The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

What were the best and worst consumer experiences you had this week?

Recently, I launched a best and worst consumer experience feature on The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide.

I think looking weekly at these experiences helps us learn from our successes and mistakes.

Here are my most and least successful consumer transactions for this week:

My best consumer experience: Buying a puzzle for my grandchildren

 

T.J. Maxx has good prices. I was able to find a large puzzle for my twin grandchildren, age 5, for $6.

It’s a large puzzle, three feet by two feet, that you put together on the floor. It’s called Let’s Learn Numbers. One side is brightly colored. The other side has the same pattern, only it’s black and white. Washable color crayons are included to color the black-and-white side.

The twins, now in kindergarten, said it would be too tiring to color it now. They’d wait until they have more time during Christmas vacation. The twins such fun and such a joy.

My worst consumer experience: My metal shingle roof

 

I’ve written before about the problems I’m having with my Custom-Bilt vail metal shingle roof.

When the first roof was installed, it leaked due to a manufacturing defect. The replacement roof leaked in the same way. However, Custom-Bilt isn’t willing to stand behind its product.

Now I’m trying to find a knowledgeable roof inspector to inspect the roof.

The consumer complaint goes on.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide Recall of the Week: Kinder-brand chocolate eggs

Despite the fact that Kinder-brand chocolate eggs are banned in the United States, the candy – with a toy inside – is still being sold in some places in the country.

This product is banned for sale here because the toy surprise hidden inside can pose choking and aspiration hazards to children younger than 3 years of age, reports the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The Kinder eggs are hollow milk chocolate eggs about the size of a large hen's egg in an orange, white, and blue foil wrapper. The toy inside the egg is contained in an oval-shaped plastic capsule. The toy requires assembly and each egg contains a different toy. Labeling is in various languages.
 
Consumers who have purchased this product should immediately take it away from young children, the commission advises.

The commission conducted a recall of these chocolate eggs in August 1997.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Baby boomer consumers need to know about product recalls

What you don’t know about product safety could kill you.

When I began writing for consumers in 1977, I was on the mailing list of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. I received a news release about a shop light that had killed people and was being recalled.

I showed the information to a family member. Sure enough! It was the recalled light. It was returned to the store for a refund.

It’s important for boomer consumers to regularly obtain information on consumer recalls for their safety and the safety of others in the household.

The question is “How do you keep up with recall information?”

It’s a big task. I’m going to blog weekly about a recall, and include a link for the federal government’s recall site at www.Recalls.gov.

The site offers information on consumer products, motor vehicles, boats, food, cosmetics, and environmental products. You can search by type of product, company, or a specific product.

You can also sign up to receive e-mail recalls from five government agencies.

This week’s recall is stuffed animals and creature toys sold at Old Navy whose eyes can detach and pose a choking hazard for young children. Children should not be allowed to play with the toys. The toys should be returned for a refund.

See the news release from the Consumer Product Safety Commission for details.

My next post will be on "What Do You Need to Do About the Peanut Recall?"

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Safety rules for children's toy, other consumer products delayed

It’s a disappointing decision for parents and grandparents wanting to buy safer toys after a troubling two-year period when millions of children’s products such as toys, clothing, and books were recalled.

Product safety regulations put aside

Testing and certification requirements for manufacturers and importers of products regulated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission are being delayed for one year.

The requirements are part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act passed by Congress last year.

However, starting tomorrow, other parts of the act are being implemented for total lead content for products for children 12 and under, phthalates limits for certain products, mandatory toy standards, and other requirements.

That means that toy manufacturers and importers will have to meet new standards set out in the act, but they won’t need to test or certify that they’ve done so.

The delay in requirements for testing and certification is confusing for parents and grandparents. On one hand, standards must be met. On the other hand, companies don’t have to do tests or certify that the standards are being met.

Why the commission delayed new requirements

The commission justified the one-year delay by saying it provides limited, temporary relief to the crafters, children's garment manufacturers, and toy makers who would have been subject to the testing and certification required under the act.

