In addition to recalling products, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issues warnings about hazardous products. A recent warning from the agency is to immediately stop using black TureClos bicycle helmets. The helmets don’t comply with federal safety standards. They can fail to protect riders if a crash occurs, posing a head injury risk. Read more →

Until this week, I hadn’t heard about a potential safety problem with electric bicycles or “e-bikes.” An article in The Washington Post, “A Child’s Death Prompts Questions About Brake Safety on E-bikes,” caught my attention. A lawsuit has been filed against Rad Power Bikes by the parents of a 12-year-old girl who was killed in an e-bike accident. Read more →

Don’t get tricked into signing up for a high-cost loan when you buy a used car. Credit Acceptance Corp. misrepresented the cost of credit and turned the car-buying experience into a nightmare for many of its borrowers, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and New York Attorney General’s Office charged in a lawsuit. Read more →

It’s one of the biggest frauds unleashed on the American public: high gas prices despite falling oil prices. As consumers prepare to vote, it’s often the high gas prices that are on their minds. Recently, I wrote about price gouging: about one-third to half of the current inflation in the U.S. is being caused by corporations making excessive profits. Read more →

Like most Washingtonians, I admire the accomplishments of The Boeing Co. However, when allegations were made about a “culture of concealment” and a flawed regulatory system, which led to two crashes, I was shocked. The SEC charged Boeing and a former CEO with making misleading statements after crashes in 2018 and 2019. Read more →

It seems like a miracle. The Democrats finally came together and passed major legislation to benefit American consumers. It’s called the Inflation Reduction Act. U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said the law will have a lasting impact on the planet and will help lower costs for Americans across our country. Read more →

DGL Group is recalling about 93,000 Hover-1 Superfly hoverboards. A software malfunction in the electrical system can cause continued movement when the rider isn’t controlling the hoverboard, posing fall and injury risks. The company has received 29 reports of the software issue. Read more →

The Super Bowl ads for 2022 were mostly disappointing. Although a few had a good message, the overall feel of the game show was dystopian. A QR code drifting across the screen, ads for apps and betting websites I’d never heard of, and supposedly clever ads featuring stars from TV series I’ve never seen. Read more →

It’s a question that comes up frequently these days. Where’s a cheaper place to live? Using safety, affordability, quality of life, health-related factors, and more than 40 other categories, WalletHub, a personal finance website, compared the 50 states to help retirees find the best way to retire. Read more →

Since I wrote an article recently on the top consumer and personal finance stories of 2021, I was interested in a list offered by U.S. PIRG on the progress made in health, climate, and consumer issues in 2021. U.S. PIRG, a public interest research group, and its state partners worked on or supported many of these issues. Read more →