Complaints/Comments Archive
Chevy HHR Complaints Still Coming In
September 10th, 2012. By AbiK
A while back we asked readers to submit videos of their Chevy HHR problems; specifically, we’d asked for videos where readers were telling us their HHR won’t shut off. A number of readers submitted videos, and we’ve had hundreds of HHR owner comments going off on HHR problems. While there hasn’t to date been an official recall over at the NHTSA, some of our readers did report receiving a letter from GM stating that they could have their car fixed at no cost—however, it appears not everyone got that letter and the fix depended on what the HHR VIN number.
In the meantime, we’ve just received this comment from a woman whose HHR wouldn’t shut off when she pulled in to buy some gas—with an infant in the car, mind you—so she was forced to leave her car running while she fueled up. What was that about safety at the tank that we’re always told—? Something about NOT leaving the car running… Hmm, guess GM didn’t hear that one…
Just went to get gas and couldn’t get the key to move or engine to turn off – had to gas up with it running! As a woman alone with an infant in the car, Thank God for my smart phone and all you folks posting some “quick” fixes to put my mind at ease that I wasn’t the only one!
When I got to my inlaws, I was able to pull the fuse for the transmission/engine console and the engine cut off. Key is still stuck so had to pull fuse for lights and disconnect battery cable also. VERY INCONVENIENT!!
Not happy to hear this isn’t covered under warranties but I am going to try nonetheless. More pissed to be losing the time from work to fix something so ridiculous! I do not have time or patience for this. STEP UP, GM!
And just this morning we hear from a senior citizen who’s been put in a bind with Chevy HHR repairs. Read what she has to say:
I do not have a video but I have a 2006 Springtime Edition HHR and about 6 weeks ago the key stuck in the ignition and would not shut off all the power and ran down battery so had it towed to Chevrolet Dealer in Vicksburg, MI and it cost $420.
Now tomorrow I have to have it towed again because it would start and stop at stop light so took it to dealer and he put it on the computer and told me it was a short in the brain and estimate is $437.00 Could not decide to pay that much after having the earlier $420 so took it home and now it will not make it out of the driveway. Chevrolet should be ashamed of themselves for having a vehicle with problems like this, I only have 39,000 miles on it. I am a senior citizen with limited income and thought I bought a dependable vehicle but will never buy another Chevrolet. I intend to let Chevrolet know that I do not believe these problems are isolated but there are other people who bought HHR’s with problems much the same as mine and they should be responsible for the repairs.
Let us know if you’ve had Chevy HHR problems, and how you’ve fared with GM service (or not).
POM Juice Misleads Again with “Doctored” Ads
May 25th, 2012. By AbiK
Unfortunately, advertising isn’t quite held to the same ethical bar that journalism (usually) is. There’s a careful and deliberate selection of each and every word in an ad—and you’re delusional if you think otherwise. But the folks over at POM Wonderful pomegranate juice have taken their selectivity a bit far this week in rolling out an ad campaign that serves as their rebuttal of sorts to the false advertising ruling made by Judge D. Michael Chappell.
Judge Chappell’s ruling was in response to an FTC complaint regarding the alleged health claims that POM was making about the popular juice. The bottom line? POM was found to have insufficient evidence to support its claims that its pomegranate juice reduced the risk of heart disease—as well as prostate cancer (and even impotence—gee, maybe they should’ve teamed up with Merck to help Propecia victims overcome ED while they were at it). The judge also issued a cease-and-desist order that forbids POM from making such claims for 20 years.
So what does POM do? In true catfight fashion, they stoop to childlike tactics and run some ads that use pull-quotes from the judge’s ruling—out of context. For example, one ad states (from the ruling) that, “Com
petent and reliable scientific evidence supports the conclusion that the consumption of pomegranate juice and pomegranate extract supports prostate health, including by prolonging PSA doubling time in men with rising PSA after primary treatment for prostate cancer”
But it cuts off there without the following statement: “However, the greater weight of the persuasive expert testimony shows that the evidence relied upon by the respondents is not adequate to substantiate claims that POM products treat, prevent or reduce the risk of prostate cancer or that they are clinically proven to do so.”
