Tax season is finally over, and hopefully you’re one of the lucky ones who is expecting a tax refund rather than one of those who has to send even more money to the IRS. But before you spend that money on a third 72″ LED for your yacht, there are several more sensible ways to use your refund. [More]
Government Policy
Kraft Recalls 96K Pounds Of Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs Because You Shouldn’t Be Surprised By Cheese Filling
By 4.21.14
While I’ve been known to enjoy the occasional hot dog with cheese, I’ve never quite understood the appeal of those hot dogs that come pre-loaded with cheese inside the wieners. And while I’d be a bit annoyed to find out that someone at the factory had goofed and put cheese dogs in the packaging of regular ol’ hot dogs, it would be a much bigger problem for those who are allergic to dairy. [More]
Stories You Might Have Missed Because You Were Too Busy Being Awesome
April 19, 2014
We post a lot of stories during the week, and we know that most of you have jobs, families, lives, hobbies, nagging itches and other more important things to do than read every single thing we write. So for those who might be playing catch-up on the weekend, here are some of the things you might have missed… [More]
Court Denies Bid To Keep Recalled GM Cars Off Road
By 4.17.14
A U.S. District Court judge in Texas has put the brakes on an attempt to compel General Motors to tell owners of recalled vehicles to keep their cars parked pending repairs. [More]
TSA Finds Large Knife Ruining A Batch Of Perfectly Good Enchiladas At California Airport
By 4.17.14
Just like my second cousin twice removed Hildy used to say — a sure way to ruin a tasty batch of enchiladas is by hiding a huge knife in it and then trying to get through airport security. At least, she would’ve said that if she existed and knew someone tried to do just that at a Sonoma airport recently. [More]
GM Test Drivers Knew Of Ignition Problem In 2006
By 4.17.14
Another data point on the General Motors ignition recall timeline has been filled in with the latest revelation that test drivers for the car maker’s Cadillac division spotted the problem eight years ago, possibly leading to a hush-hush design tweak in the switch. [More]
Court Rules That Companies Can’t Litigate In Secret Just To Protect Reputation
By 4.16.14
Since 2012, we’ve been telling you about the mysterious case of Company Doe, a business that had sued the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission over the agency’s SaferProducts.gov database and had convinced a court to let it do so anonymously in order to protect the company’s reputation, setting a dangerous precedent that would allow manufacturers to file such lawsuits completely out of view of the public. But a federal appeals court has sided with consumer advocates and ordered that Company Doe’s identity be revealed. [More]
Health Advocates Say Joe’s Crab Shack Is Breaking Its “No Trans Fat” Promise
By 4.16.14
Seven years ago, the new owners of the 130-location Joe’s Crab Shack restaurant chain promised to completely stop using controversial artificial trans fats in the cooking of its menu items. But the folks at the Center for Science in the Public Interest say Joe’s is breaking this promise by serving up heaps of trans fat-heavy margarine on some dishes. [More]
CFPB Proposes Rule Change So Banks Can Send Your Money Overseas
By 4.15.14
You should not send money overseas to an exiled prince who promises to split his fortune with you. That is likely a scam. But if for some reason you do need to send funds overseas for legitimate reasons, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s proposed rule change could help get your money where it needs to be. [More]
I Give Up: How Do I File For An Extension On My Tax Return?
By 4.15.14
Humans are a procrastinating bunch. Sure, many punctual and responsible people have already filed their federal and state tax returns, especially people who are owed a refund. Not you. You’re missing an important document or are too confused about all of this stuff to stay up doing the e-filing equivalent of running inside the post office door at 11:57 PM. You give up. This post is for you. [More]
Ask Tax Dad: Doula Deductions, Pension Distributions, And The Sandwich Generation
By 4.14.14
Historically, our staff Certified Tax Cat has handled readers’ questions about taxes, but he took feline early retirement and hung up his oversized eyeglasses. Filling in for him is Laura’s dad, a retired accountant and real live independent tax preparer. Exclusively on Consumerist, Tax Dad answers your questions. [More]
Fewer IRS Agents Mean Less Chance You’ll Get Audited This Year
By 4.14.14
Consumers with a perpetual worry of being audited each year can breathe a sigh of relief. Okay, maybe not totally, some people are still going to be audited after tomorrow’s tax deadline comes and goes, but the chances of such an audit are unusually slim this year. [More]
Ads Offering Tax-Relief Are Full Of Broken Promises, Just Want Your Money
By 4.11.14
This may not come as a surprise to any of you, but those ads on the radio that offer to settle your debt to the Internal Revenue Service for a fraction of the bill may be a scam. [More]
Ask Tax Dad: I Just Can’t Quit Itemizing My Deductions
By 4.11.14
Historically, our staff Certified Tax Cat has handled readers’ questions about taxes, but he took feline early retirement and hung up his oversized eyeglasses. Filling in for him is Laura’s dad, a retired accountant and real live independent tax preparer. Exclusively on Consumerist, Tax Dad answers your questions. [More]
Payday Lenders Can’t Use Tribal Affiliation To Garnish Wages Without Court Order
By 4.11.14
For years, a handful of sketchy payday lenders have been using purported affiliations with tribal lands to try to skirt federal and state laws. But courts and regulators have recently been cracking down on these operations, saying that a tribal connection does not shield a business from prosecution. One operation facing charges from the Federal Trade Commission has now agreed to pay nearly $1 million in penalties over charges that it illegally garnished borrowers’ wages and wrongfully sued them in tribal courts. [More]
Federal Government Takes Taxpayers’ Refunds To Cover Decades-Old Overpayments
By 4.11.14
In a massive program like Social Security, sometimes people get overpayments ranging from a few bucks to a few thousand bucks. It used to be that if whatever government entity overpaid a family didn’t catch up with them and recoup the money, the statute of limitations on the debt would run out after ten years. A teeny section of the 2008 farm bill changed that, and now the government is snatching up taxpayers’ refunds to cover their dead parents’ decades-old debts. [More]
Subway: No More “Yoga Mat” Chemicals In Our Bread By Next Week
By 4.11.14
Back in February, Subway pledged to stop using Azodicarbonamide, a controversial chemical that it uses to improve elasticity in its bread but that also shows up in things like yoga mats. You won’t be doing any downward dogging (that’s how yoga people talk, right?) on Subway’s bread soon, as the company says it’s almost done phasing out the chemical. [More]
Feds Remind Facebook & WhatsApp To Respect User Privacy After They Get Married
By 4.10.14
The Federal Trade Commission is giving a bit of pre-marriage advice to Facebook and one of its many betrothed, messaging app WhatsApp, which said “I do” to Facebook’s $19 billion (with a “b”) proposal back in February. Given Facebook’s past transgressions, the FTC felt that maybe it was worth reminding the giddy-in-love couple that there are laws about what they can and can’t do with users’ data. [More]
