Business

Problem pet coverage and help with those chocolate cravings: The Marketplace consumer cheat sheet

Miss something this week? Don't panic. CBC's Marketplace rounds up the consumer and health news you need.

Plus: What you need to know if your plane has a problem

Just puppies being puppies. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images)

Miss something this week? Don't panic. CBC's Marketplace rounds up the consumer and health news you need.

Want this in your inbox? Get the Marketplace newsletter every Friday.

So about those chocolate cravings

Turns out there can be something in chocolate that's worse than all the sugar. (Dinuka Seneviratne)
Would this help?

A Mississauga man says his mom bought him a Lindt chocolate bar at Loblaws, but when he bit into its creamy, chocolatey goodness, he found it was full of live worms.

The store offered him his money back, prompting our favourite quote of the week: "I couldn't believe he could only offer $2.79 for me eating worms."

After the story broke, Loblaws apologized. 

Health alert: Heads up, parents

Poor little munchkins. (iStock)
Poor little babes who are teething. It looks so painful.

But watch out: The FDA is telling parents to avoid homeopathic teething tablets and gels, sold at pharmacies and online

The warning follows adverse reaction reports associated with the products and some serious reactions in little wee ones, including seizures and difficulty breathing. 

Keep your teething tots safe.

Dogs not covered if acting like dogs

This is Muddy. He wasn't covered. (Wayne Vallevand/CBC)
You have a dog; you get insurance in case your dog gets sick.

But one pup mama found out that her dog, Muddy, wasn't covered if he got hurt while "jumping, running, slipping, tripping or playing." Yes, really.

Don't have a dog? Well, here's a sweet one behaving in a manner that may not be covered.

Flight hazard 

Of all the places where your phone could catch fire, this one is really not the best. (Valerie Mosley/Associated Press)
Another Samsung phone caught fire. On a plane. 

The flight had to be grounded after the phone caught fire and the cabin filled with smoke.

And at least one report claims the phone had already been recalled and repaired, which could mean more bad news for phone owners. 

iPhone user? Don't be too smug. There are two new class action lawsuits that alleges Apple hasn't been much help if your phone stops responding to your touch.

What else is going on?

The internet speed in rural Canada sucks.

Sorry, step-counters: Fitbit probably won't make you fitter.

New mortgage rules mean that first-time homebuyers won't be able to buy, or borrow, as much.

If you're fuzzy about what carbon pricing will mean for how much you pay for stuff, here's a cheat sheet: It's going to make it more expensive to drive your car and heat your house.

And in other news of everything costs more: Movies are going to cost you 22 to 51 cents more per ticket because of increases to the minimum wage.

On TV: How to survive a plane crash

Believe it or not, your chance of surviving a serious airline accident is more that 80 per cent. But knowing one safety tip, the brace position, could make the difference. Too bad it's not always in the safety briefing. We unpack what it means. Watch it on TV this weekend or online now.