Chase and Bank of America aren’t the only ones suddenly growing pseudo-human faces and reducing their money-sucking overdraft policies. Today Wells Fargo squirted out a press release that says they “will eliminate overdraft fees for customers when they overdraw their accounts by $5 or less and will charge no more than four overdraft fees per day.”
laws
Congressman Introduces Bill To Oversee Cemeteries
By 9.22.09
Remember Burr Oak this past summer? That was the Chicago cemetery that dug up bodies and resold the graves to new customers. Well, yesterday a U.S. Representative from Illinois introduced the Bereaved Consumers Protection Act, a bill that would standardize record-keeping, make cemeteries accountable to federal officials as well as state, and protect consumers from shady business practices.
Mattel, Primary Reason For Toy Safety Law, Gets Exempted From It
By 8.28.09
When the CPSIA—the toy safety law that requires independent lab tests on toys—was passed, a lot of smaller toy manufacturers complained that it was really a dirty trick by the big toy companies to increase overhead for the small ones. Now comes word that the government has secretly exempted Mattel from the law’s testing requirements—even though Mattel was responsible for 6 lead-tainted toy recalls in 2007.
Enlightened Nation To Banks: Either Explain Excessive Fees Or Eliminate Them
By 7.18.09
Australian consumers will soon be able to challenge any bank fee that they consider “unreasonable,” thanks to a new law that could save consumers up to $1 billion. Banks that want to keep levying excessive fees for late payments and overdrafts will need to prove that the charges are reasonable by revealing the true processing costs behind the fee.
By 7.17.09
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Florida, the nation’s fourth-largest honey producing state, has banned “fake honey”—the honey has to be 100% pure with no additives, sweeteners, or chemicals. [Examiner.com]
CA's Menu-Labeling Law Inspires Restaurants To Cut Calories
By 7.15.09
California’s law requiring that chain restaurants post calorie counts for their foods took effect earlier this month. It’s already producing results, as two chains, Macaroni Grill and Denny’s, are reexamining and revising their offerings.
Environmental Groups Say Climate Bill Won't Help Common Folk
By 6.18.09
A Reuters story says some environmental groups are going after a climate bill meant to clear the air will do no favors for consumers. The piece of legislation, which is expected to come to a vote within a couple months, is geared to slash greenhouse emissions by nearly a fifth of 2005 levels by 2020.
Gold's Gym "Misplaces" Serviceman's Deployment Letter, Keeps Billing For Membership
By 6.13.09
Gold’s Gym in Oxnard, California won’t stop billing Molly’s brother for membership, even though both he and his mother have repeatedly sent the gym copies of his deployment orders to Afghanistan. Two months later, the gym claims that it has “misplaced” the deployment orders, and is still billing for services Molly’s brother can’t use.
National Menu Labeling Law Moves Closer To Reality
By 6.12.09
As states continue to adopt laws requiring chain restaurants to include nutritional information on menus, Congress has been considering proposals for a national menu-labeling law. This week, members of Congress, the restaurant industry, and consumer groups reached agreement on a proposal that they hope to introduce this summer.
It's Now Illegal To Sell A Ticket In New York For More Than $2 Over Face Value
By 6.6.09
Quick, go buy scalped tickets while it’s still illegal to sell them for more than $2 over face value. The New York law allowing unlimited markups on scalped tickets expired last week, and Governor David Paterson has yet to sign an extension bill passed by the legislature. TicketsNow and StubHub are, of course, ignoring the law, because they’ve never been big fans of little things like laws or decency.
Video: Comedic Rendering Of Banks' Reaction To The CARD Act
By 5.29.09
From FunnyOrDie.com, here’s a comedic rendering of what credit card companies‘ reaction to the CARD Act must have been like. Warning: language and content not safe for work, children, or people who don’t like steak.
Washington State Says Stores Have To Let You Use The Bathroom
By 5.13.09
Starting July 26th in Washington state, stores with three or more employees working at the same time must allow customers access to an employee restroom so long as it doesn’t pose a security threat. Businesses also have to provide bathroom access to anyone with an inflammatory bowel disease who can present a card or signed statement from a doctor saying they’ve got a condition.
Slate Investigates If It's Really Illegal To Fart On A Sandwich
By 4.19.09
Nina Rastogi decided to look into food tampering laws in the wake of our Domino’s Pizza story last week. It turns out you can spit in food in Ohio without fear of jail time so long as you don’t have a communicable disease. Ohio is clearly the place to work if you are an angry restaurant employee, and the place to avoid if you’re a diner who easily angers waitstaff.
Tennessee Pushes Back Against Late Fees By Credit Card Companies
By 4.8.09
Although it has yet to pass into law, the Tennessee Senate Commerce Committee has approved a bill that requires creditors to count the postmark date of a payment as the payment date, not the day they say they receive it.
Senators Introduce Bill To Ban Text Message Spam
By 4.7.09
Senators Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Bill Nelson, D-Florida, have introduced the m-SPAM Act, which would update the CAN-SPAM law to include text message spam. “The m-SPAM Act would explicitly bar marketers from sending text messages to any mobile number in the national Do-Not-Call registry maintained by the FTC,” reports InternetNews.
By 4.2.09
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Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy has signed the nation’s first BPA ban into law. The law bans BPA from empty children’s containers like sippy cups and bottles, and will go into effect in 90 days. The infants of Long Island just got a little safer.
Chase Stops Charging $120 Annual Fee For Balance Transfer Customers
By 4.1.09 — Updated: 10.25.12
We wrote in January about a new $10 per month fee that Chase was arbitrarily imposing on customers who had transferred balances to their Chase cards. Well after having a little chat with New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, Chase announced that they’ll stop charging this ridiculous fee and they’ll be refunding customers’ previous payments.
Arizona May Legalize Fireworks, Putting Fools Throughout The State In Grave Danger
By 3.20.09
Consumer-grade fireworks are currently illegal in Arizona, but the sate government is considering passing a bill that would give the fire marshal the power to regulate the sale of them. This has caused an outcry from anti-fireworks types who say that even the less powerful consumer-grade products are too dangerous. Unfortunately, one of the most publicized opponents is a guy who was severely burned in 2004 because he was launching mortar-style fireworks from his moving car, and one blew back in through the window and set his stash on fire.
