Consumer Advocate

The Bad Joke That Is The Sun Brodband

2011-04-30T00:29:00.000-07:00

First, I subscribed to Smart broadband. It was painfully slow. I switched to Globe. It was fast. I should have been satisfied but each time it goes down, the downtime period can take weeks which is unacceptable if you depend on the internet to get your job done. I switched to Sun broadband after I heard them claim on their ad on TV that their service is fast and reliable. Damn! If I go by Sun’s definition of fast and reliable then this world is doomed. Give me all the bad adjectives you could think of and that is just how I would describe their services. It gets disconnected every after few minutes. The longest I can stay online without getting interrupted is 15 minutes. That should put them on the Guinness book of records. When you succeed in getting reconnected you land back on Sun's web page not on the page you were working on when you got disconnected. Very clever of Sun but no thanks that pisses me all the more. Now! Don’t ever ask me if I ever complained. After all my "complaining" experiences, I could now write a book on “How to Master the Art of Complaining and Still Not Get Results” (Hmm! Good idea! That could easily climb on top of a bestseller list). And please, don’t come telling me of glowing testimonials on how excellent the Sun broadband services is or I will send my the devil running after you.

Gourmet Salad Recalled

2010-12-04T01:57:00.000-08:00

N.Y. Gourmet Salads, Inc., a Brooklyn, N.Y., establishment, is recalling an undetermined amount of various meat and poultry products that were produced without the benefit of federal inspection, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

The following products are subject to recall:

4.5-pound and 5-pound containers of "Lemon Grilled Chicken"
4.5-pound and 5-pound containers of "Meatballs"
4.5-pound and 5-pound containers of "Meatballs and Sauce"
4.5-pound and 5-pound containers of "Swedish Meatballs"
5-pound containers of "Sausage and Peppers"
4.5-pound and 5-pound containers of "Chicken Salad"
5-pound containers of "Grilled Chicken"
5-pound containers of "Grilled Chicken, Plain"
4.5-pound and 5-pound containers of "Breaded Chicken"
6-pound containers of "Stuffed Cabbage"
5-pound containers "Teriyaki Grilled Chicken"
5-pound containers "Chopped Chicken Liver"

The implicated products were produced between March 11, 2010, and Oct. 29, 2010, and were distributed to retail establishments in New York. Labeling information on these products is currently unknown, unless otherwise noted above. The products subject to this recall may or may not bear the N.Y. Gourmet Salads Inc. label with the establishment number "P-34440" or "Est. 34440" inside the USDA mark of inspection. A retail distribution list(s) is available on the FSIS' website at www.fsis.usda.gov/FSIS_Recalls/
Open_Federal_Cases/index.asp.

These products were the subject of a public health alert issued on Oct. 30, 2010. After a continued investigation by FSIS, the products are now being recalled by the firm. FSIS has received no reports of illness due to consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a physician.

FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers.

Consumer and media questions regarding the recall should be directed to the company Vice President Lenny Spada at (718) 765-0082.

Consumers with food safety questions can "Ask Karen," the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov. The toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) is available in English and Spanish and can be reached from l0 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday. Recorded food safety messages are available 24 hours a day.

Nader to Dodd: Stand up to special banking interests

2010-03-03T18:48:00.000-08:00

March 2, 2010

The Honorable Senator Christopher Dodd

Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs

448 Russell Building

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Dodd:

On January 19, 2010, I wrote to you about news reports that you were considering dropping the proposal to create an independent and free-standing Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA). In the last few days news reports indicating that you are advancing the notion that the CFPA should be housed within the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve is always a step short and a day late in protecting consumers.

To house the CFPA within the Federal Reserve is to doom it to failure.

As I said in that letter,

Making this kind of deal with the Republicans and more conservative members of your own party will signal to consumers across the land that you, as chair of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, have lost touch with Main-Street interests. It will show that the leaders of the Democratic Party care more about the high-rolling gamblers on Wall Street and the fat-cat bankers than the consumers, workers, taxpayers, and small investors who have been left with the costs of the financial meltdown caused by executives' greed, speculation and crimes.

When you announced that you were not seeking re-election, many in the consumer movement thought that you would be free to push for meaningful financial re-regulation because you wouldn't have to worry about re-election fundraising. Instead it looks like you are mistakenly thinking that a financial re-regulation bill, no matter how lacking, is better than no bill, and that you need to deliver such a bill for President Obama.

In fact, abandoning consumers on real financial re-regulation is likely to be more costly to President Obama and the Democratic Party than standing up to the banking and financial interests that have so damaged our economy.

