When you take two consumer problems, telemarketing and extended warranties, and put them together, it can result in disaster. The Federal Trade Commission announced a settlement Friday in its case against American Vehicle Protection – who it charged last year with running a telemarketing extended auto warranty scheme that cheated people out of more than $6 million. Read more →

In addition to recalling products, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issues warnings about hazardous products. A recent warning from the agency is to immediately stop using black TureClos bicycle helmets. The helmets don’t comply with federal safety standards. They can fail to protect riders if a crash occurs, posing a head injury risk. Read more →

Buying a new car is among one the most challenging purchases a consumer needs to make. Every year, Consumer Reports, a research, testing, and advocacy organization, conducts a battery of tests on the vehicles it evaluates, including braking, handling, comfort, convenience, safety, and fuel economy. Read more →

Until this week, I hadn’t heard about a potential safety problem with electric bicycles or “e-bikes.” An article in The Washington Post, “A Child’s Death Prompts Questions About Brake Safety on E-bikes,” caught my attention. A lawsuit has been filed against Rad Power Bikes by the parents of a 12-year-old girl who was killed in an e-bike accident. Read more →

Textron Specialized Vehicles is recalling about 143,000 E-Z-GO PTVs or personal transportation vehicles in the United States, 8,100 in Canada, and 1,000 in Mexico. Some of the PTVs were recalled earlier in September 2021, January 2022, and September 2022. PTVs are golf carts or golf cars. Read more →

Don’t get tricked into signing up for a high-cost loan when you buy a used car. Credit Acceptance Corp. misrepresented the cost of credit and turned the car-buying experience into a nightmare for many of its borrowers, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and New York Attorney General’s Office charged in a lawsuit. Read more →

Wells Fargo is at it again. It shows why consumers should be skeptical about trusting big banks. The repeat offender has agreed to a settlement that requires it to return more than $2 billion to consumers and pay a $1.7 billion civil penalty for legal violations across several of its largest product lines, the CFPB said Tuesday. Read more →

If you’re going to buy a car, be sure to find out if it’s been part of a recall. Only 75 percent of vehicles involved in a recall are actually repaired, according to NHTSA. Car dealers and other companies that sell cars may not let you know about recalled cars that haven’t had repairs made.  Read more →

Among the largest recalls last week is Polaris snowmobiles, with about 138,000 recalled in the United States and about 61,000 in Canada. Electrostatic discharge inside the fuel tank can cause vapors to ignite during operation and the tank to burst, posing a fire hazard.  Read more →

Buying a car is such a complicated process. I always appreciate information from Consumer Reports on the topic. Each year Consumer Reports issues a report on car reliability. It’s latest report showed hybrid vehicles and midsized or large sedans are among the most reliable, while electric vehicles and full-size pickup trucks are the two most problematic categories. Read more →