Choice (Chippendale, Australia) articles from May 2007

Choice (Chippendale, Australia) archives from May 2007

Sharing risk.(Editorial)
May 1, 2007... Disasters like Cyclone Larry get lots of us thinking about our own home insurance, but how many of us do anything about working out if our insurance would cover us if our house needed to be rebuilt? Estimates vary, but some say up to 80% of...

No advertising, no bias ... just reliable, expert advice.(about Choice)(Organization overview)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... CHOICE is a non-profit, non-party-political organisation, established in 1959 to provide consumers with information and advice on goods, services, health and personal finances, and to help maintain and enhance your quality of life. It's a...

LG digital TVs out of tune.(CHOICE cuts)(LG Electronics Inc.)
May 1, 2007... LG customers all over Australia are affected by a software glitch that causes their digital TV to freeze. The problem seems to mainly affect Channel Nine broadcasts but can happen with other channels. The company said 17 different models in...

Your super fund needs your tax file number.(CHOICE cuts)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Changes to superannuation legislation mean that if your super fund doesn't have your Tax File Number (TFN) by the end of next financial year (30 June 2008), you'll end up paying more tax. Conservative estimates suggest there are hundreds of...

Telstra replaces CDMA network with NEXT G.(CHOICE cuts)(code division multiple access)
May 1, 2007... Over the coming months, Telstra CDMA mobile phone customers will find themselves inundated with glossy brochures promoting its new NEXT G network. The CDMA network is used mainly in rural areas and differs from the GSM network most city...

Preventing eye damage.(CHOICE cuts)
May 1, 2007... Can you no longer imagine life without your mobile phone or PDA? If you're using either extensively for texting, calling up info and staying connected, beware of the Strain you may cause your eyes. A recent article in US News & World Report...

Save the fish.(CHOICE cuts)
May 1, 2007... The benefits of eating seafood once or twice a week, as recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Australians, are widely reported, with certain fish types being the richest sources of omega-3 fats around (they promote a healthy heart). ...

Enhancing flavour ... and weight.(WORLD CONSUMER SNAPSHOT)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Some processed foods would hardly be edible without monosodium glutamate (MSG), which enhances meaty flavours and increases certain pleasant aromas. But beware: tastier food will increase your appetite--and consequently your weight, researchers...

Mobile risks?(WORLD CONSUMER SNAPSHOT)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... If you're considering getting a mobile phone for your youngster, you've probably contemplated whether it'll promote bad spelling and punctuation from texting ("its bad 4 u"). However, a British study found no difference between the literacy...

Even the French are getting fatter.(WORLD CONSUMER SNAPSHOT)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... You wouldn't believe it, going by the title of Mireille Guiliano's best-selling book French women don't get fat, but even in France obesity is steadily on the rise. The number of obese French men and women has surpassed the six million mark,...

Bittersweet.(YOUR letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... I was disappointed, to put it mildly, that CHOICE produced a major article on chocolate (December 2006) with no mention of the child slave labour that has been central to the international cocoa trade. It's highly likely that each of the...

Direct debit cancellation.(YOUR letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... I refer to the letter published in the March 2007 edition of CHOICE from Frank of WA with regard to his wife's Fitness First gym. membership. In Frank's letter he said a direct debit can't be cancelled "via the bank but must be done by...

Letter of the month.(YOUR letters)(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... 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....

Petra Stock would like to give the Cue Clothing Company a big thumbs-up this month.(THUMPS UP!)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Petra Stock would like to give the CUE CLOTHING COMPANY a big thumbs-up this month. She sent in her favourite purple CUE jacket for dry cleaning and it was returned with its decorative cuffs missing. When she contacted CUE to buy a replacement...

David Eggins would like to give the thumbs-up to Logitech after experiencing some problems with the charger for his universal remote control.(THUMPS UP!)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... David Eggins would like to give the thumbs-up to LOGITECH after experiencing some problems with the charger for his universal remote control. When he contacted the company about the problem it sent him an upgraded charger base at no charge.

Serious cereals: can they really deliver health in a box?(BREAKFAST CEREALS / food)
May 1, 2007... Shopping for cereal as you get older is a different experience from when you were in your teens. Gone are the days when you could grab any old pack of frosted, flavoured, chocolate-coated flakes and to hell with the consequences. These days...

Veto on vitamins?(HEALTH check)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Research out of Denmark recently caused a splash in the media, with newspapers printing headlines like "Vitamins could be killing you"--alarming to read if you were breakfasting on vitamin-enriched cereal and juice at the time. But beyond the...

No laughing matter ...(HEALTH check)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Need an incentive to exercise? If the desire for a healthy heart and a trim physique still won't get you out and about and keeping active, perhaps this will--researchers from Harvard have found that exercising helps to reduce the chance of...

Lifestyle change for your kids too.(HEALTH check)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Here's one more study encouraging us to turn off the TV and take time to prepare healthy food that's eaten around the dinner table. Children up to first grade who watch more TV and eat fewer meals with their family are more likely to be...

Cover your home: a handful of home insurance policies now offer better consumer protection than the rest.(INSURANCE / money)
May 1, 2007... Reed Construction Data estimates up to 80% of home owners are underinsured by an average of 34%. What this would mean if your house was insured for $250,000 is that in reality you'd need around $375,000 to rebuild it--an extra $125,000 above...

Changing your vision: most people are happy with the results of their laser eye surgery.(LASER EYE SURGERY / health)
May 1, 2007... "It's amazing to look at a distant mountain range and actually see trees." Michelle, NSW. "I feel younger and it's easier running, exercising, swimming and generally enjoying life." Dee, Victoria. "I can now swim, wake up and see the...

The milky way: there's a galaxy of choice out there, but which milks are really healthier?(MILK / food)
May 1, 2007... "Honey, can you pick up a carton of milk on your way home, please?" A simple task, you might think. But when your options include lite, bio-dynamic, soy and unhomogenised--to name just a few--it can be a challenge. Should we go for milk that...

The foreign currency gouge: for years some major credit card companies failed to adequately disclose the fees customers paid for overseas transactions.(TRAVELLING / money)
May 1, 2007... CHOICE's analysis of credit card statements and foreign exchange transactions going back as far as 2002 has found that customers of several financial institutions were charged much more for overseas transactions than the fees disclosed on their...

Pillow talk: a good pillow can make for a great.(PILLOWS / buying guide)
May 1, 2007... Picture this: you check into your luxury hotel room, the bellboy puts your bags away and you sit back and consider the menu. With a smorgasbord of over 20 choices it's hard to decide. Will you go for the high or the low? Or perhaps the medium?...

What the tick means.(FOOD bites)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... You'd have to be living under a rock not to have heard that McDonald's was recently given the Heart Foundation 'tick' for nine meal combinations. If you haven't seen or heard the media advertising, you can't have missed the huge 'tick' banners...

Doggy bag safety.(FOOD bites)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... We've all been there--eyes bigger than our stomachs and leftovers galore. It's hard to refuse the offer to take the leftovers home, but they could be more trouble than they're worth because of the risk of food poisoning. To prevent...

Fast fat.(FOOD bites)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The fast-food industry has taken a very small step towards reducing the amount of trans fat in its food following a fast-food summit convened by the Department of Health and Ageing. Fast-food restaurants, including McDonald's, Hungry...

Grey areas.(test: HOME HAIR COLOUR)(Product/service evaluation)
May 1, 2007... Pesky grey hairs peeping through the dark are a nuisance most women would rather live without. Thankfully, an expensive trip to the hairdresser isn't required to wipe them out--a home hair colour will do the trick for a fraction of the cost....

Save now, pay later? These set-top boxes are a cheap way to watch digital TV, but they waste a lot of power.(test: SET-TOP BOXES)(television)(Product/service evaluation)
May 1, 2007... If the name of the game is to make them cheap and make them work, most Of the set-top boxes (STB) in this test perform well. However, it's a different story if you add ease of use and environmental considerations into the mix. All 13 STBs...

Fast heat for large spaces.(test: UNFLUED GAS HEATERS)(Product/service evaluation)
May 1, 2007... Many Australians prefer a large open-plan living area over separate smaller rooms. While this offers a sense of space and a flexible room layout, heating such an area can pose a challenge. Central and underfloor heating or reverse-cycle air...

Worried about your reverse mortgage?(HIP pocket)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... After publishing our analysis and rating of reverse mortgages (CHOICE, April 2007) we received letters from concerned subscribers who have a reverse mortgage that didn't meet our consumer protection standards.This generally meant these loans...

Super changes deadline: 30 June 2007.(HIP pocket)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Big changes that could affect how you plan for your retirement are happening from 1 July this year. Before that date, there's a good opportunity to make additional contributions from your post income tax money (for example, from a savings...

Cooling in pairs.(test: FRIDGES)
May 1, 2007... If you have a big family, like to buy food in bulk or simply do a lot of entertaining at home, storage for all your food can become an issue. One way to get around this is to have a good-sized fridge and matching freezer. Pigeon pairs--separate...

Blow those leaves away.(test: BLOWER VACS)(Product/service evaluation)
May 1, 2007... Are you forever raking and sweeping piles of leaves from your lawns and paths? Maybe a blower vac is the tool for you. Most of the models tested are quick at blowing and vacuuming up leaves--definitely faster than doing the same job by hand...

Updating consumer protection.(CHOICE campaings)
May 1, 2007... The Trade Practices Act and industry-specific legislation (such as food labelling laws and regulation of motor vehicle traders) are designed to protect consumers from unfair practices. These laws give us the right to redress if we've been...

Reverse mortgages.(CAMPAIGN NEWS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... CHOICE has campaigned for better consumer protection on reverse mortgages since 2004. Despite significant improvements, our second major study (CHOICE, April 2007) found that 13 of the 23 reverse mortgage products available still don't meet...

Food regulation under review.(CAMPAIGN NEWS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The Commonwealth Government has commissioned a review of food regulation in Australia. This extensive review aims to identify ways to enhance the competitiveness of the Australian food industry by improving the food regulatory system and its...

Recalls & bans.(List)
May 1, 2007... 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...