Oysters and Food Safety - A Slimy Political Problem
February 24, 2010
By Terry Smiljanich:
“He was a bold man that first ate an oyster,” so goes the famous quote by Jonathan Swift.
Oysters have been a food treat since prehistory, but everyone knows they can also be a threat. Eating them raw can pose some risk. A big enough risk that the FDA wants to do something about it. But then came politics, rearing its ugly head.
The Wolf Guards the Sheep
February 3, 2010
By Terry Smiljanich:
Our lawmakers have turned protecting consumers into a game of smoke and mirrors. Just who exactly are they really protecting? Let’s dig deeper.
Remember that legislation Congress passed last May to help curb credit card company abuses (like raising interest rates through the roof), but then conveniently put off the effective date until February, 2010? And when credit card companies took advantage of that delay and went on a binge of rate increases, remember that attempt to correct the situation by advancing the effective date up to December, 2009? So what ever happened to that?
Loyal Customers Witness Implosion of Toyota/Lexus Brand
January 29, 2010
By Angie Moreschi:
As part of a family of loyal, long-time Toyota/Lexus drivers, I’m downright angry. Angry that Toyota screwed up a good thing.
Toyota could have used me in an ad a year ago ( I used to hail my previous Lexus for saving my daughter’s life in a bad accident we had). But now, I’m left worrying about whether my reflexes will be fast enough to save my children’s lives if I become one of the unfortunate victims of a sticking gas pedal.
Talk about the sudden implosion of an iconic brand… but maybe it wasn’t so sudden. Read on to find out about my unfortunate year as the owner of a brand new Lexus.
How Quickly We Forget
January 16, 2010
By John Newcomer:
Remember when gasoline cost $3.00 a gallon? It was not that long ago. Yes, in the summer of 2006 prices at the pump started to hit $3.00 a gallon, and the price stayed there for some time.
We screamed and whined when it cost us more than $100 to fill up our gas tank. We vowed to change and sell that gas hog. Next time I will buy a fuel efficient car more fitting with the new world economy.
Lame Excuses from South Dakota, the Loan Shark Capital of the World
December 17, 2009
By Terry Smiljanich:
After Consumer Warning Network helped expose how South Dakota politicians are in the banking industry’s back pocket, the bankers and politicians responded. As we reported, South Dakota legislators led the way in giving banks the opening to charge loan shark interest rates. So, are they ashamed for their role in this travesty of justice? Apparently not.
When the Argus Leader, the leading newspaper in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, wrote a story about the CWN article, the reporter asked its state politicians for a comment. Did they argue that rates as high as 36% are fair and equitable? Did they argue that South Dakota was not a prime cause for such high nationwide rates? Not exactly.
South Dakota: Loan Shark Capital of the World
December 9, 2009
By Terry Smiljanich:
Why this State is to Blame for your
High Credit Card Interest Rates
Bank of America, among others, charges up to 36% interest on credit card debt. How can financial institutions get away with charging consumers such historically high interest? Isn’t it criminal to do so? Isn’t it “usurious?” If not, who’s responsible for letting banks get away with this? Remember when 18% interest was considered high on consumer debt? Remember finance charges of 6%? How did we get from there to here? Enter South Dakota.
Click here to learn the lame excuses South Dakota is offering up for why it’s the loan shark capital of the world. Read more
Banks say Thank You: Loan Shark Rates on Credit Cards
November 17, 2009
By Terry Smilijanich:
America’s major financial institutions received billions and billions in taxpayer bailout money last year. How did they repay the favor? Simple - they went to war against their customers by raising interest rates, penalties, and fees on credit cards, ever since.
Rate Hike Binge
Congress saw this coming as early as February of this year, and passed the “Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009,” preventing such companies from raising interest rates and penalties to new outrageous levels. Good law. One small problem.
Are Spam & Porn the Death of Twitter?
November 2, 2009
By: John Newcomer
Yogi Berra once said, “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” This may also be the fate confronting Twitter. It became too popular, too fast.
In February 2008, there were only 475,000 unique users on Twitter. Now there are more than 7 million. That growth, in less than 2 years, represents a 1,382 percent increase. Impressive, but guess what? Because of this success Twitter has been invaded by the carpetbaggers and morally corrupt opportunists of the internet. Unless Twitter can stifle the invasion, this phenomenon may just be an exploding star.
Consumer Hero vs. Big Pharma - Who Wins?
October 13, 2009
By Terry Smiljanich:
For more than 20 years Dr. Dennis Mangano, a California anesthesiologist, has waged a lone battle against major drug manufacturers. His major weapon was a unique patient data base he compiled involving thousands of surgery patients from around the world. Thanks to his tireless efforts, unsafe drugs have been taken off the market.
But Dr. Magnano’s good work took a major hit when Pfizer, one of the country’s biggest drug companies, secretly obtained his data base from a traitorous employee. The doctor was forced to sue the company for justice. At the end of a jury trial, Dr. Mangano won and Pfiser suffered a $58 million judgment against it. Happy ending? Read on.
Don’t Get Mad, Get Even: How To Complain Effectively
October 2, 2009
By: John Newcomer
Most people would rather have a root canal than complain about a defective product, an overcharge, or unsatisfactory service. Their reluctance is easily understood. Companies have made it extremely difficult to complain. How many of us dread the thought of the ever present “phone tree.” To successfully maneuver through the tedious steps of the phone tree options requires the patience of Job and the cunning strategy of an Army general.
First you must wait the obligatory 10 minutes, because every company seems to be experiencing extremely high call volume. Then it is “phone tree” time. All the time you are going through punching numbers, listening to the next instruction, punching in the next number, you know deep down inside that you will either get disconnected or there will be no option for complaining.
Banding Together and Fighting Back!
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