United Airlines is charging consumers for putting a bag in the overhead bin. Oh, wait, United is not really charging extra, it's just creating a level of service called "Basic Economy," in which the consumer pays the lowest fare but can't put a bag in the overhead bin. (Oh, and by the way, in Basic Economy, […]
by Paul Alan Levy Now that both houses of Congress have passed the Consumer Review Fairness Act, which invalidates the inclusion of clauses barring consumer reviews in form contracts, and sent the bill to the President for his signature (this happened last Friday), we will be looking for situations in which to apply it. There […]
Here are recent announcements involving the Consumer Protection Branch of the Department of Justice. November 21, 2016 – Salesman Sentenced in Scheme to Defraud Consumers Through Debt Relief Firms November 14, 2016 – Four California Residents Sentenced in Scheme to Defraud Consumers Through Debt Relief Firms November 7, 2016 – Medical Device Maker Biocompatibles Pleads […]
We've posted several times about the head-injury settlement between NFL players and the NFL. Go here for instance. That settlement was approved over class members' objections by a federal district court in Philadelphia and by a unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Petitions for a writ of certiorari are pending (go here and here), […]
The Federal Trade Commission announced this week: The Federal Trade Commission has closed the book on a data broker operation that the agency alleges got personal information from people who thought they were applying for payday loans online, and sold it to a scam that tapped consumers’ bank accounts and credit cards without their consent. […]
This month's Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) complaint snapshot highlights consumer complaints about financial services such as debt settlement, check cashing, money orders, and credit repair. The report shows that consumer complaints about these types of financial services generally revolve around issues of fraud or problems with reliable customer service. The report also highlights trends […]
A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau' blog post explains: This month marks the fifth anniversary of the CFPB Ombudsman’s Office, an independent, impartial, and confidential resource that assists consumers, financial entities, consumer groups, trade groups, and others in informally resolving process issues with the CFPB. As we observe this anniversary, today I also want to share […]
Ten leading consumer protection organizations have one here, with blog co-coordinator Deepak Gupta as lead counsel, while current and former members of Congress, including Senator Elizabeth Warren and former Congressman Barney Frank, have another one here.
by Paul Alan Levy Tuesday morning, Judge Jim Jordan of the Texas District Court for the 160th Judicial District heard oral argument on our motion for an award of attorney fees and deterrent sanctions, as provided by the Texas Anti-SLAPP statute, following his decision under that statute to dismiss the lawsuit brought by Prestigious Pets, […]
The New York Times reports: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is proposing a rule requiring automakers put labels on sun visors of all new vehicles with instructions on how to file safety complaints. The labels would be glued to passenger visors and tell people that complaints could bring an investigation or a possible recall. […]