In 2014, auto manufacturers recalled nearly 60 million vehicles, including millions that are handed from one customer to another by rental companies. While the major rental car companies promised back in 2012 that they would stop renting and leasing recalled vehicles, new legislation would allow some to send potentially dangerous cars back on the road. [More]
Government Policy
Legislation Would Allow Some Rental Car Companies To Rent Vehicles Under Recall If They Give Notice
By 7.10.15
Oregonians Can Now Fly With Recreational Marijuana — As Long As They’re Traveling Within The State
By 7.9.15
The friendly skies over Oregon just got a bit friendlier to residents who don’t want to leave their weed at home: Airport officials at Portland International Airport said travelers can now legally board planes with up to an ounce of marijuana — for in-state flights only, of course. [More]
Regulator Issues “Guiding Principles” For Making Real-Time Payments Safe, Secure
By 7.9.15
If you buy something with a debit/credit card or an online check, there can be a delay of hours or days before the other party gets those funds. Advances in technology are allowing payment platforms to cut that down to mere seconds, which could help consumers by preventing banks from re-ordering multiple transactions to maximize overdrafts. But as non-cash payments inch closer to real-time transactions, federal regulators want to ensure that companies are following certain best practices to make things safe and consumer-friendly as possible. [More]
General Motors Recalls Nearly 200,000 Hummers Because They Shouldn’t Just Catch On Fire
By 7.9.15
When operating your vehicle’s heating and cooling system, one probably doesn’t fathom a scenario in which simply turning on that function could set the car ablaze. But that’s exactly what several owners of Hummer SUVs say happened to them. [More]
Man Behind IRS-Impersonation Scam Sentenced To 14 Years In Prison
By 7.8.15
One of the more insidious scams of this decade has been the IRS impostor phone scam, where someone posing as a police officer or federal agent calls you up and threatens to arrest you over your tax balance. Of course, that balance is payable immediately by prepaid debit card. A Pennsylvania man who pleaded guilty earlier this year to running such a scam from 2011 until his 2013 arrest has been sentenced to 175 months in prison and $1 million in forfeiture for his crimes. [More]
Chase Credit Card Settlement Halts Collections On 528,000 Accounts
By 7.8.15
Earlier today, we told you of reports that JPMorgan Chase had agreed to pay at least $125 million to close the books on state and federal investigations into its credit card collections practices. Now that the details of the deal have been made public, we know exactly how much the bank will pay and how many credit card accounts are affected. [More]
Perdue Says Half Its Chickens Now Raised Without Any Antibiotics At All
By 7.8.15
Almost a year ago, Perdue — one of the biggest names in chicken — announced its hatcheries would cease using antibiotics that were medically important to human beings, and today the company said that it has reached a milestone in the move to curb the dangerous overuse of these vital drugs, claiming that more than half of its birds are now being raised without the use of any sort of antibiotics at all. [More]
Marketers Of Memory Supplement Must Pay $1.4M To Settle Deceptive Advertising Charges
By 7.8.15
Using fake news stories and trumped-up, unsubstantiated claims, the marketers of a supplement that claimed to be the answer to memory loss problems sold nearly $100 million worth of the stuff in just a few years. Now they have to fork over $1.4 million to federal and state authorities for making these deceptive statements, and face millions more in penalties if they fail to comply. [More]
![JPMorgan Chase To Pay $136M To Close Credit Card Debt Collection Probes [UPDATED]](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/chasecard.png)
JPMorgan Chase To Pay $136M To Close Credit Card Debt Collection Probes [UPDATED]
By 7.8.15
UPDATE: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has released the details of the settlement, which put the total value at $136 million, $106 million of which will go to the 47 states (and Washington, D.C.) involved in the investigations. [More]
No Charges For Fired TSA Screeners Accused Of Conspiring To Grope Attractive Male Passengers
By 7.8.15
You might recall the tale of two Transportation Security Administration screeners who were accused of conspiring to tweak the system so they could give very thorough patdowns to the good-looking male travelers who passed through their post at the Denver Airport. But months after the workers were fired amidst allegations of a groping scheme, prosecutors have declined to file charges. [More]
Procter & Gamble Settles With California Over Allegedly Misleading Moisturizer Boxes
By 7.8.15
When an item is costly by the ounce and comes in very small containers, how can you make the product seem more substantial while also making it harder to steal? Many companies that make expensive things to smear on your face solve this problem by adding a false bottom to jars. Procter & Gamble’s Olay brand was accused of doing this by four California counties, and has agreed to settle the lawsuit by changing the product’s packaging and paying a civil penalty. [More]
Military Personnel Face Student Loan Issues Despite Required Protections
By 7.7.15
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) provides a number of protections for military personnel and their families when it comes to private and federal student loans. While these benefits aim to alleviate the burden servicemembers face when paying back their educational debts, a new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau shows that many student loan servicers continuously fail to uphold their end of the SCRA requirements. [More]
Regulators Shut Down Debt Relief Operation That Took Millions From Consumers
By 7.7.15
The Florida Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Trade Commission make a pretty effective pair when it comes to putting an end to companies and operations taking advantage of consumers. Just a day after the regulator and state’s attorney general teamed up to sue a company behind medical alert robocalls, the two entities announced they shut down a debt relief scheme that took million from consumers with credit card debt. [More]
Operators Of Massive Payday Loan Scheme Banned From Industry
By 7.7.15
The masterminds behind a massive payday loan scheme have agreed to be banned from the consumer lending industry to settle federal regulators’ charges they bilked millions of dollars from customers by trapping them into loans that were never authorized. [More]
Walmart Also Selling Mislabeled “Made In America” Products In Stores
By 7.7.15
Last week, an advertising watchdog group called out Walmart’s website for selling more than 100 products labeled as “Made in the U.S.A.” even though they were manufactured in other countries. Now comes a local news report showing that the confusing problem isn’t relegated to Walmart.com. [More]
AT&T Claims 11.7M People Could Get Gigabit Fiber If DirecTV Merger Approved
By 7.6.15
AT&T and DirecTV are still hoping their mega-merger is on track for approval. While they wait, the FCC has been asking them to clarify some of their earlier statements about why this deal is a good idea for the public. And buried in those new answers is the nugget that post-merger, AT&T plans to bring fiber networks to almost 12 million customers… kind of. [More]
Should Hotels Be Required To Include Mandatory “Resort Fees” In Published Room Rates?
By 7.6.15
In order to minimize surprise when it comes time to pay, airlines in the U.S. now need to include all mandatory fees in their published airfares, but the same isn’t true for hotels. Many destinations now tack on so-called “resort fees” that claim to cover things like access to in-hotel gyms and pools, but which are mandatory for all guests whether you use those amenities or not. Even though these required add-on charges can significantly increase a guest’s total bill, hotels do not have to include the fee in their listed rates. [More]
Dollar Tree, Family Dollar Will Sell Off 330 Stores To Get Merger Approval
By 7.2.15
A year after the sordid dollar store love triangle began and nearly seven months after Family Dollar chose Dollar Tree to have and to hold for a mere $9.2 billion, the merger process appears to be almost over with federal regulators officially asking the new couple to ditch 330 stores. [More]
