Bargain Shoppers Guide

TVs, digital cameras, laptops, and other electronics gear that have been returned to a retailer or manufacturer, supposedly restored to good-as-new condition, and then re-sold at bargain prices are starting to look respectable—especially to budget-conscious shoppers. Refurbished goods (also called "reconditioned" or "remanufactured") are even being touted as "green," since they might otherwise be on their way to the landfill.

It's not just fly-by-nights selling gently used gear. Last fall, big-box retailer Target's web site began offering "pre-owned electronics," starting with seldom-discounted Apple iPods. Crutchfield.com, a reputable vendor that has been top-rated in Consumer Reports' annual Ratings of best electronics retailers, sells returned electronics from GPS to TVs at its online Outlet Store. Amazon.com, another consistently well-rated retailer, has been selling refurbished gear on its warehousedeals.com site since 2004.

Among major manufacturers offering their own refurbished electronics are:

• Apple, via its Special Deals section of its web site
• Dell, via its online Outlet store and dfsdirectsales.com, Dell's financing division
• Epson, via its online Clearance Center
• HP, via its online Business outlet
• Sony, via its online Outlet store

There's no shortage of products for these and other vendors to refurbish. Up to one in five consumer electronics items sold are returned, according to technology consulting firm Accenture, and a mere 5 percent or so of those returns are defective. More than two-thirds of electronics returned to retailers work fine.

Continue reading "Refurbished electronics: A bargain shopper's guide" »

The Terrors of Texting

Driving while texting is nothing to LOL about. From New York to England there have been reports of teens getting into serious car accidents because they keep their hands and eyes on their cell phone keys, rather than the steering wheel. And the results are too often tragic.

The practice is widespread. According to a survey by AAA and Seventeen magazine, 61 percent of 16- and 17-year-olds admit to risky driving habits and of those, 46 percent say they text while driving. Fifty-one percent of those teens say they drive while talking on their cell phones.

Some states have banned driving while texting, talking on cell phones without a hands-free device, or both, and others have banned all cell phone practices for young drivers, but the laws are often ignored by teens and appear to be loosely enforced by law enforcement officials.

Studies have shown that a person using a cell phone while driving, hands-free or not, is four times more likely to crash and, as a result, land in the hospital, and that using a cell phone while driving is as risky as driving drunk. Furthermore, inexperienced drivers are much more accident-prone when distracted, and many inexperienced teens don’t recognize the dangers cell phones pose.

And it’s not just drivers that can be distracted by texting; pedestrians, cyclists, and rollerbladers all face risks when they let their thumbs lead the way. According to the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), the nation's emergency room doctors have reported anecdotal evidence of increasing serious and sometimes fatal injuries among teens and young adults due to accidents that resulted from texting at inappropriate times. Additionally, texting or talking have been known to result in facial injuries from tripping while using a cell phone; collision injuries involving bikers, rollerbladers and pedestrians; and walking into traffic.

Because of these injuries, the ACEP released the following common-sense safety measures to keep people out of the emergency room. When you send your loved ones back to school this year, whether they walk, ride, or drive, be sure they know these tips.

Don't text or use a cell phone while engaged in any physical activities that require sustained attention, such as when walking, biking, boating, and rollerblading. Also don’t use the phone or text during intermittent-contact sports such as baseball, football or soccer.

Never text or use a hand-held cell phone while driving or motorcycling, and use caution even when using a headset.

Avoid becoming distracted by rummaging through purses, backpacks or clothing by keeping cell phones and smart phones in easy-to-find locations, such as in phone pockets or pouches.

Ignore the call or message if it might interfere with concentrating on critical activities that require attention. Better yet, turn off the device beforehand during times when incoming calls or messages might prove to be a dangerous, embarrassing or simply annoying interference.

Make sure you're in a safe environment while texting. Don't text in precarious situations, such as while sitting alone at a bus stop at night, where you could become a robbery victim.

—Kevin McCarthy, associate editor Consumer Reports