The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Aluminum telescoping ladders recalled by Werner due to fall hazard

Werner is recalling about 78,000 multi-purpose telescoping aluminum ladders.

The ladders can break while being used by consumers, posing a fall hazard.

The firm has received one report of a ladder breaking while in use, resulting in one injury to the left side and elbow of the consumer.

2016’s top consumer complaints in the U.S.

Problems with solar energy sales and used car leasing were flagged as issues to watch in the latest report from the annual consumer agency survey conducted by Consumer Federation of America and the North American Consumer Protection Investigators.

Thirty-nine state and local consumer protection agencies from 23 states participated in the survey, which asked about the most common complaints they received in 2016, the fastest-growing complaints, the worst complaints, new kinds of consumer problems, agencies’ biggest achievements and challenges, and new laws that are needed to better protect consumers.

Complaints about solar energy sales were cited as a new consumer problem that could increase in the future as the industry grows.

Princess Cruise Lines to pay $40 million for improper disposal of sea waste, cover-up

Princess Cruise Lines has agreed to plead guilty to seven felony charges for illegally discharging oily waste into the sea and lying about it. It also will pay a $40 million penalty – the largest criminal penalty ever levied for deliberate vessel pollution, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday.

Princess is a subsidiary of Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise company. As part of the plea agreement with Princess, cruise ships from eight Carnival cruise line companies will be under a court supervised Environmental Compliance Program for five years.

The U.S. investigation began after information was provided to the U.S. Coast Guard by the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency that a newly hired engineer on the Caribbean Princess reported a so-called “magic pipe” had been used on Aug. 23, 2013, to illegally discharge oily waste off the coast of England.

Hospitals reducing infections from IV use, but more needs to be done

Hospitals across the country have reduced deadly, but preventable, intravenous tube infections by 50 percent since 2008. In an investigation of nearly 2,000 hospitals, Consumer Reports examined the five-year track record of teaching hospitals to see which have successfully reduced these infections, and which haven’t.

The report identifies the 31 lowest-performing U.S. teaching hospitals and 32 top performers.

“Because teaching hospitals are teaching our next generation of physicians, we think it’s critical to monitor them closely,” said Doris Peter, Ph.D., director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center. “Our review of their performance on controlling central-line infections is very sobering.”

Most Americans have spent more than $100 on an impulse item

Recently, I bought a Cuisinart food processor at Macy’s. It was an impulse item, and unfortunately, it’s sitting in the garage because I don’t have much counter space, and it’s difficult to use.

Over half of Americans have spent $100 or more on an impulse buy, 54 percent, according to a CreditCards.com survey, including 20 percent who have spent at least $1,000. In total, 84 percent of Americans have made impulse purchases.

The most common recipient of an impulse buy is one’s self, 47 percent; followed by 21 percent who cited a child; and 16 percent who said their spouse or significant other.

Today’s consumer tip: Find out as much as you can about a company before hiring them

I just got a tree cut down. Now I need to find a company to trim up my other trees and wash my roof.

It’s important for consumers to find out as much as they can about companies before they hire them.

Check out a company's complaint record with your local consumer affairs office and Better Business Bureau. And, ask the company for at least three recommendations from customers.

Checking out a company in advance can save you lots of trouble.

In addition, avoid hiring people who come to your door. You don’t know anything about them. They could do poor work and charge high prices.

Copyright 2014, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Today's consumer tip: Get recommendations before hiring workers to help you

It's fall, officially now, so if you're planning to hire people to help you get your home and yard ready for winter, be sure to ask for recommendations. It helps to get at least three.

Other consumer advice I've given over the years is not to hire people who come to your door saying they can help you with various chores. I had big trouble once.

I needed the moss washed off my roof, so when a young man rang my doorbell saying he was experienced in that area, I said yes. He didn't do a good job, and the water streaked a paint job I had done a few months earlier. I stopped payment on his check. He threatened to burn my house down.

Copyright 2014, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Recall of the Week: ESL, Interlogix hard-wired smoke alarms due to failure to alert consumers of fire

Edwards and Interlogix are recalling about 141,000 ESL and Interlogix brand 400/500 series smoke detectors in United States and 13,000 in Canada.

Radio frequency interference can cause the smoke detectors to fail to alert consumers of a fire, the companies and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

No incidents or injuries have been reported.

This recall involves 33 models of the 400 and 500 series Edwards (ESL)-branded and Interlogix smoke detectors hard-wired into a security system. Edwards and Interlogix smoke detectors are identical.

Green living: How metal roofs can help save the environment

By Paul Kazlov, Home Remodeling Writer

Global Home Improvement

Eco-friendly solutions are often thought of in terms of powering vehicles and cities with clean, renewable energy. This leaves many consumers thinking the ability to initiate change toward a greener future is out of their hands. However, with increasing trends that focus on how the construction of buildings and homes can open the door to greener options and sustainability, homeowners can start to pave the way to a more environmentally conscious future.

Of the many options open to a homeowner, one of the best ways to start living greener is to consider installing a metal roof.

Metal roofs are more eco-friendly than traditional asphalt shingles and help homeowners save money in the long run. And, since they last longer, they can extend the life of a house to last for generations with little to no maintenance.

Metal roofs have a longer lifespan

One of the main goals of environmentally conscious, green construction is to create buildings more sustainable than traditional methods. Metal roofs are great for this due to their long lifespan, which can reach up to 50 years. Since individual shingles aren’t involved, maintenance and repair is a lesser concern.

Getting my roof washed is my best consumer experience this week, while an insect problem is disgusting

Winter is coming, so I’m on getting ready.

My best consumer experience: Hiring a worker to clean my roof

Last May, I had a new standing seam metal roof installed. My plan was to wash it from a ladder using a soft brush with an extending handle.

However, I got caught up in visiting my family and a project in my yard got out of hand.

So, I decided to hire a worker to wash my roof. The warranty requires an annual cleaning.

The worker came at 9 a.m. He was done about noon. I paid him $300. He also cleaned the leaves out of my gutters.

I think I’ll hire someone every year to clean my roof. It might be too difficult to clean it from a ladder.

My worst consumer experience: Finding maggots in my yard waste bin

Last week, I made two mistakes.

First, after buying some salmon, I forgot to put it in the refrigerator. A couple of days later, I couldn’t find it when I wanted to cook it. There it was, in a bag, getting smelly.

Second, I took it out of the plastic wrapper and put it in my yard waste bin. We can put food waste, including meat, in with our yard waste.

What a huge mistake. I didn’t worry too much when it got smellier, but a few days ago, I saw maggots on the edge of my yard waste bin.

What I should have done, according to the article “How to Get Rid of Maggots,” was freeze the salmon until garbage day.

At first, I just wiped the maggots off the top of the bin. However, they multiplied significantly. So I washed the inside of the lid with vinegar. That killed them.

Maggots are fly larvae. When the waste disposal company empties the yard waste bin with the decomposing salmon, the problem should disappear.

I’ll wash the bin out well. If I have additional problems, I'll try killing the maggots with boiling water.

I read about some people who had maggots in their homes. Yuck.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist