That's the theme of this article by Michael Hiltzik. Here's an excerpt: [I]f you really want to destroy a business, just hack away at its customer service. … The principle also holds true for government programs, which is why you should be very suspicious about the relentless budget-cutting at the Social Security Administration. Mark Miller […]
The Georgetown Consumer Law Society and Citizen Works are hosting a symposium, Making the Fine Print Fair, at Georgetown on April 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Speakers include FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez; Ralph Nader; Georgetown Dean William Treanor; Associate Dean Gregory Klass; Professors David Vladeck, Adam Levitin; CL&P bloggers Deepak Gupta, Scott Michaelman, […]
by John Cook at Gawker
Today, both the FTC and the State of California weighed in regarding the case against Facebook over "Sponsored Stories." (As we've discussed, several objectors are challenging the class settlement in this case because it authorizes Facebook to use minors' images for advertising in violation of seven states' privacy laws.) Although neither the FTC nor California […]
The D.C. Circuit has upheld the Federal Reserve's debit-card transaction fee regulations, as explained in this article by Zoe Tillman. The circuit court's ruling reverses a decision of Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Circuit Judge David Tatel explains the parameters of the ruling right up front: Combining […]
We've told you about the case of Vera Scroggins, who has been documenting the damage caused by fracking the Marcellus Shale in northeastern Pennsylvania. A few months ago, she was hit with an injunction barring her from any property that fracking company Cabot Oil and Gas owns, or to which Cabot leases the mineral rights […]
by Brian Wolfman Federal agencies issue annual reports on their implementation of the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552.The reports say how many requests for information the agency gets, the bases for withholding information when information is withheld, the speed with which requests are fulfilled (or rejected), etc. One serious FOIA problem […]
The Supreme Court sometimes affects consumer law and policy, so our readers may be interested in this piece by law professor Erwin Chemerinsky (pictured to the right). Chemerinsky urges Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to quit the Supreme Court after it has finished its work early this summer. Quitting then, Chemerinsky says, would allow the President […]
The Consumer Finanical Protection Bureau today issued its third annual report on oversight of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Among other things, the report provides an overview of debt-collection complaints the agency has received from consumers. The report: (1) provides background on the debt collection market; (2) summarizes the Bureau’sconsumer response function and the […]
Not this hard! You can read about Theresa Amato's and my Don Quixote imitation here.