consumer ally posts

Reports of another infant death due to defective mechanics on a Simplicity brand drop-side crib has the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission calling for wider recalls of the popular, low-priced cribs.

The latest death involved a 7-month-old baby in Princeton, Kentucky. In July an 8-month old in Texas suffocated between the mattress and the side of the crib when a plastic connector on the drop side broke away. The CPSC is aware of at least 25 incidents to date involving the drop side detaching from the cribs, including a total of 11 deaths.

In one of the largest recalls in history, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is calling for the repair of nearly every roman blind and shade amid growing concerns over child strangulation. Tens of millions of these blinds and shades have been sold -- an estimated 8 million each year.

The CPSC said it issued the recall after it tallied five deaths and 16 incidents of near strangulation as a result of cords wrapping around the necks of children. The blinds and shades were already being recalled by the million brand by brand. In fact, 5.5 million were flagged in August.

For the players of Mafia Wars, Vampires, FarmVille and a handful of other Facebook games, the temptation of earning "virtual currency" by clicking on the various offers that popped up on the page was too much to pass up. Unfortunately, what these gamers didn't realize at the time was that the advancement of their virtual characters came at the expense of their own personal bank accounts.

Now, some are fighting back by filing a lawsuit against Facebook and Zynga, the maker of the games. The suit, which is seeking class action status, claims that some offers in the games prompted a series of unauthorized charges or triggered enrollments in programs without the user's knowledge. More than 100,000 people fell victim to these offers, losing more than $5 million, the lawsuit claims.

Following the suffocation deaths of two babies this summer, Amby Baby Motion Beds are being recalled, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

Amby Baby told the CPSC that a 4-month-old girl in Lawrenceville, Ga., died in one of the hammocks in June and a 5-month-old boy from Gresham, Ore., died in August.

Babies are put at risk of suffocating from the side-to-side shifting or tilting of the hammock, the CPSC said in its announcement. The the infant can roll and get trapped against the hammock's fabric or mattress pad and suffocate.

About 24,000 of the Chinese-made infant hammocks were sold online for about $250 between January 2003 and October 2009.

Those who have the hammocks are urged to stop using them immediately until a repair kit is obtained from Amby Baby and the product is fixed.

To contact Amby Baby, call 866-544-9721 weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time or go to the company's Web site.

The Evenflo ExerSaucer 1-2-3 Tea for Me is being recalled due to a part that can detach, putting toddlers at risk of choking.

About 66,000 of the activity centers are part of the recall, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The agency had no comment on the early release of the recall notice, which was sent to retailers.

The contraption involves placing a child who is not yet able to walk in a seat in the middle, which rotates, allowing the toddler to play with a variety of different toys around the ExerSaucer's rim.

The recall will only affect the 1-2-3 Tea for Me version, which include an eraser-like candle flame atop a toy cake that can be pulled off by a child and swallowed.

According to the recall notice sent to retailers, Evenflo received 11 complaints of the flame detaching from the Chinese-made product before proceeding with a recall in both the U.S. and Canada. The affected model numbers are 6161834 and 6161920.

The toys were sold at Toys R Us and other stores nationwide for about $70 between December 2007 and March 2009.

Those who have the ExerSaucer that is being recalled should immediately remove the cake toy and contact Evenflo at 1-800-233-5921 on Thursday or thereafter weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time to get a replacement toy.

Check the status of this and other Evenflo product safety campaigns by going to the company's product safety page here.

This post was updated on December 8, 2009 to reflect the recall.

Every can of the diet aid Slim-Fast sold in the United States is being recalled after dangerous bacteria was discovered by the manufacturer during a routine inspection, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced. A recall of the diet drinks is also being instituted in Canada.

Consumer products giant Unilever United States, Inc., which owns the Slim-Fast brand, said an unknown portion of an estimated 10 million ready-to-drink cans are tainted with Bacillus cereus, a micro-organism that can cause diarrhea, nausea and/or vomiting. The company said it's recalling every can of Slim-Fast drinks, spanning some 50 varieties, as a precaution and urges consumers to discard them. Other Slim-Fast products -- such as meal replacement bars and powdered drink mixes -- are not included in the recall.

Three different types of wooden toys made by Connecticut-based Melissa & Doug have been recalled in Canada after Canadian officials said they tested them and found excessive levels of barium in the paint.

Health Canada, the government organization that's responsible for consumer health and safety issues, recently announced the recalls of the following products:

• Slice and Bake Cookie Set
• Shape Sorting Cube
• Pound-a-Peg

"Some forms of barium are safely used in medical and commercial applications, while other forms of barium can be toxic, causing adverse health effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and cramps as well as more severe symptoms," Health Canada said in its announcement. "Children's toys coated with paint containing barium in excess of the allowable limit are strictly prohibited in Canada."

Bad news for people hoping to use their pricey, recently purchased ranges to roast turkeys or bake pies for Thanksgiving. High-end ranges sold under the Kenmore and Electrolux brands are being recalled after they were found to leak carbon monoxide gas when the oven is in use.

The Electrolux Icon and Kenmore Pro 30-inch gas ranges made in Canada by Electrolux Home Products have a part that allows delivery of more fuel than the oven burners can handle, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said. The result of the incomplete combustion is the release of carbon monoxide.

Electrolux told the CPSC that about 900 of the ranges have the problem. They were sold from August 2008 through October 2009 for $2,500 to $3,500.

The company said it had received four reports of carbon monoxide leaks.

According to the CPSC, those who have the ranges can continue to use the stove and broiler, but should not use the oven.

