Consumerist
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health insurance
Health Care Reform Bill Passes House - What's In It?
The House version of the health care reform bill passed the House on Saturday night. Now it needs to be merged with some sort fo Senate version of the bill and signed by the President to become law. So how does this reform bill actually affect consumers? More » -
bally's
Bally's Members Still Paying Dues For Closed Gym
Ten miles isn't always a quick or easy trip. That's the message that the former members of a Bally's club in Vancouver, Wash. want to get across to the chain after their local branch closed with little to no notice. Bally's claims that they don't need to end contracts or refund members' dues since there is another Bally's within ten miles of the club, but the drive tops half an hour for some customers—not exactly convenient. More » -
distracted driving
Federal Employees Banned From Texting While Driving
An executive order issued this week bans federal employees from texting while driving when using government vehicles or phones, or while on government business. Given the safety risks of texting while driving, we think this was a good move, and hope that it extends to the general population. Take our poll and tell us what you think, inside. More » -
investigations
Hidden Cameras Catch LA Valets Breaking All Kinds Of Laws
An excellent piece of investigative journalism by NBC Los Angeles catches valets all over the city putting up fake no parking signs, jamming meters, and using customers' cars to shuttle valets around. More » -
meth laws
Grandmother Arrested For Buying Cold Medicine Twice In One Week
Last March, Sally Harpold bought a box of Zyrtec-D cold medicine for her husband, then a few days later bought a box of Mucinex-D cold medicine for her grown daughter. That put her over the limit for how much pseudoephedrine-laced cold meds you can buy in a week in her small Indiana town, so she was arrested along with 16 other potential meth makers earlier this month. More » -
surprise
Congress Seeks To Move Up Credit Card Act Implementation To December 1st
Today, Reps. Barney Frank and Carolyn Maloney are going to request that the implementation date for the rest of the Credit Card Act's rules be moved to December 1st of this year instead of February 2010, after seeing companies "jacking up their rates and doing other things to their customers in advance of the effective date" all summer, reports Mary Pilon at The Wall Street Journal. More » -
overdraft fees
Wells Fargo Also Pledges To Reduce Overdraft Fees
Chase and Bank of America aren't the only ones suddenly growing pseudo-human faces and reducing their money-sucking overdraft policies. Today Wells Fargo squirted out a press release that says they "will eliminate overdraft fees for customers when they overdraw their accounts by $5 or less and will charge no more than four overdraft fees per day." More » -
funerals
Congressman Introduces Bill To Oversee Cemeteries
Remember Burr Oak this past summer? That was the Chicago cemetery that dug up bodies and resold the graves to new customers. Well, yesterday a U.S. Representative from Illinois introduced the Bereaved Consumers Protection Act, a bill that would standardize record-keeping, make cemeteries accountable to federal officials as well as state, and protect consumers from shady business practices. More » -
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special treatment
Mattel, Primary Reason For Toy Safety Law, Gets Exempted From It
When the CPSIA—the toy safety law that requires independent lab tests on toys—was passed, a lot of smaller toy manufacturers complained that it was really a dirty trick by the big toy companies to increase overhead for the small ones. Now comes word that the government has secretly exempted Mattel from the law's testing requirements—even though Mattel was responsible for 6 lead-tainted toy recalls in 2007. More » -
fees
Enlightened Nation To Banks: Either Explain Excessive Fees Or Eliminate Them
Australian consumers will soon be able to challenge any bank fee that they consider "unreasonable," thanks to a new law that could save consumers up to $1 billion. Banks that want to keep levying excessive fees for late payments and overdrafts will need to prove that the charges are reasonable by revealing the true processing costs behind the fee. More » -
Florida, the nation's fourth-largest honey producing state, has banned "fake honey"—the honey has to be 100% pure with no additives, sweeteners, or chemicals. [Examiner.com]
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menu labeling
CA's Menu-Labeling Law Inspires Restaurants To Cut Calories
California's law requiring that chain restaurants post calorie counts for their foods took effect earlier this month. It's already producing results, as two chains, Macaroni Grill and Denny's, are reexamining and revising their offerings.
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laws
Environmental Groups Say Climate Bill Won't Help Common Folk
A Reuters story says some environmental groups are going after a climate bill meant to clear the air will do no favors for consumers. The piece of legislation, which is expected to come to a vote within a couple months, is geared to slash greenhouse emissions by nearly a fifth of 2005 levels by 2020. More » -
cancel the account
Gold's Gym "Misplaces" Serviceman's Deployment Letter, Keeps Billing For Membership
Gold's Gym in Oxnard, California won't stop billing Molly's brother for membership, even though both he and his mother have repeatedly sent the gym copies of his deployment orders to Afghanistan. Two months later, the gym claims that it has "misplaced" the deployment orders, and is still billing for services Molly's brother can't use. More » -
nutrition
National Menu Labeling Law Moves Closer To Reality
As states continue to adopt laws requiring chain restaurants to include nutritional information on menus, Congress has been considering proposals for a national menu-labeling law. This week, members of Congress, the restaurant industry, and consumer groups reached agreement on a proposal that they hope to introduce this summer.
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scalping
It's Now Illegal To Sell A Ticket In New York For More Than $2 Over Face Value
Quick, go buy scalped tickets while it's still illegal to sell them for more than $2 over face value. The New York law allowing unlimited markups on scalped tickets expired last week, and Governor David Paterson has yet to sign an extension bill passed by the legislature. TicketsNow and StubHub are, of course, ignoring the law, because they've never been big fans of little things like laws or decency. More » -
credit card reform
Video: Comedic Rendering Of Banks' Reaction To The CARD Act
From FunnyOrDie.com, here's a comedic rendering of what credit card companies' reaction to the CARD Act must have been like. Warning: language and content not safe for work, children, or people who don't like steak. More » -
bathrooms
Washington State Says Stores Have To Let You Use The Bathroom
Starting July 26th in Washington state, stores with three or more employees working at the same time must allow customers access to an employee restroom so long as it doesn't pose a security threat. Businesses also have to provide bathroom access to anyone with an inflammatory bowel disease who can present a card or signed statement from a doctor saying they've got a condition. More »
laws
New York, 11:39 AM
Thu Nov 12
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