Heidi Turner

Ford Customers Still Waiting for Recalled Parts

Miami, FLFord customers who have vehicles affected by the recent recall of cruise control parts are upset that the company has still not provided the necessary replacement parts. These customers, who took their vehicle in a few months ago to have their cruise control deactivated and a recalled switch unplugged, are still waiting for a new switch to be provided.

Crocs Inc Faces Yet Another Lawsuit

Denver, COCrocs Inc. faces yet another shareholder lawsuit, alleging that the company and its management misled shareholders and sold their own stock for at least $64 million. The lawsuit seeks class action status. This is at least the third shareholder lawsuit filed against Crocs since the company reported its third quarter results at the end of October. Following the company's report, stock fell 36 percent.

Ford Customers Holding the Key, Waiting for the Switch

Pittsburgh, PA One of the problems with recalls that are continually expanded, like the recent Ford cruise control recalls, is that customers are never entirely sure where their product stands on the recall list. It also means that customers who experience problems with units that have not yet been recalled have difficulty proving that their problem is a result of the company's negligence.

Early Termination Fees: More Lawmakers Get Involved

Phoenix, AZ As even more lawmakers join in the fight against unfair cell phone company practices, more companies are announcing that they will begin prorating their early termination fees in the near future.

Ford Recalls Vehicles after Cruise Control Concerns

Washington, DC People who purchased vehicles affected by the recent Ford recall are investigating the possibility of a lawsuit, alleging that Ford has failed to make replacement parts for the recall available.

Crocs Faces Lawsuits

Denver, COCrocs Inc. (Nasdaq: CROX) faces two shareholders lawsuits alleging the company violated securities laws. The two lawsuits were filed after the company announced that its revenue for the third quarter had fallen below expected levels.

Merrill Lynch Accused of ERISA Violations

New York, NYMerrill Lynch & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MER) faces at least two lawsuits alleging the company violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). More lawsuits could follow, depending on the outcome of a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation into Merill Lynch's activities. Current and former employees of Merrill Lynch who participated in the Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. 401(k) Savings & Investment Plan may be eligible to file an ERISA claim against the company.

Merrill Lynch ERISA Woes

York, NYMerrill Lynch faces a number of class action lawsuits and a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation into its subprime mortgage portfolio after the the company announced a significant amount of losses in its third quarter. At least one of the lawsuits was filed on behalf of current and former employees who participated in Merrill Lynch's 401(k) plan, alleging the company violated ERISA laws.

Washington Mutual Faces Class Action Lawsuit

New York, NYWashington Mutual faces a class action lawsuit alleging the company committed securities fraud by over-inflating home appraisals while also inflating prices. The lawsuit follows a complaint filed by the New York Attorney General's office that names Washington Mutual as pressuring other companies to provide inflated home appraisals.

Merrill Lynch Defends Itself Against ERISA Claims

New York, NYMerrill Lynch is now defending itself against claims that the company violated ERISA laws by breaching its fiduciary duty to the company's 401(k) plan participants.

Merrill Lynch ERISA Lawsuit Investigation

Minneapolis, MN: Current and former employees of Merrill Lynch & Co. are investigating a possible lawsuit against the company, alleging it violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Those who would be affected by the potential lawsuit are participants and beneficiaries of the Merrill Lynch Employee Stock Ownership Plan.

Citigroup Faces ERISA Lawsuits

New York, NY Two lawsuits have been filed against Citigroup alleging the company violated Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) laws by breaching their fiduciary duties. The lawsuits were filed on behalf of participants and beneficiaries of the Citigroup 401(k) Plan. Citigroup's 401(k) Plan has allegedly suffered over one billion dollars in market losses.

Maximus Accused of Not Paying Overtime

Los Angeles, CA Allegations have arisen that Maximus Inc. does not pay its employees for overtime work and fires them for complaining about poor working conditions. Now, current and former Maximus employees filed a class action lawsuit that claims the company's actions are in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Cell Phone Companies Under Fire for Early Termination Fees

Los Angeles, CA: With a major lawsuit filed against AT&T and lawmakers questioning the tactics of cell phone companies, some cell phone carriers are now moving to change their practices, including [early termination fees]. However, the move comes too late for many customers and not enough cell phone carriers are following suit, meaning that scores of customers are still responsible for paying ridiculously high early termination fees.

Class Action Lawsuit Filed After Salmonella Outbreak

Omaha, NE: A class action [lawsuit] has been filed against ConAgra Foods on behalf of all people who purchased or ate the company's pot pies that have been linked to a massive recall. The suit includes anyone who became sick after eating the pies.

Lawsuit Filed in Pot Pie Salmonella Contamination

Sauk Rapids, MN Yet another food contaminated with salmonella has been discovered. This time the food is Banquet turkey and chicken pot pies, which are being pulled off store shelves across the US. A Minnesota couple that believes their daughter became ill with salmonella after eating a contaminated pot pie has filed a [lawsuit] against the makers of the Banquet pot pies.

Mattel Recall: No Reason To Put Children's Health At Risk

Washington, DC: Lawmakers are rushing to pass bills that would ban lead from toys and other products that children under the age of six normally use. The bills follow recent recalls of Mattel toys that were contaminated with lead-based paint. In proposing the bills, the representatives noted that lead is not only unsafe for children it is also unnecessary, a sentiment that many parents agree with.

Mattel Toy Recalls Make Christmas Shopping Difficult

Philadelphia, PA With Christmas shopping just around the corner, many parents are likely concerned about what toys they can and cannot buy their children. The recent recall of Mattel toys contaminated with lead-based paint has many consumers worried about the safety of toys they buy their children.

Verizon Announces Changes But Companies Still Charge Early Termination Fees

Dallas, TX Verizon has announced that it is ending the practice of extending customer contracts when customers make changes to their cell phone plans, which will affect how early termination fees are charged. The practice will end on Sunday, October 7, 2007. After that date customers will have the ability to change their voice and data calling plans without the company adding an extra two years onto their contracts.

Customers and Lawmakers Frustrated by Early Termination Fees

Austin, TX Despite some cell phone companies promising to prorate their termination fees, many companies are still charging outrageous fees when customers cancel their contacts. Now, customers are fighting back with cell phone early termination fees lawsuits and lawmakers are proposing consumer protection bills to limit how much companies can charge when customers want out of their contracts.

Lawsuits Filed Against CertainTeed Corporation

Pittsburgh, PA Lawsuits have been filed against CertainTeed Corporation, alleging the company manufactured and sold defective roofing shingles. The lawsuits allege CertainTeed is guilty of breach of warranty, negligence, breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation because the shingles are deteriorating much sooner than they should be.

Lawsuit Filed Against Maximus Inc. Alleging Unpaid Overtime

Reston, VA Yet another lawsuit has been filed against a corporation alleging employees were unfairly denied overtime wages after working more than 40 hours in a week. This time, the lawsuit is against Maximus Inc.

Menu Foods Fortunes Change After Pet Food Recall

McLean, VA: In the six months since Menu Foods Income Fund announced its recall of melamine-tainted pet food, the company's fortunes have changed drastically. The company has lost clients and now faces huge financial losses due to the cost of the recall, a drop in sales, and contract cancellations. Consumers whose pets became ill or died after eating tainted pet food are filing lawsuits against Menu Foods alleging the company did not do enough to protect their pets.

Senators Propose New Cell Phone Bills

Washington, DC While consumers grow increasingly frustrated by the poor treatment and outrageous fees, including cell phone early termination fees they are subjected to by their cell phone carries, lawmakers are proposing bills to curb the powers of cell phone companies. The proposed bills would include rules regarding early termination fees, extra fees, and maps of service quality areas.

Veggie Booty Recall: Products Stay on Store Shelves

Long Island, NY The recent recall of Veggie Booty left many consumers wondering about the safety of food products. Lawsuits have been filed after children became ill with salmonella wandsworth from contaminated seasoning on the popular snack food, while some stores still had recalled product days after the recall was announced.

