How to spot fake "green" cleaning products

Charles Langley — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:08:31 -0700

UCAN In the Media

ECO-Friendly, or ECO Farce?

	360065 [at] video [dot] fox6 [dot] com">Watch This Video
	Clean and Green
	Eco-Friendly Cleaning Tips

Vistit FOX NEWS

Eco-friendly or Eco-farce? The latest
eco-friendly trend of cleaning green
comes without regulation, so it can be
difficult for consumers to know if the
products they are buying are better
for the environment or not.

"Eco-friendly doesn't mean anything...
unfortunately marketers have figured
out that people are willing to pay a
premium, a little more, if it says eco
on it. So sometimes it does even though
it may not be ecofriendly at all," says
consumer advocate Michael Shames of
UCAN.

It can be difficult to tell if the products
are environmentally friendly even by
looking at the ingredients on the label.
Just because a product had natural oils
or juices doesn't mean it has a softer
impact on the environment.

Consumer advocates say if the label indicates the product is non-toxic it's better for the environment. Stores like
Whole Foods have done the homework for you. So you don't have to read the labels.

The eco-friendly products can be a little pricier than their more stringent chemical based products. But you don't have to pay more to go green.

"It's as simple as these basic organic materials," says Jimme Rogers of Whole Foods. "Lemon juice on the countertops, olive oil on your furniture. There's all kinds of alternatives. We've got baking soda that's good for cleaning glass especially for your coffee pot."

If you are going to take a chance on eco-friendly products, consumer advocates say it's truly a case of buyer beware.

Domain Registry of America scam

brandon — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 13:25:08 -0700

I recently received a deceptive notice from Domain Registry of America (see image to the left). The "notice," which looks more like a bill than a notice, gives the impression that a domain I own is about to expire and must be renewed. Domain Registry of America's notice informed me that, "Failure to renew your domain name by the expiration date may result in a loss of your online identity making it difficult for your customers and friends to locate you on the Web." OK. That's very thoughtful, but my domain doesn't expire until November. Why is Domain Registry of America only giving me until July 23 to reply? Well, mostly because it's a scam.

The scam is nothing new. In 2003, the Federal Trade Commission slapped the Canada-based Domain Registry of America (DROA) on its wrists for:

misleading consumers into thinking that they are renewing their registrations with their current registrar when, instead, they are transferring their registrations to DROA's registrar, eNom.
failing to disclose a $4.50 processing fee for any transfer requests that are not completed, even when the failure occurs without any fault of the consumers.
failing to issue promised refunds in a timely manner, in violation of the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), sometimes delaying refunds for months.

On top of Domain Registry of America's deceptive practices, its domain prices are outrageous (sometimes 2 to 3 times higher than the industry norm). If you receive a notice from Domain Registry of America, DO NOT SEND MONEY. It is a scam.

Lens.com selling recalled contact lenses

brandon — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:41:46 -0700

UCAN.org user AmiLin recently brought a disturbing practice to our attention. After buying 4 boxes of contact lens from Lens.com, AmiLin discovered that she had been sold recalled contacts. She was aware that some of the Optix 02 contact lenses (the brand she normally buys) had been recalled and even contacted Lens.com before purchasing to confirm that none of their Optix 02 lenses had sku's within the recall range (view the recall notice here). Lens.com assured AmiLin that she would not be sold recalled contact lenses, however, that is exactly what they did. As if that weren't enough, Lens.com refused to fully refund AmiLin for the recalled contact lenses. Read some of AmiLin's correspondence with Lens.com below:

Hi

I had purchased Optix O2 and they had the sku numbers that matched the recalled boxes. I would like to have a refund/or exchange. Please get back to me as soon as possible.

Thanks
Ami

Dear Ami,
You just need to fill out the back of the invoice which is the return form and just mail them back to us.

Thank you,
Mandy
Lens.com
1-800-LENS-COM
1-888-393-7404 (Fax)
Service [at] lens [dot] com

I seem to not be able to find that form, is there something to substitute that with?
Thanks
Ami

Dear Ami,
You would need to see your doctor and be refitted for any other lens.

Thank you,
Mandy
Lens.com
1-800-LENS-COM
1-888-393-7404 (Fax)
Service [at] lens [dot] com

I would like to return the four boxes that I cannot use..

Ami

Ami,

You may return all of the unopened/unmarked on boxes for a refund. We have included the return address below.

Lens. com
301 Sonoco Dr
Louisiana, MO 63353
RMA#327559

Thank You
Karen
Customer Service
Lens.com
888-SAY-LENS (729-5367)
Fax#573-754-5290
www.lens.com

I will be sending out today 3 boxes that are unopened and would like the refund of the boxes as soon as possible. Reason for return contacts codes were part of the recall and which then caused pressure on eye from one of the 4 boxes I had ordered. Return of three will be sent out today from San Diego CA.

Thank you
Ami

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FreeLotto.com letter scam

brandon — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 17:10:27 -0700

We recently recieved the following email regarding freelotto.com:

Travelling on channels of Internet, I have found out ad about a prize. " If you have visited this site that you have won also it absolutely free-of-charge or free" - say the ad. It was the site www.freelotto.com. At times I like to play lotteries and I do not test to this disgust. I was registered, and they have sent me the letter, that I have won the large sum. But, to receive this sum - they ask the number of my credit cards and to pay for game at a rate of 14$. It seems to me is not so fair in connection with declared earlier. Whether you know this organization? Whether really they will pay me a promised prize?

Sincerely yours,
Nadezhda
Russia

Nadezhda,

I hate to be the one to inform you, but you will not receive the cash prize promised in the letter. This is a scam. FreeLotto.com is a legitimate lottery site run out of the UK and they have samples of the fraudulent letters being sent out under their name. A legitimate lottery will NEVER ask you to pay money or give out credit card information in order to receive your winnings.

DomainUSA aka Domain Name USA website registration scam

vince — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 12:53:29 -0700

UCAN recently received a complaint that gives us reason to believe a company known as DomainUSA, or Domain Name USA, is attempting to scam consumers. Here is the complaint:

We received the attached "Domain Registration Notice" today from Domain USA. (See image to the left)

At first, we assumed that they were managing our domain name (canyonhills.org), but upon further inquiry, it became clear that another company actually provides us with this service.

This notice is an obvious attempt to fraudulently receive payment under the pretense of servicing our domain registration. The title of the "notice" is deceptive and misleading.

Close inspection of the fine print reveals that they only provide "domain name search engine registration." We have to wonder how many San Diego firms have wasted money on this deceptive billing.

Here's how it works: DomainUSA sends a website owner a bill to renew the domain name registration on the site. DomainUSA makes it appear that due to a merger, you must now register through them. The problem is that DomainUSA has nothing to do with your domain name, in fact, they don't even register domain names. Domain USA provides domain name SEARCH ENGINE registration. Of course, many places are willing to submit your domain to search engines for FREE. If you receive a letter from DomainUSA, DO NOT SEND ANY MONEY, it is a scam. Also, you can comment below if you receive anything similar.

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