Choice (Chippendale, Australia) articles from July 2008

Choice (Chippendale, Australia) archives from July 2008

Food labels made easier.(Comment)
July 1, 2008... On any trip to the supermarket we're bombarded with products claiming to be 'cholesterol-free', '97% fat-free', containing 'no added sugar', and so on. Savvy CHOICE readers know to take such claims with a grain of salt and turn to the nutrition...

Can you help? Better deal for your mortgage.(Consumer news)
July 1, 2008... Are you wondering if your mortgage is still the best deal since interest rates went up? We're looking for case studies for an article on refinancing your home loan. We'll send you to two mortgage brokers and your own lender, and we'll do...

TV alert! New TV test results on CHOICE extra.(Consumer news)
July 1, 2008... These days, televisions appear on the market and disappear again with alarming speed. To get our latest test of 127 cm TVs to you as soon as possible--in time for the Olympic Games--we'll put the results on choiceextra.com.au some time around...

Iodised bread, anyone? Iodine deficiency has been increasing in Australia for some time, risking the health of thousands of children.(THYROID HEALTH)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Iodine is a chemical required by the body for normal growth and development. Amazingly, we only need a teaspoon over our lifetime, but the thyroid gland can't store this amount, so we must regularly consume small...

Victorian judge slams unfair gym contracts: a Victorian fitness centre was found to have breached consumer protection laws by imposing unfair contract terms on its members.(UNFAIR CONTRACTS)
July 1, 2008... In a legal decision that's expected to shake up gym contract terms, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) has found the former operator of a Melbourne fitness club in breach of the Fair Trading Act 1999 by using "unfair" terms...

Proposed piracy policy: music industry demands ISPs block illegal downloaders.(ILLEGAL INTERNET DOWNLOADS)
July 1, 2008... The Australian music industry is pressuring the Federal Government to crack down on music piracy by forcing internet service providers (ISPs) to suspend or cancel internet access of those who are suspected of downloading pirated music. The...

Overly fishy tuna: there's good news about overfishing, but environmentally aware consumers still need to be wary when choosing tuna.(FISHING)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Some species of tuna are being overfished around the world. So it's good news that two tuna fisheries have received Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. Unfortunately, the certified fish won't make it to...

Reverse mortgage update: a number of reverse mortgage providers have suspended their products--what does this mean for you?(FINANCE)
July 1, 2008... While we were writing our analysis of reverse mortgages (CHOICE June 2008) we found that some financial institutions have responded to the global credit crisis by suspending their reverse mortgage products. Due to the increase in the cost of...

Health rules, OK: Kogarah Council joins New York City in leading the way by looking to legislate for healthier eating options in restaurants.(EATING OUT)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In what may be a sign of things to come, some restaurants and fast-food outlets in New York City must now post calorie information for each item on menus, menu boards, item tags and on menu lists at drive-through...

Corrections.(Consumer news)(Correction notice)
July 1, 2008... (1) PRINTERS, JUNE 2008 In the article on all-in-one printers on page 56, we stated that none of the tested models could fax, but the Brother MFC-685CW, MFC-260C, MFC-235C, Canon MX300, Dell 948, HP C7280 and Lexmark X6570 printers do have...

Clarification.(Consumer news)(Correction notice)
July 1, 2008... FOOD ADDITIVES, MAY 2008 One of the products shown in the image on page 28 is KELLOGG'S Nutri-Grain. KELLOGG'S Nutri-Grain does not contain any of the food additives we specifically refer to in this article.

Buck stops here.(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... A new dispute-resolution body has been launched to provide a 'one-stop shop' for consumers to lodge complaints about financial services providers. The Financial Ombudsman Service is a merger of the Insurance Ombudsman Service, the Financial...

Metal attraction.
July 1, 2008... Following local and overseas reports of serious injuries to children after swallowing magnets which had come loose from toys, the NSW Products Safety Committee is conducting an inquiry. Swallowed magnets can cause damage to intestines,...

Bordeaux popper with your baguette?
July 1, 2008... A daring French winemaker has taken packaging innovation to the extreme by launching wine in 250 mL juice boxes, Cordier Mestrezat hopes the new product will attract young workers who might opt for a carton of wine to go with their lunchtime...

MacBook Air: the MacBook Air is Apple's first ultraportable computer, and the world's thinnest notebook, according to the company. Does it live up to the hype?(ULTRAPORTABLE COMPUTER)
July 1, 2008... MacBook Air Price 1.6 GHz (with 80 GB HDD): $2499 * 1.8 GHz (with 64 GB SSD) $4338 Good points * Very lightweight and compact * Full-sized screen * Full-sized backlit keyboard. Bad points * No optical drive (can be bought...

