Looking Back

Hello All!

You may remember we’ve talked about Hartz Mountain Corporation’s TheTruthAboutHartz.com website before.

It was allegedly taken down years ago in the wake of public criticism, but we still managed to unearth Dr. Charles T. Gaskins’ shamefully fraudulent work, due to the fact Hartz is sloppy.

The discovery of Gaskins’ full report was a key factor in our debunking of Dr. Melinda Fernyhough’s nasty little “Executive Summary” document.

Here is what you see if you visit TheTruthAboutHartz.com today:

That may have been the end of the story but, thanks to the Internet Archive, we invite you to hop in the Wayback Machine and take a gaze upon TheTruthAboutHartz.com as it was on May 4, 2009.

Not many remember what this site looked like or the “facts” it contained. Well, as Hartz said, “It’s Time to Set the Record Straight”.

Seeing as how Hartz linked to the following page seven times from their homepage, deemed as “facts”, we feel it pretty safe to say this was what they were most interested in showing to the public:

You may be wondering why we didn’t just use the archive in the first place when looking for information on TheTruthAboutHartz.com. Actually, we had forgotten about this excellent resource until Tiny Timmy brought it up in her tribute to the now defunct BioSpotVictims.org.

Not everything gets archived but, thankfully, Hartz Mountain Corporation’s deceitful “masterpiece” was captured before being taken down.

Enjoy!

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Alex Gweneth Revisited

We’d like to return to the subject of Alex Gweneth from 5W Public Relations, willing lackey and outrageous shill for Hartz Mountain Corporation. If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Gweneth and his role in this ugly affair, please read this article first.

Since having been exposed for fraud, Mr. Gweneth has been quite busy. Is he running around correcting inaccuracies we’ve exposed?

No, of course not. Hartz does not fix problems.

Instead; Hartz Mountain Corporation, through Mr. Gweneth, has decided to continue peddling their overwhelmingly fraudulent claim that their flea treatment products for cats cause no adverse reactions:

This author bio can be found at the bottom of every one of Alex Gweneth’s Ewagz.com articles as well as his author page. As you can see Mr. Gweneth has posted 7 more articles, on Ewagz.com alone, since we last checked in on him.

Mr. Gweneth has been hard at work spreading more Hartz crap all over the internet but, today, we’d like to highlight some older posts by Mr. Gweneth, which were not covered in our previous exposé. These articles have been left in their entirety in the interest of preserving their “integrity”.

In this first piece, you’ll see Mr. Gweneth performing his usual routine of fear-mongering, followed by claims attempting to mislead potential consumers into thinking Hartz is a trusted brand, complete with a false statement that these products are well known to produce minimal adverse reactions over the years.

 

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(Hatrz [sic] Flea & Tick Products – Providing the Best Protection To Your Pets posted on articlesvision.com on February 2, 2012, by Alex Gweneth)

“With [sic] arrival of summers [sic], most pet owners start to worry about the measures they need to take to protect their pets from the menace of fleas and ticks. Once fleas ride into your home and start laying eggs in the fur of your pet, getting rid of them is not an easy task. Even if you manage to kill the adult fleas, the eggs hatch and you have a completely new generation of fleas ready to suck your beloved pet white. However, pet owners, [sic] who have been using the [sic] Hartz Flea & Tick Control products for years, [sic] are well aware that these high quality products are completely safe and effective in protecting their beloved pets from the various troubles caused by these small parasites.

Hartz flea & tick control products are rendered [??] least toxic and safe for direct use on animals by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Numerous pet owners, [sic] who have been using the [sic] Hartz products on their pets over the years, [sic] have confirmed that these products cause minimum adverse reactions or allergies on animal skin. The dedication of Hartz to ensure pet production [??] and their passion ensure the happiness of pets combined with their years of experience in manufacturing pet care products definitely provides them with an advantage over other pet care product manufacturing brands. [The preceding sentence is simply a grammatical nightmare. Try not to let your head explode.]

The people at Hartz are well aware of the intense bonding that most pet owners have with their pets. So, the company strives hard to provide products that can ensure to make this relationship even healthier and fun filled. They utilize the latest technologies and innovative ideas of their researchers in creating pet care products, including flea and tick control treatments that will ensure a healthier, happier and longer life for them. In order to serve their customers in a better manner, Hartz has established strategic partnerships with leading research and educational organizations that help the company in developing new and better products for pet care.

