I've been replacing my bulbs very slowly, as the old bulbs burn out, because of the labels on them. (I'm college educated too.
) I am still waiting for ones that do not have the "do not use in ceiling fans, enclosed fixtures or with photocells" warnings on them. (I may be waiting a long time.
)
Actually, that's wrong -- it's not that I'm not replacing them because of the labels but that I am not looking for replacements for all of my fixtures.
I often use (rightly or wrongly) price (as a function of the store) as a measurement of perceived quality and certain things -- like light bulbs -- I do not buy super cheaply because I expect cheap ones to have a less than acceptable (to me) lifespan. I am not surprised that with the recent popularity of CFLs, that there maybe some cheap low quality versions out there.