Updated every Monday!   Subscribe to free weekly newsletter.

That 100% Lemon Juice May Not be 100%!

We have all bought quart bottles of lemon juice, and probably assumed we were getting 100% lemon juice, just as the label specifies. Well, a little birdie tipped off the National Consumers League that they may be in for a surprise if they tested some of the bargain brands.

And that’s what they did for these four bottles found at discount and dollar stores:

lemon juice

It turns out that all four products were watered-down substantially.

*MOUSE PRINT:

“NaturaLemon 100% Lemon Juice from concentrate – Natural Strength” contains only about 35 percent lemon juice.

“Lira 100% Lemon Juice from concentrate” contains only about 25 percent lemon juice.

“Lemon Time Lemon Juice from concentrate” contains about only 15 percent lemon juice. The product states on its front label, “Contains 100% Lemon Juice with added ingredients.”

“Pampa Lemon Juice from concentrate” contains only about 10 percent lemon juice. The product states “Made with 100% Juice.” The label also includes the statement “Natural Strength.”

Right now, the average consumer has no way of knowing whether they are buying a diluted product or the real thing. We can only hope that by bringing this issue to the attention of the FDA, the government will move to remove these and other adulterated products from the market.

To view a video report about diluted lemon juice, click here.

Share this story:

 

ADV
Updated every Monday!   Subscribe to free weekly newsletter.

Bank Fine Print: You Pay for Our Lawyer (Even if We Lose)

Pew Charitable Trusts released two studies over the past couple of years about checking account agreements that only a lawyer would understand.

Buried in these lengthy documents are some nasty clauses, including one like this:

*MOUSE PRINT:

Disputes Involving Your Account

You agree to be liable to us for any loss, costs, or expenses, including reasonable attorney’s fees, that we may incur as a result of any dispute involving your Account. You authorize us to deduct any such loss, costs or expenses from your Account without prior notice to you. This obligation includes disputes between you and us involving the Account and situations where we become involved in disputes between you and an authorized signer, another joint owner, or a third party claiming an interest in the Account. Also, it includes those situations where you, an authorized signer, another joint owner, or a third party take some action with respect to the Account which causes us to seek the advice of counsel, even though we do not actually become involved in the dispute. –PNC Bank disclosure

In plain English, this says that if they have to hire a lawyer because of a dispute relating to your account, whether you sue them or they sue you, or something else causes them to consult a lawyer, they can deduct the cost from your account without notice. They make no exclusion should you be right and win your case.

According to the Pew study, four of the 12 banks they examined had clauses similar to this, including HSBC Bank and TD Bank. They are asking the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to look at issues like this, and require better disclosure or elimination of unreasonable contract terms.

For more information about this sneaky practice, you can read this LA Times story.

Share this story:

 

ADV
Updated every Monday!   Subscribe to free weekly newsletter.

Verizon’s “Share Everything” Plan: You’ll Pay Less or More

Last week, Verizon Wireless announced a new “Share Everything” plan, that radically changes how cell services are sold. Starting June 28, if you upgrade your phone and pay a subsidized/discounted price for it, this plan may affect you. You can also voluntarily switch to this plan.

On the positive side, Share Everything lets a family share one pot of data each month the same way they currently share a bucket of minutes. Currently each family plan member has to buy a $30 data pack for their smartphone. Also on the positive side, it appears that most people on unlimited calling plans will save money under the new scheme.

On the negative side, those folks who are looking to reduce their plan minutes for calling may be forced into unlimited calling plans for which they have no use. And they may pay more. People with multiple devices, even individuals, will be charged a fee for each device that can tap into their one pot of data.

*MOUSE PRINT:

To see how this compares with what customers are currently paying, we looked at two (of many) scenarios.

Example 1: One person with one smartphone currently with an unlimited calling plan, 1000 text messages, and 2-gigs of data.

That person pays a total of $109.99 currently (unlimited calling ($69.99), 1000 texts ($10), and 2-gigs of data ($30). Under the Share Everything plan, he or she would pay $100 (smartphone ($40) + 2-gigs of data ($60) + “free unlimited calls and texts”). That is a $10 savings a month. If that person also had a tablet, currently that would add $30 a month to their bill for an additional 2-gigs. Under the new plan, that tablet would only cost $10 extra, but not come with any additional data. If the customer wanted a total of 4-gigs of data to be shared by the smartphone and the tablet, that adds another $10. So this customer in total would save $20 a month compared to the current system.

Example 2: Three people on a family plan with two smartphones and one basic phone, sharing 700 minutes of calling, unlimited texts, and two of them having 2-gigs of data each.

That family currently pays: $169.97 (700 calling minutes ($69.98) + third phone ($9.99) + unlimited texts ($30) + 2-gigs per smartphone ($60) ). Under the new system, they would pay a total of $180.00 ( 2 smartphones ($80) + 1 basic phone ($30) + 4-gigs data to share ($70).

The bottom line is that everyone on Verizon will have to do the math to see if it is best to stick with their current plan or switch to Share Everything.

Note: MrConsumer is a member of Verizon’s Consumer Advisory Board.

Share this story:

 

ADV