Consumerist

Another Arbitration Firm Pulls Out Of Credit Card Arbitration

Just days after the National Arbitration Forum agreed to stop arbitrating consumer credit card disputes, the American Arbitration Association has decided to do the same. This is good, but passage of the Arbitration Fairness Act is still necessary.

12:15 PM on Wed Jul 22 2009, by Alex Chasick, 4,526 views, 18 comments

Arbitration Fairness Act On "All Things Considered"

The perils of forced arbitration and the need for the Arbitration Fairness Act were recently featured on an NPR piece. The story discusses the case of Jamie Leigh Jones, the former Halliburton employee who was gang raped in Iraq by her coworkers,...

4:07 PM on Thu Jun 11 2009, by Alex Chasick, 7,890 views, 34 comments

Mandatory Binding Arbitration Still Sucks

BusinessWeek has published a pretty substantial cover story on arbitration, and why it disadvantages consumers. Consumerist readers will be familiar with many of the story's criticisms: one study finds 99.8% of arbitration cases are decided in the...

2:18 PM on Mon Jun 9 2008, by Alex Chasick, 4,752 views, 20 comments

USAA: Opt-Out Of Mandatory Binding Arbitration By Closing Your Account

The "credit union on steroids" has gone to mandatory binding arbitration for all disputes, removing customers' ability to successfully sue them if things go wrong. Previously, USAA had arbitration as an option, but allowed members to opt out. Now,...

10:05 AM on Fri Aug 28 2009, by Laura Northrup, 5,408 views, 89 comments

The Arbitration Fairness Act Is In The House

The Arbitration Fairness Act, which will ban binding mandatory arbitration clauses from consumer, employment, and franchise contracts, was reintroduced in the House yesterday.

4:24 PM on Fri Feb 13 2009, by Alex Chasick, 8,881 views, 33 comments

The House Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law is currently holding a hearing on forced arbitration and credit cards, appropriately titled "Federal Arbitration Act: Is the Credit Card Industry Using It To Quash Legal Claims?" Our...

10:55 AM on Tue May 5 2009, by Alex Chasick, 349 views, Comment

Mandatory binding arbitration is so bullshit that the opposing attorneys don't even show up to the hearings. [Credit Slips]

12:38 PM on Thu Aug 16 2007, by Ben Popken, 728 views, 4 comments

Credit Card Arbitration Cabal Implodes

The arbitration rollback continues apace! Last Thursday, JPMorgan Chase announced it won't send disputes to arbitration and is rethinking putting the clauses in its consumer contracts. Coming on the heels of news that NAF and AAA will stop...

4:57 PM on Mon Jul 27 2009, by Ben Popken, 5,390 views, 48 comments

Arbitration Firms Are Godless Bloodsuckers

In 2006, Richard Neely, a retired chief justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court, penned an article for The West Virginia Lawyer entitled, "Arbitration and the Godless Bloodsuckers." The National Arbitration Forum asked him to be an arbitrator...

1:16 PM on Tue Oct 2 2007, by Ben Popken, 4,870 views, 15 comments

Bank Of America Leaves Mandatory Arbitration Behind

Another bank is ending mandatory arbitration for their customers. Not just any bank, either—it's Bank of America!

8:00 AM on Fri Aug 14 2009, by Laura Northrup, 4,497 views, 15 comments