Category Archives: Consumer Information

Featured Link – Healthcare Blue Book

Written On September 2, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The information at HealthcareBlueBook.com might be among the first of many such sites to come. It purports to tell consumers what the average fee should be for various medical procedures. Here is the description from the site:
Blue Book Information
The Healthcare Blue Book is provided free to consumers. The Healthcare Blue Book price represents a fair [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Featured Link, Medical and Health Resources

Toyota Recalls Corolla and Matrix Models as NHTSA Investigates Engine Stalls

Written On August 30, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The AP reports, “Toyota recalled 1.33 million Corolla sedans and Matrix hatchbacks in the US and Canada Thursday because their engines may stall,” noting that this is one of the largest Toyota recalls since its safety crisis began last year. Meanwhile, GM “is recalling 200,000 Pontiac Vibes in North America due to the same problem, GM [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices, Vehicle Law or News

Circuit Breaker Model is Defective and Potentially Dangerous

Written On August 27, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Here is a very short summary of a very important article from the Dallas Morning News. If you live in an older home in North Texas you need to check your circuit breaker box to make sure it’s not a Federal Pacific Stab-Lok model. I checked ours, and we’re safe, but if you do have [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Safety Tips

FDA Raises Safety Concerns About Potential Fibromyalgia Drug

Written On August 19, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Wall Street Journal reports that the FDA revealed safety concerns about Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s potential fibromyalgia drug Rekinla (sodium oxybate), which faces a review on Friday from the FDA’s arthritis and drug-safety advisory committees. The drug is currently approved to treat narcolepsy under the brand name Vyrem, but would be dosed in a different way [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Prescription Drug Claims

Featured Link – Dallas County Criminal Background Search

Written On August 19, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Are you a little suspicious of that guy who just moved in across the street from you? There are several Web sites where you can do a criminal background search for a small fee, but now in Dallas County you can do a search for free. This is a service of the county, and you [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Featured Link

Preliminary NHTSA Report Finds No New Defects in Toyota Electronic Systems

Written On August 12, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The Department of Transportation’s preliminary findings from investigation into the data records of 58 Toyotas involved in unintended acceleration incidents received heavy media coverage, including over two minutes of airtime, total, between segments on all three major networks, as well as articles in major national papers, including one front-page article. The reports focused on the [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices, Vehicle Law or News

Honda’s Recall Could Signal An Industry-Wide Problem

Written On August 11, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Honda Motor Company has announced a recall of almost 400,000 vehicles that have potential problems with their ignition interlock systems. The recall includes about 200,000 Accords and more than 100,000 Civics from 2003 and about 70,000 Elements from 2003 and 2004. The ignition interlock on any vehicle is supposed to keep the driver from removing the ignition [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices, Vehicle Law or News

High Risk of Supplements Gets Exposed Again

Written On August 6, 2010 By Bob Kraft

It was disconcerting, to say the least, to read that Consumer Reports magazine, in its latest issue, labeled a dozen supplements as dangerous — especially because I have taken some of those supplements myself. USA Today agrees with my concern, and wrote about it in an editorial. Here are excerpts:
We Americans do love our dietary [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Prescription Drug Claims, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Tainted Food Sometimes Remains on Shelves Despite Recalls

Written On July 29, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Far too often, food contaminated during the manufacturing process is recalled, but word of the recall never reaches consumers or even the owners of grocery stores, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune. Here are some disturbing excerpts from the story:
Until three years ago, Kenneth Maxwell enjoyed Banquet chicken and turkey pot pies so much [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Has Your Lawyer Been Disciplined?

Written On July 19, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Courtesy of FindLaw, there is a list of appropriate agencies in each state that can tell you, usually online, whether a lawyer has been disciplined in that state. In Texas you just visit the State Bar site. Here is an explanation from FindLaw:
An important step in evaluating whether an attorney is right for you is [...]

Posted in Bar Associations and Legal Groups, Consumer Information

Government Recalls More Children’s Jewelry Due to Toxic Cadmium

Written On July 7, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The latest recall of toxic cadmium toys involves some distributed, ironically, by doctors and dentists. These were little trinkets given to kids for being good patients during their office visit. I used to get a lollipop when I was a kid, and that apparently was much safer.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Officials Worry About Consumers Lost Among the Recalls

Written On July 6, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Are U.S. consumers becoming “jaded” by the recent onslaught of product recalls? Are we at the point where we just don’t pay attention? That’s the question asked by the Washington Post in a recent article. It’s an important question, because the defective product in each of the many recalls could have a devastating effect on [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Two Million More Baby Cribs Recalled

Written On June 29, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of more than two million baby cribs from seven manufacturers. The recall is to give the companies time to investigate entrapment, suffocation, and fall hazards previously linked to drop-side cribs. The manufacturers will provide free repair kits to immobilize the drop sides of the cribs.
The recalls were [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Featured Link – KnowYourStuff.org

Written On June 25, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The Insurance Information Institute has set up a helpful Web site called Know Your Stuff. It provides an easy way to enter information about items in your home so in case of a loss you’ll be able to prove to your insurance company what you owned, and have some idea of what it cost. The [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Featured Link, Insurance Information

Company Involved in G.M. Recall Said the Problem is Not Solved

Written On June 15, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Last week General Motors recalled more than one million vehicles because GM said a system that heated the windshield-washer fluid could cause fires. Now there is some new troubling information. Apparently the maker of the windshield-washer system, Micro-Heat, is claiming that it is not to blame for the defect, and further says that GM owners [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices, Vehicle Law or News

Blue Cross Blue Shield Sues Pfizer Over Drug Marketing and Illegal Kickbacks

Written On June 14, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, which is the largest health insurer in Texas, has filed suit in federal court in Texas against Pfizer Inc. for deceptive marketing of drugs and for illegal kickbacks to doctors.
The suit alleges that Pfizer promoted the sale of Bextra, an anti-inflammatory drug, for several uses that the government had declined [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Prescription Drug Claims

McDonald’s Will Refund $3 for “Shrek” Glasses

Written On June 10, 2010 By Bob Kraft

I wrote here about the recall of 12,000,000 “Shrek” glasses by McDonald’s. Now the company has agreed to refund $3.00 to anyone who purchased a glass from them.
This is fairly generous, as the glasses cost $1.99 with a food purchase and $2.49 alone. Of course to get the refund, customers must return the glasses to [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Suicide Warnings Strengthened for Two Drugs

Written On June 9, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The drug maker Johnson & Johnson recently strengthened warnings about the risk of suicide with both Ultram and Ultracet painkillers. The impetus was the fact that deaths were reported in patients with histories of emotional disturbance or drug abuse. These drugs are especially dangerous when combined with alcohol use or with other prescription medication.
The new warnings [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Prescription Drug Claims

McDonald’s Recalls 12,000,000 Cadmium-Tainted Shrek Glasses

Written On June 7, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The Associated Press is one of many news outlets reporting on the recall by McDonald’s of 12,000,000 “Shrek” drinking glasses because they may be contaminated with cadmium. The cadmium is in the paint on the outside of the glasses, which of course are intended for use by kids. If you received one of these glasses [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

More Good News on Drop-Side Cribs

Written On May 25, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Word is finally out on the dangers of drop-side cribs. The industry has started phasing out production of the cribs, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has pledged to ban the sale of them by the end of the year, and now legislation is to be introduced in Congress to outlaw the manufacture, sale, and re-sale [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices