Press Release Archive

2017

July

25

• Consumer Action condemns the House's vote to repeal class actions. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution (H.J. Res. 111) today to repeal the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rule to restore

20

• Consumer Action opposes Congress's attack on class actions. Members of both the U.S. House and Senate took a hatchet to consumer protection today by introducing Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions to

18

• Webinar offers advice about responding to debt collection calls. Consumer Action joined forces with the Consumer Relations Consortium to create a training webinar about spotting "debt collection" scammers.

10

• Consumer Action applauds new arbitration rule (Rule will protect consumers’ rights to class action lawsuits). Consumer Action press release on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's new protecting class action lawsuits

June

29

• Consumer Action responds to today’s GAO report on Lifeline. Ken McEldowney, executive director of Consumer Action, released the following statement today in response to a report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Lifeline program, a program that has provided discounted and no-charge phone service for low-income Americans for over three decades.

09

• A new era of retirement investment advice you can trust! (Department of Labor’s new retirement investor protections take effect today). Consumer Action statement on the Department of Labor’s new “best interest” retirement advice rule taking effect.

May

31

• Poll highlights attitudes about data usage for financial inclusion. Consumer Action finds most agree that rent and utility records could be useful in widening availability of credit, but 96 percent oppose using social media or

March

08

• Consumer protections at risk (Consumer Action highlights recent consumer gains now in the cross hairs). Consumer Action News reviews many of the gains made in recent months to protect consumers’ personal safety, online privacy, dispute resolution rights and more. However, many of these critical consumer protections are in danger of disappearing under a new administration and GOP-controlled Congress.

February

27

• Activist event targets Wells Fargo's arbitration clause (Wells customers urged to switch banks now!). Organizations protest Wells Fargo's refusal to stop imposing a "rip-off clause" that forces its bogus account victims, other customers and workers to surrender their constitutional rights to obtain services or employment.

07

• Congressional attack on prepaid card protections (Consumer Action urges Congress not to block basic consumer protections). Consumers are on the brink of having the first legal protections on prepaid cards. But the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Prepaid card

• Helping Spanish speakers field debt collection calls (Consumer Action offers Spanish version of its free consumer guide to responding to legitimate debt collectors, avoiding scams). A new, free guide gives Spanish-speaking consumers specific signs to look for in distinguishing the difference between a real debt collector and an imposter. It also outlines consumer rights around debt collection.

03

• New regime plans to 'trump' consumer protections. Statement by Linda Sherry, Director, National Priorities, Consumer Action President Trump’s announcement today to dismantle the Dodd-Frank financial protection law and cripple the

01

• Free guides help online shoppers deal with post-holiday returns and order issues (Consumer Action publishes tips for online shoppers to avoid—or get successful resolution for—customer service disputes). Consumer Action's new Savvy Online Shopping: Tips for Trouble-Free Transactions helps consumers learn how to enjoy the many advantages of online shopping while reducing the likelihood of potential issues.

January

30

• Consumer Action strongly supports updates to Federal Trade Commission’s Contact Lens Rule (Our new poll data shows 60% of contact lens consumers are unaware of their automatic right to prescription copy). Consumer Action supports an update to the Federal Trade Commission Contact Lens Rule. The organization commissioned a poll that shows 60% of contact lens wearers are unaware of their automatic right to be given a copy of their lens prescriptions following an eye exam. This leaves far too many consumers without the ability to comparison shop for the best prices on contact lenses.

10

• Filling the financial information gap in limited English communities. January 10, 2017—When you don’t speak or understand English well, applying for a car loan or mortgage can be hazardous to your financial

2016

November

15

• Consumer Action applauds proposed changes to Contact Lens Rule. Consumer Action applauds the Federal Trade Commission's proposed updates to the Contact Lens Rule, which promotes competition by giving consumers the right to comparison shop for contact lenses.

• ​Low-income consumers have options for affordable internet (Consumer Action and Comcast team up to educate consumers about low-cost broadband plans for low-income households). Consumer Action and Comcast have partnered to create a free multilingual educational guide, “Getting up to speed: Broadband internet for low-income households.”

October

18

• Consumer Action urges SEC to mothball shareholder report plan (900+ consumers asked SEC to maintain paper as default delivery option). During an SEC meeting last week, the agency decided to postpone a final decision on a rule that would have set the default for shareholder reports to electronic delivery, from the current paper-based default. Consumer Action has called for keeping paper as the delivery default and allowing shareholders to call, write or drop a pre-written card in the mail to opt for electronic delivery if they prefer it.

01

• Consumer groups support legislation to protect airline travelers (Coalition outlines seven consumer protection principles). Consumer groups outline seven principles to guide badly needed consumer protections for airline passengers.

September

30

• One million reasons why consumers need the CFPB. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) hit the one million mark this week. The Bureau has received more than one million individual consumer complaints about

29

• Consumer advocates disappointed private debt collectors to begin collecting federal tax debts (Program may increase scams involving phony tax collections). Consumer advocates expressed disappointment over an announcement that four private debt collection companies were selected to collect federal tax debts, one of which (Pioneer Credit Recovery) had been terminated last year by the U.S. Department of Education.

28

• Consumer Action joins White House campaign to 'Lock Down Your Login' (Advice to help consumers enable the strongest authentication tools for online accounts). Consumer Action joins a new campaign, “Lock Down Your Login,” to urge Americans to limit their personal cybercrime risk and better protect their key social media, email and bank accounts by enabling strong authentication.

August

30

• Consumer Action takes a closer look at a most valuable consumer tool (Report examines CFPB complaints, public data and company responses). Consumer Action releases a study of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's complaint database and offers tips and advice on how to find information in, and make the best use of, the public complaints submitted by consumers.

23

• Consumer Action joins 280 groups in supporting rule that would restore your right to sue. WASHINGTON, DC—Consumer Action joined together with 280 consumer, civil rights, labor, community and non-profit organizations to emphasize strong and broad-based support for the Consumer

11

• New rules limit debt collection robocalls by Feds. WASHINGTON, DC—Consumer advocates applauded the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for its rules and report placing limits on the the 2015 Budget Bill that allows