Complaints/Comments Archive

Announcing LawyersandSettlements.com Settlements RSS Feed

May 13th, 2011. By

A lot of our readers have been asking for this, so we’ve gone ahead and added a Settlements-only feed to our main news RSS feeds.

If you’re looking for current news and info on lawsuits, class actions, settlements, emerging issues and more, we’ve put it all at your fingertips. Check here for what you’re looking for…

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Oh, and of course, if you’ve got a complaint for a lawyer to review, simply fill out a claim form here. 


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Posted in Class Action, Complaints/Comments, Emerging Issues, lawsuits | No Comments »

Dear Chevy, Check out my HHR Key Stuck in Ignition Video!

May 6th, 2011. By

Dear Chevy,

Here’s an HHR Chevy Key Stuck in Ignition video from one of our readers, Melvin. Check it out—you can even see his fingers going white in areas from the amount of pressure he’s applying to try to get the blessed key out of the ignition. What gives?

Thanks for sharing this Melvin!

ps—if you find yourself stuck in your Chevy HHR with a problem, just grab your phone, videotape it and send it to us at …we’ll be sure to post it!

 

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Posted in Automotive, Complaints/Comments, Emerging Issues | 19 Comments »

Did You Use FreeCreditReport.com? There’s a Class Action…

April 19th, 2011. By


So a couple years ago you were kicking back listening to the “F to the R to the E to the E…” Free Credit Report dot com commercial and thinking these guys were pretty funny acting out every wannabe’s worst nightmare: being relegated to the ranks of the uncool for being duped by a lousy credit score.

I’m sure a few—hell, quite a few—folks made a mental note of that web address (freecreditreport.com) and checked it out. Who wouldn’t want to know their credit score? Especially when it’s “free” and it could keep you out of a sub-compact car, your inlaws’ basement digs, or a Renaissance Faire. So you were game. And you headed over to freecreditreport.com with visions of a tricked out Ferrari in your head.

Ahh…but you didn’t quite notice a few things—red flags—that the savvier credit score hound might’ve. Like, the score you get is not the one lenders use to determine whether they’ll cough up a loan or let you drive that sleek cherry tomato red Porsche off the lot. No, the score you’ll get at freecreditscore.com is called the PLUS score, and according to Experian—one of the big 3 credit score companies along with Equifax and TransUnion—the PLUS score is not the one that is sold to lenders. (Your FICO score is the one lenders use.)

Translation: while your PLUS score may be a barometer of your creditworthiness, it’s basically worth squat when you’re sitting at the dealership desk waiting for Mr. Carsalesman to ‘talk to his manager’. I should mention here that it’s Experian who owns ConsumerInfo.com…which owns…freecreditreport.com and freecreditscore.com.

Say what? Yes, the folks you rely on to provide lenders with your credit score have been advertising a service—that’s “free” but not really free—for you to get your credit score—but not THAT credit score; not the one you really need to know. The service isn’t free as it’s really a come on for a credit monitoring service that you pay for after an initial trial period of 7 days. If you cancel before then, there’s no charge; if not, you get charged.

Thankfully there are some savvy consumers out there and as LawyersandSettlements.com recently reported, a class action has been filed against ConsumerInfo.com. No one knows ConsumerInfo really, so I’m sure this one will be known as the freecreditreport.com class action or the class action about that credit score site with the cool commercials. Regardless, if you got your credit score from freecreditreport.com or freecreditscore.com, then you may be part of the class. Here’s what you need to know…

FreeCreditReport.com Class Action or FreeCreditScore.com Class Action Details

Class Members: Any one who purchased services from ConsumerInfo.com, FreeCreditReport.com or FreeCreditScore.com during the class period

Class Period: March 22, 2007 to present

For More Info: Read more about the FreeCreditReport.com class action and/or submit your ConsumerInfo.com – FreeCreditReport.com complaint.

Closing tidbit—the front man of the band on those commercials was musician and actor Eric Violette from Canada. ConsumerInfo.com has since not only shifted their focus from credit “reports” to credit “scores“, they’ve also brought in a new band, which from comments I’ve seen, has upheld the maxim that sequels are typically never as good as the original.

