Consumer Confidential: Painkiller abuse, free shipping, rigged websites

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Here’s your unflinchingly Friday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--Drug companies are uniting to curb abuse of prescription painkillers. The move follows some not-so-subtle prodding from the Food and Drug Administration, which sent letters to 16 pharmaceutical makers expressing concern over rising incidents of painkiller abuse. In response, the companies are stepping up education efforts for both patients and doctors about use of such drugs. Whether that does the trick remains to be seen.

--The rule of thumb for cyber-shoppers this holiday season: If you’re not getting free shipping, forget it. Seems like just about all e-trailers are offering the perk to attract business, but not all offers are created equal. Make sure you check the fine print to ensure that you can return the goodie if it’s not what you expected, and whether you have to pay for the return. Check out FreeShipping.org for a list of stores offering to cover delivery costs.

--And be careful about websites purporting to help you compare prices from various online stores. The Texas attorney general’s office says some price-comparison sites actually receive money from retailers to boost their ratings. Sites that allegedly do this include Shopcartusa.com, Diduprice.com, Flyingprices.com, Digitalsaver.com and Pricingdepot.com.

-- David Lazarus