Consumer Reports articles from September 2004

Consumer Reports archives from September 2004

A united front in the war on spam.(have you heard?)
September 1, 2004... Post a "No Solicitors" sign on your home and door-to-door salespeople shouldn't date to knock of ring. It's illegal to send unsolicited ads to your fax machine. And thanks to the National Do Not Call Registry, many unwanted telephone sales...

Gas savers: they still don't work.(You Asked/We Tested)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2004... With gas prices still high, readers have asked us to weight in on products that promise better fuel economy. We tested three: Fuel Genie, Platinum Gas Saver, and Tornado. Our advice: Don't waste your money. They don't work. This isn't...

Wine in a box gets serious.(Up front: news trends advice)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2004... Time was, if you served boxed wine at a party, you got a bad reputation, while your guests probably got bad wine. Today wines sold in a box are increasingly going "premium": They bear a vintage year and are made by producers associated with...

Suzuki lawsuit dismissed.(Up front: news trends advice)(Suzuki Motor Corp)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... A U.S. District Court judge in California has dismissed Suzuki Motor Corp.'s lawsuit against Consumers Union, publisher of CONSUMER REPORTS, after both sides agreed to disagree about a CU test. At issue was a road test of the Suzuki Samarai...

Back to school: is your dorm fire-safe?(Up front: news trends advice)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... More than 2,000 blazes are reported each year in student housing, fire-safety groups say. Since 2000, some 60 students and others have died. These tips can help prevent dorm fires or accidents: CHECK OUT THE ROOM * Older buildings may...

A fridge of dubious value.(Up front: new trends advice)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2004... The Kenmore Elite K2 4210 refrigerator, designed as a home's second fridge for, say, an unheated garage, solves a confounding problem many refrigerators have when they're out in the cold: They don't run often enough. When the weather's cool,...

Some new 'smart' cell phones need remedial help.(Up front: news trends advice)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2004... Combine a wireless phone with a personal digital assistant, or PDA, and yon get a device that promises to do it all: keep your personal information in one place while functioning as a "smart" phone for calls, text messages, an appointment...

Kodak ColorLast printer paper.(Claim Check)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2004... The claim: Kodak Ultima Picture paper with ColorLast ("ColorLast" distinguishes it from the old paper) makes for "brilliant color photos that last over 100 years." The check: No, we didn't use a time machine. We bought several brands of...

Your preparedness guide for any emergency.(home front)
September 1, 2004... Last summer's widespread power outages in the Northeast and raging wildfires in the West, this spring's tornadoes in the Midwest, and the ongoing threat of terror attacks throughout the country are reminders of the need to take reasonable steps...

The best hotels.(your letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I really enjoyed your July report "Hotels: Get the Best for Less." I couldn't agree more with your suggestion about negotiating with the reservations clerk. About 15 years ago I was a sales rep in South Carolina and routinely had to call on...

Food review.(your letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I want to thank you for your immensely helpful article in July on soy foods, especially the information on isoflavone levels in many brands. I am vegetarian, so I rely on and enjoy many soy foods. But I also need to keep my isoflavone...

A burning question.(your letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I believe you omitted a critical evaluation in your report on alternative decking: How hot do they get? I have a wooden deck in Rhode Island, and I can comfortably walk barefoot even after it has been in the 90-degree sun all day. But in my...

More Useless Insurance.(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... In "10 Insurance Policies You Don't Need," in the July issue, I was surprised that one was missing: so-called pre-need policies sold by funeral homes. In my opinion, this is an area fraught with untruths and, in some cases, outright scams. ...

Reader beware.(your letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I was interested in the item "Readers Seeing Red" on your Selling It page in July. I subscribe to a number of respected magazines and periodicals, and I am noticing that some eliminate of cleverly code the expiration of the subscription on the...

Lead hazard prompts the largest toy recall.(recalls & safety alerts)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The Consumer Product Safety Commission and four importers are urging consumers to discard 150 million inexpensive metal toy rings, necklaces, and bracelets. Many contain potentially dangerous levels of lead, a toxic metal that can cause health...

Vehicles and equipment.(recalls & safety alerts)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... '01-03 Ford Escape Engine could stall while decelerating at slow speed. Models: 321,903 sport-utility vehicles with 3.0-liter V6 engines made 1/00 to 9/02. Hazard exists when vehicle is decelerating at speeds below 40 mph. Fuel-air...

Electronic products.(recalls & safety alerts)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Combination auto-air power adapter for Dell notebook computers Adapter could accommodate power cords not designed for use with device. If such a cord is used, adapter poses electric-shock hazard. Models: 28,000 adapters sold 12/03 to...

Children's products.(recalls & safety alerts)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Costo Rock 'N Roner baby stroller Seat could partially detach from its frame, causing infant to be injured in a fall. Products: 300,000 strollers sold 4/96 through 8/02 at Wal-Mart, Kmart, Sears, Toys "R" Us, Target, JC Penney, Service...

Protect yourself online.(CR Investigates)(Illustration)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2004... Shielding your computer from online hazards is no longer an option. It's a necessity. What were once annoyances--viruses and spam--have become major concerns. To investigate these and other risks online users face, we conducted two...

Computers power up, prices down.(Home Computing Section)(Illustration)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2004... It's easy to find fast, powerful, reasonably priced computers. Our latest tests of 29 desktop and laptop computers show that there's plenty of speed and power even at the low end of the price scale. However, two major developments will...

Printers broader choices.(Home Computing Section)(Illustration)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2004... Households with only one printer most likely have an inkjet for tasks as varied as reports, T-shirt transfers, and digital photos. That approach has tended to involve higher costs or mixed quality. But you may no longer have to compromise. ...

Fast food: adding health to the menu.(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2004... The health message is back. With no small fanfare, McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's have reintroduced entree salads; KFC is once again offering a nonfried chicken meal; and Taco Bell is letting customers substitute salsa for cheese and...

A cheap bottle beats a pricier lineup.(Olive oil)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2004... What's the difference between a $4 bottle of olive oil and a $20 bottle? Often, not much more than $16 and fancy packaging. In blind taste tests of 18 extra-virgin olive oils--national and store brands plus boutique oils from California--we...

Surviving the 'hard market' in home owners insurance.(CR Investigates)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2004... You used to be able to take homeowners insurance for granted. No longer. According to a study by the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers Association of America, some 51 million households received price hikes from 2001 to 2003. Worse, an...

Interior paints a show of colors.(Illustration)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2004... It's easy to find a high-quality paint. Lowe's and Home Depot, along with several chains of company-owned stores, sell excellent lines. It's also becoming easier to find the right color. You no longer have to choose your paint based only on a...

Steam irons: a few new wrinkles.(Illustration)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2004... Better performance, more features, and new choices can make ironing less of a chore. Among the trends smoothing the way to a crisp look are: Better steaming. There's nothing like steam to tame wrinkles, softening up the fabric for the...

Safer alternatives to Zelnorm.(health)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2004... Those bare-belly TV and print ads for tegaserod maleate (Zelnorm) are apparently effective, at least according to Novartis, the drug's manufacturer. The company says an increasing number of women are talking with their doctors and getting...

'Black-box' drug warnings.(drug wise)(Illustration)
September 1, 2004... Some prescription-drug warnings are so grave that they're displayed in black-bordered boxes on package inserts. If you're taking one of the top-selling "black box" drugs, listed below, don't stop taking it on your own, but do discuss options...

Toxic to toddlers.(Did You Know?)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Accidental ingestion of just one pill or teaspoonful of certain drugs is toxic enough to kill a 22-pound child. Forty percent of toddler deaths reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers between 1990 and 2000 involved such...

A spotless car wash without hand-drying.(cars)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2004... We tested the Mr. Clean AutoDry and found it to be an effective aid in preventing water spots and eliminating the chore of hand-drying your vehicle after a wash. Water spots form when droplets evaporate from a vehicle's exterior and leave...

Paying for premium gas can be a waste of money.(Did You Know?)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Many people use premium gasoline in the belief that it's better for engines than regular. That can be a costly mistake, especially during times of high fuel prices. Octane grades don't represent a "good, better, best" choice; they simply...

