In May 2008, the BBC Watchdog programme alerted viewers that a number of people were reporting itches, blisters, burns and rashes after buying imported Chinese leather sofas.

The reason: sachets containing the chemical dimethyl fumarate (DMF) had been used by Chinese manufacturer Linkwise to prevent mould from growing on their leather sofas during transportation and storage.

Unfortunately, the chemical, which is sometimes used as a fungicide, led to severe allergic reactions in some people using the sofas.

Tests have shown that DMF can cause severe eczema, a term referring to a range of skin conditions which are difficult to treat. The allergic reactions occur when the substance warms up.

Consultant dermatologist Dr Sandra Winhoven explained the condition at the time: ‘The substance that’s causing the sofa dermatitis outbreak is a fungicide, and this fungicide has a very low vapour point. So when it gets warm, more of it gets released.’ As a result, the summer months led to higher numbers of allergic reactions.

Symptoms of eczema

Eczema, which is sometimes known as dermatitis, can refer to a range of unpleasant and distressing symptoms including itching, blistering, redness, swelling, dryness, crusting, flaking, cracking, oozing and bleeding of the skin. These symptoms can be very damaging to a person’s quality of life, and some of the sofa rash sufferers reported symptoms of depression as a result.

With up to 50,000 households having been sold a contaminated sofa, and many people suffering from increasingly severe reactions, sufferers were often unaware that the reaction they were experiencing was connected to their sofa.

Some sufferers even unwittingly aggravated their injuries by staying at home to recover from their symptoms, thereby further increasing their contact with the problem sofa.

How the stores reacted

The sofas were sold by Argos, Land of Leather and Walmsley Furnishing. After learning of the problem with their sofas, the shops selling them responded in different ways. According to a Daily Mail report from June 21, 2008, Argos, who had sold the most contaminated sofas, withdrew the sofas from their shops and notified buyers, contacting them to arrange collection of the products.

Land of Leather, meanwhile, withdrew the sofas but was criticised for not notifying buyers, while Walmsley said they had removed the sachets from sofas they sold after they learned of the issue, though they also did not recall the sofas which had already been sold, as Argos had done.

Claiming compensation for sofa rash

In the UK’s largest ever consumer injury claim, thousands claimed for compensation against the stores where they bought their sofas. Compensation is expected to total up to £10m for this initial class action.

Along with the thousands already claiming compensation, an estimated tens of thousands could have suffered or still be suffering from burns which have not yet been linked to their sofas. These cases could lead to further claims for compensation.

If you have been affected by a ‘toxic’ sofa and experienced skin problems as a result, you could be entitled to claim compensation for your injuries and money lost due to time off work.

National Accident Helpline can help you make a sofa burn claim. We will put you in touch with a specialist personal injury lawyer to help you with your claim.

They did not work for the money, it is not their money so they care not how much is spent or what it is spent on. Just as, you or I if we work our a$$es off for the money we spend it wisely if someone gives it to us we spend like a drunken sailor.

You should get in touch with a local agent who knows that market and how the local insurance companies cover newborns, immunizations, etc… Local agents are the best resource IMO because they are so familiar with the local market.

You can get competitive quotes from local agents by going to http://www.myinsurancequotes.net.

Jared Balis

http://www.utahinsurance.org

http://www.myinsurancequotes.net

I would question your statement “Seeing a doctor isn’t an option
for me”.

After you’ve questioned that thought of yours for a moment
(seriously!) check the website below. Maybe get some ideas?

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If you live in Japan, it’s a MUST to join National Health Insurance, or health insurance of your employer.

And there is nothing which can replace NHI. There are some insurances. But they are only supplement of NHI.

daddemoretsrunt, I recommend an online insurance quote. It’s free and generally hassle free. http://www.autoadviceonline.com/Auto-Insurance-Quote.html

Hope it works out

The automobile insurance industry is one that not many people understand. At the time of getting a quote whether it is online or in person at a local agency, the company looks at various aspects of your life. Many people think that the one thing that auto insurance companies base their decisions on are the driving record and the vehicle information, unfortunately for them there are many things that help determine the amount your will be having to pay at the end of the month. Things such as your place of residence, the number of people in your policy and your age have a lot to do with the final rate; but there is one thing that nobody seems to care about and that is your credit score.

Many people think that their credit score is not used when calculating a quote for an automobile insurance policy, but what they do not understand is that companies match the “risk” of insuring you. Risk to them goes from an accident, to a ticket, to the risk of a person not being able to pay the monthly rate on time. All these things go toward your final rate and unfortunately for most people their credit report is very significant nowadays in determining whether a person will be charged cheap or expensive at the end of a quote.

It is more and more common for automobile insurance companies to make a match of your credit score and how well you drive, which some consumer groups would argue is not a fair thing to do. For those companies if a person has a high credit score that means that they drive much better than other people. Many think that this is kind of deceiving simply because they do not see how that there can be a correlation between the two. A credit score is how you pay things on time and how well you drive is matched with how defensive and alert you are on the road. However, the companies think that a person with a low credit score will be under stress while behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, and stress leads to accidents. For this reason they think that those people have more of a chance of getting in an automobile accident than the one with good credit.

It is impossible to know how insurance companies determine the credit score simply because they use a secret formula that is not known to the public as of now. What we know however is that people with what the companies call a “good” or “above average” credit report usually have lower premiums than those who do not. In fact, about 50% of the people with high credit scores actually have some of the lowest premiums available. On the other hand the people with low credit scores have a hard time finding cheap automobile insurance policies. They can go up to paying three times more than their counterparts and sometimes they are even denied coverage just because they do not have a decent credit report.

Some automobile insurance companies have been using the education and degree factors to determine how much they will charge to customers for auto insurance policies, but the credit report is just starting to be used by major auto companies. For some unexplained reason the focus of the insurance rates have shifted from how well your vehicle ranks in avoiding injury to the driver and the passengers, and where it ranks in the list of the most stolen vehicles; to how well the policy holder’s credit it, which does not make any sense. Insurance companies want to show people that they reward the customers with good credit, while they are punishing those with poor credit.

A good thing to know is that no all insurance companies use the credit report as a form of gathering data to conclude with your rate. Most of the big name companies such as GEICO and Allstate (who sometimes charge customers with bad credit three times the normal rates) are using the credit report to determine the rates, while local agencies that are just starting are not as strict when it comes to it. If you have a bad credit you do not have to panic, just try to find an insurance company that doesn’t pay much attention to that and instead focuses on the driving record and the type of vehicle you have. There are plenty of companies out there that will reward you for what truly matters at the time of getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

Since these credit reports have become so important to automobile insurance companies, the best way to be prepared at the time of purchasing a car insurance policy is to find out your credit report beforehand and be prepared to see what the companies will say to you. You should always check for mistakes and errors because your credit history is important and reports have shown that 8 out of 10 reports have errors. After this then just determine if you should try and go with a big auto insurance provider or a local agency. If you have a low credit score don’t panic! There are plenty of companies out there that will take a chance just to gain customers.

The most important thing you can do to find the best auto insurance rate is to compare quotes from many different companies and see which one will best meet your coverage needs at an affordable price. Now that you know a little bit more about how your credit score affects your auto insurance rate then its time to get started finding yourself a cheap auto insurance policy today!