Graco and Century strollers with a sliding fold-lock hinge have been on the market since 2000, but they are potentially dangerous. The Consumer Product Safety Commission knows of eleven cases where children have caught their tiny fingers in the hinge. In ten of those cases, their fingertips were amputated or partially amputated. Graco has announced a recall, and will send a repair kit to stroller owners. [More]
Government Policy
Takata “Deeply Sorry” To Those Affected By Defective Airbags, Still Reluctant On Nationwide Recall
By 11.20.14
In September 2013, Stephanie Erdman’s life changed forever when her 2002 Honda Civic collided with another vehicle on the way to a local grocery store in Florida. While Erdman’s passenger suffered only scrapes and bruises, she’s undergone a number of surgeries – with more to come – after being struck by shrapnel from her vehicle’s ruptured Takata airbag. Erdman’s story, and the graphic photos of her accident and injuries, took center stage Thursday morning during a Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation hearing addressing the airbag defects that have now been linked to at least five deaths. [More]
FTC Shuts Down Two Tech Support Schemes That Bilked $120M From Consumers
By 11.20.14
Sometimes when you can’t fix your computer yourself you turn to the experts. Unfortunately, some of those tech wizards are only out to help themselves. That appears to be the case for two Florida-based companies that allegedly conned tens of thousands of consumers – many of whom were senior citizens – out of $120 million by deceptively marketing computer software and tech support. [More]
CFPB Orders ‘Buy-Here, Pay-Here’ Auto Dealer DriveTime To Pay $8M Penalty For Unfair Debt Collection Practices
By 11.19.14
For the first time in its existence the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau took action against a so-called “buy-here, pay-here” vehicle dealer, ordering the company to pay $8 million and fix its egregious ways. [More]
Operators Of “Free Access To Credit Scores” Scam To Return $22M To Victims
By 11.19.14
Consumers looking for a good deal might be tempted to take unknown companies up on their offer of providing credit scores for free. But those promises can often be too good to be true. Just ask consumers bilked out of millions of dollars after falling for once such “deal”. [More]
NHTSA Pushes For National Recall Of Takata Airbags
By 11.19.14
In the past year, nearly 10 million vehicles have been recalled in areas of high humidity – generally the southern United States – related to defective Takata-produced airbags. That number could increase significantly now that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has urged the Japanese auto parts maker and car manufacturers to expand the recall to cover the entire United States. [More]
NTSB Rules That Model Aircraft Can Be Regulated By FAA
By 11.18.14
What’s the difference between a model aircraft you’d take out to the park and fly for your own amusement without having to worry about being fined or penalized by the Federal Aviation Administration, and operating a remote-controlled aircraft that does fall under the regulatory umbrella of the FAA? Earlier this year, a federal administrative law judge said it was pretty clear that model aircrafts of any sort are exempt from FAA oversight, but the National Transportation Safety Board today said the judge was mistaken. [More]
TRUSTe To Pay $200K Fine In Settlement With FTC Over Allegations It Deceived Consumers
By 11.17.14
In this day and age where a new security breach is announced every other week, some consumers may be reassured that their web surfing is secure after seeing a TRUSTe certificate plastered on the bottom of a web page. But we’re finding out that’s not always the case, as the Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement with TRUSTe over allegations it deceived consumers about its recertification program for companies’ privacy practices. [More]
Ford Expands Ranger Recall By Nearly 10,000 Trucks Over Takata Airbag Defect
By 11.17.14
The number of vehicles affected by potentially defective Takata airbags continues to grow. This time it comes from Ford, with the manufacturer expanding its previous recall regarding the Ranger pickup truck, bringing the total number of affected trucks to 23,713. [More]
GM Extends Claim Submission Deadline To January 31 For Ignition Switch Victims
By 11.17.14
