Questions About – FTC Telemarketing Complaints, Car Speedometers, Unused Fridge, Smoke Alarm Longevity, Milk In Cardboard Containers, Disposing Of Smoke Alarms

Ask Liz: 5/8/09

Q: I have filed telemarketing complaints with the Federal Trade Commission and wonders if it prosecutes the companies consumers complain about?

We contacted the FTC which administers the National Do Not Call Registry. It recommends consumers keep on filing complaints with the FTC if telemarketers keep calling. Tell the company again to take you off its calling list. When filing a complaint with the FTC, provide as much information as possible about the company and the call. The FTC looks into companies with the most complaints. The FTC along with the Department of Justice has filed more than 34 law enforcement actions and collected millions in civil penalties since the Do Not Call List started in 2003.

Q: Are there are any laws which regulate how accurate a speedometer has to be?

A: The National Highway Traffic Safety Association says there are no federal standards which govern the accuracy of speedometers; there are only voluntary standards. AAA Mid-Atlantic says different things can affect the accuracy of your car's speedometer like changing your tires. According to the website HowStuffWorks.com, no speedometer can be a 100 percent accurate but generally the tolerance range is between 1 and 5 percent too slow or too fast.

Q: How can you best store an unused fridge?

We took your question to the Whirlpool Corporation. If you don't need your fridge, remove all food from it. If your fridge has an automatic ice maker, turn it off after the last load of ice has dropped and at least a day before you turn off the fridge. Turn the Temperature or Fridge Control off as well. Clean the whole fridge, wipe it and let it dry with the doors open. Keeping the doors open and letting in fresh air helps prevent odor and mold from getting into your fridge.

Q: Do cardboard containers keep milk fresh longer than the plastic containers?

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We contacted the United States Fire Administration to get an answer to your question. It says smoke alarms typically last 10 years. But you should also check the manufacturer's recommendations. Generally, the packaging tells how long it should last. Newer smoke alarms can even last beyond 10 years.We took this question to the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association.

It says paperboard cartons filter out more light than plastic ones and light can change some flavor components in milk. However, different ways of pasteurization are most likely the reason for how long the milk lasts, not the packaging. Milk in paperboard cartons is ultra pasteurized at a higher temperature. Milk in plastic containers is mostly produced on nearby dairy farms and is standard pasteurized. By the way, milk lasts longer if you store it on the bottom shelf of your fridge and keep your fridge temperature below 40 degrees.

 
Q: How long do smoke alarms last and how do you dispose of them properly?

We contacted the United States Fire Administration to get an answer to your question.

It says smoke alarms typically last 10 years. But you should also check the manufacturer's recommendations.
Generally, the packaging tells how long it should last. Newer smoke alarms can even last beyond 10 years.
It says you can just throw your old smoke alarm in the trash. It says there's less radiation in a smoke alarm than in a wrist watch.

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