"However, all businesses, including… handmade toy and apparel makers, crafters, and home-based small businesses, must still be sure that their products conform to all safety standards and similar requirements, including the lead and phthalates provisions of the CPSIA," the agency said in a statement.

The commission said handmade garment makers should know whether the zippers, buttons, and other fasteners they’re using contain lead. Likewise, handmade toy manufacturers need to know whether their products, if using plastic or soft flexible vinyl, contain phthalates.

The one-year delay in enforcement on testing and certification does not address thrift and second-hand stores and small retailers because they’re not required to test and certify products under the act, the commission said. The products they sell, including those in inventory on February 10, 2009, must not contain more than 600 ppm lead in any accessible part.

Consumer organizations question decision

Consumer groups have expressed their concerns about the one-year delay in testing and certification.

David Arkush, director of Public Citizen’s Congress Watch, is quoted on CNN Money.com as saying he thinks some businesses may not move quickly to comply with the new standards due to the confusion surrounding the commission’s decision.

Johanna Neumann, executive director of Maryland PIRG, said in a quote on ABC2News.com that the commission had six months to address concerns about the new legislation:

At its core, the CPSC’s decision benefits the big firms whose rampant, recurring violations of the old, weaker limits led to passage of the new law. In a nutshell, given the choice between protecting America’s littlest consumers and protecting the industry’s bottom line, the Consumer Product Safety Commission sided with industry.

For parents and grandparents seeking safer toys and children’s products, the commission’s delay of attempts by Congress to address toy safety is disappointing.

Note: The photos show jewelry sets recalled by the commission because some of the jewelry contains high levels of lead.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Companies fail to deliver holiday cheer

How successful were your holiday gifts from a consumer point of view?

ConsumerAffairs.com offers this list of troubling consumer goods and services based on a review of the thousands of consumer complaints it received about holiday gift giving:

• Pyrex items that exploded.

• American Express gift cards that didn’t work or weren’t received.

• Target’s restrictive return policies.

• Toys ‘R’ Us’ restrictive return policies.

• 1800Flowers orders that weren’t delivered.

• Xboxes that didn’t work for long.

• Federal Express late or lost shipments.

• UPS late or lost shipments.

• US Postal Service late or lost shipments and low-quality customer service.

For details, see the article “How the Grinches Stole Christmas ... Again.”

 Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Lead, cadmium, arsenic, PVC found in toys tested by consumer group

One in three toys tested by The Ecology Center were found to contain "medium" or "high" levels of chemicals.

Researchers tested more than 1,500 children's toys for lead, cadmium, arsenic, PVC, and other harmful chemicals to provide information for this year's holiday shopping season.

Lead was detected in 20 percent of the toys tested. The lead levels in some of the products were well above the 600 parts-per-million federal recall standard used for lead paint and would exceed the federal legal limit in February under a new law to be carried out by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Levels of lead in many toys tested were significantly above the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended ceiling of 40 ppm of lead in children's products. Children's jewelry remains the most contaminated product category, maintaining its spot at the top of HealthyToys.org’s "worst" list.

"There is simply no place for toxic chemicals in children's toys," said Jeff Gearhart, the center’s lead researcher.

The center is a Michigan-based nonprofit organization, which partners with organizations across the country to make information available to the public about toxic toys. The center’s second annual consumer guide to toxic chemicals in toys is available at www.HealthyToys.org.

Parents and grandparents can search by product name, brand, or toy type to see if certain toys have toxic chemicals.

Researchers tested for chemicals that have been associated with reproductive problems, developmental and learning disabilities, hormone problems, and cancer, and for those that have been identified by regulatory agencies as problematic. Babies and young children are the most vulnerable populations because their brains and bodies are still developing, and because they frequently put toys into their mouths, according to the center.

Highlights from 2008 findings:

• Lead is still in toys – HealthyToys.org found lead in 20 percent of all the products tested, including 54 products – 3.5 percent – that exceed the current 600 ppm recall threshold for lead-based paint, and next year’s national standard for all children's products. When children are exposed to lead, the developmental and nervous system consequences can be irreversible, according to the center.