Keep it buckled.(SEATBELT BUCKLE GUARD)(Hurphy Durphy Seatbelt Buckle Guard)(Product/service evaluation)
July 1, 2008... Most child car restraints (baby capsules, infant seats and booster seats) use the car's seatbelt to anchor them in place. If that seatbelt is unbuckled--perhaps by an inquisitive child sitting next to the restraint, or when it's accidentally...

Saucepans.(Coming)
July 1, 2008... Our test results will help you decide whether to go down the non-stick or stainless steel route with your saucepans. We cooked real-life recipes as you would at home in 13 different 20 cm saucepans--you might be surprised when you read the...

Tyres.(Coming)
July 1, 2008... You don't have to replace your car's tyres with the same brand it came with, but how do you know which brand is best? At CHOICE, we've done the research for you. We put 15 sets of tyres through braking, cornering and noise tests so you can...

Cordless phones.(Coming)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Portability counts for a lot these days, so we've looked at cordless phones with answering machines. You can spend anything from $60 to $230 but our tests showed that price and performance aren't directly related. So when you part with your...

Are you a CHOICE snob?(Letters: Emails)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2008... I read in the April issue about the increased pleasure wine snobs derive from drinking an expensive wine even when lower-priced alternatives score better in blind taste tests. Last Christmas I bought a case of sparkling wine on a CHOICE...

Bigger--and meaner.(Letters: Emails)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2008... After reading about the Citibank changes (In brief, CHOICE, May 2008), I thought I'd let you know that Bendigo Bank is introducing a $45 annual fee for its Bendigo Red Credit Card from 24 June this year. I used Bendigo's fee-free credit...

Diamond cut matters.(Letters: Emails)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Your article about diamonds (CHOICE, April 2008) mentioned that different diamond cuts "... don't make a difference to a stone's value". This is misleading. Diamonds of cuts other than round brilliant are...

Consumer survey: what influences your purchasing decisions.(Letters: Emails)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2008... (1) I've just completed your survey about buying habits and whether ethical issues dictate what we buy. These are important issues to discuss, but often we have no idea--and no way of finding out--the production conditions or the ability to...

Happily ever after?(Letters: Emails)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2008... (1) We bought a Samsung front-loader washing machine. While the machine scored highly in your tests based on its features and price, when something goes wrong, the after-sales service is important and Samsung's is terrible. We've had many...

Thumbs up!(Letters: Emails)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2008... * Hoping for advice on where to buy a replacement lid for a Decor sports bottle, Tracey Mallyon contacted the company, which sent her a new one at no cost. * When Maree Colbran pointed out that the mince from her local Woolworths contained...

Cardboard: coffin conundrum.(LETTER OF THE MONTH)(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2008... I'm writing to express my disgust over the price of funerals in general but specifically the price of cardboard coffins. As my father died recently, I made inquiries into cardboard coffins. The funeral home in Sydney said that a cardboard...

Free-range phony? How free are the hens that lay 'free-range' eggs? Our CHOICE investigation shows that big producers have redefined 'free range' to suit themselves.(Food: Free-range eggs)(Cover story)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Do you pay extra for free-range eggs hoping the chooks that laid them have a better life? Or maybe there's a chance that they'll taste better or be more nutritious than cage eggs? The cartons may have pictures of...

Volatile super: your June statement might show the worst return in years. Will you have enough money to retire? Should you switch investment options to manage stockmarket risks?(Money: Superannuation)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] After four years of annual growth ranging from 14% to 27%, Australian shares have declined in value in 2008. In fact, by June 5 the value of the S&P/ASX 200 index had fallen by more than 12% this year. International...

Raising the stakes: some of the Big Four banks' credit card interest rates are now above 20%--more than double that of some other credit cards.(Money: Superannuation)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's not only home-loan borrowers who are hurting under high interest rates, but credit card holders as well. The Big Four banks have lifted the interest rates on some rewards cards to over 20%. If your card has a...

Getting around on a bike: cycling is booming in Australia--not just for recreation but for transport. Getting from A to B by bike is becoming safer, more convenient, more fun and cooler.(Transport: Bikes)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] You can spend nearly 20% of your life on your car-working to pay for it, buying petrol, insurance, tolls... plus driving it, parking it and sitting in traffic. About half of the car trips in Australian cities...