The Consumer Financial Protection Agency should be independent with strong leadership, not part of some other existing bank-indentured financial regulatory agency. Consumers need an independent agency that will serve their interests without being captured by the financial wheelers and dealers who put gouging for short-term profit before the legitimate interests of consumers. These wheelers and dealers have been expert in capturing the so-called bank regulators in Washington, DC. You have previously pointed out their "abysmal failure."

Senator Dodd, it is time for you to be a transforming leader and champion for many millions of consumers. You know how to articulate their case and focus public outrage on the recalcitrant members of your committee. Fight for the Consumer Financial Protection Agency - the people and consumer groups will support you.

Why not convene a representative group of them, including aggrieved individuals, at a news conference to demonstrate your determination to reach out to the people of our country?

In addition to the a news conference you should do two additional things:

1. Invite Senators Shelby and Corker to barnstorm with you in Alabama and Tennessee respectively and see whether the citizens of those states support a strong and independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency.

2. Introduce legislation to create a Financial Consumers’ Association, supported by membership dues and controlled by its members who would elect a board of directors that could hire researchers, organizers, accountants and lawyers. A Financial Consumers’ Associations would augment the work of the CFPA by:

1. Representing consumer interests before regulatory agencies, legislative bodies, and the courts, and in negotiations with financial service providers;

2. Advocating policies before regulatory bodies that will ensure reasonable access to credit for all consumers;

3. Evaluating the performance of mortgage lenders and monitor the availability of financial services to less affluent and minority borrowers; and

4. Providing policymakers, consumers, workers, shareholders, taxpayers and the news media with timely information on the effects of financial industry and government initiatives.

A Financial Consumers’ Association would enhance the influence of consumers in the policy-making process and empower citizens by educating them, uniting them, and giving them a meaningful voice in directly shaping financial institutions’ consumer policies.

Senator Dodd, stand up to the banking interests and the anti-consumer Senators who want to derail the CFPA. Challenge your fellow Senators to cast a vote for or against a strong, independent CFPA. The voters deserve to know who represents their interests.

Sincerely,

Ralph Nader

Apple pursuing cloud-based media delivery strategy?

2010-02-26T18:36:00.000-08:00

Apple has been in talks with some of the major film studios recently about enabling iTunes users to store their content on Apple-controlled servers, according to a new report. Citing two people familiar with the discussions, Cnet reports that the service would be offered alongside similar cloud-based offerings for TV shows and music, and that Apple’s plan would involve having users access video from various Internet-connected devices, including, most prominently, the iPad. “Basically, they want to eliminate the hard drive,” one source said. The report notes that there is some indication consumers purchasing large amounts of media, including music, videos, and applications, are beginning to max out their hard drives, leading to a possible fall in sales due to the lack of available storage. Notably, the movie studios are said to be concerned about ensuring that purchased media is accessible from a number of devices, including those not made by Apple; this despite the fact that the DRM placed on the companies’ current iTunes Store offerings prohibits them from being played on any non-Apple device.

FDA Collaboration Seeks to Speed Development of Pneumococcal Vaccines for Children in Developing Countries

2010-02-24T01:51:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently announced a collaboration with PATH to advance development of a vaccine to protect children against diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), especially pneumonia.

Worldwide, the bacterium also causes infections of the brain (meningitis), blood (sepsis), and middle ear (otitis media) and each year kills about 1 million children younger than 5 years of age. The collaboration aims to improve the techniques used to produce effective, safe, and affordable vaccines against pneumococcal disease for children in the developing world.

PATH is an international nonprofit organization based in Seattle that creates sustainable, culturally relevant, and affordable solutions to help communities worldwide to break cycles of poor health.

The collaborative project, expected to run for two years, is being conducted under the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) program. The program allows federal laboratories and businesses to form partnerships that help expedite research activities.

Under the agreement, PATH will help the FDA obtain materials needed for the agency to develop the conjugate vaccine technology. PATH also will provide approximately $480,000 to the FDA for the development of both the conjugation technology and tests to determine if the carrier proteins are properly linked to the polysaccharides.

The goal of the CRADA is to evaluate the application of Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) conjugation technology to pneumococcal vaccines. If it holds promise for fulfilling the goal of providing safe, effective, and affordable pneumococcal vaccines, the CRADA permits transfer of the technology to the China National Biotec Group’s Chengdu Institute of Biological Products, and eventually to groups in other developing countries as appropriate.