Hartz is a premium brand of pet care products which has been catering to pets includes [sic] dogs, cats, parrots, finches, goldfish, tropical fish, reptiles, chinchillas, guinea pigs, hamsters and rabbits etc. for over 80 years. Hartz flea & tick control treatments happens to be amongst [sic] the most popular creations of this 1,500 products strong Company.

To know more about the [sic] Hartz flea & tick control products and check out their entire range of the [sic] products, log on to [??] http://www.hartz.com/”

 

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This next piece is filled with more crazy nonsense.

Mr. Gweneth actually mentions vacuuming, however he adds the totally unnecessary step of burning the vacuum bag afterwards even though fleas can not survive inside the confines of a vacuum bag.

The act of burning the vacuum bag afterwards is even more dangerous if one has chosen to utilize Hartz Carpet Powder as Mr. Gweneth suggests. We do not imagine burning off pesticides is a good idea.

More disturbingly, this article seems to be running the risk of causing the possibility of overexposure to these pesticides by suggesting such a fierce and multi-tiered plan of action, when the simple acts of vacuuming and laundering would probably suffice.

 

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(Relinquish [??] Fleas and Ticks with Hartz Flea and Tick Control Products posted on articlesvision.com on February 1, 2012, by Alex Gweneth)

“Winning the war against fleas and ticks requires preparation and research. These nasty creatures not only live off their host by sucking their blood day in and day out but also act as carriers of deadly diseases and parasites such as tapeworms. The itchy whelps [sic] they leave behind on the skin of their host are both unsightly and [sic] nuisance. Don’t for a moment believe, [sic] that they are [sic] threat to only your cats, dogs, or hamsters, these little beasts can easily choose you for their next ride.

How you make sure that your pets and your home are free from parasites is entirely up to you. But you are not alone in your crusade against these tiny brutes as Hartz flea & tick prevention products help you to eliminate them and keep [sic] away for good.
There is nothing to be embarrassed about if your home gets infested with fleas.

While it is not a reflection on the cleanliness of your home, remedying the problem may require you to take action on several fronts. Along with treating your pets with various Hartz Flea & Tick control products like Hartz Flea & Tick Shampoo, Hartz Flea & Tick Collars and Hartz Flea & Tick Drops etc. you should thoroughly vacuum your home and burn the bag afterwards. Hartz Flea & Tick Carpet Powder would [sic] help you to eliminate any remaining flea eggs and prevent fleas from returning. Don’t forget to wash any bedding your pet lays on, including your own bed if it is in the habit of snuggling with you.

Treat your yard while you’re at it, if you want your efforts to be truly fruitful. If they are out there, they will find a way to ride in. If you are trying to deal with a really bad infestation, it may take several treatments at one go and several repetitions before you can be sure that you have wiped out the buggers completely.

Hartz is a premium brand of pet care products which has been catering to pets includes [sic] dogs, cats, parrots, finches, goldfish, tropical fish, reptiles, chinchillas, guinea pigs, hamsters and rabbits etc. for over 80 years. Hartz flea & tick control treatments happens to be amongst [sic] the most popular creations of this 1,500 products strong Company.

To know more about the, [sic] Hartz flea & tick products and check out their entire range, log on to [??] http://www.hartz.com/”

 

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We’d like to conclude today’s post by addressing a piece Alex Gweneth did about Hartz’ Facebook Flea & Tick Education Tab. It should come as no surprise the piece is garbage, concluding with these sentences:

 

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(Hartz launches Flea and Tick Education program on Facebook posted on ezinemark.com on February 5, 2012, by Alex Gweneth, Paragraph 5, Sentences 2 and 3)

“With an extensive set of information about Hartz products, common dog and cat flea problems, news and updates, everything is right at the fingertips of concerned pet owners. It may be all that pet parents need to keep their four-legged friends happy and healthy during any season.”

 

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Though Hartz would like very much to be the only resource consumers utilize, given the wealth of inaccuracies we’ve found on their Facebook Flea & Tick Education Tab, we think the public would be better off consulting the EPA and reputable Veterinarians.

In conclusion, Mr. Gweneth’s postings since our first piece have been a bit more careful, but we’re sure he’ll give us something more to talk about in the future.

Stay tuned.

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“A [sic] Education Tab” Part III: Teenage Flea Pregnancy is on the Rise

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Click this link for “‘A [sic] Education Tab’ Part II”

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We hope Hartz Mountain Corporation and Dr. Melinda Fernyhough have been providing you with a good “a education”.

