We’ve all seen the TV ads, especially late at night, when the rates are cheaper. A guy says he can solve consumers’ timeshare problems and get them out of their contacts. If the exit company can’t get the contract canceled, he says, no worries, his company offers a money-back guarantee. Read more →
Following Hurricane Ida, flooding in Tennessee and on the East Coast, the wildfires in the West, and other natural disasters scammers are on the scene preying on people who are trying to recover. Tips on ways you can avoid common post-disaster scams are: Read more →
Wells Fargo has been fined $250 million by the Office of Comptroller of the Currency, which said the bank didn’t pay back customers who were charged excessive or improper fees. “Wells Fargo has not met the requirements of the OCC’s 2018 action against the bank,” said Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael J. Hsu. Read more →
As covid-19 restrictions were lifted and the economy continued to reopen over the past three months, most Americans say they’ve been impacted in the marketplace, according to survey for Consumer Reports, a consumer testing and advocacy organization. Read more →
Pandemic-related problems are among the top 10 complaints made to state and local consumer agencies in 2020, according to an annual survey by Consumer Federation of America. They also topped the lists of worst, fastest-growing, and new complaints. “COVID-19 generated complaints about everything from appliance repairs to childcare, trash pick-up... Read more →
After another death of a young child in a residential elevator, the CPSC Tuesday asked vacation rental platforms, AirBnB, Vrbo, and others, to take steps immediately to protect consumers. Small children can be crushed to death in a gap that may exist between the doors. Read more →
Manufactured housing, one of the most affordable types of housing available to low-income consumers, makes up 13 percent of the housing stock in small towns and rural America. However, the lower cost of buying a manufactured home often comes with higher interest rates and limited opportunity to refinance. Read more →
About one million sellers and buyers in home sales with a single agent are charged excessive commissions totaling several billion dollars annually, a report from the Consumer Federation of America shows. The report also examines the conflicts of interest of these double-dipping agents. Read more →
This week, I wrote the 100th issue of my newsletter Helpful Money Tips for You. To celebrate, instead of offering my usual 10 tips, I offered 100. To sign up to get my free newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/gkZ6JH. You'll get it in your email. Read more →
Two companies that operated a massive phone operation that placed 1.3 billion deceptive fundraising charity calls to 67 million consumers have agreed to settle charges by the FTC and states. The defendants collected more than $110 million using mostly illegal robocall solicitations. Read more →