"CBER will use its scientific expertise to develop technology for a vaccine against pneumococcal disease that is safe and effective,” said Karen Midthun, M.D., acting director of the FDA's CBER. "The collaboration with PATH is an example of how the FDA applies technologies it develops to public health issues in the United States and throughout the world under the agency’s Critical Path Initiative."

The goal of the FDA’s work is to improve the efficiency of a key technology in the development of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine candidates. The technology is used to link a piece of the bacterium’s surface coating, a polysaccharide made up of long chains of sugars, to a special molecule called a carrier protein in a process called conjugation.

When carrier proteins are joined with the polysaccharides, they significantly increase the strength of the immune response. Without these proteins, the polysaccharides by themselves would not trigger an adequate immune response in young children.

CBER conjugation technology has already been used by the Meningitis Vaccine Project—a partnership between PATH and the World Health Organization—for the development of a conjugate vaccine to prevent meningococcal meningitis in Africa.

For more information:

Collaborative Opportunities–FDA Technology Transfer Program
http://www.fda.gov/ScienceResearch/CollaborativeOpportunities/default.htm1

PATH Web site
http://www.path.org2 Exit Disclaimer

Tips For Online Shopping

2010-02-06T00:28:00.000-08:00

Shopping online does carry some risk, but so does shopping at brick-and-mortar stores. At least online shoppers don't need to worry about fender-benders in the parking lot, pick pockets at the mall, or getting the flu from all those fellow shoppers.

But the nice thing about shopping online is that by following some basic guidelines you can be reasonably sure you'll have a safe experience.

Secure your PC: The first thing you need to do is be sure your computer is secure. Trend Micro's education director David Perry, says that "bad guys these days are operating by planting a keylogger on your system that listens in, surreptitiously waiting for you to use your credit card or your bank password so that they can steal your money." So, even if you're dealing with a legitimate merchant, you're at risk if your computer is infected. Your best protection from these attacks is to keep your operating system and browsers updated and use a good and up-to-date security program.

Click with care: Be cautious with all those offers you receive via e-mail. While they might be legitimate, there is the possibility of some offers coming from criminals trying to trick you into giving your password to a rogue site or visiting a site that can put malicious software on your computer. Your best protection is to not click on any links--even if the message looks legitimate--but to type in the merchant's URL manually.

Know the merchant: : If you're not familiar with the merchant, do a little research like typing its name (and perhaps the word "scam") into a search engine to see if there are any reports of scams. Look for user reviews on sites like Eopinions.com. Look for seller ratings if you locate the merchant through a shopping search engine like Google Shopping . Google doesn't certify the integrity of the sites that come up in its searches, but if you see lots of seller ratings that are mostly positive, that's a pretty good sign. You're generally pretty safe with sellers that are affiliated with shopping aggregators like Amazon.com, Yahoo Shopping, Retrevo or BizRate. Microsoft's new Bing search engine offers a cash-back program with affiliated merchant

It's a good idea to look for seals of approval from Truste or Better Business Bureau Online, (see BBB seal on the left) but remember that a seal is only a graphic. It can be counterfeit. To be sure, visit the certifying agency's site to look up the merchant.

When you're about to enter your credit card, make sure you're on a "secure "site. The URL should have an https at the beginning (s for "security") and there should be a small gold lock in the lower right corner of the browser. This isn't an iron-clad guarantee, but still worth looking for.

If you're still not sure, look for a phone number and call them. Aside from eliminating the chance of a keylogger grabbing your information, you may get a little more assurance talking to a human being.

Pay by credit card: Credit cards offer you an extra level of protection including the right to "charge back" if you feel you're a victim of fraud. The credit company will investigate your claim and permanently remove the charge if fraud can be proven.

Also some credit card companies offer extra protections including extended warranties and protection against loss or theft. Federal law limits your liability for misuse of a credit card to $50 but many credit card companies will waive that limit. Unless you're very sure about the merchant, don't provide them with a checking account number and never disclose your social security number to online merchants.

It's also a good idea to check your online credit card statement frequently. Most credit card companies will display recent charges online within a few days of the actual transaction. While you're on your credit card company's site, check your interest rate. Credit card companies have been known to "adjust" rates (usually upward) for a variety of reasons.

Know the real price: Be sure you understand the actual cost of the item, including shipping, handling, and sales tax. That can have an enormous impact on the final price. Many merchants are offering free shipping during the holidays and some merchants that have both online physical stores will let you pick up the item in the store for free. In most states if you do business with a merchant that has a physical presence in your state, the merchant is required to collect state sales taxes. Although it's tough to enforce, some states expect you to self-report all of your online purchases and pay sales taxes when you file your state income tax return.