• It's not just China - HealthyToys.org hasn’t found a consistent correlation between the country of manufacture and the presence of toxic chemicals in toys. Twenty-one percent of toys from China and 16 percent of those from all other countries had detectable levels of lead in 2008 tests. Seventeen toys manufactured in the U.S. were sampled and 35 percent of those had detectable levels of lead. Two toys had levels above 600 ppm. Among the highest lead levels detected – 190,943 ppm – in HealthyToys.org testing was in a Halloween Pumpkin Pin made in the USA.

• It's not just lead – HealthyToys.org found a significant number of toys containing cadmium, mercury, arsenic, and bromine. Nearly 3 percent – 45 products – had bromine at concentrations of 1,000 ppm or higher. This indicates the likely use of brominated flame retardants – chemicals that may pose hazards to children’s health. Other toxic chemicals found in the toys tested include arsenic, cadmium, and mercury. Arsenic was detected at levels greater than 100 ppm in 22 or 1.4 percent of toys and 289 or 18.9 percent of toys contained detectable levels of arsenic. Cadmium was found above 100 ppm in 30 or 1.9 percent of the toys and 38 or 2.4 percent of the toys contained detectable levels of cadmium. Mercury was found above 100 ppm in 14 or 1 percent of products and 62 or 4.2 percent of products contained detectable levels of mercury. 

• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC/vinyl) – HealthyToys.org identified products made with PVC plastic by measuring their chlorine content. PVC is a problematic plastic because it creates major environmental health hazards in its manufacture and disposal and can contain additives, including phthalates that may pose hazards. Twenty-seven percent of toys (excluding jewelry) tested this year by HealthyToys.org were made with PVC.

• Jewelry – Jewelry remains the most contaminated product category tested. Children's jewelry is five times more likely to contain lead above 600 ppm than other products. Fifteen percent of jewelry samples – compared to 3 percent of other products – had lead levels above 600 ppm. Overall, jewelry is twice as likely to contain detectable levels of lead as other products.  Numerous Hannah Montana brand jewelry items tested high for lead, according to the center. HealthyToys.org recommends that consumers avoid low-cost children's jewelry.

The good news, the center said a statement on its 2008 toy report, is that 62 percent or 954 of the products tested contain low levels of problem chemicals, including 324 that contained none of the chemicals.

“These products look and feel no different than other children's products on the shelf,” said Gearhart. “These findings show that manufacturers can and should make toys free of unnecessary toxic chemicals.”

Copyright 2008, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Are baby boomers shopping on Black Friday?

What draws people to Black Friday, the big shopping extravaganza the day after Thanksgiving, and are baby boomers among those getting up in the middle of the night, standing in line, and looking for huge savings?

Baby boomers – 36 percent – and the silent Generation – 18 percent – are less likely to shop on Black Friday than Gen Y – 53 percent – and Gen X – 46 percent, according to a Martiz Poll on consumer opinions.

Forty-one percent of those responding to the poll said they would shop on Black Friday, compared to 37 percent who said so in 2007, the Maritz poll reports.

The boomers who indicated that they’d be shopping on Black Friday said they’d be going to these stores:

•  Walmart – 57%

• Target – 47%

• Best Buy – 34%

• Toys R US – 23%

• K-Mart – 27%

• Kohl’s – 27%

• Sears – 29%

• Macy’s – 17%

• Circuit City – 18%

• Victoria’s Secret – 13%

• Apple Store/iTunes – 6%

What’s the attraction for Black Friday, which seems to become more intense each year?

People are looking for deep cuts in price. They’re willing to wait in line in the cold for hours and push their way through the crowds. They often have in mind specific items they want to give for Christmas gifts such as toys, iPods, and videogames. Or, they’re looking for a big ticket item for their households such as a flat-panel TVs, laptops, and digital cameras.

For a number of shoppers, beginning their seasonal buying on Black Friday helps them to complete it early or to make good progress toward finishing it.

Black Friday shoppers often check ads for prices, and make lists of the items they want to buy. They’ll dash through the first store, buying items, then move on to other stores. This year, since the economy is in a recession, Black Friday shoppers are more cautious about their spending than in previous years.

