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New countertops are one of the most expensive items in a remodeled kitchen. So when a consumer pays a premium for a Quartzite Countertop with assurances that Quartzite is a superior product to other countertops because it is essentially maintenance free, the consumer expects to receive Quartzite.

Quartzite is a 100% natural stone that comes directly from the earth. It is mined in several locations in the world. The most famous quarries are in Brazil. However, Quartzite is also mined in the United States, Sweden, Canada and Italy. Natural Quartzite is very durable. It is not affected by harsh weather or UV light.

Currently, Quartzite is highly desirable. However, an unfortunate side effect of this desirability is the temptation to sell stones as Quartzite when they are not actually Quartzite. Thus, Quartzite is commonly mislabeled, which has resulted in widespread confusion about the properties of the stone. So-called “soft Quartzite” is usually marble, which has entirely different properties than real Quartzite. Simple diagnostic tests can be used to differentiate Quartzite and marble. Furthermore, some sandstones are sold as Quartzite, which further adds to the mix-up. Sandstone and Quartzite have the same mineral ingredients (quartz), but Quartzite has much lower porosity.  Thankfully, it seems that both industry pros and consumers are becoming more discerning about what Quartzite truly is, or is not. Continue reading

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Appliance-related water damage can be EXPENSIVE. In 2021, the average water-related insurance claim totaled more than $11,000. And where water damage is afoot, dishwashers are a prime suspect. But as Entrusted, a water restoration company explains, “a dishwasher is designed to work for only 10 years. “ Ignore the “only” – 10 years is what matters. New dishwashers simply shouldn’t leak. And, in fact, most don’t. But owners of Samsung Dishwashers report that not only do Samsung Dishwashers leak – Samsung Dishwashers also display an LC error code that supposedly signals a leak only to discover they can’t find one, or that the tub still is full of water because their Samsung Dishwasher has shut-off mid-cycle and won’t drain, only to start leaking thereafter.

Let’s start with the biggest risk: a leaking dishwasher. Samsung Dishwasher owners have taken to retailer websites en masse to report that Samsung Dishwashers begin to leak shortly after the warranty has expired. A Samsung Dishwasher owner posting under the ever-appropriate handle “Disappointed” reports that his Samsung Dishwasher.

Doesn’t clean, Doesn’t dry, Doesn’t drain – always water puddled inside and now it started leaking on the outside on my kitchen floor. Only had this dishwasher for 18 months!!!

Not 18 years; not even 10 years; 18 MONTHS. And he’s not alone. Numerous other Samsung Dishwasher owners report considerable leaking well inside their Samsung Dishwasher’s service life. User NinaW made similar claims: Continue reading

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Frigidaire-brand appliances manufactured by Electrolux have long been considered “luxury” items. Although less expensive than premium brands like Viking, Frigidaire sells appliances like its dishwashers at a considerable premium over competitive offerings. Unfortunately, Frigidaire dishwashers simply do not live up to the hype as consumers report a slew of errors, defects and broken parts that lead Frigidaire dishwashers to break, if not become completely inoperable.

According to consumers, the Frigidaire dishwasher’s latch is defective and often breaks, or does not latch completely; and if the door doesn’t latch, the dishwasher won’t turn on. Worse yet, if a Frigidaire dishwasher’s defective latch is broken, water also may leak and damage the surrounding flooring, forcing consumers to incur even greater costs. As one consumer reports:

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In fact, Frigidaire dishwasher latches seem to break or fail so often that a replacement Frigidaire dishwasher latch—which some claim Frigidaire redesigned due to a Defect—has hundreds of reviews on Amazon. As one consumer exclaimed,

“This unit is absolute garbage. Do not buy it!! I never leave reviews unless its bad. I have had this machine for 1 month. Latch on door broke after 3 weeks. Mfctr came out and replace latch, it happened again after 7 days!! Does fridgidaire have any quality control? I want my money back.” Continue reading

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Ravkoo, Inc. (Ravkoo) recently announced that personally identifiable information and protected health information more than 100,000 individuals were exposed in a data breach. Ravkoo is an online prescription filling service that describes itself as a digital pharmacy and software service provider with over 400 distribution centers. Ravkoo disclosed in January 2022 that highly sensitive personal and medical information belonging to its customers was accessed by unauthorized individuals in or before September 2021. The data breach occurred when hackers targeted Ravkoo’s prescription portal, which is hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS).