Happy returns: Be sure you understand the merchant's return policies including the deadline for returns and what documentation you'll need. In most cases, they won't refund the shipping charges and you'll have to pay to ship it back. Always keep your packing until you're sure you're not going to return it.

Read the privacy policy: The policy, according to the American Bar Association's Safeshopping.org, should disclose "what information the seller is gathering about you, how the seller will use this information; and whether and how you can "opt out" of these practices."
Pay attention to these tips and the chances of you being victimized by online fraud would be extremely low.

Larry Magid

Originally posted at Safe and Secure

Indian Workers Rebuke Quebec Over Asbestos

2010-02-03T07:18:00.000-08:00

'It will be remembered as an act of barbarism in the history of industrial development where asbestos was knowingly allowed to be used, and where workers were knowingly subjected to it.'—Gobal Krishna, activist

Unionized workers gathered in Mumbai on Monday to denounce Quebec's asbestos industry.

Unionized workers and activists in India capitalized on Quebec's trade mission this week to blast the province for its active role on the global asbestos market.

While Quebec Premier Jean Charest led his 130-person mission through meetings with local business leaders and entrepreneurs, Indian opponents spoke out against the asbestos industry, blaming it for making workers in the subcontinent ill.

It's hypocritical for Quebec to ban the use of chrysotile asbestos at home, while selling it to countries in the developing world, said activist Gobal Krishna.

"It will be remembered as an act of barbarism in the history of industrial development where asbestos was knowingly allowed to be used, and where workers were knowingly subjected to it," Krishna told reporters at the news conference in Mumbai.

Asbestos has been banned by nearly every developed country and a growing number of developing nations, but countries like India still rely on the flame-resistant mineral for construction projects.

Unionized workers gathered in Mumbai on Monday to denounce Quebec's asbestos industry.Unionized workers gathered in Mumbai on Monday to denounce Quebec's asbestos industry. At least 20 per cent of workers in India are exposed to asbestos on a regular basis, and the building material is responsible for making many Indian workers sick, accused Sanjay Singhvi, secretary general of the Trade Union Centre of India, a labour federation.

Asbestos can't be used safely in India, he said.

The United Nations says chrysotile asbestos, widely used in building materials, accounted for about 94 per cent of global asbestos production and is considered a carcinogen by the World Health Organization. At least 90,000 people die each year from asbestos-related diseases such as lung cancer and mesothelioma, the UN said.

Singhvi said he was disappointed Charest refused to meet with his organization during the weeklong trade mission.

Charest's office said Quebec promotes the responsible use of asbestos. Quebec exports to India hit $427M

Charest arrived in Mumbai on Sunday with 130 Quebecers participating in the trade mission.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest is on a trade mission to India. The premier said the mission aims to promote Quebec expertise in infrastructure, environmental technologies and telecommunications to the Indian market, which counts more than 1.2 billion people.

Thirteen deals were penned between Quebec and Indian companies on Monday, including an agreement with a Quebec City company specializing in cleaning industrial waste water.

Quebec exported $427 million in goods to India in 2008, including airplanes, paper, asbestos and electronics.

Opposition Parti Québécois members accuse Charest of fleeing to foreign lands in order to avoid political pressure at home, including calls for a public inquiry into the province's dysfunctional construction industry.

Quebec operates two asbestos mines.

Starbucks Recalls Glass Water Bottles Due to Laceration Hazard

2010-01-27T06:06:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Glass Water Bottles

Units: About 11,000 in the United States and 1,200 in Canada

Importer: Starbucks Coffee Company, of Seattle, Wash.

Hazard: The glass water bottle and/or its stopper can shatter when the consumer is removing or inserting the stopper, posing a laceration hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received 10 reports of either glass stoppers or water bottles shattering, including eight reports of hand lacerations.

Description: This recall involves clear glass water bottles with SKU number 11003503. The 20-ounce water bottles have the words “Glass Water Bottle” printed on a blue label affixed to the bottle.

Sold at: Starbucks company-operated stores and at Starbucks locations in Safeway and Target stores nationwide during January 2010 for about $9.

Manufactured in: Taiwan

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the glass water bottles and return the product to the Starbucks location where purchased to receive a full refund. Starbucks is also offering a complimentary beverage, of any size, to consumers upon return of the glass water bottles.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Starbucks at (877) 492-6333 between 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.starbucks.com

Note: Health Canada’s press release is available at http://cpsr-rspc.hc-sc.gc.ca/PR-RP/recall-retrait-eng.jsp?re_id=956

---

CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please contact them by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx

Let The Tribe of Unethical Businesses Increase!

