Consumerist
kindle 2
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settlements
Target Pays New Jersey $375K To Settle Fraud Charges
Target has agreed to pay New Jersey $375,000 to settle charges that it sold baby formula and non-prescription drugs that had expired, and that it charged higher prices on some products than what was displayed on the shelves. More » -
wire transfer fraud
MoneyGram Agrees To Pay $18 Million Back To Fraud Victims
MoneyGram International announced today that it would pay $18 million to the FTC to settle charges it allowed wire fraud to happen between 2004 and 2008. MoneyGram's press release notes that they disagree with the FTC's view of the matter, but $18 million is a hell of a lot of money to pay if you don't think you were in the wrong. The press release from the FTC, on the other hand, provides plenty of detail illustrating MoneyGram's negligence, as well as the criminal behavior of some of its employees who were in on the frauds. More » -
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trust amazon
Amazon Clarifies When It Will Remove Kindle Books
As part of a settlement with the customer who sued Amazon over the 1984 fiasco this past summer, Amazon has clarified under what circumstances it can delete your books. Notably, Amazon is not saying that it will never again delete books, which keeps the Kindle in the "do not buy" list for consumers who want unequivocal ownership of the items they purchase. In fact, despite the muted praise Amazon is receiving for doing this, the best we can say about the clarification is that it's about time, but that it still doesn't address the fundamental ownership issues raised by the Kindle licensing system. More » -
fines
Target Must Pay $600,000 To Settle Lead Paint Charges
Looks like the CPSC can afford donuts tomorrow for their office: Target has agreed to pay $600,000 for selling toys with too much lead on them from May 2006 to August 2007, reports Reuters. The fine "resolves allegations" over the issue, so now Target can focus on what it does best, which is act crazy. More » -
executive compensation
Judge To BoA: "I'm Glad You Think $91,000 Is Not A Lot Of Money"
Recently, the SEC settled with Bank of America over charges that the company mislead its investors about the $3.6 billion in bonuses paid by Merrill as the brokerage was being taken over. U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff, however, isn't buying it. He's refusing to approve the settlement until it can be shown that the $33 million Bank of America agreed to pay is adequate. That's nice, but he best part is that the judge is being hilariously sarcastic during the hearings. More » -
settlements
DISH Network Will Pay $5.9 Million Back To Customers
In 2006, five states launched an investigation into DISH Network's crummy sales practices after hundreds of complaints from consumers. Now the company has agreed to pay $5.9 million to 46 states in a settlement announced today—and at least some of that money is earmarked for DISH customers. More » -
annual memberships
Be Careful, Costco Backdates Renewals
If you let your Costco membership lapse, then 2 months later renew it, Costco will backdate it to day it lapsed instead of the day you renew. The result: your 12 month membership suddenly shrinks to 10 months for the same price. Consumer Reports notes that Costco used to backdate renewals by as much as 5 months before a recent class-action settlement. More » -
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tickets
Ticketmaster Pays $50,000 Fine, Closes More Than 100 Deceptive Site
Ticketmaster will pay a $50,000 fine and shutter more than 100 deceptive brokerage sites as part of a wide-reaching agreement with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Madigan's office accused Ticketmaster's always shady subsidy, TicketsNow, of creating sites that masqueraded as local venues selling tickets at face value. The settlement also requires TicketsNow to wait until after Ticketmaster puts non-sporting events on sale before hawking tickets at outrageously inflated prices. More » -
lawsuits
Have You Received Your Dell Multi-State Settlement Check Yet?
Did you file a claim form in the Dell multi-state settlement earlier this year? Have you received your check yet? According to the FAQ posted by the attorneys general of states participating in the suit, Monday, June 22 was the deadline for Dell to mail checks to consumers. More » -
lawsuits
Walmart Greeter Who Was Attacked During Receipt Check Gets $20,000 Settlement
Remember the Walmart greeter who was attacked by a police officer when he tried to check the cop's receipt? His lawsuit has been settled for $20,000. More » -
settlements
Acai Berry Drink Company Agrees To Give $350k Back To Bilked Customers
One of the acai berry's most miraculous powers is its ability to filch hundreds of dollars from consumers who are seeking new ways to lose weight and live forever. Now one company known for marketing an acai elixir has settled a lawsuit from the Arizona Attorney General over charges of deceptive practices. More » -
spyware
Sears Settles With FTC Over Spyware Charge
In 2007 and 2008, Sears invited select customers to join the exclusive "My SHC Community," which involved installing an app that would monitor online browsing in exchange for $10. The app was called spyware by researchers and the FTC, because the data it collected on customers included "details from their online shopping, bank statements, drug-prescription records, video rentals, library-borrowing histories, even the names and addresses of their e-mail correspondents," as well as "data about the users' computers, printers, and other devices." More » -
car warranties
Here Are Some Of The Companies Behind The Car Warranty Robocalls
Verizon continues its recent campaign of turning robocallers into charitable contributions, this time by settling a lawsuit against two of the companies behind those awful car warranty calls. Last time it was for $25,000; this time it's for $50,000, all of which is being donated to the Joyful Heart Foundation, which Wireless Week describes as "a nonprofit devoted to empowering survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse." More » -
hot fuel
Costco Might Fix Hot Fuel Ripoff
Vermonters get a better deal on gas than Texans. Fuel expands in the heat and shrinks in the cold, so 5 gallons of "hot fuel" won't get your car as far as 5 gallons of regular. Oilmen know this, and that's why at various points in the supply chain volume gets adjusted for the industry standard temperature of 60° F. The retail pump isn't one of them. That might start to change if a proposed class-action lawsuit settlement with Costco as a defendant goes through. Under the terms, Costco would fix its pumps in the bottom half of the country so that they dispense fuel at 60° F. If it goes through, it would be a precedent-setting consumer victory. After all, you want a Tiger in your tank, not a Heat Miser, don't you?
Costco offer would fix hot fuel [Kansas City Star] (Photo: whatatravisty)
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follow ups
Martha Stewart And Kmart Settle With Magician Who Lost Fingertip In Lounge Chair
It looks like a certain Des Moines magician/hand model will be able to afford a fancy new gold fingertip soon, or at least a gold-plated one, because he's settled his lawsuit against Kmart and Martha Stewart Omnimedia for an undisclosed amount. More » -
settlements
Only 42 People Want A Piece of Dell's $1.5 Million Settlement? Seriously?
Come on people, Dell agreed to dole out $1.5 million to customers who had problems with warranty repairs, credit financing, and rebates, but with only a week before the filing deadline, Washington's Attorney General says that only 42 people in his state have submitted claim forms. We know there are eligible Dell victims out there. Our tipline alone has nearly 1,000 Dell-related complaints. Please, fill out your claim form now and get the money your state attorney generals earned for you! More » -
lawsuits
Did Your Paxil Pills Break In The Bottle? Get Up To $150 Cash Back
If you took Paxil between April 1, 2002 and March 4, 2005, and your pills broke in the bottle, you can take part in a new class action settlement to receive some compensation. Tier One covers 1-5 pills and will get you $50. Tier Two covers up to 15 pills and will get you between $50 and $150 depending on the details of your claim.
Simonet Paxil CR Settlement Page [simonetpaxilcrsettlement.com via TopClassActions.com]
(Photo: ~!)