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Posted in Class Action, Complaints/Comments, Consumer Fraud, Emerging Issues | 2 Comments »

Caffeine Crackdown on Alcoholic Energy Drinks

November 18th, 2010. By

Alcoholic energy drink makers and no doubt hoards of 20-somethings won’t be happy with the FDA’s warning yesterday to remove caffeine from their products. Four companies, including Four Loko maker Phusion Projects have 15 days to come up with a new recipe or remove their products from store shelves. Whatever next, caffeine ban on “healthy energy drinks“? Heaven forbid…

It’s a good indicator that some of these drinks are harmful when they are referred to as “witches brew” and “blackout in a can”. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

The agency’s decision to ban the combination of caffeine and alcohol in the products is mainly because the caffeine can “mask cues” that drinkers may use to determine how intoxicated they are. “This means that individuals drinking these beverages may consume more alcohol — and become more intoxicated — than they realize,” the FDA said.

Gregory Conko of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, which is a nonprofit group that supports limited government, said the FDA has gone too far. Conko said that the studies government officials used to make their decision are based on mixed drinks, not manufactured drinks, so their research is based on a slightly different product. Conko believes that people can responsibly drink a combination of alcohol and caffeine, but it would appear that his views are outnumbered. From lawmakers to doctors to concerned parents, the caffeine crackdown has been a long time coming.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two leading manufacturers saw their sales increase by 67 times between 2002 to 2008. (These companies will likely take a deep dive after yesterday’s decision, and no doubt  to Conko’s chagrin.)

2002: Wasn’t it around this time that teenage binge drinking started hitting the news? And incidents of college students winding up in hospital from car accidents to alcohol poisoning?  The CDC has the statistics:  People who drink alcohol mixed with energy drinks are three times more likely to binge drink than those who don’t mix the two substances together.

And there is more to back up the FDA’s decision. The Journal of Addictive Behaviors (April 2010) published a study that found people who drank alcohol mixed with energy drinks were three times more likely to leave a bar highly intoxicated, and four times more likely to try to drive, than bar patrons who had drinks with no caffeine. Recently in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, a study found that high consumption of energy drinks was associated with alcohol dependence and heavy drinking.

Aaron White, a health scientist administrator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, comments succinctly on the FDA’s decision: “I think the move [by the FDA] was made in order to protect the public from what could be a real recipe for disaster.”

No doubt the makers of “healthy energy drinks”, such as FRS, are concerned about this caffeine crackdown. Health Canada is already reviewing new recommendations on energy drinks. A report is soon to be issued that focuses on the safety of energy drinks without alcohol, which are considered to be natural health products and have different rules than food products. Another report looks at caffeine in all foods, including drinks that mix caffeine with alcohol.

Perhaps the FDA will follow Health Canada’s new rules, but “healthy energy drink” manufacturers will likely have a few more years to dupe the public into buying their products loaded with caffeine.  Back in 2005, the FDA warned manufacturers and advertisers of alcoholic energy drinks not to imply that consumption of the products will have a stimulating or energizing effect, but the warning fell on manufacturers deaf ears, which is evident through manufacturer’s aggressive marketing campaigns for their products.

“Energy drinks that combine alcohol with caffeine hardly seem healthy – and could be hazardous. These alcoholic energy drinks foster the illusion of alertness, but in reality impair – leading to car crashes, assaults and other violence and injury.”

Although this statement made a few years back sounds like fire and brimstone, a recent study found that young and underage drinkers who combine alcohol with caffeine, are more likely to suffer injury, be the victim of sexual assault, drive while intoxicated, and require medical attention than drinkers who consume caffeine-free beverages. Not to mention the needless burden to the health system.  This time, the FDA has my vote.


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Posted in Complaints/Comments | No Comments »

What’s Got You Annoyed? Take a Look…

June 28th, 2010. By

I have this little Monday morning ritual where I take a look at all the comments and claims that come in to LawyersAndSettlements.com over the weekend. Seems that’s when a lot of folks allow themselves a moment or two to think about what’s really pissing them off. Things like defective products, denied insurance claims, whatever. But there are always a few topics that folks write in about that seem to hit a common nerve (or, shall I say, that proverbial last nerve?).

So just in case you were wondering, here are some things that have you annoyed today…


Ok folks—I know I must be missing some here—so feel free to add to the list. Oh, and for the record, health insurance companies are what’s pissing me off today. Try this one on for size: I just received a Statement of Benefits that’s indicates my “Group” is an employer I haven’t worked for in five years—and yes, my medical provider had the correct insurance plan information. So what do you think happened to the claim? DENIED.

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Posted in Complaints/Comments | No Comments »

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