The information accessed by the hackers in the data breach includes, but is not limited to, patients’ names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and prescription information.

The exposure of personally identifiable information poses a significant risk of identity theft, such as criminals opening financial accounts, taking out loans, filing fraudulent tax returns, and obtaining government services in the victim’s name. According to a recent FTC survey, the total cost of identity theft is nearly $50 billion per year, with victims losing an average of nearly $5,000 from the misuse of their personal and financial information. The exposure of protected medical information, such as prescriptions, can pose an even greater danger of identity theft. Continue reading

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Broward Health recently announced that personally identifiable information and protected health information more than 1.3 million patients were exposed in a data breach. Broward Health, which operates health facilities in Ft. Lauderdale and throughout Broward County, Florida, disclosed in January 2022 that highly sensitive personal and medical information belonging to its patients was accessed by unauthorized individuals prior to October 2021. The information accessed by the hackers in the data breach includes, but is not limited to, patients’ names, addresses, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers, financial information, insurance information, and medical information. Broward Health acknowledged that the hackers were able to exfiltrate the patients’ highly sensitive personal and medical information.

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The exposure of personally identifiable information, especially names and Social Security numbers, poses a significant risk of identity theft, such as criminals opening financial accounts, taking out loans, filing fraudulent tax returns, and obtaining government services in the victim’s name. A data breach involving financial information permits thieves to make fraudulent purchases using the victim’s financial accounts.  According to a recent FTC survey, the total cost of identity theft is nearly $50 billion per year, with victims losing an average of nearly $5,000 from the misuse of their personal and financial information. The exposure of protected medical information can pose an even greater danger of identity theft—such as obtaining medical services in the victim’s name, which will be charged to the victim. Continue reading

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Pretty much every car or truck made in the United States comes equipped with windows. Yeah, sure, some millionaires and billionaires may drive what’s best described as a race car without windows (or a roof or backseats for that matter). But the vast majority of us will spend our entire lives driving cars with windows. And that’s because windows are important: windows keep rain and snow out of our cars, ensuring driver safety; keep us in the vehicle in the event of a crash; and offer an alternative exit in the event doors don’t work after an accident. Car windows are critical to vehicle safety, and most automotive manufacturers make sure power windows work as intended.

Unfortunately for owners of model year 2016 and 2017 Kia Optima vehicles and 2017 Kia Sportage vehicles, their windows will eventually stop working. In some cases, the windows in 2016 and 2017 Kia Optima and 2017 Kia Sportage cars will fall straight into the door, unable to be rolled up again to ensure loved ones are protected from the elements and that our possessions are safe from theft.

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That’s because the 2016 and 2017 Kia Optima and 2017 Kia Sportage suffer from a defect in the window regulator drum gear. According to Kia, the window regulator in the 2016 and 2017 Kia Optima and 2017 Kia Sportage fails because the regulator’s drum gear may separate or break, preventing the regulator from moving the window up or down. Continue reading

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Model Year 2014-2020 Dodge Durangos have a serious water problem. Durango owners have consistently reported that their rear tail lights and the unique LED “racetrack light” located on the tailgate assemblies of their Dodge Durangos flood with water. The resulting water damage results in a host of serious issues such as failure of the tail lights and brake lights, dimming, flickering, or complete failure of the racetrack lights, and other electrical issues such as failure of the rearview camera and license plate lights. And as we all know, water and electronics don’t mix – and the Durango’s racetrack and tail lights are no exception.

