Consumer Confidential: Sentiment, streets, Star Trek

Here's your finish-line-Friday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

-- Consumer sentiment took a little tumble this month as the realization set in among many that jobs may not be a big factor in the economic recovery, at least not right away. Optimism among consumers is now at the weakest level in three months. Seems to me, though, that consumers have been pretty snippy for a long time now, so this isn't going to change the economic landscape much.

-- They take their privacy seriously in Switzerland. The country's privacy watchdog says he'll drag Google to court to make the Web giant change how it's photographing streets as part of grand plans to map the world. Swiss authorities want to ensure that all faces of Swiss folk are obscured, and that nobody gets a glimpse of private areas, such as walled gardens. Google says it'll fight for its right to take pictures of stuff, whether you like it or not.

-- When makers of the new "Star Trek Online" video game started working out the concept of the huge, multi-player setting, they originally didn't want to include allowing players to sit in Capt. Kirk's chair on the bridge of the Enterprise. In fact, they figured they wouldn't include the bridge of any starships. Happily, cooler heads prevailed, and the game makers now say that, yes, you can Kirk out as much as you want. Beam me up.

-- David Lazarus

Consumer Confidential: Strollers, shakes and spam

Here's your make-my-Monday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--Heads up if you've got a little one. Maclaren, which makes some very popular strollers, has recalled about 1 million folding strollers that can cut or even cut off kids' fingertips. So far, the company says mishaps have resulted in at least 12 kids' fingertips being amputated. The kids apparently get their fingers caught in side hinges when the stroller is being opened or closed. For more info, check out www.maclaren.us/recall or call 877-688-2326.

--The economy might still stink, but things are looking up at the golden arches. McDonald's says its global sales rose 3.3% last month as consumers worldwide answered a hankering for Big Macs, fries and shakes. This was especially the case in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, where sales jumped 4.7%. Who says the United States isn't spreading sunshine throughout the world?

--The website Tagged.com has agreed to pay $500,000 to the New York attorney general's office to settle charges that it routinely hijacked people's e-mail accounts and sent marketing pitches to everyone they know. This is a relatively common ploy among social-networking sites and has sparked outcry among many Net users. If you've had a similar experience with either Tagged.com or some other site, don't hesitate to let California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown know about it.

-- David Lazarus

David Lazarus: Watch out when signing up for online services

David Lazarus' latest column, "Real estate company's pitch leads to unexpected bill," is a cautionary tale about a problem that consumer advocates say is becoming all too common: people signing up for one thing online and inadvertently signing up for something else that comes with recurring monthly charges.

Here's an excerpt:

Maria Casanova, an assistant professor of economics at UCLA, toyed with the idea earlier this year of buying a foreclosed property near the Westwood campus. She signed up for a prominent listing service called RealtyTrac.

Casanova, 31, canceled her subscription not long after. Yet a few days ago she discovered that some other real estate company she'd never heard of has been billing her almost $45 a month for the last eight months.

Here's a video from Lazarus on the subject:

So has this kind of stealth co-registration happened to you? Do you worry when you sign up for paid services online that you'll end up with a little extra something that you didn't bank on?

-- Nancy Rivera Brooks

Consumer Confidential: Wine, funky flashlights, Google

Here's your whopping-Wednesday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

• A little vino with your Slim Jim? Our friends at 7-11 say they'll be introducing a low-priced wine in the United States and Japan. Sold under the Yosemite Road brand, the 7-11 wine will cost about $3.99 and will come in chardonnay and cabernet varieties. Heads up, Two Buck Chuck.
• Did you buy your kids a Halloween flashlight from Target? If so, you got more trick than treat. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall of the made-in-China flashlights after receiving multiple reports of the devices overheating and even melting. Needless to say, this represents a burn hazard. More than 600,000 such flashlights were sold, so make sure you're not among the owners.
• Google spent more than $1 million lobbying politicians in Washington during the most recent quarter. They grow up so fast, don't they?

-- David Lazarus

Consumer Confidential: Costco, Disney, banking scam

Here's your whoopee-it's-Wednesday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--Sign of the times: Costco says it will accept food stamps at many outlets nationwide. In the past, the company has generally pursued a higher-end demographic interested in bargains but still capable of paying membership fees. Now Costco is acknowledging, albeit tacitly, that many of those same people are facing unemployment or other challenges, and is trying to find ways to keep their business.

--Disney has found a nifty way of converting people's iPhones into marketing tools. A new app rewards using your iPhone to poke around the Disney.com website. Following various clues and hints will unlock special content, such as animation or other goodies. A company official calls the app "a unique content experience." I call it advertising. But whatever works.

--Heads up: The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is warning of bogus FDIC e-mails from scammers that will unleash a virus on your computer and make off with your personal info. The message says the FDIC has closed the recipient's bank and says you'll need to click a link that will provide more information about your banking record. Clicking that link, of course, makes all the bad stuff happen. The FDIC says if you get any e-mail that looks like this, delete it, quick.

-- David Lazarus

Consumer Confidential: Low fares, video games, home prices

Here's your toot-toot-Tuesday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--How's this for a deal? Southwest Airlines is charging the same for a one-way ticket that some other carriers charge just to check a bag. The airline says it will charge just $25 for a one-way ticket to travel up to 375 miles. The price rises to $50 if you're going up to 549 miles, and to $75 for up to 999 miles. If you're flying more than 1,000 miles, that'll be a nice, round $100. One catch: The fares apply only for travel between Dec. 2 and Dec. 16, and Jan. 5 and Feb. 10. And, as they say, other restrictions apply.

