Consumer Complaints & Reviews
CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF CONFUSION
It was 20 years ago that AT&T did its federally-imposed Humpty Dumpty act, splitting itself into six regional Bell companies and one long-distance provider. This was supposed to bring consumers a vast menu of tasty choices, driven by innovation and competition. For some, it has. For others, it's meant confusion, poorer service and higher rates. And, though the presiding chef, Judge Harold Greene, died four years ago, his recipe is still being followed. The latest dish that may be headed your way? The elimination of 411. Some regulators say it stifles competition to have just one number.
FEDEX ONE-UPS UPS
It's pretty much a truism that when the boardroom greyhairs start running off about "synergy," it's time for the smart money to hit the door. Thus, Wall Street yawned and employees shuddered when FedEx announced it was buying Kinko's, the chain of copying centers named after its founder's hair style. FedEx chairman Fred Smith called it "supremely logical" and congratulated himself for blessing the little people with one-stop shipping shopping.
But wait! There are already FedEx counters in lots of Kinko's and their boxes now litter just about every street corner of significance. Isn't this really in response to UPS' purchase of Mailboxes Etc. a few years ago? We suspect a better way for FedEx to grow its ground delivery business would be to clean up the problems that have plagued it. What problems? Well, how about the lost shhipments, misdelivered packages and inadequate insurance? As for why all this chaos ensues, an employee of FedEx Ground's Houston terminal has some ideas.
Not that UPS is perfect. It loses, damages and misdelivers a fair number of parcels itself.
FDA WANTS COURIERS TO RAT OUT RX SHIPPERS
Along with all their other problems, FedEx and UPS have another headache. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants them to report Canadian pharmacies that are shipping large quantities of drugs to American customers. The feds are also asking credit card companies to spy on their customers. The response so far has been somewhat muted.
Meanwhile, there's an uprising at home In its massive gerrymandering of Medicare, Congress tried to look the other way on the red-hot issue of reimporting cheaper prescription drugs from Canada. But it's not an issue that will go quietly away. Governors and mayors from both parties are desperate to cut giant budget deficits, seniors are organizing to fight the ban and entrepreneurs are seeking ways around it. How this one ends is as easy to predict as tomorrow's stock prices.
Seniors have a drug problem all right, but it's not just the price of prescription drugs that's problematic. Older Americans take so many drugs that the chance of a life-threatening interaction is at an all-time high. It's estimated that there are 2.3 million Seniors have a drug problem all right each year.
PHEDS BAN EPHEDRA
No one ever accused the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of excessive speed. Drug manufacturers routinely claim the agency is too slow to approve their potions but it works the other way too. Years after the harmful effects of ephedra were established in wrongful death lawsuits nationwide, the FDA finally says it will ban dietary supplements containing the substance, popular with dieters, athletes and weight-lifters. California, whose governor has pumped more iron than most, banned ephedra last October.
FIRST WATER, THEN MUD, THEN FRAUD
California, Virginia and many points in between are trying to recover from flooding and its aftermath. One of the common next-day disasters is fraud -- in the form of phony inspectors, home-repair scams and price-gouging. If you're knee-deep in damage from a natural disaster, check our consumer tips to avoid damage from any unnatural disasters.
PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM
Wal-Mart has recently waded into the music-download business, muscling in on territory tenuously held by the likes of Napster. Curious about a complaint from one of our loyal readers, and hungry for some new Pearl Jam cuts, we decided to try it out. Three minutes and $2.64 later, we had three new tunes in our media player. Seems pretty slick to us. We'd like to hear from anyone else who's had problems.
HYPO VERSUS HYPER
Many women pay quite a bit extra for Clinique products in the belief that they are made with "hypoallergenic" ingredients, meaning they are less likely to cause allergic reactions. Whether this is true is hard to determine since the company is very slow to HYPO VERSUS HYPER, even to doctors trying to treat those who've had a severe reaction.
Same goes for Clinique's parent, Estee Lauder. And, by the way, we hear regularly from women of color, who feel that Estee Lauder is too quick to drop shades that work well for them but perhaps don't sell in the same quantities as those directed to customers of a paler hue.
SINGED BUT NOT STRAIGHTENED (OR CURLED)
Then there's Revlon, which makes all kinds of scary stuff. Revlon makes curling irons that burn off one's hair ... straighteners that don't (straighten, that is) ... and stylers that administer welts and other scars. Oh, then there's the cranberry lipstick. It comes out your heels.
EVERYONE WAS SOOO NICE
In your editor's misspent youth, he was once assigned to cover a riot in a certain large Southern city. He was impressed by the hospitality of both rioters and local police alike. It is to this day the only time someone has said "excuse me" before clubbing or tear-gassing him. Earthlink customers feel the same way -- everyone at Earthlink's Atlanta fortress is just as nice as they can be, not that it does any good.
BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED
A few things you probably don't want to do in 2004:
- Hire Home Depot to rip out your kitchen or bathroom if you want the job done right and on time. Why? Hire Home Depot to rip out your kitchen or bathroom explain.
- Buy a "classic" car through eBay. Kern is the latest to learn this isn't a good idea.
- Buy a big expensive boat until you know enough about sailing to do it safely. As old salt Mitch warns, Many exuberant novices wind up killing their friends and family, not to mention themselves.
- Pay big bucks for inventory that you hope to sell as part of a great new "business opportunity," as granddad Lyle did.
- Put your trust in to an out-of-state debt counseling service. Debbie did and now is in Chapter 13.
- Invest heavily in the most elaborate water filtration system in your state. Kristi did and now her basement is a lake.
- Smoke up a storm just before boarding an airliner. You could end up like Bob, who was basically tried and convicted of smelling like smoke.
- Tell your Congressman how the major airlines have repaid the taxpayers who bailed them out after 9/11 and, even worse, how they have treated the servicemen and women who pulled the airlines' fat from the fire.
RECALLS
- Nissan Sentra & FX A faulty engine part in the Sentra and a brake problem on the FX will be fixed.
- Nissan Sentra & FX A leaking fuel regulator could cause a fire.
- Nissan Sentra & FX A brake vacuum pump could fail and cause a crash.
- John Deere Utility Tractors The tractor can move forward after it's been put in neutral.
- Durex Procraft Outdoor Extension Cords They can electrocute the user.
AND LIKEWISE TO YOU ...
Thanks to everyone who sent us holiday greetings. We tried to answer each one but, what with being full of cheer and trying to keep the dog from eating the ornaments, we probably missed a few. Best wishes to all for a reasonably acceptable '04.
