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Senators Call For Investigation Into Employers Asking For Facebook Access
Last week, Facebook came out swinging against the practice of employers asking employees or potential hires for access to their social network accounts, in order to dig around and find out more about them. And now, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Charles Schumer are pushing the government to investigate the matter further. More »

Today Is World Consumer Rights Day... Where Are All The Doorbuster Sales?
On March 15, 1962, President Kennedy addressed Congress and called for everyone to recognize four basic consumer rights — the right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose, and the right to be heard. It's a message worth repeating. More »

Lawmakers Call For End To NFL Blackouts; Jacksonville Jaguars Fan Rejoices
For fans of football teams with poor stadium attendance, Sunday afternoons can be a dreary experience of having to watch Cheers re-runs while occasionally checking the score of the game you'd be watching if it weren't blacked out. But if a quintet of senators get their way, these black outs would come to an end. More »

Senators Introduce Bill To Ban Mandatory Binding Arbitration Clauses In Cellphone Contracts
When you buy a new cellphone you have to sign a contract where you give up your right to sue. You agree to what's called, "mandatory binding arbitration." This is a bad thing to give to an industry that has high levels of complaints about hidden fees and abusive anti-consumer practices. Because if their crummy customer service fails to remedy an issue, your last resort option is to participate in a kangaroo court system that is paid for out of fees paid by the cellphone companies themselves. So Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Al Franken (D-MN) have today introduced The Consumer Mobile Fairness Act that would ban mandatory arbitration clauses in cellphone contracts. More »

AG Says Ratings Not Trustworthy After BBB Gives A- To "Hamas"
How was a group of business owners able to secure an A- BBB rating for a fictional company called "Hamas?" (Yes, named after THAT Hamas.) More »

Google In Hot Water For Collecting Data From Your Wireless Networks
A group of attorneys general have decided to go ahead with a multi-state investigation of the Google Streets View project after it was revealed that the cars it uses to capture the images were also capturing data from people's home and business wireless networks. The capturing was done in 30 countries and the government of France says that it included people's passwords and email. More »

Gift Idea: A Book About Money
Books on managing your money better are an especially apt holiday gift this year. If you need some ideas, Vanguard recommends these 16 books. Mastering your personal finances, the gift that keeps on giving.

CVS, Walgreens Drop Tamiflu Prices After AG Sends Nasty Letter
Are CVS and Walgreens price gouging on liquid Tamiflu? The attorney general of Connecticut's office says the AG, Richard Blumenthal, has "received information suggesting that some pharmacies have charged substantially increased out-of-pocket prices for Tamiflu, in some cases as high as $130 or more. He has also heard that some retailers may be purchasing capsules of higher-dosage Tamiflu from distributors and remarketing it as liquid-form lower dosages at greatly inflated prices." More »

Craigslist Will Drop "Erotic Services" Section

—>Connecticut AG Richard Blumenthal has announced that Craigslist will be dropping its controversial "erotic services" section, and will replace it with a moderated "adult" category.   More »

AIG Financial Products Employee's Public Resignation Letter

—>Here is a resignation letter sent on Tuesday by Jake DeSantis, an executive vice president of the American International Group's financial products unit, to Edward M. Liddy, the chief executive of A.I.G. It was published in the New York Times.  More »

Gift Card Settlement Refunds Quarter Million Dollars In Inactivity Fees

—>A Connecticut mall has to pay $259,000 in settlement fees to consumers who bought gift cards that had monthly inactivity fees.  More »

Throwdown! Connecticut Sues Countrywide For Deceptive Lending

—>Someone ring a bell because Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has just sued Countrywide (and, of course, Bank of America) for deceptive lending practices. They're seeking damages of $100,000 for each violation, as well as "up to $5,000 per violation of state consumer protection laws, disgorgement of all ill-gotten gains and an order compelling the company to cease its illegal practices."   More »

Charter Announces It Will Abandon User Tracking

—>Last month we reported on Charter Communications' plan to start tracking its users internet activity in order to serve more targeted ads. Charter claimed customers could opt-out of the service, but a reader reviewed Charter's opt-out method and discovered that even if you said no, you would still be tracked. Yesterday Charter announced it was abandoning the program and will not track its customers' activities after all—at least for the immediate future.  More »

When Telephone Companies Scam

—>"Competing by cheating has become a way of life for ... many of these corporations, many of the most reputable of them. Because it's done by AT&T, MCI, or Sprint, people are reluctant to use that word, but when all is said and done ... these are scams."  More »

Top Posts Of The Week
"Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal was surprised to hear that his investigation failed to end Best Buy's bait-and-switch, telling the L.A. Times: "We thought Best Buy had addressed this. That's what they said to us. Apparently that's not the case."  More »

Best Buy Refuses To Stop Misleading Customers With Secret Website

—>Once again a reader contacts us to complain about Best Buy misleading their customers with an in-store only website that looks identical to the "real" website—except for the prices.  More »

Best Buy Still Embracing Deceptive In-Store Kiosks

—>Best Buy still uses a secret internal website to deceive customers, according to the L.A. Times. The website appearing on in-store kiosks resembles Best Buy's official site in every way, except for the prices. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal was surprised to hear that his investigation failed to end Best Buy's bait-and-switch, telling the L.A. Times: "We thought Best Buy had addressed this. That's what they said to us. Apparently that's not the case." A tipster in Virginia also reports the continued existence of the secret website.  More »

Bush Fuel Economy Plan Rejected By The Courts
The court ordered the White House to examine why it continues to consider light trucks differently than cars. Regulators made a distinction between cars and light trucks decades ago when most trucks were used for commercial purposes.  More »

US Airways Cancels Your Flight, Treats You "Like Dirt"

—>We're adding to our collection of complaints about US Airways and Philadelphia International Airport. If we collect them all, we may win a set of steak knives!   More »

Best Buy Adds Disclaimer To Secret Website

—> In response to being sued and humiliated on the internet over their "secret website," reader MK says Best Buy has added a disclaimer that warns customers that the in-store kiosk doesn't display the same prices as the public website.  More »