Who isn’t suing Countrywide lately? Phuong Cat Le from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer says that a group of homeowners are now suing Countrywide, alleging that the lender steered them toward high-risk loans without disclosing the inherent risks.
Government Policy
Meet Leverage Connections, King Of The Robocallers
By 8.25.08
Last week we reported that some types of unwanted robocall telemarketing will soon be banned. If you’re on the receiving end of Leverage Connections’ prerecorded harassment—they frequently operate under the generic names “Consumer Services” or “Credit Card Services”—you’ll finally have a way to formally complain to the FTC about them. Why would you want to complain? Because they’re the scammiest, most obnoxious robocall telemarketing company we’ve seen so far—even though what they do is apparently legal.
Best Buy Employee Arrested For Using Customer Credit Cards
By 8.23.08
A Customer Associate for a Best Buy in Las Cruces, New Mexico, was indicted on Thursday for credit card fraud—three counts of making fraudulent purchases over $2500, three counts of making fraudulent purchases over $500, over 20 counts of falsely signing credit card slips, and 1 count of disposing of stolen property.
Pepperoni Hot Pockets Recalled For Containing Plastic
By 8.22.08
The recall is for 54-ounce, 12-pack cartons of Hot Pockets Pepperoni Pizza with the following printed on the sides of each carton: “8157544614D,” “EST 7721A” and “BEST BEFORE JAN2010.”
E. Coli: FDA Will Allow Spinach, Lettuce To Be Irradiated
By 8.22.08
For the first time ever, the FDA is going to allow manufacturers to irradiate produce at levels that can kill bacteria that causes food-borne illness, says the New York Times. The produce in question, spinach and iceberg lettuce, have, in recent years, been linked to widespread outbreaks of serious illnesses.
FDA: Pardon Me, But Your Bakery Warehouse Is Full Of "Rodent Excreta Pellets"
By 8.21.08
We’d never stopped to think about it before, but we were not surprised to learn that our government had a polite term for rodent feces. It’s “rodent excreta pellet,” and apparently a warehouse belonging to Capitol Cake, a Baltimore bakery specializing in fruitcake and pound cake, is full of them.
TSA Employee Grounds 9 American Airlines Planes By Attempting To Break Into Them
By 8.21.08
A TSA employee used sensitive avionics equipment as a ladder while attempting to break into 9 American Airlines planes to test how well they were secured. The TSA agent was able to break into 7 of the planes, raising questions about the security of the aircraft, but also managed to ground the aircraft — causing at least 40 flights to be delayed at O’Hare.
Fake Debt Collectors Are Trying To Intimidate You Out Of Your Money
By 8.21.08
ABCNews says that the West Virginia Attorney General is warning people about fake debt collectors who will call you repeatedly at home and at work, threatening you with arrest for not paying a debt… that doesn’t even exist.
Sixth Circuit Overturns Arbitrator Who "Showed A Manifest Disregard Of The Law"
By 8.21.08
Earlier this week, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned an arbitration decision in a dispute between Coffee Beanery and a franchisee. The court found that the arbitrator, hired by the American Arbitration Association, “showed a manifest disregard of the law” by siding with Coffee Beanery.
FCC Plans Road Trip To Educate America About Digital TV
By 8.20.08
…the five FCC Commissioners and other Commission staff will fan out to [selected] markets to raise awareness and educate consumers.
FTC Listens To Your Complaints, (Mostly) Bans Telemarketer Robocalls
By 8.20.08
After reviewing the more than 14,000 comments left by living human beings, the FTC yesterday amended its Telemarketing Sales Rule to ban most types of robotic telemarketing calls. By this December, any recorded calls will have to lead off with an automated opt-out option; by September 2009, telemarketers will need prior written permission to contact someone—simply being a recent customer won’t cut it.
Thieves Snatch Almost $20,000 Worth Of Fuel From Gas Station
By 8.20.08
Gas thieves have stolen over 5,000 gallons of fuel from the Open Pantry Citgo in Wauwatosa, WI according to WauwatosaNow.com.
TSA Martinet Claims Her Unpublished Rules Trump Real Ones
By 8.20.08
TSA, can you at least train your agents to do their jobs properly? We’d appreciate it even more if you’d discipline (read: fire) those who go all stupidly power-mad and think they have to “win” every encounter, even when it means making up new rules on the spot. Here’s a story of a soldier who lost a day of leave because one of your agents caused so much trouble. In the end, the soldier says he’s happy with the outcome—”Using standard Consumerist customer service doctrine (polite, patient, proper channels and then EECB), I won”—but we’re still floored by how difficult you made his trip home. Oh, and NWA, you were no help either.
Waiter, There's A 9-Foot Tapeworm In My Salmon/Digestive Tract!
By 8.19.08
A Chicago man is suing Shaw’s Crab House after passing a 9-foot tapeworm he contends came from consuming undercooked fish. Anthony Franz claims he became violently ill after eating the salmon salad at Shaw’s, and is suing the restaurant and its parent company, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, for $100,000.
FDA Declares Bisphenol A Safe
By 8.15.08
Bisphenol A, or BPA, is the chemical used in various plastic bottles and can linings that Canada recently banned, consumers in Arkansas, California, and Ohio have filed lawsuits over, and Playtex and Nalgene have stopped using. The fear is that it’s toxic—studies on animals in Canada have shown that it’s damaging, and some tests in the U.S. suggest it’s harmful to humans as well. Critics of the anti-BPA movement point out that the human studies rely on super high dosages that never occur in real life, and that making safety decisions based on the general public’s fears isn’t exactly scientific.
FCC Commissioner: Regulating Poor Comcast Compels Us To Regulate All Speech On The Internet. Huh?
By 8.15.08
FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell (R-Obviously) recently warned conservative bloggers that the Commission’s decision to repudiate Comcast for crippling Bit Torrent could lead the government to start “dictating content policy” by requiring blogs to give equal time to opposing views. Ha! Of course, this can be avoided if we vote for the *ahem* “right” candidate in November.
Forget Your ID? TSA Places Forgetful Fliers On A List That Helps Track "Potential Terrorists"
By 8.14.08
USAToday says that the TSA was placing fliers who forgot their ID in a database along with people who have been questioned for “suspicious behavior” or who “violated security laws.” In an interview, TSA chief Kip Hawley told the paper that the “the information helps track potential terrorists who may be “probing the system” by trying to get though checkpoints at various airports.”
Hey, How Do I Sue Telemarketers Who Ignore The Do Not Call List?
By 8.14.08
We’ve been getting a lot of emails lately from people who are fed up with telemarketers ignoring the Do Not Call list and want to take the bastards to court. Now, to be fair, sometimes the people who email don’t fully understand what is and what is not allowed under the law.
