Welcome to National Consumer Protection Week! Let’s use this week to talk about what is happening to consumers in the U.S. as we speak. For National Consumer Protection Week 2017, the FTC will take part in a Facebook Live chat with USA.gov on Tuesday, March 7th at 11:30 a.m Pacific time. The Facebook Live chat will…
Gift cards are a boon to retailers. Studies suggest anywhere from 6 to 10 percent of all gift cards NEVER get redeemed! If you have Christmas gift cards hanging around, make sure to use them. And make sure you know your rights in California about how to redeem them for cash and expiration restrictions. The…
The Federal Trade Commission is now doubling down on their terrible position that dealers should be allowed to advertise that CPO (“Certified”) cars are “safe,” “have been repaired for safety issues,” and “have been subject to a rigorous inspection” WITHOUT actually getting safety recall repairs done, if they merely add a blanket disclaimer that the…
Ralph Nader was ahead of his time. Way ahead. He saw it coming: the growing discontent of what has come to be known as the “99 percent.” Bernie Sanders and the Trump phenomena appear almost to arise from the silent ether, all until one hears (or remembers) the clarion call Ralph Nader trumpeted forever ago…
Starting October 3, there will be new consumer rights for 3 Million Servicemembers & Dependents! The Talent-Nelson Military Lending Act (MLA), 10 U.S.C. § 987, enacted in 2006, imposes a 36% interest rate cap, bans mandatory arbitration, and imposes other restrictions on “consumer credit” extended to service members and their dependents. The MLA applies to…
Great editorial! http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/editorials/article/License-plate-bill-needs-a-quick-fix-6458638.php License Plate Bill Needs a Quick Fix “California is the only state that allows newly sold vehicles to go up to 90 days without license plates. It’s not good for public safety to have cars leaving a hit-and-run accident and other crime scenes without ready means of firm identification. It also costs…
Their are reports that Capitol One is using robodialers. The calls were from the company’s credit card division. During each of the calls consumers received and answered, they told the bank they had the wrong number and asked them to stop calling. However, the calls did not stop. Based on the frequency and nature of…
Watchout for Arbitration Clauses Consumers! The CFPB has found these clauses everywhere the consumer buys virtually any good or service with a contract. The CFPB has found no evidence to support the business-lobby’s claim that arbitration keeps costs down. Instead, the CFPB has found that they block consumers from effective means to fight rip-offs by,…
The FCC voted on Thursday to expand the scope of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act to crack down on robocalls from telemarketers. The agency has indicated that under the rule, companies are barred from telemarketing with “autodialers,” or any type of device with the potential to dial or sequence random numbers, must honor a customer’s…
Federal legislation was introduced Friday in both the Senate and the House of Representatives toprevent companies from renting defective or recalled motor vehicles that have not been repaired, proposals the sponsors say would hold rental companies to the same standard as auto dealers. The Senate bill, which has been proposed in each of the past…
