Search results for Consumer Affairs
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Posted
Sep 28 2009, 11:26 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from James Limbach at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
The vast majority of U.S. drivers believes handheld texting while driving is very dangerous and should be banned nationwide, according to a new survey.
The survey, conducted by Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates on behalf of the Ford Motor Co., found that 86% of U.S. drivers believe handheld texting while driving is "very dangerous" and 93% support a nationwide ban on it.
At the same time, only 42% of those asked think drivers would stop texting behind the wheel if the practice were banned. However, more than 75% say there would be more compliance if hands-free or voice-activated technologies were widely available.
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Posted
Sep 22 2009, 11:23 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from James Limbach at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
Counting down the hours until payday? You're not alone.
As the economic downturn trudges on, many workers are struggling with household budgets. About six in 10 workers -- 61% -- report they always or usually live paycheck to paycheck just to make ends meet, compared with 49% last year and 43% in 2007, according to a new nationwide survey of more than 4,400 workers by CareerBuilder.
Thirty percent of workers with salaries of $100,000 or more report that they too live paycheck to paycheck, versus 21% in 2008.
Some workers are making ends meet by dipping into their long-term savings. More than one in five workers say they have reduced their 401(k) contributions or personal savings in the last six months to get by. Among workers earning six figures or more, a nearly equal number -- 23% -- report that they have also reduced their 401(k) contributions or savings.
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Posted
Sep 21 2009, 04:14 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Jon Hood at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
Dannon has settled a consumer class-action lawsuit alleging that ads for certain brands of its yogurt overstate their claimed health benefits. The settlement will shell out $35 million to affected consumers.
The suit alleged that ads for both Activia and DanActive yogurt exaggerated their beneficial effects on human health. The ads promote the yogurt as improving digestion and have become well known for their goofiness; a recent Activia iteration features actress Jamie Lee Curtis, seated on a couch, noting that "our busy lives sometimes force us to eat the wrong things at the wrong times," and promoting Activia as the solution to "digestive issues."
A voiceover in the ad claims that Activia is "clinically proven to help regulate your digestive system in two weeks" if eaten every day.
The ads credit Bifidus Regularis, a Dannon-created name for bacteria found in mammals' large intestines, with Activia's positive effects on digestion.
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Posted
Sep 14 2009, 05:04 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Truman Lewis at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
For years, health researchers have expressed concerns about the widespread use of cell phones, especially by children. Finally, more than a decade after a test funded by the cell phone industry showed a possible link between cell phones and cancer, the U.S. Senate held hearings on the question.
"I will still use my cell phone after the hearing ends," Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said, but added in a more serious moment that he did not want to overlook the nation's experience with cigarettes, which were touted as harmless and even helpful for decades after the first indications that they might cause health problems.
The saving grace for the cell phone industry -- for now anyway -- is that the devices have been in widespread use for only the last 10 years or so, which researchers say may not be long enough to get a complete picture of their health effects.
But with an estimated 270 million Americans using cell phones, National Institutes of Health associate director John Bucher said the nation faces a "potentially significant health problem." Studies so far have been inconclusive, partly because of the time element and partly because they rely on users' memories of when and how often they used their wireless devices.
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Posted
Sep 10 2009, 11:50 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from James Limbach at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
If you're an affluent American, chances are you've seen more offers of MasterCard World or Visa Signature -- the so-called premium credit cards -- in your mailbox recently.
Mintel Comperemedia, a provider of direct-marketing information, reports that credit card issuers are advertising more premium cards in an effort to attract the best customers.
In the second quarter of this year, credit card issuers sent 28% more marketing direct-mail offers for premium cards than they did the quarter before. This occurred even as issuers reduced credit card offers as a whole by 8%.
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Posted
Sep 09 2009, 10:18 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Mark Huffman at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
Since the dawning of the Internet age, scammers have increasingly relied on the Web to ensnare their victims. With the Internet, one pitch can be sent to millions of potential victims for almost no cost.
Most experienced Internet users have learned to spot the scams in their e-mail inboxes, but a surprising number of people each year fall for the most seemingly transparent hoaxes. So dwelling on what might seem to be the obvious is not exactly a waste of time.
When one of these blatant scam e-mails was sent to Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray, his staff took the time to analyze and deconstruct the document, coming up with seven obvious tip-offs the message was a scam.
First, here is the message in its entirety:
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Posted
Sep 03 2009, 03:21 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from James Limbach at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
Are you happy with your credit card? If not, you have a lot of company.
Driven by a significant decrease in satisfaction with fees and rates, overall credit card customer satisfaction declined to a three-year low, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Credit Card Satisfaction Study.
The study finds that overall credit card customer satisfaction fell to 703 on a 1,000-point scale -- the lowest level since the study's inception in 2007. Overall satisfaction among credit card customers remains the lowest among the financial services industries in which J.D. Power and Associates conducts research, including insurance, banking and investment services.
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Posted
Sep 02 2009, 10:15 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from James Limbach at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
If you missed "cash for clunkers," you might want to give "dollars for dishwashers" a whirl.
Although it's not getting nearly the attention the auto rebate program did, the U.S. Department of Energy program is making nearly $300 million in funding available from the economic stimulus for state-run rebate programs for consumer purchases of new Energy Star-rated home appliances.
The allocation of money is based on a state's population. That gives California the lion's share -- more than $35 million. The territories of American Samoa and Northern Marianas have been allocated the minimum amount of $100,000 each.
"Appliances consume a huge amount of our electricity, so there's enormous potential to both save energy and save families money every month," said Energy Secretary Steven Chu when the program was launched back in July. "These rebates will help families make the transition to more efficient appliances, making purchases that will directly stimulate the economy and create jobs."
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Posted
Sep 01 2009, 05:13 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Jon Hood at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
Many of the prerecorded calls that seem to come just as you're sitting down to dinner are now illegal.
An amendment to the federal Telemarketing Sales Rule, announced more than a year ago, took effect today, Sept. 1. It includes prohibitions against a large number of robocalls.
There are a few catches, however. First, purely "informational" calls are exempt under the new rules. Thus, those calls from Orbitz announcing that your flight is departing two minutes later than expected will not be subject to a penalty.
Perhaps more annoyingly, public service announcements are exempt from the new rules, as are political calls. Political robocalls are especially common during election season, and aren't likely to stop anytime soon. Banks and telephone carriers are likewise exempt.
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Posted
Aug 24 2009, 01:49 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from James Limbach at partner site ConsumerAffairs.com.
A coalition of consumer groups has called on the U.S. Department of Transportation to ensure -- as the agency winds down the "cash for clunkers" program -- that dealers are not double dipping and getting paid twice -- once by their customers and again by the government.
During the past several weeks, the rejection rate for cash for clunkers transactions has hovered around 80%. Many dealers jumped the gun and entered into a high volume of contracts in July, before the rules governing the program were issued and before any deals were approved. Since then, the program has been overwhelmed, causing delays in the payment of $3,500 or $4,500 per clunker to dealers.
As a result, many dealers are on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars or more. Experiencing cash-flow problems and under pressure from lenders, some dealers have resorted to pressuring their customers to make up the difference. Cash for clunkers sales end today, Aug. 24, at 8 p.m. ET. Dealers have until Tuesday, Aug. 25, at noon to file the required paperwork with the government.
Some dealer associations even provide standardized "contingency agreements" for their dealer members that shift all the risks for rejected deals from the dealers to car buyers. Whether they signed the agreements or not, car buyers across the country have complained of being pressured to give the dealers $3,500 or $4,500 extra in cash or sign a new contract agreeing to pay more, typically under threat of losing their new car or having the dealer report it stolen.
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