Latest Consumer affairs News
How to get relief from unexpectedly high medical bills
NEW YORK (AP) — Unexpectedly high medical bills are common in the United States, but there are ways to get relief. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, one in five Americans are affected by outstanding medical debt, for a total cost of $88 billion. In a 2022...
The US government wants to make it easier for you to click the 'unsubscribe' button
WASHINGTON (AP) — In the name of consumer protection, a slew of U.S. federal agencies are working to make it easier for Americans to click the unsubscribe button for unwanted memberships and recurring payment services. A broad new government initiative, dubbed “Time Is Money,"...
Utility company's proposal to rat out hidden marijuana operations to police raises privacy concerns
BANGOR, Maine (AP) — Operators of illegal marijuana grow enterprises hidden inside rural homes in Maine don’t have to worry much about prying neighbors. But their staggering electric bills may give rise to a new snitch. An electric utility made an unusual proposal to help law...
FTC orders 8 companies to provide information on 'surveillance pricing' practices
NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Trade Commission has ordered information from eight companies that the agency says offer products and services that use personal data to set prices based on a shopper’s individual characteristics. In a Tuesday announcement, the FTC said it was seeking...
Nigeria fines Meta $220 million for violating data protection and consumer rights laws
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria's government on Friday announced a fine of $220 million on Meta, saying its investigations found “multiple and repeated” violations of the country's data protection and consumer rights laws on Facebook and WhatsApp. A statement from Nigeria’s...
Air travel is getting worse. That's what passengers are telling the US government
WASHINGTON (AP) — Air travel got more miserable last year, if the number of consumer complaints filed with the U.S. government is any measure. The Transportation Department said Friday that it received nearly 97,000 complaints in 2023, up from about 86,000 the year before. The...
