Let’s end mandatory binding arbitration. Companies force consumers to revoke their right to lawsuit by embedding language in terms of use contracts that say in the event of any dispute, both parties have to go to an arbitration firm, which the company pays for… The Christian Science Monitor found that the top 10 most used arbitration firms only found in favor of consumer 1.6% of the time. Is it any wonder they’re so popular?
consumer action
9th Circuit Court Says Companies Can't Change Contract Terms Simply By Posting Changes On A Website
By 7.26.07
Parties to a contract have no obligation to check the terms on a periodic basis to learn whether they have been changed by the other side. Indeed, a party can’t unilaterally change the terms of a contract; it must obtain the other party’s consent before doing so….
True-Life-Tale Of Dealing With A Telemarketer Who Continually Ignored The Do-Not-Call List
By 7.6.07
I just got yet ANOTHER call from a third party selling life insurance policies for BoA. Sometime last month, I told them to stop calling me, and that just because I bank with BoA (I had…I terminated that week before last for reasons unrelated to this) doesn’t mean they’re allowed to keep calling despite my telling them to stop. If I had access to our call records at the moment, I’d list the time, date, and duration of each call, as well as the date I told them to stop.
Man Locked Out Of Hotel Room, Expedia Agrees To Completely Refund, Then Changes Mind
By 7.6.07
“A week ago, I had the opportunity to go to Chicago to teach a class. As I normally do, I booked the trip through Expedia.com. I took one of their package deals – hotel, car, airfare. Since I had never been to Chicago before, I simply selected the first hotel that came up on their rankings for the suburb in which I was staying.
By 7.4.07
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How to watch out for and fight extra hotel fees.
By 6.29.07
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Money Crashers shares some ideas for fighting Universal Default, the practice whereby if you fall behind on your payments with one lender, they alert other lenders, who then use that as an excuse to jack up your rates.
Sample Letter For Objecting To Lame BoA Settlement
By 6.28.07
If you’re disgusted by the pitiful compensation proposed in the Bank of America privacy violation settlement, check out Hayden’s sample letter for inspiration for registering your objection.
Proposed Settlement For BoA Selling Your Private Information: $200 Off Your Next Mortgage!
By 6.27.07
The proposed settlement for a class action lawsuit against Bank of America that would affect everyone who has ever had a checking or savings account with them since 1995 is pathetic. In return for selling your private information without your knowledge, and depending on your account, you can get: $200 off your next mortgage with Bank of America! OR…
What Is The "Federal Subscriber Line Charge?" And How Can I Buck It?
By 6.26.07
Tucked into your landline phone bill is probably a very official looking fee called the “Federal Subscriber Line Charge,” but did you know it doesn’t go to the federal government?
File A Complaint With The FCC
By 6.22.07
If you have a complaint about anything that happens over a wire or is otherwise communicated, you can file one with the FCC. Telephone, cable, debt collectors, and more all fall under their jurisdiction.
UPDATE: Sears.com Repeatedly Delivers Wrong Dryer, Doesn't Correct Website
By 6.21.07
We posted about how Ian started blogging his quest to get Sears to make up for delivering the wrong dryer, repeatedly. Now, the executive customer service types are ignoring his requests for a refund, despite their promises to do so in full. Ian has vowed to take Sears to small claims court-the last recourse for aggrieved customers.
Disconnect Fee For Canceling Cable? Oh Yeah? How About I Cancel Internet Too? Oh, Now The Fee Is Gone? OK, Good.
By 6.13.07
Exercising your power of consumer choice can yield amazing results, even when doing battle with the Grendel that is Time Warner Cable, writes reader James:
Help New York Sue Dell By Filling This Complaint Trough
By 5.23.07
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is suing Dell and he wants your help.
Opt Out Of Comcast's Arbitration Agreement
By 5.21.07
If you’re a Comcast customer and in the event of a dispute, want to retain your right to sue Comcast in a court of law in a trial by judge or jury, a right afforded to you by the Constitution, rather than go by the decision of an arbitration company Comcast hires to mediate your dispute, fill out this opt-out form.
Executive Email Carpet Bomb Scores Direct Hit On Delta
By 5.14.07
Using tips from How To Launch An Executive Email Carpet Bomb, Evan got 500 Sky Miles and a $50 change fee refunded, along with a $200 travel voucher.
How To Launch An Executive Email Carpet Bomb
By 5.11.07 — Updated: 3.6.13
Here’s a classic tactic for rattling the corporate monkey tree to make sure your complaint gets shoved under the nose of someone with decision-making powers. Let’s call it the “EECB,” or Executive Email Carpet Bomb…
7 Steps To Shoppers Biting Back
By 5.10.07
AARP magazine has a great piece on putting your dukes up when you’ve got a complaint or problem with a business.