With the deadline for submitting ignition switch related injuries and deaths for consideration under the General Motors’ Victim Compensation Plan a little more than a month away and thousands of consumers still waiting to be notified, officials with the car company have extended the deadline to January 31. [More]
Al Franken: Ted Cruz Has No Idea What Net Neutrality Is
By 11.17.14
Last week, Sen. Ted Cruz from Texas attempted to slam the notion of net neutrality, dubbing it “Obamacare for the Internet” and claiming that it would result in prices and services being set by the government. But over the weekend, Minnesota Sen. Al Franken called Cruz’s claim “baloney,” pointing out the fact that we’ve had net neutrality for years and cable companies have been doing just fine. [More]
Report: “Secret Spy Program” Targeting U.S. Cell Phone Signals From the Skies
By 11.14.14
As Thanksgiving approaches, perhaps you dread having your turkey with a side of the latest conspiracy theory served up by that uncle (there’s always one) who is convinced the government is spying in from helicopters overhead. This year, though, that relative has some evidence on his side. He’s wrong about the helicopters, as far as we know, but a new report finds that law enforcement agencies actually are using aircraft to scoop up Americans’ mobile phone calls from the skies. [More]
Porn Stars Do A Better Job Of Explaining Net Neutrality Than Lobbyists
By 11.14.14
Yesterday, we told you about the laughable efforts of one prominent lobbying group to mislead consumers about net neutrality, claiming that it will hurt all those “high school bloggers” who will inexplicably have to pay for Netflix’s bandwidth use (which they won’t, because this is nonsense). For a more accurate representation on what a non-neutral Internet means for consumers, you’d honestly be better served by listening to a trio of porn stars. [More]
Broadcasters Get Court To Stop Consumers From Seeing How Much Cable Companies Pay For Content
By 11.14.14
The FCC is currently mulling over whether to give its stamp of approval to two huge mergers — Comcast/Time Warner Cable and AT&T/DirecTV — and is intending to make information available to third parties about the deals that that these pay-TV giants make with broadcasters. But even though you and every other cable subscriber wants to know exactly how much Comcast pays for access to channels like ESPN, MTV, and the major networks, the broadcasters want that info kept under lock and key — and they’ve asked the court to stop it from possibly going public. [More]
CFPB: Mortgage Lender Must Refund Consumers $730,000 for Steering Them Into Costlier Mortgages
By 11.14.14
Taking out an expensive loan is often the only option when it comes to financing a new home. And while most prospective home buyers might expect their mortgage lender to find them the best deal, that isn’t always the case. Take for example a California-based mortgage lender being ordered to provide $730,000 in consumer redress for an illegal compensation system that offered bonuses to employees for steering borrowers into higher interest loans. [More]
Here Is The Most Misleading Video You’re Likely To See About Net Neutrality
By 11.13.14
While the President’s decision to come out in favor of net neutrality has helped to bring the topic to the forefront, it’s also had the unfortunate consequence of politicizing an issue that has absolutely nothing to do with party lines. This has resulted in a slew of overwrought, exaggerated, and misinformed reactions from certain political leaders and groups, none more so than this ridiculously misleading video. [More]
Takata Officials Say Company Is Subject Of Criminal Investigation Over Defective Airbags
By 11.13.14
Japanese auto parts maker Takata, which already faces several lawsuits and investigations by U.S. regulators regarding its production of potentially defective airbags that have been linked to five deaths, is now the subject of a U.S. criminal investigation. [More]
New Prepaid Debit Card Rules Would Add Protections, Curb Overdraft Abuse
By 11.13.14
A growing number of America’s unbanked and under-banked consumers have been turning to prepaid debit cards as an alternative to checking accounts. Between 2003 and 2012, the total amount of money deposited annually onto these cards increased from $1 billion to $65 billion, and that amount is expected to near $100 million for 2014. But those cards often come with hefty fees and lack protections of other financial products. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is looking to make prepaid cards safer and lest costly with a new slate of proposed rules. [More]
