The ability to brake may be one of the most essential safety features of a vehicle. But part of that intricate system – specifically the automatic braking component – just isn’t working like it should for tens of thousands of newer Subaru vehicles. [More]
Government Policy
CFPB Publishes More Than 7,700 Detailed Financial Grievances To Public-Facing Database
By 6.25.15
Sharing your nightmare experience with a financial institution, product or service could help another consumer avoid such dastardly situations. And from the looks of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s new public-facing Consumer Complaint Database, people have a lot to share. [More]
Lululemon Recalls Drawstrings From Tops Because No One Wants To Be Hit Repeatedly While Running
By 6.25.15
The last thing you want to endure after finishing your workout or while enjoying a little down time in your comfy-cozy sweatshirt is for the strings on that thing to attack. But that’s apparently what’s been happening for owners of several Lululemon Althletica apparel items, and now the company has recalled an inordinate amount of women’s tops. [More]
FTC Says Some Of Those “Risk-Free Trials” For Skincare Products Are Bogus, Shuts ‘Em Down
By 6.25.15
Sometimes it’s hard to ignore the lure of a “risk-free trial” when it comes with a product that promises to leave your skin youthful, radiant and as soft as a baby’s bottom. But as the Federal Trade Commission once again reminds us, those deals often come with strings attached and hollow promises. [More]
Jury: Company That Collected Workers’ DNA To Solve Fecal Matter Mystery On The Hook For $2.2M
By 6.24.15
Add this one to the list of things your employer cannot subject you to on the job: A federal jury recently awarded two warehouse workers in Georgia $2.2 million, after a judge ruled that their bosses illegally collected their DNA. But why would your employer want to get hold of your DNA? In this case, management was trying to bust a mysterious pooper who was leaving piles of feces in the company’s warehouses. [More]
Ford Recalls The 2014 Escape For The Ninth Time
By 6.24.15
Ford Motor Company redesigned the Escape for 2013 and to say they’ve had a few problems with the new model is an understatement. Today, the company announced its ninth recall for the 2014 version of SUV. [More]
Wish-Bone Recalling Some Bottles Of Ranch Dressing Because They’re Full Of Blue Cheese
By 6.24.15
One of the worst tricks you could pull on a ranch dressing devotee? Filling a bottle labeled as such with blue cheese instead. It could also be quite the problem for anyone allergic to eggs, as that known allergen isn’t declared on bottles of Wish-Bone Ranch Dressing, some of which were accidentally filled with blue cheese dressing instead. Pinnacle Foods has issued a voluntary recall of the mixed up bottles, after a consumer noticed the mistake. Yet another reminder why it’s good to speak up. [via FDA.gov] [More]
Gainful Employment Rules Survive Another Hurdle, Judge Strikes Down For-Profit College Industry Lawsuit
By 6.24.15
Gainful employment rule: 2, for-profit education industry groups: 0. A federal judge struck down a second lawsuit to block new regulations aimed at reining in for-profit colleges set to take effect in just one week. [More]
NHTSA Considering Options To Speed Up Takata Airbag Replacement, Seeks Updated Recall Details
By 6.23.15
Now that automakers have identified all 33.8 million vehicles equipped with potential shrapnel-shooting Takata airbags, federal regulators are looking for ways to speed up the repair process. [More]
NHTSA Opens Yet Another Investigation Into Fiat Chrysler, This Time For 121K Dodge Darts For Possible Brake Issues
By 6.23.15
A week before Fiat Chrysler is schedule to answer for its perceived lackadaisical attitude toward 22 recalls, federal regulators announced they’ve opened a separate investigation into one of the car maker’s vehicles: the Dodge Dart. [More]
Privacy Group’s FTC Complaint: Uber Shouldn’t Track Users When They’re Not Using The App
By 6.22.15
A digital-privacy group has filed a complaint against Uber, saying the company’s new privacy policy says it could use a rider’s location information to track where they are even when the app is running in the background, and also takes issue with the company’s policy regarding collecting address book information. The Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, D.C wants the FTC to investigate. [More]
SCOTUS Sides With California Farmer Who Refused To Pay Raisins Into The National Reserve
By 6.22.15
A few years back we heard the tale of a California farmer who was raisin’ a stink over the government’s insistence that he pay 1.2 million pounds of raisins into the national reserve without paying him for them. Today, the Supreme Court of the United States sided with him, saying the Fifth Amendment requires the government to pay just compensation when it takes personal property (movable property), just as when it takes real property (things like land). [More]
CFPB Asks Google, Bing & Yahoo To Help Stop Student Loan Debt Scams That Imply Affiliation With Feds
By 6.22.15
The Internet is teeming with scammers, fraudsters, and hustlers determined to part consumers from their money, and as a $1.2 trillion venture, student loans often present an attractive avenue for these ne’er-do-wells. In order to better protect individuals from such schemes, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is enlisting the help of the country’s major search engines. [More]
Another Report Finds NHTSA Failed To Hold Automakers Responsible For Defects, Other Issues
By 6.22.15
The hits keep on coming for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Less than a month after internal reports determined the agency failed to adequately address the General Motors ignition switch defect that has been linked to more than 100 deaths, an audit from the U.S. Department of Transportation identified a plethora of shortcomings within the auto-safety regulator’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) that prevent it from properly protecting consumers from vehicle defects. [More]
Niagara Bottled Water Recalls Products Under Several Brand Names Due To E. Coli Concerns
By 6.22.15
If you’ve got bottled water in the fridge or pantry, you might want to check if it’s included in a recent recall of several brands under the Niagara umbrella, after the company issued a voluntary recall for all spring water products produced from its Pennsylvania manufacturing facilities between June 10-18. [More]
NHTSA Adds One Million More Fiat Chrysler Vehicles to Agenda For July Hearing
By 6.19.15
Just two weeks before federal regulators are scheduled to take Fiat Chrysler to task over its leisurely pace in addressing a plethora of recalls – including millions of Jeeps that can explode following low-speed rear-end collisions – the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced it would add two additional cases to its review roster. [More]
Medical Debt Collector Must Pay Consumers $5.4M For Improperly Handling Disputes
By 6.18.15
What happens when you combine expensive — and often unanticipated — medical bills and overzealous debt collectors? An environment ripe for abusive, unfair collection practices. At least that appears to be the case for an operation that must pay $5.4 million in relief to consumers for allegedly mishandling credit reporting disputes and preventing individuals from exercising their debt collection rights. [More]
CFPB Report Finds 90% Of Student Loan Borrowers Who Seek Co-Signer Release Are Denied
By 6.18.15
Last year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau brought our attention to a relatively new phenomenon in which more and more private student loan borrowers found themselves placed in automatic default – even if they were up-to-date on payments – when their co-signer died or filed for bankruptcy. While the agency and consumer advocates urged these borrowers to seek co-signer release from their lenders, a new report finds that’s simply hasn’t been possible. [More]
