Choice (Chippendale, Australia) articles from June 2006

Choice (Chippendale, Australia) archives from June 2006

Your kids in the firing line.(Editorial)
June 1, 2006... CHOICE isn't the first organisation to expose some of the tactics used in marketing unhealthy food to children, and we expect the groundswell against it will only grow bigger in future. The article on page 12 looks at some of the more 21st...

Are you ready to assemble?(choice cuts)
June 1, 2006... Dick Chadwick couldn't believe his eyes when he turned up at his partner's place one night and saw that the entertainment unit they'd bought had been delivered. Rather than looking at a substantial timber cabinet with glass doors--as displayed...

An end to nuisance calls?(choice cuts)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... In case you didn't hear the good news when the Minister announced it a couple of months ago, we're finally getting a national, legislated 'Do Not Call' register you can put your name on to avoid receiving unsolicited telemarketing calls. ...

Youth, debt and mobiles.(choice cuts)
June 1, 2006... The pressure from advertising to have the latest of everything, coupled with poor financial skills, a 'buy now pay later' mentality and easy access to credit, have seen rising numbers of Gen-Ys in debt. Financial counsellors say under 25s with...

Advisers fail ASIC survey.(choice cuts)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... A recent shadow shop by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) found significant flaws in the quality of superannuation advice provided to consumers. Unreasonable or inappropriate super advice is likely to have a major...

Making sense of compound interest.(choice cuts)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Earning compound interest is one of the basic ways of building up a nest egg. For investors, compound interest means investing money and then reinvesting the interest you earn, so you're earning interest on your interest. But it can be...

The hard word.(CLARIFICATION)(Correction notice)
June 1, 2006... CHOICE, April 2006 In The Hard Word we published a photo of a handwritten sign with the words: "LOANS. Don't Get Ripped Off Elsewhere. Come Here." However, a fixed sign for Knott and Associates was also shown in the photo. CHOICE retracts...

DVD/hard disc recorders.(CORRECTION)(Correction notice)
June 1, 2006... CHOICE, May 2006 In the 'Video connections' table on page 23 it said 'DVI in'; this should be 'DV in'. The text on the same page should have read: "DV (digital video, also known as firewire) is often used to connect a digital...

Pocket music.(CORRECTION)(Correction notice)
June 1, 2006... CHOICE, April 2006 The COWON iAudio X5L can be recharged using a USB connection, which wasn't indicated in the table on page 12. After publishing we discovered the X5L we'd bought had a faulty connection, which led us to think it didn't...

Vegetarian dilemma.(WORLD CONSUMER SNAPSHOT)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... In the UK, Ethical Consumer reports on the conundrum vegetarians and vegans in Britain faced last year when news emerged that many of their favourite food products, such as tofu and vegie burgers, could have been made with soy beans grown at...

Creative (or stereotyped) marketing?(WORLD CONSUMER SNAPSHOT)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... When soccer fever takes hold in Germany this month, women who don't share their partner's enthusiasm for spending a month glued to the screen can escape on cheaper than usual package tours, reports Test magazine. For the duration of the World...

Down a tinnie ... of sparkling wine.(WORLD CONSUMER SNAPSHOT)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... In the US our sister organisation reports on SOFIA MINI Blanc de Blancs, a carbonated white wine sold in a pink, single-serve aluminium can... with a straw. In a blind test it was judged acceptable yet undistinguished, tasting of generic fruit...

Dean, of Moorooka, Queensland, awards a 'Thumbs up' to The Flood Company.(THUMBS UP!)
June 1, 2006... Dean, of Moorooka, Queensland, awards a 'Thumbs up' to THE FLOOD COMPANY. After applying the first coat of 'Spa-N-Deck' wood care protective finish to his fence he realised he'd bought the wrong colour. He wrote to the company, which promptly...

The day after purchasing an item at Colorado Online Store, Sharon Clements received an email from the store notifying her of a sale in which the price of her item was reduced.(THUMBS UP!)
June 1, 2006... The day after purchasing an item at COLORADO ONLINE STORE, Sharon Clements received an email from the store notifying her of a sale in which the price of her item was reduced. She contacted the store and was reimbursed the difference between...

A global community?(your letters)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... I may drink orange juice made from oranges that grew in the USA. I may eat chocolates made in Belgium or Switzerland. I may also wear a shirt that was fabricated in China. But I may not enjoy a present sent to me by my sister. This present...

Shrinking muesli bars.(your letters)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... UNCLE TOBYS muesli bars used to be sold in a packet of eight bars with a total weight of 240 g for about $4. One bar was a great snack at 30 g. I noticed earlier this year that the total weight has reduced to 160 g, so each bar now only...

... And again.(your letters)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... In the past few weeks UNCLE TOBYS have done another repackage and launched the "all new" UNCLETOBYS muesli bars. This time the "improvement" involves reducing the number of bars from eight to six. So in the space of a year the bars have...

Letter of the month.(your letters)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... We want to hear from you--your experiences help our research and often let other readers know about scams and rip-offs. Positive outcomes you've had to a complaint you took to a manufacturer, retailer, importer or tradesperson interest us too....