Working tail lights are essential for safety. Durango owners report experiencing near miss rear end collisions while driving at nighttime because their LED racetrack lights or tail lights have shorted out, or are flickering, due to water intrusion. Numerous other Durango owners recount being pulled over by law enforcement or failing safety tests because their racetrack lights and tail lights fail to operate because of water saturation and damage. Naturally, many Dodge Durango owners are concerned that such an important vehicle component is so easily susceptible to water intrusion due to water leaking into the racetrack and tail light assemblies. (See below picture of water draining from the taillight assembly after a Durango owner removed a bolt on the tailgate to drain out the accumulated water).

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Indeed, the Durango racetrack light water intrusion defect poses considerable safety risks, since the racetrack light and tail lights illuminate the rear of the Dodge Durango to ensure that the Durango is visible at night, in fog, and other low-light driving environments. One Durango owner even reported smelling a strong electrical fire smoke scent and seeing a faint smoke trail when the racetrack light and lighting assembly shorted out due to water pooling in the tailgate light assembly. Continue reading

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Has your Ninja Specialty Coffee Maker (also referred to as the Ninja Coffee Bar System) stopped brewing coffee and continually beeped 5 times? You are not alone. Consumers across the country report that their Ninja Specialty Coffee Makers and Ninja Coffee Bar Systems have experienced the same problems.

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NinjaShark advertises that you can now “[b]ring the coffeehouse home” with Ninja’s Specialty Coffee Maker. However, after only a few months to a year after purchase, these coffee makers stop brewing coffee and continually beep 5 times. Despite longstanding complaints from consumers and various forums discussing the issue, NinjaShark has not done anything to permanently address the problems. Worst of all, any attempts to fix these issues, such as running a cleaning cycle, or attempts to seek warranty coverage fail or involve additional costs.

Customers report that they contact the manufacturer to advise their costly coffee bar will not brew coffee, usually following 5 beeps, only for NinjaShark to offer little more than a discount on a new coffee bar that consumers are convinced will eventually emit the dreaded five beeps of death. Continue reading

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EcoVacs Robot Vacuums are advertised to “provide[ ] a versatile, everyday cleaning solution.”

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Despite their high price tag, however, EcoVacs Robot Vacuums experience various malfunctions (including main brush malfunction, sensor malfunction, and battery malfunction) and/or failure. Although EcoVacs is well-aware of these issues through consumer complaints and warranty coverage requests, it still has not done anything to provide a long-term solution. Worst of all, any attempts to fix these issues or seek warranty coverage fail or involve additional costs.

Indeed, once these costly vacuums–particularly the N79–experience what consumers now refer to as the “4 Beeps” or “Beeps of Death,” kiss your innovative robot vacuum goodbye. That’s because EcoVacs refuses to repair the N79 vacuums that experience a “main brush malfunction”–the error identified by the 4 beeps–once the one year warranty has expired. Moreover, consumers who want to repair their vacuums at their expense find they cannot because EcoVacs has yet to establish service centers in the United states.

As a result, after a little more than one year of use, consumers can expect their EcoVacs N79 vacuums to become little more than a piece of home decor that will beep 4 times and refuse to start. Consumers report the following about their EcoVacs Robot Vacuums: Continue reading

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Attorneys at Cafferty Clobes Meriwether & Sprengel LLP (“CCMS”) filed a class action lawsuit against Apple, Inc. on behalf of consumers who have been damaged by Apple’s perpetuation of, and profiting from, Apple App Store and iTunes gift card scams.

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Scammers trick victims into purchasing App Store or iTunes gift cards and providing the codes on the back of the cards.  The scammers either resell the codes at a significant discount or use them to make purchases from the App Store or iTunes.  Regardless of who ultimately redeems the gift cards, Apple collects a 30% commission on all purchases made with the funds from fraudulently obtained gift cards. Continue reading

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