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Consumers Union To Government Agency: Don't Delay Consumer-Friendly Wisconsin Health Insurance Provision
By Mary Beth Quirk on January 20, 2012 3:00 PM
39 Comments
Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy arm of our benevolent benefactors at Consumer Reports, is urging the Department of Health and Human Services not to delay a consumer-friendly health insurance provision in Wisconsin. The delay could result in a loss of over $13 million rebates or lower insurance premiums to residents. More »
Here's Another Way To Raise Your Voice In Opposition To SOPA
By Chris Morran on January 20, 2012 1:30 PM
16 Comments
Even though the Protect IP Act appears to have gotten caught in a cul-de-sac in the Senate, the Stop Online Piracy Act is still very much alive in the Congress, which is slated to take up the legislation again in February. So it's more important than ever for you to let lawmakers know you object to these heavy-handed, anti-consumer, anti-innovation bills. More »
Adventures In Fictional Fish: There's No Such Thing As White Ruffy
November 21, 2011 1:30 PM
49 Comments
If the recent exposé on falsely labeled fish by our lab coat-wearing kin at Consumer Reports has you approaching fish buying with a critical eye, you're not alone. More »
Consumers Union: Public Needs Full Access To Database Of Problem Doctors
By Chris Morran on November 14, 2011 3:30 PM
26 Comments
In September, the Department of Health and Human Services removed the Public Use Data File of the online National Practitioners Data Bank after receiving a complaint from a doctor whose history of malpractice claims was published in a newspaper article. Public access was recently restored, but with a whole host of limitations that our cohorts at Consumers Union think need to be removed. More »
Consumers Union Calls For Investigation Into Bank Of America Debit Card Fee
By Chris Morran on October 4, 2011 3:30 PM
161 Comments
It's not just Senator Dick Durbin and scissor-happy Fox Business Network anchors who disapprove of Bank of America's announcement that it will begin charging a $5 monthly fee to some customers who use their debit cards to make purchases. Our benevolent benefactors at Consumers Union are now calling upon legislators and regulators to investigate this move by the nation's largest bank. More »
AT&T, Consumer Advocates Spar Over T-Mobile Deal In DC
By Marc Perton on May 26, 2011 12:30 PM
22 Comments
In a Congressional hearing this morning over AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson reiterated his earlier comments that the deal is "all about consumers." However, advocates such as Parul P. Desai of Consumers Union argued that the merger "would result in a highly concentrated market, which will likely lead to higher prices and fewer choices for consumers." More »
(ash)
Make Your Voice Heard On The AT&T/T-Mobile Deal
By consumerist.com on April 5, 2011 1:30 PM
47 Comments
AT&T's pending $39 Billion purchase of T-Mobile USA hasn't even gotten into the governmental review process but it's already managed to get people on both sides of the debate talking. That's why our benevolent benefactors at Consumers Union are looking for folks willing to go on the record with their concerns and comments on the deal. More »
Transportation Secretary LaHood Answers Reader Questions
By consumerist.com on March 7, 2011 10:15 AM
19 Comments
Later today, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will be answering questions at the Consumers Union offices, where he'll also be speaking on the topic of "Distracted Driving Shatters Lives: Helping Parents and Educators Reach Teens." You can watch that event live on the Consumer Reports Facebook page (click the "Live" tab) at 11:00 a.m. ET. Meanwhile, Secretary LaHood accepted Consumerist's request to answer a few reader-submitted questions. More »
Win $1000 For Making A Picture About The Dangers Of Debt
By Ben Popken on January 10, 2011 3:00 PM
13 Comments
Make a picture illustrating "The Dangers of Being in Debt" and you could win $1,000 in our publisher Consumers Union's new contest. Simply submit your Photoshop, drawing of a spider, collage or what have you on this Facebook page. Get people to vote for you and the image with the most votes wins. Then you can use your cash prize to pay down your credit card debit. See, it all circles back... More »
The 'Cable Constrictor' Hits The Streets To Warn People About Comcast/NBC Deal
By Chris Morran on November 30, 2010 3:20 PM
47 Comments
As we told you earlier today, our brethren at Consumers Union have launched a public awareness campaign to alert consumers about the risks of the proposed sale of NBC Universal to Comcast. And as part of this campaign, CU's Cable Constrictor moving billboard wended its way around Capitol Hill this morning. More »
Consumers Union Asks You To Say No To Comcast/NBC Deal
By Chris Morran on November 30, 2010 9:00 AM
48 Comments
With the clock still ticking on the proposed purchase of NBC Universal by Comcast, our benevolent benefactors at Consumers Union has launched a new website and advertising campaign to step up its efforts to alert the public to the perils of the deal. More »
Is Bank Of America's $0 Liability Guarantee Any Different Than What You Already Have?