2009-12-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Ethics must be at the core of every good business. Sadly for the consumers, there aren't many good businesses around. Given the choice between profit and ethics, profit mostly wins out for most businesses.

You only have to look into the record of global businesses, including most of the major brands that the public use, to give you an idea of of how these businesses regard good business ethics as pure garbage. Take a count of the number of major brands that have been fined millions for breaking ethical business laws. You would be surprise of how staggering the number is. Money and not ethics is what rules.

Companies that do not stick by the principles of business ethics and breaks the laws, usually end up being fined. Breaking the anti-trust , ethical and environmental laws is so rampant and while millions of fines are often imposed on companies that break these laws the practice continues. But really, why should these companies worry about fines when fines are just minuscule compared to the profits they make? Why should they care about business ethics when such would just be on their way from amassing billion dollar profits? They should because often the lack of business ethics can place people's lives on the line. But then they would not care because most often the people they harm are invisible or are unaware.

Let us take the case of the thousands of old electronic goods and components that leave the EU for Africa and other destinations in the developing world every day, despite regulations prohibiting the trade in e-waste. Illicit profits to be made by the developed world's traders by dumping their obsolete and hazardous electronics abroad instead of properly recycling them makes them blind to such regulations. Some will be repaired and reused, but many are beyond repair, meaning that they will eventually be dumped in places where no facilities exist for safe recycling.

The poorest people, in many cases children, are put to work breaking apart TVs, mobile phones, game consoles and other electronic items that arrive in their tonnes. With no safety measures, they are exposed to highly toxic chemicals, including mercury, which damages the brain; lead, which can damage reproductive systems; and cadmium, which causes kidney damage.

But then, they are just poor children in never heard of part of the world. Who cares? Let us go let these unethical businesses live or wait until the time they knock on our own doors before we cry foul. That is if they have not already sneaked into our back doors and have made themselves at home.

So You Are A Consumer And You Have A Complaint

2009-11-18T08:22:00.000-08:00

So you are a consumer and you have a complaint that you want to get resolved or an issue or concern that you would like addressed with a company or government agency. As a consumer what do you do to accomplish your goal?

· First, if you have a complaint be certain that you are legally justified in pursuing your complaint against a company or government agency. For example, read the terms of the product warranty for the product you have purchased or read the terms of service for the service you have purchased to determine whether your complaint is legally justified or not. If after you have read the terms of the warranty or the terms of service you believe that your complaint is legally justifiable, then pursue a resolution of your complaint. If your complaint or issue is against a government agency you need to determine whether what you are seeking is able to be done within the policy guidelines of the agency. If it is then take the appropriate steps to try and get your complaint or issue resolved.

· Before you take the first step to try and get your complaint or issue resolved stop, relax, get calm and focused and think positively about getting your complaint or issue resolved. Believe that you can get your complaint or issue resolved satisfactorily. In seeking a resolution for your complaint any results you achieve will be primarily based on your attitude and not your actions. Yes, the steps you take to get your complaint resolved are very important; however, what is much more important for you to achieve success is your attitude. So, think and be (feel) positive about getting your complaint or issue satisfactorily resolved before you even begin the process of trying to get it resolved.

· So, now that you are convinced that you are justified in pursuing a resolution of your complaint or issue and you are in a positive state of mind take the following steps to get your complaint or issue resolved.

· Determine who you need to call and speak with about your complaint or issue. Do some research about the company or government agency and find out what is the most appropriate department to contact as well as the most appropriate person to call and discuss your complaint or issue with. Most consumers mistakenly call a company’s or government agency’s regular toll-free customer service line and speak with a customer service representative about their complaint or issue only to discover that the person they are speaking with is not empowered to help them resolve their complaint or issue. As a consumer advocate I seldom call the company or government agency’s regular toll-free customer service line. Calling the number, being placed on hold for up to 45 minutes, only to reach a representative who informs me that they can not help me is very frustrating so I generally do not go that route to try and get a complaint or issue resolved for a consumer I am advocating for.

· To minimize your frustration as a consumer you want to speak with the person who can help you in the fastest amount of time possible. When it comes to my resolving consumer complaints or issues with a company or government agency for a consumer, I most generally contact the corporate headquarters or agency headquarters and politely and positively ask the receptionist to help me. I ask her or him to please connect me with someone in a supervisory position in the customer service or consumer relations department who can help me resolve the consumers complaint or issue. With some government agencies citizens are provided a caseworker or case manager. In that situation as a consumer advocate I would call or as the consumer representing yourself you would call the case worker or case manager to try and get your complaint resolved. If you can not get your complaint resolved at that level then you would ask to speak with someone in a supervisory position at the agency who can help you. Almost all major companies have a customer service or consumer relations department that provides “expedited” or “complaint escalation” services to respond to consumer’s complaints or issues. In some companies I have heard the departments referred to as the “executive customer relations” or “executive consumer relations” department. You want to speak with someone at the executive level to experience the fastest resolution to your consumer complaint.

· Whenever you speak with someone ALWAYS ask for their name and, or ID number. Also document the date and time you spoke with them. Be polite and courteous. Try to share something positive with them about their company such as a product or service of their company that you like. Or tell them that you have been a satisfied customer of their company, for example for 5 years, but now you have a problem and would they please help you try and get it resolved for you. Even though you might feel angry or frustrated it will not do you any good to take your frustration out on the person you are speaking with. You want them to like you…to want to help you and the only way to do that is by being positive and by treating them kindly.

· If you can get your complaint or issue resolved over the phone as a result of your call then that is a good thing. If you can not get your complaint or issue resolved by the person you are speaking with, or if it appears that the person you are speaking with does not fully understand your complaint or issue, ask them for an email address or a fax number so that you can send the complaint to them for further consideration and action. If you are going to send the person an email or fax set a time frame for them to respond. Inform them if they do not respond back to you within the agreed upon period of time you are going to call them again. And, if they do not respond to you call them back. If you get the person’s voice mail leave a message for them. In your message state that you would like them to respond or to have someone respond to your complaint within a certain time frame and that if they do not you will call them again. Call them one more time and if you get their voice mail or you speak with them personally and do not get your complaint or issue resolved then you “expedite” or “escalate” your complaint personally to the office of the president or CEO of the company.

· Get the name of the president or CEO of the company and call and ask to speak with them personally. In almost all cases you will not get the president or CEO, but rather, an executive assistant. Get their name and ID number if they have one and again document the date and time of your call and who you spoke with. Be polite with them and share with them your complaint or issue. Ask them to please help you as a valued customer of their company to get your complaint or issue resolved. They might want you to email or fax the information to them so that they can review it and forward it to the most appropriate person in the company who can help you. Tell them you will send them the email or fax concerning your complaint and establish a time frame for them or for the appropriate person to respond back to you. Let them know if they do not respond then you call them back for a response. If you get a response back from someone at the company that your complaint has been resolved to your satisfaction send an email or fax to the person you spoke with and thank them for their assistance. Also “carbon copy” to the president or CEO of the company. Expressing gratitude builds good will for the future in case you ever have another complaint or issue you need help with at that company or government agency.

· If you are not able to get your complaint or issue resolved by someone with the company then you want to file a complaint against the company with the appropriate government agencies such as your state’s Attorney General’s office as well as the AG office in the state where the company is headquartered. If your complaint concerning the company is because of fraudulent, deceptive or unfair business practices you would also want to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Visit their website to file a complaint at www.ftc.gov.

About the Author:

Harold Cameron is The Chief of Helping People and Consumer Advocate for HaroldSays and Complaints.com and Ambassador of Positivity for The Be Positive Day.

Test Reveals High Level of Lead In Children's Toys

2009-11-12T22:48:00.000-08:00

Children's toys carrying the Barbie and Disney logos have turned up with high levels of lead in them, according to a California-based advocacy group — a finding that may give consumers pause as they shop for the holiday season.

The Center for Environmental Health tested about 250 children's products bought at major retailers and found lead levels that exceeded federal limits in seven of them. Lead can cause irreversible brain damage.

Among those with high lead levels: a Barbie Bike Flair Accessory Kit and a Disney Tinkerbell Water Lily necklace. The group said it also found excessive lead in a Dora the Explorer Activity Tote, two pairs of children's shoes, a boys belt and a kids' poncho.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown has sent letters to Target, Wal-Mart and the other retailers who sold the seven products, warning that children's goods on their store shelves were found to contain illegal levels of lead and should be pulled immediately.

____________

Think About It

If this can happen in the US where stringent rules are in place to protect the consumers, think about the countries in the Third World where such protection is not available.

