By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist Distributor EKSuccess Brands, a division of Wilton Brands Inc., is recalling about 75,000 American Girl Crafts Pearly Beads & Ribbon Bracelets kits. The surface coating on some of the beads contains excessive levels of lead, which is prohibited under federal law. No injuries have... Read more →
By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist As the run up to the 2012 election begins, it seems to be getting more difficult for politicians to make the right choices for consumers. Good progress was made after President Obama was elected with health care reform, improvements to federal product safety laws,... Read more →
By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist How bad is customer service in America? Sixty five percent of consumers interviewed are "tremendously annoyed" by rude salespeople and 64 percent of respondents said that they had left a store in the previous 12 months because of poor service, according to a new... Read more →
By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist With the economy improving, many kids will be spending more on their dad this Father’s Day. Your dad is a baby boomer if he was born between 1946 and 1964. What would be the ideal gift for the baby boomer dad? Here are my... Read more →
By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist Today’s technology is constantly being replaced by updated models with newer, more exciting features. To keep up with the latest technology, more and more retailers are offering consumers buy-back programs. The Better Business Bureau advises consumers to weigh the pros and cons of these... Read more →
By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist Bell Sports is recalling about 31,100 bicycle helmets in the United States and about 2,500 in Canada. The plastic buckle that connects the chin straps can fail, causing the helmet to come off the wearer's head. This poses a head injury hazard to riders... Read more →
By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist About five years ago when I wrote a senior consumer column for The (Tacoma, Wash.) News Tribune, I interviewed an author who said people who were never married are happier than married couples. She said never marrieds are lumped in with divorced and widowed... Read more →
By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist Recently, I enjoyed reading food journalist Michael Pollan’s book, "Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual." Pollan did research to help consumers make their way through the huge array of information and persistent advertising about what to eat. His advice is simple: 1. Eat food. By... Read more →
Recently, when I went to see my doctor, he suggested I try a gluten-free diet. He said to monitor some symptoms I’m having to see if I could detect a difference. I’m trying the experiment, but a gluten-free diet is difficult. When I traveled on an airplane recently, Delta Airlines... Read more →