Category Archives: Consumer Information

Proactive Steps to Protect Your Identity

Written On April 14, 2011 By Bob Kraft

The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts has produced a Web site named TXSafeguard.org, that provides information on protecting your identity from theft, and also tips on steps to take if you believe your identity has been stolen.
The site does offer some very good information, but I assume it’s no coincidence that it went up very [...]

Posted in Consumer Information

Identity Theft

Written On April 5, 2011 By Bob Kraft

Identity theft is not new, but has become much more common in recent years.
It occurs when another person begins wrongfully using your name to obtain credit and incur expenses that will be charged to you. Besides the potential monetary losses, the time and labor involved in correcting records after an identity theft is discovered can [...]

Posted in Consumer Information

J&J Recalls More Tylenol Bottles Due to Musty Odor

Written On April 4, 2011 By Bob Kraft

Johnson & Johnson has been forced to recall another batch of Tylenol due to a musty odor. This same problem has already caused five other recalls of Tylenol by the company.
This recall includes almost 35,000 bottles of Tylenol 8 Hour Extended Release. The lot number, ADM074 appears on the bottom of each bottle.
Johnson & Johnson has recalled [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Medical Bills Need Reconstructive Surgery

Written On March 29, 2011 By Bob Kraft

“Prices are almost always inflated before being routinely discounted. Amid such financial flimflammery, it’s virtually impossible for a patient to be a well-informed consumer of healthcare.”
That was the subtitle of an article in the Los Angeles Times recently. The gist of the article is that medical bills, especially hospital bills, are almost impossible for patients [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Health Insurance

Lasko Recalls Box Fans Due To Fire Hazard

Written On March 28, 2011 By Bob Kraft

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the Lasko Products, Inc., has announced a voluntary recall of almost five million box fans. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.
There is a fire hazard posed by an electrical [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Featured Link – SaferProducts.gov

Written On March 23, 2011 By Bob Kraft

The federal government has launched a terrific Web site to help consumers research products for safety, and to report unsafe products. The site is SaferProducts.gov. There really is a lot of information here, and you should check it out. Here is the description from the site:
SaferProducts.gov is the Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Featured Link, Product Liability or Medical Devices

NHTSA Issues New Safety Guidelines for Children’s Car Seats

Written On March 22, 2011 By Bob Kraft

Maybe it’s because I have three small grandchildren, but these days I find myself paying much more attention to articles about children’s car seats. In recent news, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has revised its child restraint guidelines so that they categorize by age rather than by type of child seat. The result is [...]

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

National Consumer Protection Week

Written On March 9, 2011 By Bob Kraft

We are in the middle of Consumer Protection week, and there is a government Web site dedicated to the education of consumers during this one week of each year. Here is a description from the National Consumer Protection Week site:
National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) is a coordinated campaign that encourages consumers nationwide to take full [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Don’t Be a Victim of Barratry and Solicitation

Written On March 8, 2011 By Bob Kraft

Barratry, or solicitation of personal injury claims, is a large and growing problem in Texas. This type of “ambulance chasing” gives all lawyers a bad name, and should be universally condemned in the legal community. Sadly, the State Bar of Texas generally turns a blind eye to this illegal and unethical practice.
If you are involved [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Law Firm Marketing

FDA Orders Unapproved Cold Drugs Off the Market

Written On March 7, 2011 By Bob Kraft

A story about the Food and Drug Administration pulling hundreds of cold and cough medicines from the market garnered extensive print media coverage, but only one network television station mentioned it. Many of the sources indicated that this action would have minimal or no impact on most consumers. The CBS Evening News (3/2, story 7, [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Prescription Drug Claims

Parents Continue to Give Cough and Cold Medicines to Infants Despite FDA Warnings

Written On February 24, 2011 By Bob Kraft

The Los Angeles Times ran an article last week reporting that dire warnings from the food and Drug Administration have not stopped parents from giving potentially dangerous cough and cold medicines to infants. Here are excerpts:
More than half of parents continue to give over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to children under the age of 2, [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Prescription Drug Claims

Almost 10,000 Infants Injured in Crib Accidents Annually

Written On February 21, 2011 By Bob Kraft

USA Today reports, “More than 9,500 babies and toddlers” go to the emergency department (ED) each year because of injuries related to “cribs, playpens and bassinets,” according to a “19-year” study in the journal Pediatrics. The researchers found that an average of “113 children die each year from these accidents.” Lead author Dr. Gary Smith, [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Consumer Group Seeks Ban on Caramel-Colored Soft Drinks

Written On February 18, 2011 By Bob Kraft

I don’t care what color my Diet Coke is, but please don’t change the taste!
NBC Nightly News reported, “Something a lot of us take a lot of in, caramel coloring, the stuff that makes Coke and Pepsi and other soft drinks so dark. … A consumer group says some versions of caramel coloring contain chemicals [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Recalled Medical Devices Were Mostly Untested

Written On February 16, 2011 By Bob Kraft

Two of the major television networks and a number of newspapers and consumer medical sites discussed a study published online Feb. 14 in the Archives of Internal Medicine about a possible link between fast approval of some medical devices and their subsequent recall. ABC World News reported “a new warning about some of the medical [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Nearly Two Million Baby Monitors Recalled After Infant Deaths

Written On February 15, 2011 By Bob Kraft

Here’s a frightening story — almost 2,000,000 baby monitors produced by Summer Infant have been recalled because two children strangled in their cribs after getting tangled in the devices’ electrical cords. What a terrible thing for a parent to face. This announcement was made by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. One of the deaths was in [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Featured Link – Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Written On February 9, 2011 By Bob Kraft

The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has launched its Web site, and it looks promising. The CFPB will work to ensure that financial companies make the true price clear to consumers so they can make the decisions that are best for them. Companies shouldn’t compete by figuring out how to fool you best. Transparency means [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Featured Link

Mature Driver Advice Helps Aging Drivers Match Vehicles to Physical Changes

Written On January 20, 2011 By Bob Kraft

AAA Texas has a good article on their site about choosing a vehicle for an elderly person to drive. The research for the article was done by AAA in conjunction with the University of Florida’s National Older Driver Research and Training Center (NODRTC).
This is assuming of course that the person is capable of driving safely. [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Vehicle Law or News

Study Says Splitting Pills Can Be Dangerous

Written On January 12, 2011 By Bob Kraft

Here’s something I hadn’t thought about before — a new study claims that the popular money-saving method of buying large pills and splitting them into smaller doses can be dangerous. The study was mentioned in the Los Angeles Times, and the bottom line is that splitting pills, even with a device made for the purpose, [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Albuterol Used in Nebulizers is Recalled

Written On January 5, 2011 By Bob Kraft

This recall notice is from the site WebMD.com:
The Ritedose Corporation has recalled some single-dose vials of Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution because an incorrect label could lead to a possible overdose.
The recall includes 0.083% Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution, 3 mL (in 25-, 30-, and 60-unit dose vials) because the 2.5 mg/3 mL single-use vials are mislabeled [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Featured Link – Safest Vehicles for 2011

Written On December 22, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released its annual list of safest vehicles. You can see the entire list on the Top Safety Picks page.

Posted in Consumer Information, Featured Link, Vehicle Law or News