The Consumer: The Economics Point Of View

2009-10-20T23:18:00.000-07:00

Consumers, from the point of view of economics, are individuals or households that "consume" goods and services produced by the economy. Considering that this includes almost everyone, the term is not just an economic term but also a political term the way it is used in everyday speech. Generally businesspeople and economists speak of "consumers" as one who consumes an aggregated commodity item with little individuality other than that expressed in the buy/not buy decision. There here is however an upcoming trend in marketing to individualize the concept. Instead of generating broad demographic and psychographic profiles of market segments, marketers are engaging in personalized marketing, permission marketing, and mass customization.

In standard microeconomic theory, a consumer is assumed to have a budget which can be spent on a range of goods and services available on the market. Under the assumption of rationality, the budget allocation is chosen according to the preference of the consumer, i.e. to maximize his or her utility function.

In time-series models of consumer behaviour, the consumer may also invest a proportion of their budget in order to gain a greater budget in future periods. This investment choice may include either fixed rate interest or risk-bearing securities.

Concern over the best interests of consumers has spawned much activism, as well as incorporation of consumer education into the school curriculum. One non-profit publication active in consumer education is Consumer Reports.

Within many selling companies "consumer" has come to be a derogatory term. Meaning "purchaser of products who is not very intelligent." This is in contrast to the meaning of customer. Which is defined as an intelligent purchaser who has power in the purchasing relationship between buyer and seller.

Advocacy

2009-10-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

I’m thinking to myself while walking down the street: everywhere I go lately, I encounter advocacy. At the intersection of a one-way street and a two-way street, there is written on the sidewalk at the corner, in bold purple chalk, in front of an old white clapboard house, this sentence, “Be responsible for your own life.” I imagine that here lives a philosopher, and an advocate of responsibility. I wonder if the philosopher/advocate’s dinner was burnt while he or she kneeled on the sidewalk scratching out the message.

An SUV scoots past me advocating a lifestyle. It roars up the one way street with a variety of environmental stickers covering its bumper. An unkempt house with a lawn in the middle of the block displays a sign that advocates for a fringe mayoral candidate. A gang member advocates in hieroglyphics on a trash can left overnight on the street. Advocacy does not appear to be limited by age or by economic status. Advocates are everywhere.

Much of the media is dedicated to advocating. It advocates for liberalism or conservativism or humanism or consumerism, for animal rights, for a healthy lifestyle or to abolish a disease. Some advocates wear ribbons on their clothing, to each cause its own color. Men in suits hold Bibles wandering from house to house knocking on doors. They advocate for salvation or for membership in a church and sometimes for both.

Some advocates advocate against other advocates citing flaws in their doctrine. Some may call these finer points of debate unimportant; yet to be an advocate, one must cling to the fine points which define their correct position. Small or large these differences count and are therefore worthwhile advocating for. It is important to be right.

Advocates become fluent in the data and/or rhetoric supporting their side of an argument. Advocates are frequently deaf to data or rhetoric of the opposite point of view. It is after all time-consuming simply listening to one side. Listening to both sides is often too much of a commitment. Should there be a third side to an argument it is traumatic enough for some advocates to simply swap their ribbon for a simpler shade.

It is after all difficult to get off-message with a linear understanding and a scripted line of reasoning. Like a one-way street where all cars go in the same direction, it is dangerous not to go in the right direction. It is the responsible thing to do. However when an advocate suddenly turns into the two way traffic of an argument, what are they to do? They may be unable to negotiate skillfully guided arguments aimed in the opposite direction. It’s safer to stay in the flow, safer to steer straight ahead.

An argument can’t get out of hand on a one way street of thought. Advocates don’t want to be lured into a two-way street, the signs and arrows have told them the correct direction in which to think. A wrong turn onto a two-way argument is confusing and could spark original thought and unwanted wrong-way leanings to uncomfortable logic.

I’ll never learn how the street philosopher would define an advocate’s responsibility in life. I doubt that the sidewalk scribe would assert that advocates are singly responsible to travel in one direction for their own interests. Perhaps the philosopher would assert that responsibility requires skillful advocacy with full understanding of opposing arguments; one-way streets are seldom sufficient to arrive at a destination.

Addendum:

A wise man sent me this quote from by another wise man in reference to this post:

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Aristotle.

Scams And Fraud Protection

2009-10-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

If you are like most people, then your idea of scams is likely of crooked swindlers conning elderly victims. We tend to think that these types of things can only happen to "other people." We often think "That can't happen to me because I would never give out sensitive information to someone on the phone." Or "I would never buy a product like that." Maybe you wouldn't ever do these things, but everyone has a weakness. Whether it is greed, vanity, or even compassion, the scammers will prey on and exploit that weakness and try to defraud you.