Lovin' the laptop: can you get a good deal on a laptop for less than $1400?(COMPUTING CHOICE: Laptops)(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2006... Laptops have become a popular computer choice, thanks to increased computing power, portability and cheaper prices. These days any laptop on the market will let you perform basic tasks such as word processing, emailing and surfing the internet...

Where there's fire, there's smoke: a smoke alarm could save your life--but does it matter what type you install?(REPORT: Smoke alarms)
June 1, 2006... There can be few more frightening moments than being caught inside a burning house. It's a situation no-one wants to have to face, but fire brigades fight thousands of fires in buildings every year. Sadly, not everyone gets out safely. To...

Food marketing: child's play? We take a look at how food is marketed to children, and what the problems are.(REPORT: Food promos to kids)
June 1, 2006... Children are exposed to food marketing every day. Some forms of marketing have been around for years--promotions on food packaging, branded vending machines in schools, prominent sponsorship of sports (McDonalds sponsors Little Athletics; Coca...

A cut above the rest: our secateurs test proves again that top price doesn't always mean top quality.(TEST: Secateurs)(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2006... Want your garden neat and trim and your plants in optimal health? Then give them a good prune every once in a while. To do the job, a high-quality pair of secateurs--ones that cut your plants cleanly and don't hurt your hand with prolonged...

Don't fall for these share offers.(hip pocket)
June 1, 2006... A number of readers have received letters from DIRECT SHARE PURCHASING CORPORATION (DSPC) offering to buy their shares at well below market value. The company gets investors' names, addresses and shareholding details from company registers and...

ASIC acts on reverse mortgage.(hip pocket)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... CHOICE Money & Rights' recent investigation of reverse mortgages raised concerns about Annuity Plus Reverse Mortgage/Options, the reverse mortgage provided by TRANSCOMM CREDIT UNION. We passed these concerns on to the Australian Securities and...

Kids' stuff: ready-made pasta sauces are quick and easy--but our experts were unimpressed.(TASTE TEST: Pasta sauces)(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2006... Pasta's a favourite with most people--in fact a recent survey found that spaghetti bolognese is Australia's second most favourite food (after a traditional roast with vegetables and gravy). So for a quick dinner when you're short of time, what...

A privilege worth paying for? Is membership of an airline lounge worth more than just a company perk?(REPORT: Airline lounges)(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2006... Ever had a 12-hour stopover, enduring hard plastic chairs (if you could get a seat at all) in a dirty, crowded terminal after a long-haul journey in cramped economy class? Or frittered away hours of valuable time because of rescheduled...

Plus ca change ... digital set-top boxes with a 'personal video recorder': a throwback to VCR blues.(TEST: Set-top boxes with PVR)(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2006... Just when the process of recording our favourite TV show had become a little less complicated than landing a lunar module, along comes digital TV and we're back dealing with poorly designed remote controls and complicated onscreen menus. ...

How fresh is your OJ? It could have been weeks since it was squeezed.(TEST: Orange juice)(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2006... What makes chilled orange juice different from the stuff that doesn't need refrigeration (apart from the price)? You might think it's fresher or even, given some of the ads and product names, freshly squeezed. If so, it could come as...

Stroke prevention.(food bites)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Here's more evidence for the benefits of including lots of fruit and veg in your diet. A study in the UK has found that people who eat five or more portions of fruit and vega day reduce the risk of suffering a stroke by 26%, compared to those...

Benzene in soft drink.(food bites)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Nutritionally soft drinks don't have much going for them, and the latest findings may have uncovered another reason to think about limiting our consumption. The Food Standards Agency in the UK recently reported on the results of tests...

Selenium: ignore the hype.(food bites)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Selenium is a mineral found in cereals, meat, fish and eggs, and it's receiving considerable attention because of its ability to act as an antioxidant, potentially protecting the body against damage to the body's cells by free radicals, which...

Ironed out: will spending more mean fewer creases?(USER TRIAL: Irons)(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2006... For many people, ironing is one of the most hated household chores. Whether you're trying to manoeuvre around the buttons on a cotton shirt or battling to get the creases out of a linen skirt, most people would just rather be doing something...

Fan's best: a fan helps provide an even and stable room temperature.(Test: Column heaters)(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2006... The traditional column heater design relies on natural convection: the heated air rises and is replaced by cooler air. This creates a natural airflow that distributes the warm air in the room. Compared to fan-assisted types of electric...

Cooking with waves: some mid-sized microwaves can take full control--if that's what you really want.(TEST: Microwaves)
June 1, 2006... Most of us mainly use microwaves as convenient defrosters and reheaters, saving time in the kitchen and allowing us to prepare meals at short notice--or even just to revive a tepid coffee or tea. However, most of the tested microwaves have a...

Mobile entertainment centre: modern mobiles have video cameras and MP3 players, and allow you to access internet-style content on the go. Oh, and they can make phone calls too.(TESTS: Mobile phones)(Product/service evaluation)
June 1, 2006... A camera that can take photos and video is almost standard equipment on most new mobile phones. And following this trend of integrating other digital technology into phone handsets, many models now also function as an MP3 player. We've...

Recalls & bans.
June 1, 2006... 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...