Unless you’ve been hiding under a bed for the last six years, you probably know that the banking industry isn’t exactly beloved by many American consumers. As a reaction to public sentiment (and threats of regulation), a number of banks have begun phasing in some more consumer-friendly practices, but a new study shows these changes are not industry-wide and that several banks are still years behind. [More]
Government Policy
Kellogg Finally Settles “Frosted Mini-Wheats Don’t Make You Smarter” Class Action Lawsuit
By 5.31.13 — Updated: 6.5.13
Way back in 2009, Kellogg Company reached an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission to stop advertising its Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal as some kind of magical brain booster that would make kids smarter. But it’s taken four years for that issue to finally be put to bed after finally reaching a $4 million settlement in a class action lawsuit related to the same advertising. [More]
TSA Replaces Backscatter Airport Scanners With Technology That Won’t Show Your Private Bits
By 5.31.13
We’ve come a long way, baby, and it seems the days of worrying over whether or not Transportation Security Administration agents were snickering at your nude image on an airport scanner are over. The backscatter scanners are gone — so now we can get back to worrying about what kind of funk we’re picking up in our socked feet during the security line walk instead. [More]
SEC Settlement Slaps NASDAQ With $10 Million Penalty For Bungling Facebook IPO
By 5.29.13
How many acronyms can you fit in one sentence? Please see the above headline, which pertains to a settlement reached by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that will see the NASDAQ (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations — the more you know!) paying out $10 million for bungling Facebook’s IPO, or Initial Public Offering last year. Whew, try saying that sentence three times fast. Or even once. [More]
If European Sunscreens Are So Great, Why Can’t We Buy Them In The U.S.?
By 5.28.13
As someone with skin that basically ignites upon contact with the sun’s rays, I’m always looking for a better sunscreen to aid me in my battle against the inevitable sunburn. Recently I heard about a product that was anecdotally called “miraculous,” but couldn’t find it in U.S. stores. I bought it from a British retailer online, and subsequently want to marry it. So if there are such great sunscreens in Europe and elsewhere, how come we can’t get them in the U.S.? [More]
Online Retailer Pulls Belts Because Radioactive Accessories Are Neither Stylish Nor Healthy
By 5.28.13
“Ooh, what are you wearing? You’re simply glowing.” That is definitely a compliment, unless, of course, the glow is coming from a radioactive material. One online retailer has had to withdraw a batch of metal-studded belts over claims that they were radioactive, and could cause harm to the wearer after 500 hours. [More]
Don’t Pay $100 Or More For A Certified Copy Of Your Deed: That’s Not A Thing
By 5.21.13
Are you a property owner? If someone sends you a solicitation or a bill asking for money in exchange for a copy of your deed, throw it away. That isn’t a thing. [More]
Team Of ‘Robin Hoods’ Feeds Parking Meters, Gets Sued
By 5.20.13
The city of Keene, New Hampshire claims that the problem isn’t the “Robin Hood” brigade of people who feed parking meters in the city in order to save drivers from tickets. No, they can fill meters with coins all day long and the city government claims that it won’t mind. The problem, claims the city, is that the merry band of meter-feeders are harassing and stressing out all three parking enforcement officers and being nuisances while they save residents from tickets. So the city has sued them. [More]
Sen. Warren: Why Can Banks Commit Crimes But Get Away Without Admitting Guilt?
By 5.15.13
Back on Valentine’s Day, rookie U.S. Senator — and longtime consumer advocate — Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts showed little love for the nation’s bank regulators, asking if any of them — the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation — had actually taken a large financial institution to trial instead of settling. None of them could provide a quality answer at the time, but Warren has not let them off the hook. [More]
NTSB Pushing To Lower Drunken Driving Blood-Alcohol Content Threshold To 0.05
By 5.15.13
Right now around the country, if you’re in any of the 50 states and have a legal blood-alcohol content level of 0.08% or above, and you’re driving, you’re considered drunk and can be arrested and perhaps prosecuted for doing so. The National Transportation Safety Board thinks that threshold is too high, and has voted to recommend to states that they lower the BAC level to 0.05. [More]
Court Finally Signs Off On $40 Million In Skechers Shape-Ups Refunds
By 5.14.13
Almost exactly one year after reaching a $40 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission regarding questionable health benefits attributed to Skechers’ Shape-Ups toning shoes, a U.S. District Court judge has finally signed off on the deal, allowing things to move on to the refund stage. [More]
Whole Foods Warns Of Mix-Up Involving Vegan, Chicken Salads
By 5.13.13
The thing about being a vegan is, you don’t want to eat any animal products. Not an egg, not a chicken, not a thing that is made from or by an animal. To that end, Whole Foods issued a warning to its customers last week, saying it had mixed up the labels on vegan and chicken salads at about 15 locations. Non-vegans could have an allergic reaction to the soy in the vegan salad, whereas vegans could react adversely to the egg in the chicken salad. And also the chicken. [via the Associated Press] [More]
Man Who Exercised 1st Amendment Rights By Stripping At Airport Still Owes TSA $1K
By 5.10.13 — Updated: 5.13.13
Remember the man who stripped down to his birthday suit at an Oregon airport to express his First Amendment rights? We know we sure do. And while a judge said that act was totally protected by the Constitution, he’s still got a pesky $1,000 fine from the Transportation Security Administration hanging over his head. He says he’s ready to fight that, too. [More]
CFPB Student Loan Ombudsman Now Taking Questions On Reddit
May 10, 2013
In a series of posts on Consumerist, Rohit Chopra, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Student Loan Ombudsman, answered readers’ questions about comparing, paying for, and getting out from under student loans. If you missed it, or didn’t get your question answered, head on over to Reddit where Rohit is currently taking part in an Ask Me Anything session with readers. [More]
FTC Handing Out $1.7M In Refunds To Victims Of “Free Government Grant” Scam
By 5.9.13
Reminder: Just because the President’s face is on a web site that’s offering products ostensibly related to the government, it doesn’t make it true. Way back in 2009 the Federal Trade Commission put the smackdown on a bunch of sites that were selling products that would help consumers get free government grant money. Thing is, the government had nothing to do with it, and didn’t much appreciate being used in such a way. Some 22,764 consumers are now set to get refunds in the case. [More]
Wrigley Gets Jitters About Caffeinated Gum, Pulls It From Market For Now
By 5.9.13
Two months after unveiling its Alert Energy caffeinated gum, and shortly after the Food and Drug Administration announced an investigation into products with additional caffeine, the folks at Wrigley have decided to pull the gum from store shelves, for now. [More]
Legislation Would Push FDA To Investigate Antibiotic Use In Farm Animals
By 5.8.13
As Americans grow more concerned that the antibiotics being provided to farm animals are resulting in new strains of pathogens that are resistant to these drugs, a group of Senators have introduced legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration more authority to collect data about this controversial practice. [More]
CFPB’s First Criminal Referral Leads To U.S. Indicting Debt-Repair Firm For Defrauding 1,200
By 5.7.13
In the first criminal referral from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the U.S. is coming out swinging against a debt-settlement company in a new indictment. The firm has been charged with defrauding more than 1,200 people struggling with credit-card debt, with prosecutors saying the defendants “systematically exploited and defrauded” people around the U.S. [More]
