In spite of the many rules imposed on the debt collection industry, it still generates, by far, the largest number of complaints to the Federal Trade Commission each year. That’s why the agency recently completed a lengthy investigation into debt-buyers and why they do such a bad job. [More]
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FDA Proposes New Food Safety Rules In Wake Of Peanut & Cantaloupe Contamination
By 1.4.13
Following more than a year of ugly headlines about recalls of possibly tainted peanuts, cantaloupes, leafy greens and other food products, the Food & Drug Administration has proposed new rules aimed at making the food on our plates safer to eat. [More]
Reforms Needed To Keep Consumers From Being Trapped In Their Old Bank Accounts
By 10.31.12
It’s been nearly a year since the first Bank Transfer Day, when people around the country ditched fee-laden accounts in favor of more consumer-friendly institutions, and yet many bank customers still find roadblocks that keep them from easily jumping ship from one bank to another. [More]
“Meat Without Drugs” Campaign Brings Its Piggy Pal To Rally At Trader Joe’s In NYC
By 9.27.12
We’re not sure if the folks at Trader Joe’s had ever seen a giant pig named Joe beg the company to get him off drugs, but as of this morning in NYC, things have changed. Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy arm of our benevolent overlords at Consumer Reports, showed up with a team of other consumer and environmental advocacy groups to urge the grocery chain not to sell meat raised on antibiotics. [More]
Chase Customers: Did The Bank Ever Re-Open Your Closed Account?
By 9.13.12
Over the lifetime of Consumerist, we’ve written a number of stories about so-called zombie bank accounts, where a consumer finds out their closed account has been re-opened without their knowledge or approval, usually after some third party attempts to make a direct deposit or debit on the dead account. If you were a Chase bank customer and your account was resurrected from the grave, we’d like to hear from you. [More]
Advocates: Now Is The Time To Reform Reverse Mortgages
By 9.4.12
A large chunk of the U.S. population is heading into what are supposed to be their golden years. But between financial hardship and shortsighted financial planning, many of these people are not able to retire comfortably, if at all. A reverse mortgage that allows homeowners who are at least 62 years old to borrow against the equity of their property may seem like a more appealing alternative to working into one’s 80s, but there are pitfalls involved — some of which can be fixed by a bit of reform. [More]
Verizon’s Deal To Buy Spectrum From Cable Companies Could Mean Fewer Cable Options For Consumers
By 8.2.12 — Updated: 2.15.13
It seems like it’s been oh, about eight months since Verizon Wireless announced its proposal to buy billions of dollars worth of wireless spectrum from cable companies who aren’t using it anyway. At first glance, it seems like a not-horrible idea, as Verizon Wireless doesn’t compete directly with the likes of Comcast and Time Warner Cable. But with regulators nearing a decision on the deal, several high-profile folks have come forward to voice their concerns about how Verizon might be sacrificing the growth of its FiOS business in favor of its wireless network. [More]
Thinking Of A Reverse Mortgage? Here Are Things To Watch Out For And Some Alternatives
By 6.27.12
With a large group of Americans at or nearing retirement age — and with many of them having inadequate savings to last them through retirement — so-called “reverse mortgages,” wherein a lender converts the equity on a home into monthly payments to the homeowner, are being marketed as a financial cure-all to people wondering how they will be able to afford their golden years. But before anyone dives into the reverse mortgage pool, there are some thing worth pointing out. [More]
Consumers Union To Government Agency: Don't Delay Consumer-Friendly Wisconsin Health Insurance Provision
By 1.20.12
Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy arm of our benevolent benefactors at Consumer Reports, is urging the Department of Health and Human Services not to delay a consumer-friendly health insurance provision in Wisconsin. The delay could result in a loss of over $13 million rebates or lower insurance premiums to residents. [More]
Here's Another Way To Raise Your Voice In Opposition To SOPA
By 1.20.12
Even though the Protect IP Act appears to have gotten caught in a cul-de-sac in the Senate, the Stop Online Piracy Act is still very much alive in the Congress, which is slated to take up the legislation again in February. So it’s more important than ever for you to let lawmakers know you object to these heavy-handed, anti-consumer, anti-innovation bills. [More]
Adventures In Fictional Fish: There's No Such Thing As White Ruffy
By 11.21.11
If the recent exposé on falsely labeled fish by our lab coat-wearing kin at Consumer Reports has you approaching fish buying with a critical eye, you’re not alone. [More]
Consumers Union: Public Needs Full Access To Database Of Problem Doctors
By 11.14.11
In September, the Department of Health and Human Services removed the Public Use Data File of the online National Practitioners Data Bank after receiving a complaint from a doctor whose history of malpractice claims was published in a newspaper article. Public access was recently restored, but with a whole host of limitations that our cohorts at Consumers Union think need to be removed. [More]
Consumers Union Calls For Investigation Into Bank Of America Debit Card Fee
By 10.4.11
It’s not just Senator Dick Durbin and scissor-happy Fox Business Network anchors who disapprove of Bank of America’s announcement that it will begin charging a $5 monthly fee to some customers who use their debit cards to make purchases. Our benevolent benefactors at Consumers Union are now calling upon legislators and regulators to investigate this move by the nation’s largest bank. [More]
AT&T, Consumer Advocates Spar Over T-Mobile Deal In DC
By 5.26.11
In a Congressional hearing this morning over AT&T’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson reiterated his earlier comments that the deal is “all about consumers.” However, advocates such as Parul P. Desai of Consumers Union argued that the merger “would result in a highly concentrated market, which will likely lead to higher prices and fewer choices for consumers.” [More]
Make Your Voice Heard On The AT&T/T-Mobile Deal
By 4.5.11
AT&T’s pending $39 Billion purchase of T-Mobile USA hasn’t even gotten into the governmental review process but it’s already managed to get people on both sides of the debate talking. That’s why our benevolent benefactors at Consumers Union are looking for folks willing to go on the record with their concerns and comments on the deal. [More]
Transportation Secretary LaHood Answers Reader Questions
By 3.7.11
Later today, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will be answering questions at the Consumers Union offices, where he’ll also be speaking on the topic of “Distracted Driving Shatters Lives: Helping Parents and Educators Reach Teens.” You can watch that event live on the Consumer Reports Facebook page (click the “Live” tab) at 11:00 a.m. ET. Meanwhile, Secretary LaHood accepted Consumerist’s request to answer a few reader-submitted questions. [More]
Win $1000 For Making A Picture About The Dangers Of Debt
By 1.10.11
Make a picture illustrating “The Dangers of Being in Debt” and you could win $1,000 in our publisher Consumers Union’s new contest. Simply submit your Photoshop, drawing of a spider, collage or what have you on this Facebook page. Get people to vote for you and the image with the most votes wins. Then you can use your cash prize to pay down your credit card debit. See, it all circles back… [More]
The 'Cable Constrictor' Hits The Streets To Warn People About Comcast/NBC Deal
By 11.30.10
As we told you earlier today, our brethren at Consumers Union have launched a public awareness campaign to alert consumers about the risks of the proposed sale of NBC Universal to Comcast. And as part of this campaign, CU’s Cable Constrictor moving billboard wended its way around Capitol Hill this morning. [More]
