Consumerist reader P.L. has a bone to pick with the Transportation Security Administration. Seems they’re of the belief that they can take six months to decide whether or not it’s their fault his video camera went missing from his luggage, but when P.L. takes a few weeks to answer their questions — well, that’s just not acceptable. [More]
Government Policy
CFPB Rolls Out Tool To Help Students Comparison Shop For Financial Aid
By 4.12.12
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is in its infancy, but already it’s taking steps to create tools that can help people in a very real way. It rolled out a beta version of a cost comparison shopping tool, aimed at guiding students and their families through the process of researching financial aid options. [More]
Guard Against An IRS Underpayment Penalty
By 4.12.12
If you pulled in more money than you’re used to making — especially if it came from untaxed work — you could be facing a higher-than-expected tax bill that will grow even higher due to a prepayment penalty of 3 or 4 percent if you owe more than $1,000. There’s not much you can do to avoid the penalty for your 2011 taxes, but you can take steps to avoid it next time. [More]
Court Orders Johnson & Johnson To Pay $1.2 Billion In Deceptive Marketing Case
By 4.12.12
Johnson & Johnson and a subsidiary have to pay for the way it marketed antipsychotic drug Risperdal, neglecting to mention its side effects while claiming it was safer and worked better than the competition. In Arkansas, one of 11 states in which J&J has faced legal battles over the drug, a judge ordered the company to pay $1.2 billion to make up for its alleged sins. [More]
Seattle Makes It Illegal For Businesses To Tell Breastfeeding Moms To Cover Up Or Move
By 4.11.12
While many states, including Washington, have laws that allow for breastfeeding moms to nurse in public without being hassled, some of those regulations are not clear on whether or not this protection extends to places like restaurant interiors or even offices. Thus, Seattle has made its stance clear: It is illegal for a business to ask a nursing mom to cover up or move elsewhere. [More]
Feds Bust Scammers Who Collected $5.2 Million By Pretending To Be Cops
By 4.11.12
As you probably know, it’s illegal for a debt collector to threaten arrest over a debt. It’s also a big no-no to try collecting on a debt that doesn’t exist. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop a California man from operating a scheme where callers allegedly posed as law enforcement officers to collect on bogus debts. [More]
What To Keep In Mind When Recording Police
By 4.11.12
Before you pull out your phone to take a video of law enforcement officers at work, you should brush up of the legal ramifications of what you’re about to do and take care to protect yourself. A misstep could get you in trouble. [More]
Small Business Owners Didn't Feel So Confident In March
By 4.11.12
If the path to economic recovery will be led by small businesses believing in the future and growing, it may still be a while until we get there. Bullish sentiments among small business owners trended the way of Linsanity. [More]
Cops Waking Up Drivers Who Leave Cellphones, GPS And Other Valuables In Their Cars
By 4.10.12
If you live in Richmond, VA, and have a habit of leaving your phone, GPS device or some other valuable item in your car, don’t be surprised if you’re woken up in the middle of the night by your local police officer. [More]
Jury Awards $34 Million To Alzheimer's Patient After Insurance Company Cuts Off Care
By 4.10.12
A jury in Montana awarded a monster of a verdict to a 90-year-old woman with Alzheimer’s Disease after her insurance company cancelled her long-term care policy because it decided she didn’t actually need the level of medical care she was receiving. [More]
CFPB Working On Rules To Whip Mortgage-Servicing Industry Into Shape
By 4.10.12
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is sinking its teeth into its new watchdog role, as today they’re expected to announce a few rules they’re working on to try and clean up the mortgage-servicing industry. Here’s where we imagine banks quaking in their big ol’ boots. [More]
Report: Charity Tax Forms Expose Nearly Half A Million Social Security Numbers
By 4.10.12
According to researchers from an identity protection company, publicly available tax forms have potentially put hundreds of thousands of identities at risk, publishing 472,866 Social Security Numbers in a five-year span. Charities unnecessarily included the numbers in 990 forms, which are part of public record. [More]
FCC Gives Boston Go-Ahead To Regulate Cable Prices Again
By 4.9.12
It’s been 11 months since the mayor of Boston asked the Federal Communications Commission if he could pretty-please-with-sugar-on-top be allowed to regulate what cable companies charge in his fair city. Well, it appears the FCC Entmoot has finally wrapped up and Boston can once again rein in soaring cable rates. [More]
Tax Nuances That Could Get You Audited
By 4.9.12
By most accounts, Internal Revenue Service auditors aren’t much fun to meet with. Even if you’ve filed your taxes with impeccable precision, facing an audit can be nerve-wracking, so you’re best off making sure you aren’t tossing up any signs that draw attention to yourself. [More]
Here's How Much Law Enforcement Has To Pay To Snoop On Your Calls
By 4.9.12
Back in December, a U.S. Appeals court gave the thumbs-up to telecommunications companies working with the National Security Agency to monitor phones and email. Phone companies are also apparently totally cool with selling access to your phone activities to other law enforcement agencies willing to fork over pre-set prices. [More]
Treasury Freezes Compensation For Top AIG, Ally, GM Executives
By 4.6.12
While a majority of the American corporations that received “exceptional” bailout assistance form the Troubled Asset Relief Program, there are still three businesses — AIG, Ally Financial (you may know it by its pre-bust name of GMAC), and General Motors — remaining. Today, Treasury Dept. announced that the Acting Special Master for TARP Executive Compensation has determined that the top executives at this trio of companies will not get a pay raise in 2012. [More]
When You Need To Send Arizona Lawmakers A Message, Say It With Knit Uteruses
By 4.6.12
Nothing says “I hate your proposal” better than packages full of knitted uteruses (uteri?) with googly eyes delivered to the offices of more than a dozen Arizona state lawmakers. That was the medium of choice used to send a message from opponents of a proposal to severely limit birth control coverage. [More]
Arizona Is All Like, Maybe Let's Make It Illegal To Be Annoying Online
By 4.6.12
If it annoys you to no end that people write LOL when they are doing no such thing or still insist on overusing exclamation points in emails, you might want to move to Arizona. The state is considering a bill that would make it a criminal offense to be annoying on the Internet. [More]
