’t trust banks not to gouge them with high interest rates and fees. It was great to listen to President Biden speak on the radio and on television about the action his administration is taking on “junk fees.” Junk fees can weaken market competition, raise costs for consumers and businesses, and hit the most vulnerable Americans hardest. Biden is calling on federal agencies to reduce or eliminate hidden fees, charges, and add-ons from banking services,... Continue Reading

Do you know what a toy gel gun is? They shoot gellets, small, colorful water-hydrated balls that pop on contact and immediately begin to disintegrate, leaving no stain, no mess, and no clean up. Toy gels guns are being used for games like paintball and have gained popularity because they make less mess.   However, some toy gel guns looks like real guns and are causing concerns among law enforcement officials because incidents have occurred in which these toy guns have been mistaken for real guns. In addition, in the past year, TikTok has shown a challenge involving toy guns that fire... Continue Reading

It’s good news that a new federal safety standard for clothing storage units has finally been adopted that will reduce injuries and deaths from dresser and other clothing storage unit tip-overs. In writing about consumer product safety for decades, it’s been discouraging to read about and report on tip-over deaths through the years, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s notoriously long rule making process, and the failure of Congress to pass the STURDY Act. STURDY stands for Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth. Prior to the adoption tip-over standard... Continue Reading