In today’s post, we continue analyzing the “From Hartz” links, found on the right-hand side of their Facebook Flea & Tick Education Tab:

 

 

In Part II of this series, we discussed the first two Hartz links, “The UltraGuard Cause” and “UltraGuard Product Efficacy”.

It’s time for the “Parasites and your Pet” link:

 

 

The information linked to from this page serves to get the public good and concerned about the dangers of fleas, mites and others by making statements like this:

 

 

The highlighted text in the screenshot above says:

“Female fleas start producing eggs 24 to 48 hours after taking their first blood meal and can lay up to 50 eggs per day.”

This comment gets repeated on the equivalent cat page:

 

 

We at Broken Hartz found this little “tidbit” quite surprising, considering Hartz received the following reprimand from the EPA for one of their label submissions in 2009:

 

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(EPA Registration #2596-150 Amendment, Dated January 13, 2009 Page 4, Paragraph 2)

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Hartz must have really disagreed with the EPA on this one, or perhaps teenage flea pregnancy has been on the rise, because Hartz repeatedly claims much higher flea-egg production rates than the EPA acknowledges on 4 of the 10 “educational” references provided on this page.

The real problem here is Hartz exercising one of its favorite tools, “vague truth”.

There are differing reports on fleas, but it is generally accepted that fleas are indeed capable of laying up to 50 eggs per day. This, however; is the upper threshold, not the average.

Seeing as how the average rate of flea-egg production, per the EPA, is 25 per day; logically, many fleas lay less than 25 eggs per day. That is why the EPA would view statements such as those made by Hartz to be misleading.

Additionally, it is not fully clear, but Hartz seems to be suggesting a 100% flea-egg success rate, as opposed to the generally accepted 75%-80% survival rate.

The previous two examples are causing some miscommunication of facts, but seeing as how Hartz isn’t exactly lying, perhaps you think we are being a little excessive on this point.

These next two examples however add a new layer to the “vague truth” tactic.

 

 

 

The highlighted text in the pair of screenshots above read:

“Female fleas start producing eggs within 24 to 48 hours after taking their first blood meal and can lay up to 40 – 50 eggs per day.”

Again, Hartz has not technically lied, but we at Broken Hartz feel the act of placing a range of “40 – 50 eggs per day” on the equation will “inadvertently” lead the public into thinking fleas lay between 40 – 50 flea-eggs per day as opposed to an average of 25 flea-eggs per day, as preferred by the EPA.

Interesting wording, Hartz.

What you call “factual information about flea and tick products”, the EPA considers “false and misleading”.

We wonder who to trust.

Stop back on Thursday as we expose even more of the real story behind Hartz’ efforts to “educate” the public in Part IV of our “A [sic] Education Tab” series.

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Click this link for “‘A [sic] Education Tab’ Part IV”

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Alex Gweneth's Moral Bankruptcy Exposed by Broken Hartz

Reblogged from Hartz Kills:

We've been unable to obtain Alex Gweneth's baby photo, but we can only imagine that when he was born, he had the face of a cherub. His parents surely beamed with pride at their newborn boy. Would he become a surgeon? A teacher? An art historian? Little Alex's future was not yet written. Oh, but it is written now. Mr. Gweneth, sadly, became a soulless…

Read more… 159 more words

Our esteemed colleague over at HartzKills.org has weighed in with some additional thoughts on Alex Gweneth, 5W Public Relations and, of course, Hartzy! We thought it best to re-blog his piece in order to keep it in the chronological history of the BH mission, as well as provide a wonderful opportunity to leave this act of fraud sitting out all weekend long. See you Tuesday! =^..^=

 

Rite Aid Corporation Still in Bed with Hartz

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Click this link for the previous article in our Hartz “Executive Summary” exposé: Hartz Claims Advantage Doesn’t Have FDA Approved Drugs

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Until now, Broken Hartz had not revealed Rite Aid Corporation as being the distributor involved in the particular case we’ve been discussing. This was done to allow Rite Aid time to assess the information provided by our affiliate and determine its position in this matter.

Yesterday (2/20/12), Rite Aid responded with a clear desire to continue its unethical business partnership with Hartz Mountain Corporation. Given Rite Aid’s unique history with Hartz, this decision comes as no surprise.