--Heads up, sofa spuds: Time to put all that video gaming to use. GameStop says it's hiring about 15,000 seasonal workers to help with the holiday rush for games. The company wants experienced gamers who know a thing or two about "Grand Theft Auto" or "Lego Star Wars." And, the economy being what it is, GameStop says it fully expects to receive more applications than it can accommodate with open positions. One other thing: Those positions pay just minimum wage.

--Home prices are up for a third straight month. If you're in the market for new digs and you haven't bought yet at fire-sale prices, that train's about to leave the station.

-- David Lazarus

Consumer Confidential: Baby Einstein, gas prices and newspapers

Here's your make-my-Monday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--Turns out playing "Baby Einstein" videos for your toddler isn't so smart after all. So Disney is offering refunds to anyone who bought one of the videos between June 2004 and September 2009. Some parents and consumer advocates have been saying for years that the DVDs are little more than marketing tools that target babies and play no demonstrable role in improving cognitive skills. A Disney official blasted such criticism as "extreme." Nevertheless, the company is doing the right thing by letting parents off the hook.

--Like you needed something else to worry about: Retail gas prices are on the rise, raising fears that higher costs at the pump will slow the economic recovery this holiday season. The average gas price nationwide is up 20 cents over the last couple of weeks to $2.671 a gallon. That matches the peak set during the summer driving season, indicating that rising oil prices will keep pushing pump prices northward.

--There may never have been greater demand for information, but it's clear that fewer and fewer people want it from (ahem) newspapers. The Audit Bureau of Circulations says the average daily circulation of newspapers dropped by another 10.6% in the April-September period -- more than twice the decline of the same period last year. Consumer-themed blogs, meanwhile, showed surprising growth and vitality, raising the likelihood that the people who write daily roundups are in line for fabulous bonuses and raises. I wish.

-- David Lazarus

Consumer Confidential: Amazon, Netflix, hookers

Here's your finally-a-Friday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--It's shaping up to be a merry e-Christmas. At least that's the message from our friends at Amazon.com, who reported a hefty 69% increase in quarterly profit and said things should continue looking swell right through the holidays. Significantly, the company's turbo-charged results were fueled primarily by sales of electronic goodies, which indicates that consumers are more comfortable buying big-ticket items -- at least if they're offered at the right price. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Watch out for aggressive sales this holiday season. Retailers know you care mostly about price, and they'll be fighting to get your business.

--Build a better mousetrap and investors will beat a trail to your door. That's the takeaway from Netflix, the online DVD-rental service, which has all but decimated brick-and-mortar rivals. The company's stock hit a 52-week high after Netflix reported a 48% spike in profit, based mostly on more people taking out subscriptions. Up next: A bigger push into online streaming of movies and stuff.

--A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Craigslist alleging that the site contributes to prostitution with its listings for adult services. The judge ruled that sites can't be held accountable for their content. Hookers rejoice.

-- David Lazarus

Consumer Confidential: Windows, duds and newspapers

Here's your this-must-be-Thursday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

-- It's Windows 7 day! Yes, the latest iteration of everyone's favorite computer operating system has arrived. So why aren't I more hyped? Remember when Windows 95 was unveiled? Now that was a party. This time, it feels more like our pals in Redmond are just trying to wipe Windows Vista from our memories, like a character waking up at the end of a bad movie and realizing the whole thing was a dream. The reviews say Windows 7 is pretty cool, and I'll probably upgrade at some point from my creaky old Windows XP. But I'll wait for the rest of you to work out the bugs first. We're talking Windows, after all.

-- J. Crew isn't the cheapest place to shop for clothes. So when the company says it's feeling pretty bullish about its prospects, you know there's a whiff of economic recovery in the air. J. Crew has boosted its third-quarter profit forecast and says it's feeling pretty darned good about the fourth quarter as well. It probably also doesn't hurt that the brand is a favorite of first lady Michelle Obama.

-- Speaking of recoveries (sort of), our friends at The New York Times Co. say their losses narrowed in the most recent quarter, even though the paper's ad slump continues. The company's chief exec, Janet Robinson, cited "encouraging signs of improvement in the overall economy and in discussions with our advertisers." All I can say is that from where I sit on the Left Coast, things remain pretty tough in the newspaper biz. Thank God we're all blogging, right?

-- David Lazarus

Consumer Confidential: College, gas and Apple

Here's your tantalizing-Tuesday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--College costs are higher than ever. That's the word from the College Board, which says tuition and fees at private four-year schools have risen 4.4% to $26,273, while charges at public four-year universities climbed more than 6% for both in-state and out-of state students to $7,020 and $18,548, respectively. This year's high school graduating class was the largest ever, creating a seller's market for colleges. Not surprisingly, schools are pressing that advantage. Also not surprisingly, the experts say students and families will be borrowing more to make higher education possible.

--Oil is up, and you know what that means: You'll be paying more at the pump for gas. Oil briefly topped $80 a barrel this morning, the first time that's happened in a year. The price of a gallon of gas now averages $2.577 nationwide, up almost a dime from a week ago, according to our friends at AAA. I'm thinking the real coup here would be to open a college that also sells gas.

--Apple's stock took off after the company reported record quarterly sales of iPhones and Mac computers. If you're like me, you're asking only one question: Why didn't I invest in this company before it became so darned successful?

-- David Lazarus