It’s an interesting ‘rebuttal’ as, without clinical studies supporting the health claims—studies that would stand up in a court of law, that is—the ads POM is running could actually backfire; after all, rather than just go quietly and not draw further attention to the ruling, now the media will be all over the ads (as we are). And without the ‘scientific proof’ it certainly starts to become transparent that this may well be more about sales and revenue impact than any grand gesture to promote the curative benefits of some medicinal elixir.
Well, as they say, you be the judge—and let us know what you think.
LawyersandSettlements.com on Best of the Web
December 2nd, 2011. By AbiK
As we enter the holiday season and anticipate celebrations with family and friends, we also—sadly—are reminded every day of things like shopping scams, defective products, toys with lead in them—the list goes on—that attempt to tarnish everyone’s holiday spirit.
That’s why we’re dedicated to ensuring our readers have the latest legal news—emerging issues, recalls, lawsuits filed, settlement announcements—in order to make informed decisions about whatever issues they may be facing that may require legal help.
We’re proud of our 10+ years of reporting on the legal issues that can, and do, affect each of us every day—and we continue to be proud of our A+ BBB rating.
It’s in that spirit that we’re also proud to announce our inclusion in the Best of the Web directory. We’re in some pretty good company as part of the Best of the Web directory, and we’re honored to be listed among such revered sites.
Thanks to all our readers—you’re the reason we continue to strive to deliver the “best legal news you can use”.
Fracking Racking up Lawsuits (#Fracking #NIMBY)
May 23rd, 2011. By AbiK
This time we leave the Marcellus Shale region and set our sights a bit southwest, to Clinton—er, former Clinton—territory: Little Rock, AR. Seems folks there aren’t convinced that fracking’s the way to go to drill for natural gas—at least not in their backyard. Also seems like fracking’s become the NIMBY hot-button issue of the day, reminiscent of the tenor that swept the nation when the Three Mile Island core meltdown was hot and heavy in the news. NIMBY indeed.
The backyard in question here, however, happens to be government-owned land—namely the Ozark National Forest, and also Greers Ferry Lake. The plaintiffs, which are a collective of environmental groups and concerned citizens, are calling for three US government agencies (US Bureau of Land Management (BLM), US Forest Service and the US Army Corps of Engineers) to stop drilling operations from going forward until proper studies are done that show that fracking is not harmful to the environment.
Hydraulic fracturing (aka “fracking”) has been getting a fair amount of attention in the press lately—thanks in large part to the work that Public Citizenand other consumer advocacy groups have been doing. The issue with fracking is that the drilling process calls for massive amounts of water combined with chemicals—chemicals that have not fully been disclosed yet to the public by the oil companies—to be forced into the ground in order to facilitate (ie, by helping to “fracture” the underground) the release of the natural gas below.
Environmental groups, farmers and homeowners alike who live in areas where fracking is going on are concerned for the safety of their drinking water, their land—their very health. The EPA is conducting a study to assess the overall impact on water quality and human health—but those results are not available yet, and of course, there are plenty of oil-industry-backed or -initiated studies proclaiming the merits and safety of fracking. So bottom line, until the EPA study is available, anecdotal information—such as that of flammable tap water—doesn’t have too many folks grabbing a glass of their local water well’s finest with much confidence.
