Today’s newspaper will have scads of ads about so-called Black Friday sales. As our friends at Mouse Print wisely advise reading the fine print in those ads. They use a Circuit City ad as an example of some of the odd restrictions and terms that are consumer come-ons.
Archive for November, 2008
Read fine print in Black Friday ads
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008Use caution deep-frying turkey
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008Using a deep-fryer to cook your Thanksgiving turkey might leave you thankful that you survived.
Lots of people deep-fry their birds in recent years with no problems, but statistics show that the practice accounts for many severe burns, injuries and fires.
Some suggest that if you want deep-fried turkey, just buy it from a deli or some other commercial food source.
Here’s this year’s advisory from the state fire marshal.
Comparison shopping for toys online
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008The Parent Company has launched toys.com, an Internet site that lets parents search for products and compare prices at some of the nation’s largest retailers.
The site also will eventually have customer reviews and social networking opportunities.
Toy safety on group’s priority list
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008The Public Interest Research Group in Michigan has released its 23rd annual toy safety survey, which lists toys that are dangerous or hold toxins.
You can access the report here.
JCPenney recalls pants for newborns, infants
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008JCPenney is recalling about 24,000 pairs of pants for newborns and infants because a snap can detach, which posing a choking hazard.
The recall notice is here.
Leaky acid cleaner being recalled
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008About 20,000 plastic bottles of heavy duty acidic cleaner made by DuPont and sold at Lowe’s are being recalled because they have leaky caps.
The recall notice may be found here.
Dietary supplements being recalled
Tuesday, November 25th, 2008Starcaps dietary supplement is being recalled because the diuretic has been found to contain an undeclared prescription drug.
Details are here.
Fashion Sanctuary also is recalling a fat loss pill because it contains an unapproved drug that could have health consequences. Its recall notice may be found here.
DTE phone scammers still working
Tuesday, November 25th, 2008A reader reports that she just received what she believes is a bogus call from someone pretending to be from DTE Energy. The scamwas mentioned previously on this blog in October.
The reader writers “I just recieved one of these calls about an hour ago. It came up on my caller ID as DTE energy. I was suspicious of the call so I did not answer it.
I tried calling the number back but a recording said that number was disconnected.
So, beware, these people are still out there doing business.”
Blog battles computer bugs
Monday, November 24th, 2008Consumers Union, the non-profit group that publishes Consumer Reports magazine, has launched badwarebusters.org, a new blog that meant to limit computer viruses, spyware and other “badware” that might infect computers or e-mail.
It allows visitors to post comments about problems they’re having or provide feedback to those having problems. Looks like it’s kind of a “Neighborhood Watch” program aimed at short-circuiting cyberspace viruses.
IKEA fined over candle recall
Monday, November 24th, 2008If you have any Angar or Samlas outdoor candles you bought at an IKEA store sometime within the last two years, take it back to the store.
IKEA announced a recall of 133,000 of the candles in the U.S. in May, 2006, part of more than a million that were sold worldwide. But the federal government contended the company didn’t act quickly enough to get the candles off the market. IKEA has agreed to pay a $500,000 fine to settle the charges.
Details of the penalty and the previous recall may be found here./a>
Feds order collection agency to pay up
Friday, November 21st, 2008Academy Collection Service, a nationwide collection agency, has agreed to pay more than $2 million to settle federal complaints that the company violated federal collections laws in dealing with debtors.
Details may be found here.
Car and Driver issues 10 Best for 2009
Friday, November 21st, 2008Car and Driver staff have listed their 10 Best Cars of 2009.
It’s purely a subjective assessment that has to do with how well they like the cars and what the vehicles are designed for.
Two GM cars — the Covette and Cadillac CTS — are the only domestic automaker products to make the top 10 list.
For more details, click here.
UM: Economy to worsen before it gets better
Friday, November 21st, 2008Respected University of Michigan economic forecasters say the economy will get worse before it gets better.
A recession now in progress is expected to bottom out in mid-2009, with only mild recovery in 2010, they said Thursday.
More of the gory details can be found here.
Guide to senior health services
Friday, November 21st, 2008The Federal Trade Commission has published an online guide to health products and services geared to senior citizens.
Check out the information about the guide and find a link to it here.
Scary computer news …
Friday, November 21st, 2008A federal court has temporarily barred the sale of RemoteSpy spyware, which allowed purchasers to plant software on anyone’s computer via an e-mailed text message or photo, and then monitor the keystrokes on the computer, including security information and passwords.
More details about this matter may be found here.