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Weekend Whistleblower: troubled landlords, vacuum's health pitch unplugged
Posted by: James Eli Shiffer under Advertising claims, Businesses in hot water, Buyer beware, Property problems Updated: April 11, 2011 - 9:59 AM
Adrienne Lund is part of the new staff managing Spiros Zorbalas's buildings. (photo by Kyndell Harkness)
My Sunday Whistleblower column described the city of Minneapolis's effort to revoke three rental licenses from landlord Spiros Zorbalas, whose properties house an estimated 2,000 people. It's part of a larger crackdown that includes publicizing the names of landlords banned from the business in MInneapolis for five years. That's the subject of Jane Friedmann's Hard Data column. The On Your Side column focused on the Oreck Corp.'s short-lived advertising ptich that its Halo vacuum and Proshield Plus portable air cleaner actually prevented the flu and other germ-related illnesses - the Federal Trade Commission put the kibosh on that claim.
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