You've probably seen them or heard about them. Distributors, claim these little laundry globes, can clean your clothes and save the environment. The state of Utah, has questioned those claims. And, now the globes are a thing of the past. News Specialist Robert Walz, first broke this story three months go. He joins us now live from Capitol Hill to tell us why the Laundry Globe Solution is no longer available in Utah:

In a move to avoid a court hearing and possible charges, Florida based TradeNet Marketing gave the state of Utah 10-thousand dollars and a promise to stop selling the Laundry Solution Globe.

TradeNet salesmen told thousands of people these plastic balls would clean clothing as well as laundry soap but without any pollution. They claimed the liquid inside the ball somehow changed the molecular structure of water and forced dirt from clothing. But after tests done for the state of Utah found the plastic ball contained only tap water and blue dye, tradNet officials admitted the claims had no scientific basis.

((BILL COOPER-PRES. TRADENET MARKETING: "SO YOU DON'T KNOW HOW IT WORKS?" "WE DON'T KNOW HOW IT WORKS, BUT WE KNOW THAT IT WORKED."))

Now tradeNet is dumping the Laundry solution ball. The company will no longer make them or sell them in the state of Utah. In an out of court settlement tradeNet agreed to stop selling the ball and pay a 10-thousand dollar fine if the Utah Division of Consumer Protection would drop all charges against the company.

((FRANCINE GIANI-DIRECTOR, UTAH DIVISION OF CONSUMER PROTECTION: "TRADENET HAS AGREED TO PROVIDE REFUNDS TO ALL CONSUMERS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN BEING REFUNDED, AND WE HAVE SEVERAL CLAIMANTS WHO ARE REQUESTING THAT."))

TradeNet officials do not know how many laundry solution balls have been sold in Utah, but claim to have sold 500-thousand balls nationwide.

((GIANI:"THEY ARE NO LONGER USING THE BALL THAT WE TESTED AND THEY DO HAVE A NEW PRODUCT ON THE MARKET RIGHT NOW."))

The new product is called the SuperGlobe Laundry System. TradeNet guarantees these new and improved balls will work, as long as a spoon to a cup full of this detergent is added to the wash.

If you have the old ball and want a refund, you have to file a complaint with the Utah Division of Consumer Protection.

UTAH DIVISION OF CONSUMER PROTECTION
160 East 300 South, Second Floor
P.O. BOX 45804
Salt Lake City, Utah 84145-0804