In many stores, only a few of the deeply discounted items are available. As a result injuries and even deaths have occurred due to shoving and trampling by shoppers.

The day is called "Black Friday" because of its importance in determining a store's profitability for the year.

My next post will be on “Why Baby Boomer Women Aren’t Spending Money on Themselves This Holiday Season.”

Copyright 2008, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What should grandparents do about toy safety until protections from new law are in place?

Last week, President Bush signed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.

The law will ban lead and phthalates in toys, require mandatory third-party testing of toys, strengthen standards for all terrain vehicles, and revamp the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Phthalates are chemicals added to plastics to make them flexible.

Since the law won't take effect for six months, parents and grandparents may not see safer toys on the market until 2009.

An exception: In a post, "In Search of Safe Toys," Seattle Post-Intelligencer consumer reporter Phuong Cat Le said Wal-Mart and Toys-R-Us have indicated they're planning to phase out phthalates in toys by the end of the year.

What should parents and grandparents to about unsafe toys until the new law takes effect?

Phuong's post advises soft, squeezable plastic teethers, rattles, and other toys should be disposed of. Buy replacements after the ban takes effect. Substitutes for teething rings can be cold, wet cloths or fabric teethers or having babies such on frozen celery stalks or frozen mini-bagels.

Her post also offers these Web sites and blogs for safe alternatives:

healthytoys.org

zrecs.blogspot.com

squidoo.com/saferbabytheethers

For details on the new law, see "Toy Safety Law: What's in It?"

Copyright 2008, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

President to sign bill that bans lead in toys and strengthens regulation of consumer products

Thursday, the Senate passed the final conference report of H.R. 4040 – the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008. The House passed the bill on Wednesday.

The legislation, which bans lead from children's toys and seeks to ensure that chemicals posing possible health problems will not end up on toys and articles that kids chew on and play with, is awaiting the president's signing.

The act represents the biggest overhaul of the commission since it was established in 1973.

The new law will:

• Make toy regulations mandatory, which means that magnets and many other hazards will be subject to third-party testing requirement.

• Ban six toxic phthalates in children's products. Three are banned permanently. Three would be subject to a commission scientific review, but are banned until it’s completed.

• Grant private-sector employees protection as whistleblowers.

• Establish a public database of potential hazards.

• Require that choking hazards be disclosed in Internet advertising.

• Increase commission resources and funding.

• Increase civil penalties and recall authority.

The legislation passed despite a multi-million dollar push from ExxonMobil, the American Chemistry Council (part of the Chemical Manufacturers of America), the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Toy Industry of America, the Washington Public Interest Group said in an announcement about the bill’s passage.

President Bush is expected to sign the bill, according to an Associated Press article.

For details see “Protecting the Littlest Consumers,” an editorial in The New York Times.

Note: The charms in the photo are among the millions of toys recalled due to excess levels of lead.

Copyright 2008, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

15 things you should never buy again

When we were getting ready for our Fourth of July party, I thought of two lists I’d read on the Co-op America Web site: Ten Things You Should Never Buy Again and Five More Things to Never Buy Again.

Avoiding the purchase of these items will help the environment, according to Co-op America. For each item on both lists, an explanation is given on why it’s harmful to you and/or the environment. Alternatives are given for each listing, along with the best option.

Ten Things You Should Never Buy Again

1. Styrofoam cups.
2. Paper towels.
3. Bleached coffee filters.
4. Over packaged foods and other products.
5. Teak and mahogany.
6. Chemical pesticides and herbicides.
7. Conventional house cleaners.
8. Higher octane gas than you need.
9. Toys made with PVC plastic.
10. Plastic forks and spoons.

Five More Things You Should Never Buy Again

1. Farm raised salmon.
2. Rayon.
3. Beauty/body care products with phthalates and parabens.
4. Cling wrap.
5. High VOC paints and finishes.

Click on the links above to learn more about the environment and health problems associated with these products.

Copyright 2008, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist