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Chrysler Satisfaction Program: Just Return it in 30 Days*

chrysler 30 day smallImagine spending $25,000 for a new car and then having buyer’s remorse. To give customers more peace of mind, Chrysler has begun offering a 30 day return program. TV commercials promise “if not satisfied, simply return it within 30 days.”

The truth is, it is not quite so painless a process, particularly to your pocketbook.

*MOUSE PRINT: “Customer responsible for 5% MSRP restocking fee, 50 cents per mile driven, and all financing, insurance and tax charges.” [TV commericial airing July 10, 2006.]

One might reasonably expect to have to return the car in good condition (additional fine print requires that), and to have to pay a usage fee for every mile driven. In this case, if one were to drive an average amount of 1,000 miles during the first month, that means there will be a $500 charge for use.

The real bite comes from the restocking fee, which on a $25,000 list price car (even if you paid $20,000), would amount to $1250. It is unclear how much the taxes, financing and insurance charges would add to this, but the total charge to change your mind about buying this car could easily be over $2000.

If you paid cash for the car, or used other than Chrysler Financial to finance it, you don’t have any refund rights under this program.

So, if you “just return it in 30 days,” expect to lose approximately 8 – 10% of the purchase price, or get no refund at all.

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Aquafresh for Kids: Contains Undisclosed Peanut Oil*

Aquafresh kids People who have food allergies always have to read ingredients labels to make sure none of the things they are allergic to is in the product. Some of the most common allergens are milk, eggs, peanuts, seafood, and gluten. Those with allergies to any of these items could suffer health threatening reactions.

One would never suspect that any of these ingredients was contained in a toothpaste, let alone a kids toothpaste. When one scrutinizes the Aquafresh for Kids label, it seems perfectly safe and appropriate for kids with allergies.

Aquafresh ingredients

*MOUSE PRINT: According to this video news story from WCVB-TV, Kids Aquafresh  contains peanut oil, but there is no disclosure of this life-threatening ingredient on the label.

A mother discovered this hidden ingredient the hard way when her child became ill.

GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of Aquafresh, says that the peanut oil is not listed on their label because they are not required to — only food products must list major allergens, not health and beauty aids.

On the Aquafresh website, in a FAQ, they say the product does not contain gluten, and the tube does not contain latex. But, there is no disclosure there about peanut oil.

The worst mouse print is the mouse print that is missing. Whether the law requires it or not, companies that market products that may cause a serious allergic reaction, particularly for children’s products, should disclose that possible threat.

UPDATE: August 4, 2006

On the website for the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, GlaxoSmithKline says they told consumers that Aquafresh for kids had peanut oil to “be on safe side” since they didn’t know for sure. Now they say it has no peanut oil. Here is their statement:

“The health and safety of the consumers who use our products is of utmost importance, and we would like to assure them that no Aquafresh toothpaste products contain flavors with peanut oil, peanuts or peanut derivatives.

“We were recently contacted by several consumers requesting information about the possibility of trace amounts of peanut oil in our Aquafresh toothpaste products.   It was our belief that trace amounts of peanut oil could be present in certain flavor blends purchased by Aquafresh from external flavor suppliers. Consequently, we responded to those consumers that there was a possibility that trace amounts of peanut oil may be present in some Aquafresh products.

“Subsequently, we have contacted our flavor suppliers to confirm this information. We are pleased to learn that all of the flavor blends currently used to manufacture Aquafresh toothpaste contain no peanuts, no peanut oil and no peanut derivatives.

“Until we were able to validate our flavor blend information, we chose to err on the side of caution and told consumers that the products may contain trace amounts of peanut oil. In light of how serious some allergies can be, we felt that was the right thing to do. As an additional assurance, we are arranging to have independent tests of our toothpaste conducted.

“We apologize if this has caused any confusion or concern among our loyal customers. If consumers have additional questions, they may contact us toll free at (800) 897-5623.”     

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Tide: Same Box, 17oz. Less*

Tide smallThese boxes of Tide look identical, but they are not. One has 17 ounces less detergent than the other, and costs the same price. How can this be?  It is called “downsizing.”

Product downsizing has been a fact of consumer life since the nickel candy bar. Rather than pass on a price increase directly to consumers, many manufacturers simply and inconspicuously make the product a little smaller, while keeping the selling price the same. Effectively, this is a hidden price increase. Historically, paper towels, detergent, candy bars, toilet paper, coffee, and tuna fish have been common items that keep shrinking in count or net weight.

Manufacturers virtually never call the consumer’s attention to the fact that you are getting less for your money. In fact, they often direct the grocery shopper’s attention away from the small net weight statement by proclaiming something new about the product, like a new fragrance or improved formulation.

Tide powder appears to have just downsized the contents of its boxes significantly, while leaving the packages the exact same size.

*MOUSE PRINT: Old box: “87 OZ (5.43 LB)”; New box: “70 OZ (4.37 LB)” [Packages on store shelves July 8, 2006. Click on packages above to read net weight statements. ]

Despite the fact that you are getting over a pound less of product for the same price in the same size box, you still somehow get “40 uses” from each package. Did they make the scoop smaller?  Did they fluff up the powder?  Did they change the formula? Does it still work as well?  Tide customer service responds:

“You are still getting the same number of uses per package of Tide. By removing non-necessary materials in the manufacturing process, we improved the solubility and improved the cleaning performance. The changes we have made are so that less weight can do more. Keep in mind, you aren’t measuring the amount by weight. You are using a volume measurement on the scoop. If you fill the scoop to the lowest fill line (the amount recommended for an average wash load), you will get the number of uses printed on the package.”

Also surprising is that except for the inconspicuous change to the net weight statement in the bottom right-hand corner of the box, the packages are absolutely identical in size, wording, and graphics. Unless you are in the habit of checking the net weight of the product every time you shop, you could easily have been completely unaware that over a pound of Tide had inconspicuously been removed from the box.

The lesson: check the net weight and net count of products you regularly buy so you can spot these sneaky changes.

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