Frontier Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines must pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines after the Department of Transportation found the carriers violated consumer protection rules related to refunds, disability assistance, and other issues. [More]
violations
Auto Lender Fined Another $1.25M For Failing To Issue Refunds To Servicemembers Threatened By Debt Collectors
By 4.26.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
An Ohio-based auto lender that has already been penalized for $3.28 million for using aggressive debt collection tactics against members of the armed forces is once again in hot water with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for failing to issue refunds to the servicemembers that were harassed. [More]
2,000 Royal Caribbean Cruise Passengers Stuck At Port Over Life Jacket Issues
By 2.14.17
If there’s anything we know about heading out on the open sea, it’s that you’d better have plenty of lifesaving equipment on board. That’s why a failed safety inspection has left more than 2,000 passengers on a Royal Caribbean cruise stuck at port instead of sailing the high seas on Valentine’s Day. [More]
Whole Foods Has 15 Days To Address Food Safety Violations At Plant
By 6.14.16
Listeria and other unsanitary conditions were found at a Whole Foods plant in Massachusetts earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration revealed in a warning letter telling the grocery store chain to take immediate action to fix the issues. [More]
Ashley Furniture To Pay $1.75M Over Worker Safety Violations
By 6.9.16
Following reports of more than 1,000 employee injuries, home furnishings retailer Ashley Furniture has agreed to pay $1.75 million to settle numerous allegations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
[More]
British Airways, Lufthansa & Air France Fined For Treatment Of Disabled Passengers
By 4.15.16
Four months after the U.S. Department of Transportation fined United Airlines $2 million for violating rules protecting air travelers with disabilities, the agency is continuing to police the skies when it comes to disabled passengers. This time, levying fines against Lufthansa, British Airways, and Air France. [More]
California Rejects VW Proposal To Fix Emissions-Cheating Vehicles
By 1.12.16
The California Air Resources Board has rejected Volkswagen’s recall plan for thousands of 2-liter vehicles sold in the state. The regulators also presented VW with a formal notice of air quality violations for its use of “defeat devices” to cheat on emissions tests in these cars. [More]
Identity Theft Company LifeLock Once Again Failed To Actually Keep Identities Protected, Must Pay $100M
By 12.17.15
Five months after federal and state regulators accused identity theft protection company LifeLock of violating a 2010 settlement in which it paid $11 million for allegedly using false claims regarding effectiveness of its services, the company has been ordered to pay $100 million in penalties and refunds for once again misleading consumers. [More]
Emissions-Cheating “Defeat Devices” Found In Additional VW, Audi, Porsche Vehicles
By 11.20.15
The emission-scandal plot continues to thicken for Volkswagen and U.S. regulators. Nearly a month after the Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board accused the carmaker of including “defeat devices” in an additional 10,000 previously unreported vehicles, investigators for the agency say the number of cars is significantly higher. [More]
Dealers Stop Sale Of New, Pre-Owned VW, Audi & Porsche Vehicles Covered In Latest Emissions Violations
By 11.4.15
Just a day after Volkswagen executives said the car company would not stop the sale of vehicles included in the Environmental Protection Agency’s newest notice of violation for emission standards, the manufacturer backtracked, and now says it will tell dealers not to sell certain VW, Audi and Porsche models. [More]
VW Denies Latest Emissions Violations, Won’t Halt Sales On Affected Vehicles
By 11.3.15
Just hours after federal and state regulators accused Volkswagen of using so-called “defeat devices” on newer model cars in order to ensure they passed emissions tests, the carmaker said the allegations aren’t true and that it will continue to allow sales of the recently identified automobiles. [More]
Regulators Find More “Defeat Devices” In 10,000 VW, Porsche And Audi Vehicles
By 11.2.15
A month and a half after the Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board found “defeat devices” designed to cheat emission tests in nearly 500,000 Volkswagen and Audi vehicles, the agencies’ ongoing investigation found additional Clean Air Act violations in the carmaker’s newer model Porsche, Audi and VW cars. [More]
My VW Was Recalled For Emissions Issues In April, Does That Mean It’s Fixed?
By 9.25.15
When Consumerist reader Jan bought her 2014 Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen with a “clean diesel” engine, the thought she was going to get great gas mileage and maybe help the environment. Sure, there was an emissions-related recall earlier this year, but she had that fixed at the dealership. Except, as she’s learning in the wake of the latest VW recall, her car is still in need of fixing.
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Missouri Attorney General Suing Walgreens Over Pricing Practices… Again
By 9.22.15
Barely a year after Walgreens reached a deal with the Missouri attorney general to close the state’s investigation into allegations of overcharging and deceptive advertising, the state’s top prosecutor is taking the drugstore chain back to court. [More]
VW Announces 11M Cars Affected Worldwide By Software That Evades Emissions Standards
By 9.22.15
While the Environmental Protection Agency ordered Volkswagen to recall nearly 500,000 sedans equipped with software that tricked emissions tests, the carmaker announced on Tuesday that more than 11 million vehicles actually include the so-called defeat device. [More]
Bank Of America Must Pay $30M For Military Relief Law Violations
By 6.1.15
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) aims to protect members of the Armed Forces from unfair and harmful practices that jeopardize their financial well-being while deployed. It shouldn’t be surprising then, that failing to adhere to those protections is frowned upon by federal regulators. Just ask Bank of America, which is now on the hook for $30 million stemming from SCRA violations related to more than 73,000 servicemember accounts. [More]
ConocoPhillips, Phillips 66 Must Pay $11.5M To Settle Hazardous Waste Violations
By 5.8.15
Two Texas-based companies have been ordered to pay a total of $11.5 million to close the book on allegations that hundreds of their gas stations may have put local water supplies in California at risk.
[More]