By Chris Morran on November 5, 2010 1:20 PM
21 Comments
If you've lost your remote and been unable to fast-forward through your DVRd shows — or heaven forbid you've had to watch something on live TV — in the last two months, you might have seen one of Bank of America's commercials touting its "$0 Liability Guarantee" for all its credit and debit cards. But is all this just window decoration on guarantees you already have? More »
So You Think You're A Filmmaker? Enter Consumers Union's New Video Contest
September 24, 2010 10:15 AM
20 Comments
In an effort to both educate younger people about health care reform and engender the creative spirit in our readers, Consumers Union has announced its So You Think You're Invincible? video contest. More »
(strobist)
Do Pay-By-Smartphone Systems Put Consumers At Risk?
By Chris Morran on August 25, 2010 1:15 PM
17 Comments
As smartphones like the iPhone or Droid become more popular and more sophisticated, developers are finding new ways for consumers to use these mobile devices to replace existing items like airplane boarding passes, coupons and now credit cards. Soon, smartphone owners will be able to pay for purchases with a wave of their phones, but they should first be aware of the possible risks involved. More »
15 Ways To Kick Ass When Testifying
By Ben Popken on June 10, 2010 4:44 PM
13 Comments
If you are victimized by corporate behavior and asked to testify before a legislative body in order to tell your story and help get a pro-consumer bill passed, it can be really scary. You only have a few minutes to make your case. Are you gonna choke it, or clinch it? Just follow these 15 tips I just learned in a Consumers Union Activist Summit workshop: More »
Snag Last-Minute Seat To CU Activist Summit
By Ben Popken on June 1, 2010 4:39 PM
2 Comments
There's still a few seats left that you can snag for the Consumers Union Activist Summit in Washington DC, next week, June 9-11. More »
(basykes)
Facebook's Privacy Settings Are Actually "Evil Interfaces"
By Ben Popken on May 4, 2010 11:31 AM
23 Comments
Facebook is in a quandary: they want to sell their users' data for cash, but they don't want to look like doucheshnozzles. What's a social network to do? Design a byzantine apparatus for opting out of the privacy-invasions that confuses and discourages the user from using it effectively, while still appearing to be user-friendly and functional. That way they can have their cake and eat it and sell it too. In other words, it's an "evil interface," and Facebook's privacy settings are full of them, argues the Electronic Frontier Foundation: More »
(Courtesy Consumers Union)
Giant Banker To Devour Innocent Consumers Tomorrow
By Meg Marco on April 27, 2010 12:00 PM
15 Comments
Consumers Union, the benevolent entity that publishes Consumer Reports and parent company of our own little operation, would like to warn all of you that a giant banker will be devouring innocent consumers on "The Hill" Wednesday. More »
Toyota Stops Selling Lexus SUV After Consumer Reports Says "Don't Buy"
By Chris Walters on April 13, 2010 7:40 PM
44 Comments
It's a big deal when Consumer Reports awards a "Don't Buy" rating to a vehicle, and when it announced earlier today that the 2010 Lexus GX 460 should be avoided because of safety risks, the story started popping up all over the web. Now only 12 hours later, Lexus has announced that it is asking dealers to temporarily stop selling the vehicle while it looks into the situation, and that it's taking the Consumer Reports claim "very seriously."
Tell Your Senator To Rollback Unfair Interest Rate Hikes
By Ben Popken on April 12, 2010 11:00 AM
29 Comments
Before a new law went into effect in February to clamp down on their abusive tactics, credit card companies jacked up interest rates, putting the squeeze on already strapped consumers. But that same law can still help as. In it, Congress told the banks to review those spiked rates, and, for responsible cardholders, bring them back down to normal levels. Of course, the banks are working feverishly to make sure they don't have to live up to the law. As the Senate considers Regulation Z; Docket R-1384, be sure to grab their ear and say hey! Gimmie back my rates! Contact your rep now.