Rite Aid Corporation is widely-accepted as one of the most corrupt corporations in the country. The Company seems to have an endless file of lawsuits and general grievances from the public as well as its employees. They have been known to sell expired condoms, baby formula and infant medications. Given their lack of concern for human life, it’s no wonder this unscrupulous corporation exhibits no regard for animal safety. This is very concerning to our affiliate because there is good reason to suspect Rite Aid sold an anomalous version of the Hartz product purchased.

In the April 18, 2000 issue of Fortune Magazine, the Rite Aid board of directors was named one of the six worst in the United States and do you know who happened to be on that board? Mr. Leonard Stern.

In case our readers are unaware, Leonard Stern’s father founded Hartz Mountain Corporation. Leonard took over the business in 1959 and was the head of Hartz until 2000. Leonard Stern was also on the Rite Aid Board of Directors from the mid-nineties to 2001.

Mr. Stern was fiercely engaged in his role as a board member of Rite Aid when the drugstore chain was involved in shady accounting practices, including overstating net income by $1 billion over two years. Mr. Stern was also named in a class action in which investors claimed that he and other directors had breached their fiduciary duty to shareholders. The company settled in 2000.

In 1999, Kevin Mann (the son of Rite Aid’s original founder and former Executive Vice President) alleged Leonard Stern used his influence to increase shelf space in Rite Aid stores for Hartz’ pet products at the expense of competitors. Rite Aid Corporation settled that suit in 1999 for $11 million. Companies don’t just settle for $11 million and we at Broken Hartz take this as a clear admission of guilt.

Mr. Stern maintained his position on Rite Aid’s board until resigning of his own accord in late 2001. Current members of Rite Aid’s board served with Leonard Stern and we have no doubt Rite Aid and Hartz are still close partners. This is backed up by our own investigation of all local Rite Aids in our area. None of these stores carry any pesticide products other than Hartz. In fact, these locations typically carried half-an-aisle of Hartz products.

Our affiliate had become aware of this interesting relationship between Hartz and Rite Aid during correspondence with the Company, but chose to keep silent about this detail and see how Rite Aid behaved when presented with irrefutable evidence of their beloved manufacturer’s unscrupulous behavior.

To say Rite Aid’s Senior Counsel completely underestimated our affiliate and botched this particular case wherever possible would be an understatement. He and Rite Aid’s board dismissed our affiliate and tried to excuse themselves from the matter, unconscionably denying their own Code of Ethics document, neglecting to review the solid information provided by the affiliate and making the ultimate mistake of sharing Hartz’ “Executive Summary of EPA Evaluation of Pet Spot-On Products”, no doubt imagining the 6 1/2-page document would overwhelm our affiliate.

When presented with our affiliate’s 35-page rebuttal to Hartz’ “Summary” document, Rite Aid’s Senior Counsel decided reading the document would be too much work. Instead, he chose to shoot off a reckless, poorly-constructed response (consisting of five sentences and two typos) in such a short time from opening the email he could not possibly have bothered to read the information provided and make any attempt to assess the validity of the affiliate’s argument. If he had, he surely would not have dared to respond in the manner he did.

A quick, ten minute internet search is all it took to unearth the links, concerning Rite Aid, found below. You’ll find cases of racial and religious discrimination, consumer fraud,  disability discrimination, improper treatment of workers, unpaid overtime and even Rite Aid’s attempt to bully a terminally-ill, 77 year old Korean War Veteran over some forgotten sardines.

• The Rite Aid Sucks Blog
• Some Less-Than-Stellar Reviews of Rite Aid
• Rite Aid and NYPD Embarrass and Arrest Innocent Woman
• War Vet Sued by Rite Aid Over Misunderstanding
• Rite Aid Religious Discrimination Suit (for whatever reason, you may need to click this link more than once)
• Rite Aid Disability Discrimination Suit
• Consumer Fraud One
• Rite Aid Tries to Avoid Paying Overtime
• Consumer Fraud Two
• Rite Aid Employee Awarded More Than $8 Million for Wrongful Termination
• Rite Aid Fails to Protect Patient Info
• Rite Aid Racial Discrimination (for whatever reason, you may need to click this link more than once)

This list could go on and on, but we at Broken Hartz think the point has been made. Sorry, Rite Aid Senior Counsel. It seems like you really screwed up this one.

Maybe you should stick to riding your ATV.

We may get into Rite Aid more in the future, and will also be updating previous posts to mention Rite Aid specifically, but we’ll get back to Hartz in our next post.

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Click this link for the next article in our Hartz “Executive Summary” exposé: More Fun with Charts!

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