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Amazon Accused of Misrepresenting Fast Prime Delivery

Amazon PrimeRecently, two California consumers filed a class action lawsuit against Amazon claiming that the company misrepresents how fast it delivers products when you have a Prime membership.

On their website, Amazon promises free same-day or one-day delivery on millions of items. In other places, they promise two-day shipping.

The lawsuit contends that in many cases the company does not deliver on the promise.

*MOUSE PRINT:

… in opting to purchase [Prime] and pay a monthly $12.99 monthly fee for the Product, Plaintiff Brittain relied on the expedited shipping speed attributes, which are undoubtedly material to the reasonable consumer. During the time span when Plaintiff Brittain paid for [Prime], on at least three occasions, Defendant Amazon failed to provide her with the advertised benefits of [Prime]. and deliver her ordered goods within the marketed shipping speed of two days or less.

The suit contends that the plaintiffs would not have bought the membership or would have paid less than the current $139 a year or $12.99 a month had they known of the longer delivery times that they would experience.

In claiming misrepresentation and unfair practices, the lawyers are seeking restitution and damages for all affected California Prime members.

So what has your experience been with Prime? Do you typically get the same day, next day, or 2-day delivery that the company promises?

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Act Mouthwash: Now With Less Fluoride?

A sharp reader found what he thought was a new example of skimpflation — when a product is reformulated with cheaper ingredients, or perhaps simply watered down.

He wrote about Act Total Care mouthwash which is an anticavity product with fluoride that you swish around in your mouth once a day to provide added protection for your teeth.

A closer look at the front label reveals an inconspicuous difference between the smaller bottle he had at home and the larger one he had just bought.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Act small and big

Could the print be any smaller? The strength of the fluoride is less than half in the large bottle going from 0.05% to just 0.02%! So users have to wonder whether it is going to be less effective since in essence they are giving you diluted fluoride.

But there was a second difference on the back label. Instead of gargling once a day, you have to use the product on the right, the larger bottle, twice a day.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Act smallAct large

The effect of both these differences seems like a double-whammy for users. You’re getting half the strength so you have to use twice as much a day, and the larger bottle costs more.

We asked Sanofi, the maker of Act, to explain these changes, as well as calling their consumer line. We were provided with a most unexpected answer. Although the products look the same but for the size of the bottle, and have the same name, they are actually two separate products. The smaller bottle is meant to be a once-a-day product and the larger one is meant to be a twice-a-day product, and this is nothing new. The customer service rep said the larger bottle has to have a less concentrated amount of fluoride since you are taking twice as much of it.

There is no indication on the front label that you need two doses a day from the larger bottle of Act Total Care unlike some other of their mouthwashes that at least have a tiny designation on the front.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Act 1x Act 2x

We can only wonder how many people are taking the wrong dose of Act Total Care if they change bottle sizes? Some may wind up taking double the dose, while others could wind up with only getting half the protection they expect. When we asked Sanofi why they don’t try to prevent misdosing by clearly labeling the products “1x Daily” or “2x Daily,” their spokesperson (non)responded:

“All of our products are labeled in accordance with FDA regulation.”

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Citi Drops Extended Warranty Benefit on Costco Credit Cards

One of the best perks of using certain credit cards is the extended warranty benefit that doubles the manufacturer’s warranty up to an extra year or two for free.

That was the case with the popular Costco Citi Visa card, but cardholders who read the fine print notice on their recent credit card statement or checked the Citi website were stunned to learn that that benefit is about to be discontinued.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Citi Costco Visa notice

That’s right, after January 22, 2023, the two-year extended warranty that the Costco Anywhere Visa by Citi card provided will be gone. This benefit has been worth its weight in gold for many a consumer who learned that their major appliance, computer, or big screen TV needed repairs after the manufacturer’s one-year warranty expired.

Costco, however, still appears to be offering its Costco Concierge Service whereby it provides a free second year warranty on major appliances, computers and television sets.

Citi continues the trend of removing most of the valuable consumer benefits that used to be standard on its credit cards, as we reported back in 2019 and also in 2018. The extended warranty benefit has also been dropped on many American Express cards and those of other banks.

You can still find the extended warranty benefit on some Chase credit cards, from some other banks, and on a very few Citi and AMEX cards. Particularly as we start the holiday shopping season, before you make that major appliance, TV, computer, or electronics purchase, check with your credit card issuers to see which of your cards still doubles the manufacturer’s warranty for free.

And while you’re at it, ask for or review your card’s current benefit brochure because you can no longer assume that other traditional benefits are still included like free collision damage waiver on rental cars.

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