Posts Tagged With ‘ Consumers ’

Another lithium-ion battery recall reminds us that we need to pay attention to the possible fire hazards with the batteries. VRURC is recalling about 190,000 portable chargers. They can ignite, posing a fire risk. VRURC has received one report of fire during a flight, which injured four flight attendants who had to be treated for smoke inhalation. The recall involves VRURC portable chargers with model number “OD-B7,” which have built-in cables and a built-in wall plug. The model number is printed on the back, and the chargers were sold in black, blue, green, orange, pink, red, and white. The... Continue Reading

Photo: Dwight Burdette Farmers Insurance began limiting the sale of new homeowners insurance policies in California on July 3, the company, a subsidiary of the Zurich Insurance Group, announced Friday. Farmers is the No. 2 homeowners insurer in California. Farmers’ action follows American International Group’s curbing homeowners insurance sales for owners at high risk of floods, storms, or wildfires in 200 U.S. zip codes; State Farm’s halting the sale of insurance coverage to all homeowners in California; and Allstate’s stopping the sale of new home, condominium, and commercial insurance... Continue Reading

Winning the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes seems like a dream that you wish could happen to you when you see the TV ad. However, Publishers Clearing House has been deceiving people for decades. It used language and designs on its website and in its email marketing that tricked consumers, including many older adults, into believing they had to buy things on the PCH website to enter a sweepstakes, the Federal Trade Commission said in a lawsuit. PCH also implied that buying something would improve their chances of winning a prize. Customers who did buy something on PCH.com were in for surprises,... Continue Reading

It was almost comical when – on Dr. Phil’s program trashing cancel culture that included support for antivaxxers – at the end of the program, Dr. Phil and his wife suggested that people “talk to each other” in a divided America. America isn’t a divided country. What’s happening is that the far right is trying to take over the country and make everyone live according to its fundamentalist “values.” Before Newt Gingrich and Ronald Reagan, the political parties worked together to pass legislation to benefit the country. Remember, Richard Nixon signed the National Environmental... Continue Reading

The Fourth of July is all about red, white, and blue to celebrate the country’s birthday, the 248th this year. What are some ways Americans celebrate the holiday? Many families host or join a family or neighborhood event. Some examples include: picnicking or barbecuing with family and/or friends or enjoying outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, swimming, dancing, playing sports games, or camping. Participating in or watching patriotic parades or doing patriotic crafts with kids are also popular. Celebratory events organized by communities occur throughout the nation and include food trucks,... Continue Reading

Your July Fourth celebration could be ruined with a serious injury and trip to the emergency room. Fireworks related injuries continue to be high, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging consumers to either watch community fireworks displays or take steps to use consumer-grade fireworks safely. Eleven fireworks-related deaths were reported in 2022, mostly associated with mortar-style devices, the CPSC said in a new report announced Thursday on the National Mall where the agency offered live demonstrations of fireworks dangers. Five of the deaths were caused by fireworks misuse,... Continue Reading

It’s hard to believe that the July Fourth sales are coming up. It seems like the Memorial Day sales were just yesterday. July Fourth is a huge shopping holiday in the United States and marks the middle of summer. Look for the sales to begin far in advance of July Fourth. DealNews.com offers these tips for the July sales: Electronics Get up to 70 percent off on electronics on a wide variety of electronics such as photography items, SSDs, monitors, laptops, TVs, phones, smart devices, and other items. Summer clothing Clothing sales make up a large part of the July 4th sales every year so look... Continue Reading

Years ago before the pandemic, I used to take sliced pineapple to parties for an appetizer. I remember taking overripe pineapples back to Costco and returning them to Safeway as well. It seemed like the quality varied widely with the pineapples often being too ripe and even rotten. When I had a tea party Friday, I decided I’d get a pineapple. I wanted Rainier cherries, but Safeway didn’t have any and the red cherries didn’t look good. Fortunately, I didn’t have time to prepare the pineapple for the party. Because when I cut the top off on Sunday, it was rotten, really rotten. It was the... Continue Reading

Have you been able to purchase any decent celery lately? Although celery isn’t one of my favorite vegetables, and it’s not one of the more nutrient-packed ones, I do like to eat it once in a while. In addition, I’ve just started drinking smoothies and celery is a good thing to add occasionally along with fruits and spinach or kale. However, I haven’t been able to find any even average-looking celery lately. I’m headed to Costco right now to return this celery. Now, Costco, even though it has the best blueberries and other berries consistently, has celery that’s often a little funky... Continue Reading

Most people rely heavily on online shopping. However, with lots of screens before you get to check-out, you could sign up for a service without knowing it. Then, it can be difficult to cancel. For years, Amazon.com enrolled consumers into its Prime program without their consent while making it hard for them to cancel, the Federal Trade Commission charged in a lawsuit filed Wednesday. Amazon used manipulative, deceptive designs called “dark patterns” to trick consumers into enrolling in automatically-renewing Prime subscriptions. The button offered to consumers to finish their transaction... Continue Reading