Months after lawmakers urged the Federal Reserve to oust the 12 Wells Fargo board members who served during the bank’s fake account fiasco, the banking giant has taken it upon itself to revamp some board seats. Next year, Chairman Stephen Sanger will step down and two other members will retire. [More]
accusations
Chinese Show Accuses Nike Of False Advertising
By 3.16.17
A so-called Chinese “name-and-shame” consumer protection show called out Nike this week, accusing the company of making false claims about its basketball shoes. [More]
Mrs. Fields, Interbake Duking It Out In Court Over Cookie Deal Gone Bad
By 11.4.16
Like any good thriller, the story of cookie biggies Mrs. Fields and Interbake Foods is full of alleged deceit, theft, and betrayal. Now the two companies are headed to the courtroom to air their grievances over a relationship that crumbled like stale cookies. [More]
Harley-Davidson To Pay $15M To Resolve Creation Of “Super Tuners” That Violate Emission Standards
By 8.18.16
Turns out that the use of so-called “defeat devices” to cheat federal emissions standards isn’t just relegated to four-wheeled vehicles made by Volkswagen. Harley-Davidson today agreed to settle charges it violated the Clean Air Act by paying $15 million, as well as buying back and destroying nearly 340,000 “super tuners” that emit higher amounts of certain air pollutants than what the company certified to EPA. [More]
Massachusetts Sues ITT Technical Institute For Allegedly Harassing, Misleading Students
By 4.4.16
Trouble continues to mount for ITT Educational Services. The for-profit college operator behind the ITT Technical Institute chain is already under investigation over concerns it may have defrauded the federal government, and now faces a lawsuit from the Massachusetts Attorney General for allegedly engaging in a slew of abusive and misleading practices. [More]
Whistleblower Lawsuit Claims University Of Phoenix Defrauded The Federal Government
By 3.9.16
You can now add the University of Phoenix and its parent company, Apollo Education Group, to the list of for-profit educators who find themselves on the defendant end of a whistleblower lawsuit. A former Phoenix employee is accusing the company of submitting false student aid information in order to receive federal funding it was not entitled to. [More]
Whistleblower Lawsuit Accuses ITT Tech Of Defrauding Government, Using Deceptive Recruitment Practices
By 1.21.16
A recently unsealed whistleblower lawsuit against for-profit college chain ITT Technical Institute accuses the school of operating a “systematic scheme” to defraud the government by using a litany of abusive, deceptive practices to enroll students. [More]
74-Year-Old Accused Walmart Shoplifter Fights To Clear Name
By 12.15.10
No one wants to spend their golden years fending off unwarranted shoplifting charges, but that’s the situation in which a 74-year-old Missouri man finds himself. Following up on Walmart complaints, authorities accused the man of nearly 20 robberies at stores throughout the midwest. He’s maintained his innocence and finally seems to be making some headway. [More]
Couple Says Real Estate Agent Used Their Home For Sex
By 8.23.10
Earlier this month, a couple in Minnesota filed a lawsuit against a local Coldwell Banker franchise and a real estate agent the company employed, alleging that the agent used the home for sexcapades while they were out of town, ruining their furniture, bedding and carpet. Neighbors say he showed up one day with an unidentified man and said they were going to be preparing the home for an open house, but no open house was held. Or at least not one the neighbors could see; maybe he uses that phrase in a different way. [More]
Apple Sued Because iPad Does Not Work "Just Like A Book" As Claimed
By 7.28.10
A new class action suit filed in California takes issue with how the iPad shuts off automatically if it overheats. In particular, however, the suit claims that the marketing phrase “reading on the iPad is just like reading a book” is misleading, and that Apple is therefore engaging in fraud and misleading consumers. This is great news for me, because I was thinking of suing Apple for not providing dustjackets for iBookstore titles but my friends told me I shouldn’t. [More]
Hallmark Pulls Card With Audio Clip Over Accusations Of Astronomical Racism
By 6.15.10
It’s so hard to understand each other in this life. First there was that unfortunate honey bun mixup, and now Hallmark is trying to prevent a bunch of press conferences from happening (too late!) by pulling a graduation card from shelves. Why? Because either Hoops or Yo-Yo–I don’t know which character is which–spouts shockingly racist insults and threats when you open the card. Well, maybe. [More]
BP Customer Service Rep Says Disaster Call Center "A Diversion"
By 6.14.10
“Janice” has been working in the BP Call Center in Houston, answering calls about the disaster from all over the world, and she says she and her coworkers don’t think the calls are being sent any higher up in the company. “We’re a diversion to stop them from really getting to the corporate office, to the big people. I don’t want to get emotional, but it’s so frustrating when these people live right there [in the Gulf Coast] and nothing is being done to help them.” [More]
Passenger Accused Of Groping Sleeping Woman On Continental Flight
By 5.24.10
A 63-year-old New Jersey man has been charged with abusive sexual contact after he was allegedly caught reaching under a sleeping woman’s blanket on a recent Continental flight from Hong Kong to Newark. Passengers seated behind the man say they saw him reaching under the blanket, so they kicked the woman’s seat to wake her, at which point she alerted the flight crew. [More]
Man Gives $150,000 To Psychic, Then Suspects Fraud
By 5.10.10
A man in Portland, Oregon says he’s now bankrupt after giving cash, a Hummer, and lots of trust to a local psychic. In all, he says his payments totaled $150k and now he’s bankrupt, and that he wants to warn others not to fall for such things. So just to be clear: don’t give $150,000 in cash and autos to a psychic in exchange for removal-of-demon services. And if you want to buy a tabernacle from the Vatican, deal with the church yourself and don’t go through the local psychic. [More]
Never Follow A Security Guard Into The Back Of The Store
By 11.9.09
Here’s some advice for you, the regular customer who doesn’t shoplift: never go into the back of a store with a security guard, store manager, rent-a-cop, etc. Never. Someone posted the following story in the Janesville, Wisconsin CraigsList over the weekend. Because the poster cooperated in good faith with the security personnel at her local Menards home store, she had to pay $150 to avoid having the police called on her.
Walmart Goes Crazy On Couple Suspected Of Shoplifting
By 11.6.09
Walmart can try to spin itself as being on the side of good all it wants, but if it ever suspects you of shoplifting, you may find that you’re powerless to fight back. In the case of a couple accused of shoplifting some Bic lighters in Niles, Michigan this past August, Walmart detained them, the police came and cuffed one of them, their two kids were taken to a security room, and—after a review of security footage proved the couple’s innocence—they were banned for life from all Walmarts. To top it off, Walmart’s legal team has sent the couple a letter asking to be reimbursed for 10 times the value of the lighters, even though the police determined no shoplifting had taken place.
Founder Of FlyersRights Says Delta Hacked Her Email Account
By 10.14.09
Kate Hanni, the founder of the passenger advocacy group FlyersRights.org, has filed a lawsuit against Delta Airlines in which she claims they hacked her email account and acquired personal email messages sent between her, some journalists, and a guy who was at the time working for Metron, a company hired by the FAA to investigate Delta.
Walmart Thinks Woman Is Laundry Soap Thief, Refuses Return
By 10.13.09
When a soon-to-be mother realized she had bought the wrong laundry detergent at a New Mexico Walmart, she tried to return it. That didn’t work out so well, ending up with the store manager insinuating she was a con-artist who replaced the detergent with water.
