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Sun, June 25, 2006 10:33:11 PMFrom:
Consumer Affairs
Subject:
CONSUMER NEWS & ALERTS, June 26, 2006
SICK DOGS, BIG PROFITS
You can buy just about anything on the Internet. There've been reports of organ transplants being arranged via the Web and no doubt families seeking to adopt babies will soon be surfing the selection, if they're not already. So it should be no surprise that puppies are being bought and sold via the Internet just as though they were coffee beans, a practice Joe Enoch examines in this week's cover story -- Puppy e-Mills Churn Out Sick Dogs, Big Profits.
Now, it's no doubt possible to buy a healthy puppy from a responsible breeder via the Internet if you know what you're doing. But it's more likely you'll get a sick puppy from a puppy mill. Since most Web sales are interstate, there's no Puppy Lemon Law protection, leaving you with the option of sending the miserable hound back to the cold-hearted breeder or spending thousands of dollars on veterinary bills, like those in Joe's story. The best place to get a pet? You already know the answer -- it's the local animal shelter. Next best is a local breeder who puts the animal's welfare ahead of business interests.
THE WALLS HAVE EARS
There's nothing in the Constitution that guarantees the right to privacy, you know, and that's too bad because it would certainly come in handy. Anti-terror efforts, the war on pornography and creditors' desire to keep everyone under their thumb are adding up to a massive erosion of personal privacy. Cases in point:
• AT&T Declares Consumers' Personal Data "Corporate Property" Ever the masters of doublespeak, AT&T has found the way to deal with complaints about its mishandling consumers' records. It has declared that it, not the customer, owns calling records and Internet traffic data. So much for that.
• States Want a Longer Trail State attorneys general want Congress to order Internet providers to keep customer records longer than the 90 days now required. The AGs say that Internet sex crime prosecutions are being hampered by a lack of data.
• Oops, FTC, Equifax Fumble Data Same old story: laptops lost or stolen, consumers get a tepid apology.
• Visa Admits To Problem In Mysterious Data Breach The card network's ATM system may have contributed to a still-unexplained data breach that resulted in the cancellation of who knows how many debit cards.
• Oklahoma Settles with Consumer Benefits Group CBG claims to sell identity theft protection devices but the Oklahoma Attorney General says it goes about it in an odd way. We took a closer look at the company and found a lot to wonder about.
• Experian Launches New Credit Score Experian and its pals, Equifax and TransUnion, would like to unseat the FICO as the industry standard but critics are unimpressed with their proposed substitute.
All this provides the ammunition for our newest feature -- A Private Intelligence, a blog by our Martin H. Bosworth, who reports regularly on privacy issues. Martin's new blog lets you read his unbridled opinions and observations and offers you the opportunity to respond. More blogs are in the works and will be rolled out shortly.
SUMMER SALES WAR
Becalmed, automakers are launching discounts and incentives not seen since, well, last summer. Displaying the unexpected acceleration for which many of its models are known, Chrysler was first out of the gate, trumpeting employee discounts for all. But a Consumer Reports analysis warns that incentives and discounts may not cover the higher depreciation losses that beset an unpopular car or SUV. The key is to identify the car than best for your needs, then find the best deal, not the other way around.
Meanwhile, there's more gloom in Detoit, as both minivan and SUV sales slump. Not only are sales of vans and SUVs declining, Asian manufacturers are making a growing percentage of those sales.
The White House is giving Detroit the New Orleans treatment. Last week, top executives of the Big 3 were put off once again from a meeting with President Bush. They were also put off by Bush's comment that they should learn to make "relevant" vehicles.
Gas Prices Slip 4 Cents Although gas prices dipped a few cents last week, they're still within spitting distance of $3 per gallon in most of the country as the summer driving season opens, according to the latest ConsumerAffairs.Com gas price round-up.
TROUBLE IN THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
Cadbury Schweppes has recalled one million chocolate bars because they may carry salmonella, and that's just the beginning. European regulators are irate because the company allegedly knew of the problem for six months before it bothered to tell anyone. Britain's Health Protection Agency is investigating nearly 50 cases of a rare strain of salmonella poisonings in the UK. The strain of the bacteria is the same as the one found in the Cadbury's factory.
Researchers Say "Killer" Asthma Inhalers Should Be Recalled Serevent, Advair and Foradil inhalers have been implicated in 4 of 5 asthma deaths, researcher say. The widely-prescribed inhalers help relieve asthma symptoms but they also promote bronchial inflammation and sensitivity, with can increase the likelihood of unexpected asthma attacks, the researchers found.
In other health news ...
• Whole Foods Agrees to Post FDA's Mercury Warning Safeway and Wild Oats also agree to post warnings aimed at women, children.
• New Device Zaps Migraine Pain Researchers say their gadget interrupts the "aura" that leads to a migraine.
• FDA Approves Generic Form of Zocor Popular statin reduces cholesterol in the bloodstream.
• Bird Flu Virus May Have Mutated In Indonesian Cases But health authorities say the mutated strain may have died with its victims.
AOL FEIGNS SHAME
AOL has for years ignored consumer complaints, reports on Web sites like ours, lawsuits by New York and Ohio, FTC sanctions and consumer class action suits, all contesting the difficulty of cancelling subscriptions, the prevalence of double-billing and other seamy practices. But when CNBC, heavily watched on Wall Street, aired a similar report, AOL went into a groveling act ummatched in its history. It claimed such incidents were isolated, unauthorized, etc., etc. A less convincing performance hasn't been seen since Howard Dean endorsed John Kerry.
Make That Call Later Making a cell phone call during a thunderstorm may not be such a good idea. Researchers report finding evidence that cell phone use can increase the severity of lightning-strike injuries.
Texas Teen Sues MySpace The 14-year-old says she was assaulted by someone she met through the site, seeks $30 million in damages.
SOUTHWEST CONSIDERS ITS STAND ON SEATING
Among its many other accomplishments, Southwest has perfected the art of the unreserved seat. Passengers are herded into different chutes and released in waves to storm aboard their aircraft in hopes of lassoing a seat. Many people don't mind this, while others find it distasteful. Southwest sees it as a dollar-and-cents issue -- could it reduce gate time by assigning seats? It will be testing several alternatives in San Diego this summer.
Other airlines are milling around, seemingly uncertain of just what their procedure is, but insisting that -- whatever it is -- it's the best.
From travel editor Dan Schlossberg's Destinations file:
• Michigan Provides Surprises for Summer Visitors Lots of lakes, lighthouses and apples, not to mention Motor City.
• Devils Tower Draws the Curious to Centennial Celebration Odd structure made famous by "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."
SCAMS & OUTRAGES
• Student Travel Service Parents of long-dead child told he had been "selected" for an international tour.
• Advance Loan Fee Scam Canadian scam artists used bogus West Virginia address.
• "The Right Solution" Its ads claimed to be "medical recall notices."
RECALLS
INDEPENDENCE WEEKEND
Not wanting to slight the 4th of July, your editor is declaring his independence from this newsletter next week. The Daily Consumer will be on a summer schedule the next few weeks and our weekly newsletter will return on Monday, July 10. We wish you a safe and entertaining summer. Remember to be careful with fireworks, wear plenty of sunscreen and don't let the potato salad get warm.
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