Coming to terms with the fact that scams can happen to you is the first step in fraud prevention and identity theft protection. Most of us go through life either hoping that we will never be the victim of fraud or not really thinking about the consequences. The horrid fact is that they do happen and everyone should try to use good fraud protection techniques. Begin protecting yourself by knowing the types of frauds that are being committed and then making a conscious effort to avoid those situations. Spend some time learning about identity theft protection as many frauds and scams are designed to get your details.

Not only do their elaborate cover-ups make it difficult to notice anything suspicious, but it also makes it even more difficult to expose the crimes and report fraud, leaving them free to move on and adjust their scams and tactics, so that it will be even harder to be "found out" by the next victim. Those wishing to commit frauds will go to extreme lengths to put their criminal plans into action. It should be important to individuals to take strong measures to protect themselves against those wishing to make them a victim.

The scams are countless in today's society. The internet is an endless playground or in this case "prey ground" for scammers and frauds, making their victims much easier to access and their fraudulent dealings harder to expose. However, if you are aware that they exist, then you will be more likely to suspect and even accept that it could happen to you or someone you love. Realizing that these situations are out there and that you should practice fraud protection techniques is a huge step in your protection, online and off.

Tips to Avoid Scams on Craigslist

2009-10-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

No matter what stage of moving out on your own you’re at, you’re probably using Craigslist: finding a job, finding an apartment, finding furniture for your apartment, selling your junk to pay for food… all can be done with the awesome power of the ‘list! Not to alarm you or anything, but there are SCAMMERS on Craigslist, and they want your money! Or your stuff (for free)! Or your identity!
Not everyone on Craigslist is a scammer – in fact, most people aren’t. You can continue to use the ‘list for all of your classified needs, safely, if you just pay attention to these simple tips:

An offer that’s too good to be true… is. Look, if someone had the awesomest job ever that you can do from home and earn $75,000 per year… why would they be posting it on Craigslist? That’s not to say legitimate jobs aren’t posted on Craigslist, but awesome, well-paying, AND totally easy jobs aren’t. If a job is really that good and pays that well, they wouldn’t need to put up 10 ads a day about it.
Don’t pay up front for anything. Yes, you’re searching Craigslist to do some sort of legitimate transaction, but don’t fork over money up front. There are several scams that rely on you giving over your money and then getting nothing for it. For example, you shouldn’t have to pay for a credit check before you even see an apartment. And for a job listing, you shouldn’t have to pay anything at all.
Beware strange forms of payment. Can you mail this package to my son in Argentina and I’ll wire you the money? No. Can I pay you via Western Union more than I owe you, and you give me half of the extra money back? What?!? No! Can I pay you buy Canadian check (er, cheque)? Only if we’re in Canada! (Actually, you probably shouldn’t take a check at all, or pay with one, unless you’re dealing with an apartment security deposit. For everything else deal in cash, if at all possible.)
Meet in a neutral place for small transactions. Don’t invite someone over to your house to buy an iPod from them. If they’re picking up a couch, that’s one thing, but for stuff you can carry easily, meet someplace neutral, in public, and bonus points if you can find somewhere with security cameras. Take a friend with you, especially if you have someone who is kinda tall and menacing. When I sold my iPod, I took a male friend and met the buyer in a mall food court. Oh… and meet during daylight, please!
Keep an eye out for pictures that don’t make any sense. Fellow personal finance blogger MapGirl recently got scammed on Craigslist, and she noticed this dead giveaway for a scam: “There was one ad that shot a kitchen view in two directions, but the cabinets weren’t the same color in both pictures. (Laminate white vs wood)”
Avoid super-vague listings. Job listings that tell you absolutely nothing about the job? No thanks. I think it’s great that you’re looking for “energetic self-starters!” and all, but I need to actually know something about the job/apartment/item before I’m going to contact you.
Make sure there’s some form of contact information. Yes, a legitimate listing might use just the anonymized email address that Craigslist offers, but most will give some other form of contact information. Look for a phone number, real email address, or link to a (legitimate) website.
Familiarize yourself with Craigslist’s Scam Tips and Personal Safety Tips. And report any scams you come across, before anyone else gets scammed. The details of suspected scams should be emailed to abuse@craigslist.org and if you’re sure a listing is a scam, the Craigslist Scam Tips page has information you need to contact the Federal Trade Commission (or the Canadian PhoneBusters hotline).

Remember: the majority of people on Craigslist are normal people just trying to complete a transaction. But there are a few scammers and they can be, at times, unfortunately clever. Keep a weather eye on the listings and you’ll be fine!

Stephanie