Choice (Chippendale, Australia) articles from September 2006

Choice (Chippendale, Australia) archives from September 2006

Post a complaint.(choice cuts)(Postal Industry Ombudsman )(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Tired of your mail going astray? You might want to make a complaint to the new Postal Industry Ombudsman (PIO). The PIO will begin operation in October this year. It's part of the office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman and investigates...

Airline lounges.(CORRECTIONS)(Correction notice)
September 1, 2006... Choice, June 2006 In Tables 1 and 2 on pages 23 and 24 it wasn't clear that the 'Membership cost' column for the QANTAS CLUB includes the joining fee. To renew membership, it then costs $355 or 65,000 Frequent Flyer points for one year,...

81 CM LCD TVS.(CORRECTIONS)(Correction notice)
September 1, 2006... Choice, August 2006 On page 24 we said the LG 32LX2D-AA has a standard-definition digital tuner; in fact it's high-definition. This means you wouldn't need to buy a separate set-top box to watch HD digital TV.

Hair straightener recall.(UPDATE)
September 1, 2006... Choice, August 2005 Dateline Imports has recalled the SILVER BULLET Lightning ES2000 hair straightener, which featured in our What to buy list in the above issue. For details of the recall, see page 49.

Helping you through the money maze.
September 1, 2006... The Federal Government wants to help people understand money matters and make better financial decisions. To that end it's running an Understanding Money campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of financial literacy, and to encourage people...

Warning. warning--the latest scam and other rip-offs.(choice cuts)
September 1, 2006... * If you notice a missed call on your mobile phone from a number you don't recognise, be warned. A marketing company is reported to have acquired large quantities of mobile phone numbers, which it calls, before quickly hanging up. This is...

Sleep with the stars *****.(Australian tourism)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Next time you book a hotel or motel in Australia, take a closer look at the rating. Are there stars indicating the quality of the accommodation or are you eyeballing smiley faces, thumbs or a tick or three? It seems some accommodation...

Plastic bag confusion.(choice cuts)
September 1, 2006... Ben from Wollongong emailed us about a plastic bag he'd brought home with claims on it that it was an "envirobag" that "would start to disintegrate after eight weeks when exposed to open air, water or buried underground". Ben dutifully buried...

Dollars and sense.(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... I've been a subscriber to CHOICE for many years and have often used suggestions for purchases, but the article in the July issue about the top internet savings accounts couldn't have come at a better time. I'm 6o and my husband is 70 and...

A sickly Samsung.(your letters)(Letter to the editor)
September 1, 2006... Being an avid reader of CHOICE I've always researched any product I buy thoroughly. Last September, I purchased a SAMSUNG E720 mobile phone. I had problems with it from the beginning and since February it's spent more time with Samsung than...

Betsy Hausner awards Electrolux a 'Thumbs-up' after one of the burners on her new Westinghouse gas cooktop was faulty.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Betsy Hausner awards ELECTROLUX a 'Thumbs-up' after one of the burners on her new WESTINGHOUSE gas cooktop was faulty. A representative from the company made the long trip to her home in the country to sort it out, and later arranged for a...

Andrew Tanner wants to applaud EGO PHARMACEUTICALS after he recently sent an email about a faulty pump on his QV Wash.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Andrew Tanner wants to applaud EGO PHARMACEUTICALS after he recently sent an email about a faulty pump on his QV Wash. Andrew was pleasantly surprised to receive a replacement pack in the post as well as a postage-paid envelope so he could...

Bread and superbread: can giving your kids the right bread really make them brainier?(Cover story)
September 1, 2006... Once upon a time, when the world was very young, there was white bread and brown bread. Now there's high-fibre white bread, bread with low GI, bread with soy and linseed, bread with extra calcium, bread with omega-3s... Are they really worth...

Prepaid Visa card.(hip pocket)
September 1, 2006... A reloadable prepaid card that can be used like a credit or debit card is now available in Australia. It works like a debit card in that you spend your own money and don't get into debt, but it doesn't require a linked bank account. It can be...

Kids' account with 10% bonus interest.
September 1, 2006... BANKWEST's new Kid's Bonus Saver account for children under 15 pays a total interest rate of 10.01% for the first year for balances of up to $3500. You have to deposit between $25 and $250 each month and make no withdrawals, otherwise the...

Nail file: some of the nail salons our shadow shoppers visited were way below par for hygiene and service.(REPORT: Nail salons)(Australian Professional Fingernail Association)
September 1, 2006... In recent years there've been reports from the US about consumers getting infections in some nail salons because of poor hygiene practices, and the use of dangerous chemicals. The body representing the nail industry here, the Australian...

Mind the gap! How does your health fund score?(REPORT: Health costs)
September 1, 2006... The term 'gap' in hospital insurance generally refers to the difference between the amount your doctor or hospital charges a private patient and what's covered by Medicare and your health fund. Medicare pays 75% of the Medicare Benefits...

Regarding nursing homes: finding a nursing home place for a loved one in an emergency can be complicated, confusing and emotionally draining.(REPORT: Nursing homes)
September 1, 2006... Our thanks go to all of you who took the time to write to us about your recent experiences with nursing homes. Excerpts from your emails and letters are included throughout this report. With so many things to consider under this wide topic,...

Driving a green machine: choosing the greenest model that meets your needs is good for the environment and your wallet.(DRIVELINES: Green car ratings)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2006... Have you ever stood at traffic lights behind an old bomb of a car belching out thick exhaust fumes that fill up the inside of yours if you don't switch off your ventilation in time? Then you may have wished cars like that weren't allowed on...

The cost of health: don't pay more than you have to.(REPORT: Healthcare 101)
September 1, 2006... It's bad enough having a condition that requires you to use the healthcare system, without feeling the pain in your wallet too. Here are five ways to save yourself some cash, and make the health system (and your tax contributions) work for you....

In hot water: choosing the best hot-water system for you.(BUYING GUIDE: Hot-water systems)
September 1, 2006... You probably don't spend a lot of time thinking about your water heater, but if the hot water suddenly runs out in the middle of your shower, it's guaranteed to become a top priority. A lot of people just replace their old hot water system...

Where's it from?(food bites)(standards of food labeling)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... New labelling standards for unpackaged fresh and processed fruit, vegetables, nuts and seafood have come into force, meaning retailers should now tell you which country those products came from. A guide is available from the Food Standards...

There's that fine print again ...(food bites)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... SOFT & JUICY STRAWBERRIES--the product's sitting next to the dried fruit on the supermarket shelf, has pictures of juicy strawberries all over its packaging, and looks and sounds as if it could be made just from dried strawberries. If you're...

Happy Meal even happier now.(food bites)(McDonald's Australia)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... McDONALD'S has added a new, healthier Happy Meal to its menu. Instead of a burger and chips, you can now get your kids Pasta Zoo, a ravioli-type pasta cut in animal shapes with a filling made from pureed roasted vegetables and ricotta cheese....

Go to your docking station: you can get cheap and cute speaker docks, but the bigger and more expensive they are, the better the sound.(REPORT: Speaker docks)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2006... Digital music players have revolutionised the way we listen to music, making it possible to store entire music collections on compact little devices ready to take anywhere. On the go you can use a digital music player with the earbuds supplied...

Wash, rinse, spin ... A good washing machine needs to do all these well.
September 1, 2006... We tested four new top loaders and six new front loaders, ranging in price from $499 to $1689, and added them to the list of previously tested machines that are still on the market. We found two new good overall performers. As with our last...

Cutting edge power: petrol trimmers outgun their cordless cousins.(TEST: Grass trimmers)(Product/service evaluation)
September 1, 2006... Line trimmers--also known as whippersnippers, weed whackers or strimmers--can make short work of trimming your lawn edges, and the more powerful models are handy for slashing down long grass or even mowing a small lawn. PETROL AND...

Recalls & bans.
September 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...

Just like grandma used to make!(hard word)
September 1, 2006... With a dash of humectant, some release agent, emulsifier and a pinch of preservatives 281, 202 and 220...

Careful, all you kiddies under six--no drinking, and definitely no driving after a dose of this!(hard word)
September 1, 2006... (... and desist from operating heavy machinery too).

An offer only for the psychic?
September 1, 2006... Our reader wants to know how he can tell if he's dissatisfied with one of these products if he can't actually open it before returning it...

We've heard of Colonel Sanders' Kentucky Fried Chicken with its 11 secret herbs and spices ...(hard word)
September 1, 2006... But here there are at least 18 ingredients to make the chicken... well... chicken.

Spring roll pastry that's suitable for ... wait for it ... spring rolls!(hard word)
September 1, 2006... 11-year-old Renee Lynch told us she was thrilled to finally find a suitable entry for the Hard Word page.