It’s that lack of information and lack of confidence that forms the backdrop to the current charges of the lawsuit. The plaintiffs’ allegations state that the number of wells in which drilling is already going on in the region surpasses the number that were estimated in 2005 by the BLM—and its the agencies listed as defendants in the lawsuit that are responsible for leasing the gas and issuing drilling licenses on land owned by the government. (thesuntimes.com)
Want a Flat Stomach? Check out my Ab Circle Pro Review…
May 19th, 2011. By AbiK
I’m gearing up—with mere weeks to go—for baring what I can this summer in a bathing suit. After 3 kids and a grand exodus out of my 20’s (alright, 30’s too), hopes for a bikini bod may be right up there with my hope to have been creator of LinkedIn (#IPO!!). Delusional I may be, but hope rings eternal and—dammit—I’m going to get into a 2-piece this summer. Won’t be a D&G string bikini—my fantasies don’t extend to role-playing Eve donning a leaf or two for coverage and my wallet, well, just doesn’t extend period—but lose the Speedo I shall. So I’m shopping for fitness equipment, and I happen upon the Ab Circle Pro. Come check it out with me…
First stop, the Ab Circle Pro website. First question? Who the hell is Audrina Patridge? Ditto Jennifer Nicole Lee. And as for Amanda Beard, well, her “before” photo has her looking a bit pregnant and my guess on how she lost that 45 lbs is it was more a result of delivering her baby vs. the Ab Circle Pro. A bit dubious. But no, I am not jaded.
So the Ab Circle Pro website is beckoning me to “take the ride of your life”. The “ride” is a get-on-all-fours on what’s basically one of those disc sled saucers—knees resting on moveable pads that can rotate around the rim of the saucer. I wanted a better view, so I hopped over to Consumer Reports Ab Circle Pro video (above)—always good for some unbiased input. And what do you know? They pretty much slam the contraption as not worth it. Hmm.
Next, my interest piqued, I decided to search for Ab Circle Pro reviews—which landed me at the mother of all marketplaces, Amazon. Here’s a little depiction of what I found there (as of 5/19/11):
Seems the Ab Circle Pro only got a 1-star rating by close to 50% of those who bought and tried it. And there are two interesting trends in all those reviewers comments:
1. The Ab Circle Pro is described with words like “falls apart”, “cheap construction”, “paint peeling”, “wheels come off”, “quality sucks”. Described consistently I might add. Hmm.
2. The Ab Circle Pro seems as connected to the words “injury” and “damage” as downing a daily Klondike bar is connected to keeping the pounds on. No kidding—here are some comments:
Ab Circle Pro Knee Injury: “This is an excellent piece of crap. From the time it comes to your home it keeps on injuring you…when you are using it screws your knees“
Ab Circle Pro Knee Injury: “All buyers need to be careful of this machine. It is unsafe. Depending on the level of your workouts, you can throw yourself out of the knee holders. I did this and ended up having surgery on my shoulder for a torn rotator cuff! I found out, when I called and explained the situation to the customer service rep, that I could have gel knee pads to put in the cups for an extra fee! I told them that I was injured by this machine due to not having the gel inserts and required surgery! I got them for free, and I can see why, the gel inserts are garbage! I do not use this machine anymore. It scares me! The surgery I had was the worst in pain and now my ROM is restricted. If you buy this, please be cautious as to how you use it and if you are smart, you will avoid it all together.”
Not to mention several stories from people who resorted to either Vaseline® or Pam cooking spray to lubricate the Ab Circle Pro’s parts.
I Googled Ab Circle Pro a bit more—only to find my search revealed new keyword associations like “Ab Circle Pro Back Pain Damage to Lower Spine” as the headline of a user’s comment over at Complaints Board. Which also led me to two individuals who found themselves with fractured Humerus bones, apparently compliments of that “ride” of their lives on Ab Circle Pro.
Crowning touch? The handful of folks who’ve gone as far as to suggest an Ab Circle Pro lawsuit or an Ab Circle Pro class action. Hey, wait a minute! That just might make for a story over at LawyersandSettlements.com (wink-wink)…
This is not boding well for my get-a-bikini-bod plan. Or maybe it is—keep the Speedo, get in shape the tried and true old-fashioned way with some exercise and a few less Lindt truffles—and skip risking an Ab Circle Pro injury and the aggravation of a piece of junk that falls apart. Maybe for some folks the Ab Circle Pro is the way to go, but for my pre-buy review, I think it’ll be buyer beware…
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