Eat Your Way to Better Health: Food & Health Claims Consumer News Eat Your Way to Better Health: Food & Health Claims “Contains antioxidants” “Clinically Proven to Enhance Immune System” “Balances Digestive Health” Who wouldn’t want to eat their way to better health? Ads and labels for food and beverage products today…
Seeking the Truth in Food Labels Consumer News Seeking the Truth in Food Labels When cruising down the aisle of your favorite local supermarket, you may depend greatly on the packaging and labeling when deciding what food and beverage items or brands to buy. …
Where’s the Fruit? Consumer News Where’s the Fruit? It is not entirely unreasonable to expect “Blueberry Pomegranate” cereal to contain blueberries and pomegranate, fruits high in antioxidants that are all the rage now. But don’t tell that to…
Internet Scams: Avoiding Fraud on the World Wide Web Consumer News Internet Scams: Avoiding Fraud on the World Wide Web Over 200 million people in the U.S. are now Internet users. Many of our daily activities – reading the news, watching movies, paying bills, buying products, and even catching up…
NADA Sues FTC Over Risk-Based Pricing Regulations and Gets… Nada! Consumer News NADA Sues FTC Over Risk-Based Pricing Regulations and Gets… Nada! The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) was not very happy when the FTC wanted to implement rules that would require car dealers to disclose credit score information to consumers when…
Junk Mail is Costly Consumer News Junk Mail is Costly Ever wonder how much junk mail actually costs? In just one state – Massachusetts, the estimated cost to cities and towns to dispose of the catalogs, flyers, phone books, and…
When is Zero Trans Fat Really Zero? Consumer News When is Zero Trans Fat Really Zero? You have probably seen the “0 grams trans fat” label on everything from spreads to chips at the supermarket. Trans fats are now known to raise your bad cholesterol, increasing…
Skechers Settlement Leaves Few Real Cash Gains for Consumers Consumer News Skechers Settlement Leaves Few Real Cash Gains for Consumers When the FTC announced (with much fanfare) in May 2012 that it had reached a $40 million settlement with Skechers over the deceptive marketing of Skechers’ toning shoes, everyone ooed…
Cast a Wary Eye when Scanning Craigslist and Classifieds Consumer News Cast a Wary Eye when Scanning Craigslist and Classifieds More than 50 million Americans are using Craigslist for everything from bartering for services to finding a roommate. Unlike your local newspaper or magazine, Craigslist ads are generally free, which…
Are Funeral Homes Following the Rules? FTC Investigates Consumer News Are Funeral Homes Following the Rules? FTC Investigates Every year, the FTC goes incognito to make sure funeral homes across the country are complying with the agency’s Funeral Rule. Among other things, the Funeral Rule requires funeral homes…
Vacation Time: Great Deal or Ticket to a Time-Share Pitch? Consumer News Vacation Time: Great Deal or Ticket to a Time-Share Pitch? The travel website My Holiday Break advertises a variety of vacations packages at incredible prices. How does this service get away with offering such low prices? According to the front…
Don’t Fall for Faux Navajo Jewelry Consumer News Don’t Fall for Faux Navajo Jewelry Though there are laws in place to protect artists and consumers from misrepresentation of Native American arts and crafts products, it doesn’t always protect buyers from scam artists. An investigation…
Check Out that For-Profit College Before Enrolling Consumer News Check Out that For-Profit College Before Enrolling Before enrolling in a for-profit college, check out this government investigation of 15 colleges that revealed questionable practices that potential students should be mindful of when considering where to enroll. …
Preventing Kids from Smoking is Still a Battle Consumer News Preventing Kids from Smoking is Still a Battle According to the FDA, every day almost 3,500 kids pick up their first cigarette. What’s worse is that a quarter of those kids (850 of them) become daily cigarette smokers.…
Energy Star Asks for a Mulligan Consumer News Energy Star Asks for a Mulligan If you’ve ever shopped around for a household appliance or new heating system, you’ve probably seen this sticker: Energy Star was created in 1992 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency…
Are Apple’s Ads about Siri Misleading? Consumer News Are Apple’s Ads about Siri Misleading? A lawsuit filed against Apple claims that the company “. . . has conveyed the misleading and deceptive message that the iPhone 4S’s Siri feature, a so-called voice-activated assistant…
Scareware Suit Settled but Consumers Don’t Really Win Consumer News Scareware Suit Settled but Consumers Don’t Really Win A little over a year after being sued for “falsely identify[ing] computer problems and characteriz[ing] them as “severe” in an attempt to scare consumers into purchasing its software,” Ascentive, the…
APR? HECM? KNOW YOUR FINANCING Consumer News APR? HECM? KNOW YOUR FINANCING Perhaps no segment of our economy is more confusing to the normal, everyday consumer than financial services. Whether it’s the lingo, such as Annual percentage rate; the amount of interest…
Doggie Fountain of Youth? Consumer News Doggie Fountain of Youth? Will feeding Fido Purina really extend his life? Better check the facts first.
Don’t Let Some Ads Get the Best of Your Pet Consumer News Don’t Let Some Ads Get the Best of Your Pet The market for pet-related products has soared in the past decade. The American Pet Products Association (APPA) estimates that the industry now generates over $50 billion in sales annually, an…