What Car Salesmen Don’t Want You To Know
It wasn’t that long ago that new car salesmen had the upper hand when it came to dealing with customers. But now armed with the Internet and a smart phone, consumers have the potential of…
Retailers Agree to Settle FTC Charges They Marketed Real Fur Products as Fake Fur
Three clothing retailers have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they misled consumers by marketing that products contained “faux fur,” when in fact, the products contained real fur. In administrative complaints, the FTC…
Connecticut Nursing Homes Fined For Residents’ Deaths, Care Lapses
By: Kate Farrish The state Department of Public Health has fined a dozen nursing homes in recent months for lapses in patient care, including the deaths of residents at homes in Bridgeport and Norwalk. Bridgeport…
Feds Shut Down Telemarketing Firm That Intimidated Elderly To Pay For Medical Alert Devices
At the Federal Trade Commission’s request, a U.S. district court has temporarily shut down a Brooklyn, New York-based operation that the allegedly used deception, threats, and intimidation to induce elderly consumers to pay for medical…
Portland Rest Home Placed Under State Monitoring
Written By: Kate Farrish A Portland rest home, where a schizophrenic resident who had been missing for more than 18 hours was later found dead in the Connecticut River in 2012, is undergoing 18 months…
Whistleblower: VA Withheld Health Studies On Soldiers’ Toxic Exposures
Written By: Tamara Lytle The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs suppressed information that shows links between health problems of veterans and the dangers they were exposed to in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Gulf War, according…
What Data Brokers Know About You
by Lois Beckett A sign at the Babies “R” Us parking lot in Fairless Hills, Pa. The companies that sell information about how much money you make — and whether you’re pregnant, divorced, or trying…
Connecticut Ousts Management Of Litchfield Rest Home For Leaving Residents Hungry
By: Lisa Chedekel A Litchfield residential care home has been ordered to hire a new manager, improve resident care and pay a $2,000 fine, after findings that administrators left residents hungry, denied them information about…
Feds Crack Down On Senders Of Spam Text Messages Promoting ‘Free’ Gift Cards
Defendants Were Responsible for More than 180 Million Spam Text Messages The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on affiliate marketers that allegedly bombarded consumers with of millions of unwanted spam text messages in an…
West Haven VA’s Attack On Hepatitis C
Written By: Meg Heckman On most Thursdays, a small group of patients assembles at the VA hospital in West Haven because they share a common disease – hepatitis C – and a common treatment —…
Hidden Cameras Catch Plumbers Ripping Off Consumer
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy To test the honesty of plumbers NBC’s Jeff Rossen set up a test in a New Jersey home of a hot water heater….
Stamford Ophthalmologist Fined By Medical Board
Written By: Kate Farrish A Stamford ophthalmologist was fined $4,500 Tuesday by the state Medical Examining Board for performing a laser treatment on the wrong eye of a glaucoma patient. Dr. Gregory Gallousis performed the…
Connecticut Home Care Challenge: Retaining Workers, Keeping Costs Low
By: Colleen Shaddox Debbie Hardy, a home health care aide, is the reason that Frank Geraldino, 48, a paraplegic, is able to live in his Seymour apartment – rather than in a nursing facility. Hardy,…
Hip Replacement Surgery Costs Can Vary From $11,000 To $125,000 Depending On the Hospital
Another reason why our health care costs are hard to control: The same operation can cost you anywhere from $11,000 to $125,000 if you are uninsured. It just depends on which hospital the surgery is…
Tips To Ride Out Blizzard From Connecticut Consumer Protection Department
Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner William M. Rubenstein is encouraging consumers to take precautions well in advance of the snowstorm that is forecast for Connecticut tomorrow into Saturday. “In addition to all the necessary…
“Tax Relief” Firm Scammed $100 Million From Consumers By Falsely Claiming To Reduce Tax Debts
FTC Settlement: Tax Relief Scammers Agree to Pay More Than $15 Million American Tax Relief Scheme Bilked Consumers With False Promises They Qualified for IRS Programs to Reduce Tax Debts Under an agreement with the…
Feds Crack Down On Auto Loan Modification Scam
Settlement with FTC Bans Sellers of Alleged Fraudulent Auto Loan Modifications from Marketing Debt Relief Services “Auto Debt Consulting” Operation Permanently Halted In a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, two California-based companies and their…
LIFE GOES ON: Help For Bullies?
HELP FOR BULLIES? Victims are receiving a lot of attention lately. There is pending legislation to protect them from bullying in schools and online. It’s about time. I found the following statistics at the http://behavioral-management.com/bullying-statistics…
Costco’s Secret Codes For Special Discounts; Look For 97 Cents
If you are a Costco member you already know that the member-only discount chain has some quirky marketing programs – like moving merchandise around so you have to check out parts of a store you…
Honda Recalling 750,000 Pilot and Odyssey Vehicles For Faulty Airbags
Honda is recalling about 748,000 model-year 2009-2013 Pilot and 2011-2013 Odyssey vehicles in the United States to inspect and, if necessary, replace the driver’s-side airbag. Honda says the airbags in these vehicles “potentially were assembled…