Toy story: when more than half a million toys were recalled last year, parents understandably got very worried. Our CHOICE survey found that safety is only part of the issues we all face when we buy toys for our children.(CHOICE survey: Toy industry)(Survey)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Due to pressures from non-government organisations (NGOs), trade unions and consumer organisations such as CHOICE, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an essential part of the international business...

Who eats a healthy diet? Too much salt, not enough water, fish or vitamins ... that's what CHOICE's expert dietitian discovered when our six volunteers' diets were analysed. So how would you go?(Food: Healthy eating)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] If you got a phone call from CHOICE asking, "Would you record everything that you eat--honestly--for a week, and then let us dissect and discuss what we find?", would you say, "Sure, when do I start?" Six brave...

Do we pay more than just lip service? Two-thirds of Australians think of themselves as environmentalists. But how do labour conditions in developing countries affect our purchasing decisions? CHOICE surveyed 1000 consumers to find out.(CHOICE survey: Buying habits)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What makes you choose one product over another? We wanted to know what makes consumers tick--and also if the environmental and human impacts of a product's manufacture are a factor when we part with our dollars. So,...

A little too green? Two newly tested dishwashers are very water and energy-efficient but are among the worst we've tested at washing and drying.(Test: Dishwashers)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As our latest batch of tested dishwashers revealed, sometimes your 'green' purchase comes with a big compromise. Two newly tested models, the LG LD-1204W1 and HALER HDW100WHT, have impressively low water and energy...

Blowing hot and cold: winter's here. So why is it time to buy an air conditioner?(Test: Reverse-cycle air conditioners)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With winter looming, buying an air conditioner may not be on top of your priority list, but a reverse-cycle air conditioner is an energy-efficient way to heat and cool rooms, with just one unit. Inverter air...

Take control of your entertainment universe: a well-designed universal remote control can reduce stress, while a poor one is sure to raise your blood pressure.(Test: Universal remote controls)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The idea behind a universal remote control is to allow you to reduce the number of remotes in your lounge room to one easy-to-use device. We tested 15 models between $89 and $699 to see if they can control a...

Winning combination: there's every reason why serious cooking can be done using a combi microwave--as long as you're prepared to cook in smaller batches.(Test: Combination microwaves)(Product/service evaluation)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] We've all relied on a microwave oven to make our lives easier--defrosting meat, heating up takeaways and cooking simple things like steamed veges. But if you're looking to replace an old faithful with one that can do...

Sewing machines unstitched: home sewing is back in fashion, so we put three machines at three price points through their paces so you know what to buy.(Price point: Sewing machines)(Product/service evaluation)
July 1, 2008... If you're a sewing rookie or coming back to the craft after an extended break, you may be surprised to find that nowadays you can pay anywhere from $299 (for a basic model) to more than $8000 (almost does the job for you) for a domestic sewing...

Ironing efficiency: You could spend $160 on an iron--but our trialists' favourite was just a third that price.(User trial: Irons)(Product/service evaluation)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] While no iron to date has been able to make the tedious task of ironing more interesting, some can certainly make your job easier--and safer. We recruited eleven trialists (all with considerable ironing time...

Recalls & bans.(Directory)(List)
July 1, 2008... Nowadays, there are so many product recalls we may not be able to print all of them in CHOICE. For comprehensive recall information go to the Product Recalls Australia website: www.recalls.gov.au. If you don't have web access, call the Product...

Big steps for consumers in policy shake-up: the Productivity Commission has delivered its final report into Australia's consumer policy framework. During the inquiry CHOICE campaigned for significant reform. We welcome five major changes we helped land for consumers.(CONSUMER POLICY)
July 1, 2008... 1 National unfair contract laws The commission recommends a new national consumer protection law, including provisions to combat unfair terms in consumer contracts. Laws promoting fair contracts increase consumer confidence and improve...

First home savers account: CHOICE is lobbying government to make the proposed first home savers account scheme simple, fair and affordable.(HOME AFFORDABILITY)
July 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The new savings scheme was a Rudd government election promise, to combat low affordability of home ownership. The scheme is aimed at Australian residents aged 18-65 who are saving to buy their first home. The...

Hard word.
July 1, 2008... The prize for best entry goes to sharp-eyed bargain Weet-Bix spotter, M Saunders. Thanks also to K Staples, S Haluszkiewicz, Belle, A Wang, C Hall, M MacLaughlin, M Wiltshire, B Cooper and R Slamowicz for their contributions to this month's...