Should you switch Medicare plans?(money)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2004... It's decision time for the millions of Americans enrolled in Medicare. The question: Should you stay or should you go? The alternative to traditional Medicare--154 private health plans collectively called "Medicare Advantage"--just became a lot...

Private plans are offering more benefits and reducing costs.(Did You Know?)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
September 1, 2004... Private plans are offering more benefits and reducing costs Here are some ways that top Medicare Advantage providers have Improved their plans. Plan & location Change in coverage HUMANA SENIOR ADVANTAGE Deductibles...

High-priced thrills: the $50,000, high-performance Audi S4 and BMW M3 top our sports-car ratings, while blending fun and practicality.(Sports Cars)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2004... The Audi S4 and BMW M3 sped to the top of our sports car ratings this month. Although the two are different in character and driving behavior, their overall test scores, based on more than 45 individual evaluations, were a virtual tie. Both...

Audi S4.(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2004... HIGHS | Acceleration, braking, four-door practicality, fit and finish, controls and displays. LOWS | Rear seat, handling not much better than other A4s. The S4 is an excellent overall package, but it isn't as sporty or exciting to...

BMW M3.(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2004... HIGHS | Acceleration, handling, braking, fit and finish. LOWS | Hard to drive smoothly, noise, rear seat. The M3 is virtually a race car that feels most at home on a track, but it's not the easiest car to drive smoothly in normal...

Cadillac CTS-V.(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2004... HIGHS | Acceleration, handling, steering, braking, four doors. LOWS | Safety belts, fuel economy, no telescopic steering wheel, complicated multifunction controls, power-window switches. The Cadillac CTS-V combines the practicality of a...

Pontiac GTO.(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2004... HIGHS | Acceleration, rear-seat comfort, V8 sound. LOWS | Imprecise shifter, heavy clutch, braking, access, fuel economy, trunk space. The Pontiac GTO is very quick and has a great-sounding V8. It doesn't have the agility and handling...

Compare: performance / specifications / safety.(Illustration)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2004... Performance specifications safety BMW 3 SERIES AUDI A4 CR RECOMMENDED VERSION TESTED TRIM LINE S4 M3 ...

Cell-phone users' bill of rights.(View point: the consumers union perspective)
September 1, 2004... A year ago in this column, we detailed the growing problems that consumers face in the wireless phone industry Billing mistakes, dropped calls, poor reception. indifferent customer service, exorbitant contract termination fees--a long list of...

Ironing out the kinks.(then & now)(Brief Article)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2004... The year 1951 was a bust as far as steam Irons go. Consider the Silex in the photo at left: The soleplate melted in our tests, which led us to rata the model Not Acceptable. Introduction of home steam irons a few years earlier had been greeted...

Double-take awards.(Selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... These directions came with a child's ride-on toy. Perhaps kids can climb on when the toy is slightly moist. A bookseller's ad for a cookbook describes its recipes. We'd suggest omitting the last ingredient. The British Columbia reader...

No phone attached either.(Selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... Wouldn't this missive from Nextel make you think the phone was a thank-you gift? It's not. The thank-you gift is just that--gratitude--as the flip side makes clear: "At Nextel, we realize that we owe you something; our thanks for being a loyal...

How about watery flatland?(Selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... The snow-capped, Alp-like peak looming over the name Ice Mountain makes for a nice picture, but it's now where this bottled water comes from. The label states that the water emerges from a spring in Mecosta County, Michigan. And the highest...

Get poor quicker.(Selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... For as little as $4,600 per month, the ad says, you can reap the benefits of jet ownership. What's that, you say? There's an asterisk? Turns out there will be modest extra charges, including a monthly fee of $6,485 and an hourly rate of $1,760....

Too hungry to diet? Too tired to exercise? Too tall?(Selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... "Its miraculous: The "after" woman not only lost 23 1/2 pounds; she seems to have shrunk a couple of feet. A Florida reader also appreciated the new location of this weight-loss center.

It's a candle, for Pete's sake.(Selling it: goofs / glitches / gotchas)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2004... A Nebraska reader submitted these instructions. How in the world did our forebears survive without burning the house down? Come to think of it, with all that candle-tending, when did they find the time to beget descendants?