Another consumer product with LED lighting is being recalled. Ashley Furniture Industries is recalling about 253,000 power loveseats, sofas, and recliners in the United States and another 9,450 in Canada. The power loveseats, sofas, and recliners’ cupholder with LED lighting can overheat, posing a fire risk. This recall involves Ashley Furniture Industries-branded Party Time loveseats, […]
Photo: Filip Maljković American International Group is planning to curb homeowners insurance sales for owners at high risk of floods, storms, or wildfires in 200 zip codes across the United States, according to a report in the Wall St Journal. AIG is the third major insurer in recently to announce cuts to homeowners insurance. “AIG’s […]
How is your Father’s Day going? Seventy-five percent of Americans are celebrating Father’s Day today. They’re spending a record $22.9 billion, according to a survey conducted for National Retail Federation. Consumers are spending $196.23 on average, up from $171.79 last year and topping the previous record of $174.10 in 2021. As in other years, the […]
Genetic testing, where a company examines your DNA, often from a saliva sample, and sends you a report about your family background or your likelihood for developing certain health conditions, is all the rage. It sounds like a great idea, but can you trust a company when it promises to keep your sensitive DNA data […]
Either I missed the Public Citizen report on the toll private equity is taking on U.S. health care or I didn’t understand the significance of it. The report, released in March 2023, says private equity takeovers have come with shocking lapses in safety, with prices rising faster than at non-private equity acquired entities, while patients […]
More than two thirds of online shopping scams begin on the social media platforms Instagram and Facebook, according to an analysis by the Lloyds Banking Group. Fraudsters are preying on shoppers in search of a deal. They’re creating fake business pages, social media ads, and online stores. Nick Drewe, of the online discounts platform Wethrift, offers this list […]
It’s a tragedy that more babies are dying in loungers and companies are continuing to sell dangerous ones. Boppy newborn loungers Although Boppy newborn loungers were recalled in September 2021 due to the risk that infants can suffocate, shortly after the recall two additional infants died in loungers in unsafe sleep environments. In October 2021, an […]
Financial institutions are increasingly using chatbots, which put out human-like responses using computer programming, to communicate with customers to save money. Chatbots sometimes have human names and use popup features to encourage interaction. Some chatbots use more complex technologies such as “artificial intelligence” to respond to customers. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has received hundreds […]
Another huge recall with dozens of injuries points out once again the importance of keeping up on product recalls. About 469,000 self-cleaning juicers are being recalled by Empower Brands in the United States and with an additional 10,900 recalled in Canada. The juicers can rupture during use, striking consumers and causing lacerations, or they can […]
More than three quarters of adults have used a payment app, called a P2P or peer-to-peer or person-to-person app. Widely used nonbank payment apps include PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App. The apps can be used on a computer or mobile device to send money to someone else without writing a check or handing over cash. […]