consumer protection

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Blue Dogs Offer Own Spin on Finance Reform

Float alternative to Obama's financial protection agency

(Newser) - Blue Dogs are digging in against the idea of creating a “consumer financial protection agency,” a key provision in Barack Obama’s financial regulatory reform plan, Politico reports. Instead, they want existing regulators to collaborate by way of a “consumer financial protection council.” “We’re...

Fox to Yard Salers: Unloading Wrong Toy Could Cost You $15M

CPSC launches push to stop the resale of recalled toys

(Newser) - Selling the wrong toy at a yard sale could lead to a fine of up to $15 million under a new government policy, Fox News reports. The Consumer Product Safety Commission's "Resale Round-Up" aims to stamp out the sale of used toys that have been recalled due to high...

Teen to Blame for Exploding iPhone? So Says Apple
Teen to Blame for Exploding iPhone? So Says Apple
ANALYSIS
Aug 29, 2009 5:11 PM CDT

Teen to Blame for Exploding iPhone? So Says Apple

Company points finger as EU launches inquiry

(Newser) - Tales of spontaneously combusting iPhones across Europe may be fodder for easy jokes, but the whole "business is no laughing matter," writes JR Raphael for PC World. The EU has opened a formal inquiry into the latest incident, in which a French teenager says an exploding screen sent...

France Investigates Exploding iPhones

(Newser) - After a glass shard from his exploding iPhone allegedly hit a French security guard in the eye, consumer groups are investigating eight reports of spontaneously cracking or combusting iPhones in France. Consumers in other European countries have reported similar problems with iPhones and iPods, including a UK man allegedly paid...

Hello, Senators? Greedy Cell Phone Biz Needs Attention

(Newser) - It's nice to see Congress looking out for the cell phone customer with hearings on carrier exclusivity, but there's plenty of dubious practices in the business they should look into before they worry about getting us all Verizon iPhones, David Pogue writes in the New York Times. 
  • Texting fees.
...

Arbitration Firms Quit Consumer Debt Biz

Credit card, cell phone companies scramble to collect by themselves

(Newser) - Credit card and cell phone companies are scrambling as two major arbitration firms back out of the business of settling consumer disputes, the Wall Street Journal reports. The National Arbitration Forum—accused in a Minnesota lawsuit of misleading consumers into thinking it was impartial—will stop taking cases this week,...

US May Create Financial Watchdog for Consumers

(Newser) - The Obama administration may create a government agency with sweeping powers to protect consumers who use financial products such as mortgages, mutual funds, and credit cards, reports the Washington Post. Current protections are scattered throughout several agencies. The new plan would corral them under one regulatory commission and create tougher...

Obama Picks New Consumer Safety Chair

Wants SC education superintendent to head expanded agency

(Newser) - President Obama is turning to South Carolina's former education superintendent to head an expanded Consumer Product Safety Commission, an embattled agency that has been criticized by advocates for being too cozy with industry, the AP reports. The president was set today to propose two more seats on the panel and...

Profanity, Tobacco Cases Top Court's New Term

Judges to decide on consumers' right to sue drug, tobacco companies

(Newser) - The Supreme Court and its Bush-era conservative additions launch a second term today, set to consider "pre-emption" cases that determine whether federal regulation makes drug and tobacco companies immune from state-level lawsuits. Other cases will determine penalties against profanity on radio or TV, a major sexual harassment question, and...

Bumped From Your Flight? Airline Could Owe You $800

Feds double amount passengers can receive over overbooked planes

(Newser) - Passengers who get bumped off overbooked flights will be eligible for up to $800 for their inconvenience, the Los Angeles Times reports. The US Department of Transportation today doubled the amount passengers can receive, with the exact figure depending upon the ticket price and how long it takes passengers to...

In the Works: Wireless Bill of Rights

States fight feds over who will regulate

(Newser) - Wireless carriers seem to have angered a few too many consumers with hidden fees and surprise charges. Politicians in 22 states are considering various versions of a wireless consumers’ bill of rights, reports BusinessWeek. But the wireless industry, daunted at facing different regulations in every state, is throwing its weight...

The Internet Is Watching You
The Internet Is Watching You
Mar 10, 2008 12:30 PM CDT

The Internet Is Watching You

Biggest companies gather data on the average user hundreds of times a month

(Newser) - Long gone are the days of Internet anonymity. Big Web companies know all about you, says a study commissioned by the New York Times. The Internet giants track users’ behavior across sites, gathering details on a typical person several hundred times a month. That information lets them target content and—...

Groups Ask Feds to Regulate Air Fresheners

Environmental lobby claims scents contain toxins, harm health

(Newser) - Air fresheners contain dangerous chemical compounds linked to asthma, cancer, and developmental problems, said a coalition of environmental groups in petitioning the EPA yesterday to regulate the industry. While most companies denied the charges, Walgreen Co. responded by pulling three fresheners off shelves in its 5,850 stores, the San ...

DC Man Dons $54M Pants Suit for Day in Court

Tearful plaintiff draws crowd with case about misplaced clothing

(Newser) - A man suing his dry cleaners for $54 million had to ask the judge for a break yesterday when he broke down crying as he testified about his loss—a pair of pants. The DC Superior Court trial has attracted international attention even though the case now technically concerns consumer...

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