As we’ve pointed out before, it’s illegal for companies to make auto-dialed, pre-recorded calls to your wireless device unless you have given them your consent. But that hasn’t stopped some offenders from continuing, even after they have been told to stop. [More]
Government Policy
Bought A Groupon, An iPhone 4, Or Coconut Water? These Class Actions Are For You
By 5.24.12
Have you bought coconut water, pinot noir, a Samsung TV, or an iPhone 4? If you purchased any of these products, plus a whole bunch more, you may be eligible to file a claim in one of these recently settled class action lawsuits. Proof of purchase isn’t always required, but lying is bad consumer karma. [More]
Law Dropout Debilitated By Asperger Syndrome Gets $339,361 In Student Loans Forgiven
By 5.24.12
College debt is one of the few debts that can’t be discharged in bankruptcy, unless you have a really, really good reason. You pretty much have to be dead or have a debilitating disability that keeps you from working. So it caught the attention of the National Law Journal when a Maryland woman in her 60s had $339,361 in college debt discharged in bankruptcy court earlier this month. [More]
City Tells Man He Can Build Tomato Garden, Then Decides It's Against The Law
By 5.23.12
A Massachusetts man says that when he decided to build a large tomato-growing structure in his front yard, he checked with the city who said it was going to be fine. Then as soon as the hanging garden went up, the city said it had to come down. [More]
NY Lawmakers Want To Do Away With Anonymous Online Comments
By 5.23.12
Anonymous hate-mongering,name-calling and venom-spitting has been around the Internet since before many of the people reading this post even had an e-mail address. While most of us have just come to accept that this is part of the cost of having an online community, state lawmakers in New York have drafted legislation that intends to do away with anonymous commenting. [More]
Consumers Union Urges CFPB To Regulate Prepaid Credit Cards More Closely
By 5.23.12
Using a prepaid credit card and reloading at your convenience sounds like a great idea in theory, but there are many hidden fees and dangers involved. That’s why the Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, is urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today to adopt new rules to protect consumers who rely on prepaid cards. [More]
Chipotle Facing The Investigative Heat Over Its Compliance With Immigration Laws
By 5.23.12
Mexican fast food chain Chipotle announced yesterday that it’s the subject of an investigation by federal prosecutors into the possibility that it violated criminal securities laws with its hiring practices. [More]
Broadcasters Would Rather Not Have To Post Political Ad Rates Online
By 5.22.12
Last month, the FCC approved a new rule that requires broadcasters who air political ads to post on their websites the rates they charge — and other related information — for these commercials. This isn’t sitting well with the broadcasters, who filed suit to stop the rule change. [More]
U.S. Airways Passenger Arrested After Saying She Has "Surgically Implanted Device" Inside Her
By 5.22.12
A U.S. Airways flight en route from Paris to North Carolina had to be rerouted to Bangor, Maine, where an allegedly unruly passenger was arrested because she reportedly told a member of the cabin crew she had a “surgically implanted device” inside of her body. [More]
No More Gucci Knockoffs From Guess: Luxury Designer Wins $4.6 Million in Lawsuit
By 5.22.12
No more knockoffs for you, Guess-wearing Gucci aficionados: The battle of the designer G’s has come to an end that will mean some fans of the cheaper Guess goods won’t be able to buy certain products anymore. That’s because a judge ruled that Guess was infringing on some of Gucci’s trademark designs, and awarded Gucci just $4.6 million in the process as well. [More]
School Fined $15,000 Because Bookstore Sold Soda During Lunch
By 5.21.12
A high school in Utah says it won’t be able to pay for some of its arts programs this year because it’s been hit with a $15,000 federal fine after the school’s bookstore was caught allegedly selling soda during lunch time. [More]
Got A Good 'Drip Pricing' Story? The FTC Wants To Hear From You
By 5.18.12
You may not be familiar with the term “drip pricing,” but you’re probably all too familiar with the concept. It’s when a company advertises only one part of a product’s price and doesn’t reveal other associated charges until later in the the buying process. [More]
FTC Applauds Twitter For Signing On With "Do Not Track" Firefox Feature
By 5.17.12
Twitter is joining the ranks of other websites that allow users to control who is checking out their online doings, announcing today that it is all set to support Do Not Track. For those not in the know, Do Not Track is a feature in Firefox that allows Internet surfers to tell participating websites that they don’t want their activity tracked. [More]
Chiropractor Who Gave Skechers Such A Great Quote Is Also Married To A Skechers Staffer
By 5.16.12
As we mentioned earlier today, among the many pieces of evidence in the FTC’s $40 million settlement with Skechers over deceptive advertising for the shoe maker’s toning sneakers is one claim about a supposed “independent” clinical study undertaken by a chiropractor — who may not have been totally unbiased in his research. [More]
Skechers To Pay $40 Million In Refunds Because Putting On Shoes Is Not A Workout
By 5.16.12
News flash: you can’t work out by not working out. As we predicted in November, the Federal Trade Commission has settled with shoemaker Skechers over claims that their rounded-bottom Shape-Up shoes helped wearers to tone their lower-body muscles and lose weight. These claims were all over ads and promotional material for the shoes, including an ad that aired during the 2011 Super Bowl. [More]
Alleged Customer Sues Over 2010 Racist Walmart PA Prank
By 5.16.12
Loyal Consumerist readers and retail-watchers may remember the 2010 incident in which a 16-year-old took over the PA system of a New Jersey Walmart and announced, “Attention Walmart customers: all black people must leave the store.” The prankster had done the same thing a few months before, and was charged with harassment and bias intimidation for each incident. Now, more than two years later, someone has filed a lawsuit against the store over the incident. He claims to have been in the store at the time of the prank, and that the incident led to “depression, anxiety, anger, loss of sleep and appetite, paranoia, and antisocial tendencies.” [More]
Navigate Through Your Social Security Information With New Online Tool
By 5.15.12
Remember the year you couldn’t even find a babysitting job and cashed out all your savings bonds just to afford groceries and beer? The U.S. Social Security Administration does, and now all of your past earning info and more is online, ready and waiting for you to walk down memory lane or prepare for your future. [More]
Debt Collectors Settle With The FTC, Say They Won't Pose As Ed McMahon Anymore
By 5.15.12
The Federal Trade Commission and defendants in a debt collection operation have reached a proposed settlement, after the FTC had alleged in its complaint that the defendants knew, or should have known, that not all the magazine subscription debts they were trying to collect on were valid. There’s also a line in there about pretending to be Ed McMahon, which is just so wrong. [More]