Mattel Toy Recall: Not All Stores Have Removed the Toys

Phoenix, AZ Governments across the United States are responding to the recent recall of Mattel Toys due to possible lead paint poisoning. The concern is that some stores are still selling recalled products. Consumers are also responding to the recall with at least one class action lawsuit announced and others likely to follow.

Castleberry's Recall

Augusta, GA The Castleberry canned foods recall was announced on July 19 and expanded on July 21 after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) found that processing malfunctions at the Castleberry plant existed longer than originally thought. The malfunctions occurred during the canning process and prevented spores of Clostridium botulinum from being killed during canning. This allowed the spores to grow and produce the toxin.

Castleberry's Recall Includes Dog Food

Augusta, GA While many people are removing Castleberry products from their kitchen shelves in light of the recent recall due to botulism contamination, they may not realize that the recall also includes several varieties of dog food.

Veggie Booty Recall: Parents Wonder What Food is Safe for Children

Sea Cliff, NY As children recover from Salmonella wandsworth poisoning that developed after they ate Veggie Booty, parents are left wondering whether or not snack foods for their children really are safe. Some parents are filing lawsuits, alleging Robert's American Gourmet, maker of Veggie Booty, breached its duty to consumers by selling food that was not fit for human consumption.

Lawsuit Involving Early Termination Fees Will Proceed

Santa Monica, CA Early termination fees on cell phone contracts are understandable in some situations, but when cell phone carriers charge the fee even when they are the cause of problems, consumers should fight back. Some consumers have started fighting back against companies such as Cingular (now AT&T) for what they say is false and misleading advertising. More and more lawsuits are being filed against cell phone companies that charge unfair early termination fees as people become fed up with ridiculous industry practices.

Consumer groups testify before a House Subcommittee

Santa Monica, CA One person who deals with cell phone complaints frequently is a columnist known as "The Fixer," whose columns appear in the Chicago Sun-Times. According to the section on cell phone tips, many customers write in to complain about early termination fees they encounter when trying to cancel their cell phone contracts.

AT&T in Hot Water Over Early Termination Fees

Washington, DC Even though it was only just released on the market, the Apple iPhone has already drawn criticism from a lawmaker over its early termination fees. The criticism came from Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., who is chairman of a House subcommittee on telecommunications and the Internet. Markey noted, "...you're stuck with your iPhone and you can't take it anywhere."

Restocking Fees: Know Your Rights

Seattle, WA There are thousands and thousands of retail companies to purchase products from and each one has its own policy on restocking fees. Even companies that sell similar products have wildly varying policies. Further complicating things is that some companies have different restocking fees depending on whether a product was purchased online or in-store.

Restocking Fees—What You Can Do

Seattle, WA There are a few things consumers can do to protect themselves from paying unfair restocking fees.

• Find out what a store's policy is before making any purchases. If the policy seems unreasonable and there are similar items in other stores with no restocking fees, shop somewhere else.

Sprint PCS Cell Phone Services

Oakland, CA: Some cell phone companies allegedly try to extend contracts or enforce new ones without the customer's knowledge. An angry customer posted a letter to Foodconsumer.org, detailing his troubles with Sprint PCS cell phone service. The reader notes that he recently received a letter from the cell phone carrier informing him that he has a new contract with Sprint beginning June 16, 2007 and ending June 16, 2009.

Lawsuit Against T-Mobile's Early Termination Fee Gets Go-Ahead

Oakland, CA: Plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against T-Mobile have been given the go-head to continue with a lawsuit after a California court found an arbitration agreement customers had with T-Mobile was unconscionable and unenforceable. The suit alleges that T-Mobile's rules surrounding early termination fees and cell phone locking constituted unfair business practices.

Zelnorm Recalled Internationally

Seattle, WA: Zelnorm, a drug manufactured to treat irritable bowel syndrome, is now being recalled internationally. China is the latest country to issue a recall, announcing last month that it had ordered domestic companies to stop making and selling Zelnorm and warning patients not to take the drug. In the U.S., patients who have taken Zelnorm and suffered adverse reactions are now investigating the possibility of filing lawsuits against Novartis.