The free-standing ranges being recalled are limited to the Electrolux Icon model E30GF74HPS and
Kenmore Pro 30" Gas Range models 790.76913800 and 790.76913801 with following number range: NF83000000 – NF93633000.

Consumers can find the Electrolux model and serial number in the back of the range. The Kenmore model and serial number can be found near the range's base beneath the bottom right part of the oven door -- as well as in the rear.

For more information, those with the Electrolux range should call Electrolux weekdays between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. ET at (888) 360-8557 and Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., or visit the Web site set up for the recall. Those who have the Kenmore model should cal Sears at (800) 733-2299 between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday.

Pharmacy giant CVS has agreed to pay $875,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by the state of New York that alleged the chain routinely sold expired food, drugs and other outdated products, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said.

California settled a similar case with CVS five months ago.

"New Yorkers should not have to worry that their neighborhood pharmacy is selling expired over-the-counter drugs that may be harmful to themselves or their families," Cuomo said in a written statement. "Today's settlement with CVS and our past settlement with Rite Aid - which total approximately $2 million --send the message that companies have a responsibility to put the safety of their customers ahead of boosting their profits."

UPDATED (12/1)
The elusive Zhu Zhu Pets faux hamsters continue to tease those who covet them. They show up at a handful of major retailers and disappear as quickly as they showed up. Most Zhu Zhu hunters didn't even know they were there.

Such is the life of the hot toy of the year -- following the likes of Furby and Tickle Me Elmo in the annals of toys whose scarcity was part of their allure.

Zhu Zhu Pet mania is bordering on the absurd -- creating a secondary market where the tantalizingly inexpensive toys ($8 at Walmart) become, well, expensive toys (about $60 for one on Amazon.com).

Nokia is recalling an estimated 14 million cell phone chargers the company says might be defective and could cause users to get shocked.

The Finnish mobile telecommunications giant said it found the defect through its own quality control program and has not had any reports of any incidents involving the chargers. The problem with the chargers, Nokia said, is that the covers can come off and expose the internal components.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the normal conduit for recalls of this type, was not party to this announcement and a spokesman for the safety agency did not immediately have a comment on the recall. It is not immediately clear how many of the recalled chargers were sold in the U.S.

Nokia is offering anyone with the affected chargers a new charger in exchange for the recalled ones. Nokia has a web site dedicated to the exchange program.

The company blamed the problem with the chargers on a supplier, BYD Co. -- run by Wang Chuanfu, who Forbes says is the wealthiest man in China. All the chargers being recalled were made this year.

Nokia said the chargers subject to the recall are: AC-3E and AC-3U models, manufactured between June and Aug. 9, 2009; and the AC-4U model, manufactured between April 13 and Oct. 25.

Nokia's recall site shows customers how to identify their charger model and determine whether it needs to be replaced. If the charger is subject to the recall, Nokia urges consumers to stop using it until the new charger arrives.

PetSmart stores are warning dog owners to protect their pooches from getting salmonella from some treats sold at its stores, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said.

Two types of Dentley beef hooves sold between Oct. 2 and Nov. 3 are being recalled over fears they could be contaminated with the bacteria. They are:

• Dentley's Bulk Cattle Hoof UPC# 73725703323
• Dentley's 10 Pack Beef Hooves UPC# 73725736055

Both have a use-by date of Oct. 14, 2012.

The FDA said that although the products were shipped from the Pet Carousel manufacturing plant to only three PetSmart regional distribution centers, the company was pulling the product from its stores nationwide as a precaution.

Consumers who have the products should not feed them to their pets, and should return them to any PetSmart store for a refund. Those who have fed them to their dogs and are concerned should contact a veterinarian.

Dogs do not necessarily show the same signs of salmonella poisoning as humans, but can suffer from diarrhea and have other symptoms.

For additional information, visit PetSmart's site, the FDA site or call PetSmart 1-888-839-9638.

Nearly one million Roman window shades are being recalled -- most sold by Bed Bath and Beyond and IKEA -- following three near strangulations, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

Infants and young children can become entangled in the exposed inner cord of the shades. About 5.5 million similar shades were recalled in August. Repair kits are being offered to help consumers make the shades safe.

Dear WalletPop:

I bought a compact Galaxy refrigerator from Sears by phone. Milk sours in this compact refrigerator in 1-2 days and the temperature is always in the danger zone (50-65, and higher on the hottest days). Because of this, I have used a small zippered lunch-size container into which I put a small jar of milk and ice packs, and then put the whole thing in the Galaxy every night so that I can have coffee and breakfast upstairs while checking my email each morning.

I liked it because it is quiet. But a technician who handles warranty service for Sears told me it is quiet because there is no compressor in it and it cannot keep food cold enough to eat safely if there is no compressor. He said it isn't a refrigerator; it is a cooler. I paid about $145 for this item thinking it was a refrigerator. It says it is a refrigerator on the manual. The salesman said it was a refrigerator.

More than 600,000 Halloween flashlights sold at Target stores nationwide in August and September are being recalled following a story on WalletPop.com about them overheating and burning -- just days before kids head out for trick-or-treating.

The recall being announced today by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission includes both the flashlights that WalletPop detailed on Oct. 1 -- a three-pack of mini flashlights -- as well as a second set of flashlights with stencils that project six different Hallloween images. Chicago TV station WBBM revealed the problems with those flashlights.

Consumers are asked to bring the Chinese-made flashlights back to any Target store for a full refund. The flashlights can overheat and melt, posing a risk of burns. Eight incidents were reported, including one child who was burned, the CPSC said.