Choice (Chippendale, Australia) articles from September 2005

Choice (Chippendale, Australia) archives from September 2005

Money madness.(moisturisers with sunscreen )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... It's always amazing how two products with the same function can have an enormous difference in cost. Cosmetics tend to be an extreme illustration of this, as the moisturisers with sunscreen reported on this month (page 9) demonstrate. For...

New water efficiency label.(choice cuts)
September 1, 2005... When you're shopping for a washing machine, shower head or other water-using product, you may come across a new water efficiency label It looks similar to the familiar energy efficiency label on some whitegoods and air conditioners, showing a...

Can you help? Holiday homes.(choice cuts)
September 1, 2005... Our sister magazine, CHOICE Money & Rights, would like to hear from you if you have or used to have a holiday home. Please tell us how you decided on the property and what experiences you've had--for example, whether you rent out the home...

Multivitamins.(Corrections)(Correction Notice)
September 1, 2005... CHOICE, June 2005 The values in the potassium column in the table (page 17) are incorrect. The multivitamins listed all contain less than 1% of the recommended daily intake of potassium. This means that CENTRUM Complete from A to Zinc has...

Watch out for credit card fees.(choice cuts)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... The last five years have seen huge jumps in credit card penalty fees. So how can you avoid them? Apart from the obvious (paying on time and avoiding going over your credit limit), check what happens if you underpay your bill. CHOICE Money...

Smoke alarms save lives.(choice cuts)
September 1, 2005... At the start of winter in NSW, devastating house fires claimed 13 lives, including seven children, in just over a fortnight. The tragedies prompted the NSW government to fast-track the introduction of new legislation to make smoke alarms...

30% childcare rebate: choice cuts, July 2005.(UPDATES)
September 1, 2005... For more information about the childcare rebate, contact the Australian Tax Office (ATO) on 132 861 (or www.ato.gov. au), rather than the Family Assistance Office (FAO) as printed in the article. The FAO website has information about the rebate...

Vacuum cleaners: choice, July 2005.(UPDATES)(MIELE S 726 Cat & Dog 700 and S 758 Active HEPA+ )(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... While the MIELE S 726 Cat & Dog 700 and S 758 Active HEPA+ Seb 217 (both in the What to buy list) don't come with a blower facility (as noted), an optional blower is available. It comprises a blower plate (part no. 5109310, $16.50) and an...

Home phone text messaging.(choice cuts)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Text messaging (sending and receiving SMS) has come to your home phone--if Telstra is your local call provider, that is. The service currently doesn't work with other providers, but this is likely to change in the near future. You don't...

Are you converted?(choice cuts)
September 1, 2005... Reader Carol Fry was perturbed when she discovered a bag of carrots labelled "organic" that she'd bought was in fact produced by a farm "undergoing conversion to full" organic status". The printing of the qualifier was a lot less prominent on...

Fire retardant hazard.(choice cuts)(polybrominated diphenylethers a health hazaed)
September 1, 2005... They're found in products such as computers, televisions, mobile phones, carpets and foam mattresses. Polybrominated diphenylethers, or PBDEs, are brominated flame retardants that prevent electronic goods bursting into flames and impede the...

Points can expire: stay vigilant!(your letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... You may want to warn your readers about another piece of small print for QANTAS Frequent Flyer points. I was saving points for a trip to Hawaii, but hadn't been able to find dates I could fly out and return. At the beginning of May I got a...

Extremely difficult and frustrating.(your letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... It is extremely difficult and frustrating to secure domestic-route seats on dates and at times required. It seems not to matter whether one books a year, six months or two months ahead. On the contrary, it's my experience that it's often easier...

Plan ahead.(your letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... I must take issue with Sandra of Mountain Creek and her complaints about the QANTAS Frequent Flyer program (CHOICE, June 2005). I've been a QANTAS FF for many years and have never had a problem using points for my own or my family's domestic...

Letter of the month.(your letters)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2005... We want to hear from you--your experiences help our research and often let other readers know about scams and rip-offs. To thank you for writing to us, Your Letters awards a prize of a CHOICE book to the 'Letter of the month'. This month's...

Thumbs up!.(your letters)
September 1, 2005... * Diane Sexton, via email, is impressed with OAKLEY South Pacific, which offered to repair for $50 a pair of $200 sunglasses she'd bought four years earlier and then, within a week, returned what looked like completely new glasses. "Thumbs up...

Health funds may not tell you if you're no longer covered.(hip pocket)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Children under a family membership may be covered for health insurance up to 25 years of age if they remain in full-time study. The Private Health Insurance Ombudsman (PHIO) noted in his 2004 annual report that he had received a number of...

Free super booklet.(hip pocket)
September 1, 2005... The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has released a free booklet to increase consumer understanding of super and help you make better super choices. You can download the booklet at www.fido.asic.gov.au or phone 13 28...

Want more money info?(hip pocket)
September 1, 2005... CHOICE Money & Rights magazine is published six times a year and contains more information on money topics (and your consumer rights) than we could ever fit into CHOICE. To subscribe call 1800 069 552 toll-free or go to...

Debt collection guideline on the way.(hip pocket)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... A guideline explaining the responsibilities of companies and individuals involved in debt collection is planned for release in October by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Australian Competition and Consumer...

Daily defence: facial moisturisers with sun protection--we find the cream of the crop.(USER TRIAL: Moisturiser with sunscreen)(Cover Story)
September 1, 2005... It's not just at the beach that you need to protect your skin from the sun. You're exposed to potentially harmful rays every day, from the moment you walk outside. So if you use a daily moisturiser on your face, you might want to go for one...

Bay of plenty: buying and selling on the biggest online marketplace in the world, eBay.(REPORT: eBay)
September 1, 2005... When you think of internet auctions, one name dominates--eBay. One in seven adult Australians are eBay members and the site's used to sell everything from vinyl records, CDs and DVDs to cars and houses. Worldwide, eBay users sell more than...

Action-packed? Energy drinks are trendy and give you a buzz--but they're not for kids.(REPORT: Energy drinks)
September 1, 2005... They're fizzy drinks with a difference. RED BULL "vitalizes body and mind ', v "invigorates you, replenishes energy levels, improves mental alertness and enhances concentration", BLUE OX "increases strength and stamina" and NAUGHTY BOY will...

... In with the new? Can we really trust new drugs to be safe and effective, or is it better to stick to the tried and tested?(REPORT: New drugs)
September 1, 2005... In 2004, VIOXX (rofecoxib), an anti-inflammatory drug used worldwide by millions of people (particularly arthritis sufferers), was voluntarily pulled from the market after a study demonstrated it increased the risk of heart attack. Rofecoxib...

Rear window: how well can you see out of your car when reversing?(DRIVELINES: Rear visibility)
September 1, 2005... Following a number of fatal accidents caused by cars reversing in driveways, NRMA Insurance has developed a reversing visibility index that rates the blind spot area behind a car where the driver can t see a small child. The assessment...

Your gym at home? Home exercise equipment can be fun at first, but what does it take to keep you happy, hooked--and healthy?(REPORT: Home fitness equipment)
September 1, 2005... Working out on fitness machines might look like good exercise, and you may even have confirmed this in the gym. But what if you buy one to use--often--at home? What makes some models better than others? Can a wise purchase choice make a...

Sweet enough? Feeling worried about how much sugar you eat? You need to get the balance right.(REPORT: Sugar)
September 1, 2005... Most people, if they're being honest, would admit to being a bit conflicted about sugar. On the one hand, it's an essential part of many foods we love--think of life without sweet things: cakes, biscuits, desserts, confectionery--and on the...

Living colour: on test: 28 colour printers including six laser models.(computing choice)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... It can be difficult to choose from the multitude of inkjet printers out there. They all claim to offer various features, print speeds and quality, but how do they really compare? And then there's the question of laser printers. Although more...

A good night's sleep: over-the-counter sleep aid products are only short-term solutions, but there are more lasting ways of improving your sleep.(REPORT: Sleep aids)
September 1, 2005... If you've lain awake for hours cursing the clock or watched infomercials at 3 am because you've woken up and can't get back to sleep, you're not alone. Estimates vary, but something like 10-40% of the population has trouble from time to time...

Swish swash ... washing all the dirty clothes.(TEST: Washing machines)(Product/Service Evaluation)
September 1, 2005... "I'm a washing machine, I get all the clothes clean, I live in the laundry and wash all day... swish swash..." All too familiar with the lyrics? Then chances are you've got kids, do a fair bit of washing and probably need a big washer to...

Coming to a greengrocer near you ...(food bites)(stoneless avocados)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... ... Stoneless avocados. Even fruit and veg can be made more 'convenient'. Sainsbury's, one of the largest supermarket chains in the UK, has announced the introduction of the stoneless avocado. It's smaller than the traditional avocado, but...

The verdict's in ...(food bites)
September 1, 2005... The results of a recent Parents Jury survey of television ads aimed at children slammed a couple of recent McDONALD'S and KELLOGG'S ads. The Parents Jury is composed of parents wanting to improve the food and physical activity environment of...

Total recall.(food bites)(Food Standards Australia New Zealand statistics on food recalls)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2005... Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has released statistics on food recalls, from when the data began to be collected in 1990 to the end of 2004. The data includes recalls that occur at trade level, which is the recall of products...

Recalls & bans.
September 1, 2005... 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 Federal Treasury website: www.recalls.gov.au. If you don't have web access, call the Consumer Safety...