Restocking Fees: Lawsuits

Seattle, WA Some states are filing lawsuits against companies that illegally charge restocking fees. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott filed a lawsuit against ASAP Motors claiming the company illegally charged restocking fees. According to court documents the defendant charged a restocking fee of 20 percent on items that were delivered either damaged or defective despite a company policy stating that the restocking fee applied only to non-defective returns.

States Have Rules Regarding Restocking Fees

Seattle, WA As more stores charge restocking fees on retail returns, states are more actively watching companies to ensure restocking fees are being charged legally. Unfortunately, not all companies charge legal restocking fees. Some charge ridiculously high restocking fees while others charge them regardless of whether or not the returned item is defective. Lawyers are now investigating the possibility of a class action lawsuit against companies that alienate their customers by imposing illegal restocking fees.

Owners of Businesses that Hire Illegal Immigrants Arrested

Bangor, ME Businesses that knowingly hire illegal immigrants are increasingly finding themselves as defendants in lawsuits. In addition to suits filed by the government, these companies are now facing claims from employees, alleging the businesses drive down wages by hiring illegal immigrants, and from competitors, who claim the practices violate unfair-competition laws. At the same time, owners and managers are being arrested for hiring undocumented workers.

Retail Restocking Fees: Customers Must Be Notified

Newark, NJ Customers who are unaware that a retail company charges restocking fees are often in for a nasty surprise when they try to return their purchases. In some cases, these restocking fees are charged regardless of whether the return is made because of an error by the company or a defect in the product.

Governments Crack Down on Companies that Hire Illegal Immigrants

Tuscon, AZ: With each day that passes more and more governments are passing laws to crack down on companies that hire illegal immigrants. At the same time, employees are filing their own lawsuits alleging that their employers' illegal practices are causing wages to drop drastically.

Public Interest Groups Fight Cell Phone Termination Fees

Madison, WI: Consumer and public interest groups are becomingly increasingly frustrated with the outrageous practices that cell phone companies are able to get away with; practices such as early cell phone termination fees, double billing, poor service, and high late fees.

Restocking Fees on Returns Commonplace

Seattle, WA Restocking fees on returned items are becoming increasingly common in the retail world. Whereas before they were mainly used on electronic returns, they are now being used in many retail areas including clothing and automobile returns. According to SmartMoney.com, Chrysler's 30-Day Return Program has a restocking fee that is 5% of the vehicle's sticker price. That can run a consumer over a thousand dollars.

Hiring Illegal Immigrants a Common Practice

Kansas City, MO Many workers who are legally hired by companies are becoming frustrated by employers who insist on hiring illegal immigrants, even though the practice is punishable by jail time.

Restocking Fees Should Not Be Charged On Defective Products

Houston, TX Customers who return defective products are usually frustrated about the inconvenience, but some become even more upset when the store they are returning the product to charges them a restocking fee.

Cell Phone Termination Fees: States Consider Consumer Protection

Los Angeles, CA The California State Senate will vote on legislation designed to protect cell phone users in California from early cell phone termination fees and other fraudulent cell phone industry practices. California is one of a number of states that are starting to take action against cell phone companies and their abusive practices.

Restocking Fees Not Always Legitimate

New York, NY If you have ever returned something to a retailer, you probably know that many companies charge restocking fees on returned items. Usually people pay the fee without questioning it, not realizing that there are rules and regulations regarding how and when retail stores can charge restocking fees.

For-Profit Dialysis Centers overuse Anemia Drug

San Francisco, CA: A recent study has found that for-profit dialysis centers are over-using anti-anemia drug Epogen, putting patients at risk of suffering deadly side effects.

March Planned to Honor Pets that Died from Tainted Pet Food

Boston, MA A nationwide memorial march is being planned in honor of the animals that died after eating contaminated pet food. The march is scheduled for April 28. So far marches are planned Boston, Reno, Jacksonville, Uniontown, Portland (Maine) San Diego, Orange County (California) and Austin, with more cities likely to be added before the event.