Consumer Protection

LOOKING OUT FOR CONSUMERS

U.S. PIRG’s consumer program works to alert the public to hidden dangers and scams and to ban anti-consumer practices and unsafe products.

TROUBLE IN TOYLAND

For 30 years, U.S. PIRG’s "Trouble In Toyland" report has surveyed store shelves and identified choking hazards, noise hazards and other dangers. Our report has led to at least 150 recalls and other regulatory actions over the years.

Get our tips for avoiding dangerous toys.

BIGGER BANKS, BIGGER FEES

In April, U.S. PIRG released a report in which we surveyed more than 350 bank branches and revealed that fewer than half of branches obeyed their legal duty to fully disclose fees to prospective customers, while one in four provided no fee information at all. We also found that despite widespread stories about the “death” of free checking, free and low-cost checking choices are still widely available, if consumers shop around.

Find out how to beat high bank fees.

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News Release | U.S. PIRG | Consumer Protection

Statement: U.S. PIRG applauds Senate introduction of the Veterans and Consumers Fair Credit Act

The Veterans and Consumers Fair Credit Act (VCFCA) was reintroduced in the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on Wednesday. This bill would limit interest rates on loans and go a long way toward protecting consumers, especially veterans, who are often victimized by predatory lenders.

News Release | US PIRG | Consumer Tips, Consumer Protection, Transportation

PIRG, other consumer groups urge DOT Secretary Buttigieg to do more to protect consumers

Representatives of several leading U.S. consumer and traveler groups today met with U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg to urge action on the most pressing consumer protection priorities affecting consumers flying commercial airlines. It was the first time representatives of consumer groups were granted a meeting with a U.S. Secretary of Transportation in nearly five years.

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau turns 10, the future is bright | Mike Litt

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau celebrated its 10th birthday last Wednesday. It begins its second decade refocused on its mission of protecting you and me after a few years of, ironically, championing shady business practices over consumers. The agency’s first decade was full of success, setbacks, and promise.

News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Report: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau turns 10

As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) turns 10 years old, a new report from the U.S. PIRG Education Fund recaps how the agency has helped consumers over the past decade and the steps under way to refocus the CFPB on its mission after three years of retrograde decisions under the Trump Administration.

Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

The CFPB Turns 10

This report recaps the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s results for consumers over the past 10 years, the steps taken to return the CFPB back to its mission after three years of retrograde decisions under the Trump Administration, and our recommendations for CFPB action moving forward.

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News Release | U.S. PIRG | Consumer Protection

Statement: U.S. PIRG applauds Senate introduction of the Veterans and Consumers Fair Credit Act

The Veterans and Consumers Fair Credit Act (VCFCA) was reintroduced in the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on Wednesday. This bill would limit interest rates on loans and go a long way toward protecting consumers, especially veterans, who are often victimized by predatory lenders.

News Release | US PIRG | Consumer Tips, Consumer Protection, Transportation

PIRG, other consumer groups urge DOT Secretary Buttigieg to do more to protect consumers

Representatives of several leading U.S. consumer and traveler groups today met with U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg to urge action on the most pressing consumer protection priorities affecting consumers flying commercial airlines. It was the first time representatives of consumer groups were granted a meeting with a U.S. Secretary of Transportation in nearly five years.

News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Report: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau turns 10

As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) turns 10 years old, a new report from the U.S. PIRG Education Fund recaps how the agency has helped consumers over the past decade and the steps under way to refocus the CFPB on its mission after three years of retrograde decisions under the Trump Administration.

News Release | US PIRG | Consumer Tips, Public Health, Consumer Protection

Statement: Johnson & Johnson recalls sunscreen products after tests detect carcinogens

Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc. said Wednesday it’s voluntarily recalling all lots of five types of Neutrogena and Aveeno aerosol sunscreen after internal testing showed “low levels of benzene” -- which can cause cancer -- in some samples. J&J also said consumers should stop using the sunscreen.

News Release | US PIRG | Consumer Tips, Consumer Protection

Consumer tips: What families should know about child tax credit payments that start July 15

Starting Thursday, many families with children under 18 will start getting monthly payments as part of the American Rescue Plan that became law this spring. Eligible families will get payments every month through December by direct deposit or by paper checks or preloaded debit cards that come in the mail. These payments will add up to half the child tax credit you should be entitled to for 2021; you can claim the rest next year when you file your tax return.

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Result | Consumer Protection

30 years of toy safety

For the past thirty years, our sister organization U.S. PIRG Education Fund has taken a close look at the safety of toys sold in stores. Their reports have led to more than 150 regulatory actions. In November 2015, they released our 30th annual Trouble in Toyland report.

Result | Consumer Protection

Protecting Consumers from Credit Company Abuses

Credit card companies seeking even higher profits have invented a slew of unfair practices. U.S. PIRG played a crucial role in passing the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act, which protects consumers and reins in the credit card companies' most abusive fees and practices.

Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

The CFPB Turns 10

This report recaps the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s results for consumers over the past 10 years, the steps taken to return the CFPB back to its mission after three years of retrograde decisions under the Trump Administration, and our recommendations for CFPB action moving forward.

Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Consumers in peril

U.S. PIRG Education Fund report documents that complaints to the CFPB, led by complaints about credit bureaus, set new records in 2020.

Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Auto Loan Complaints Rise

Our latest report, with the Frontier Group, finds that: Financing the purchase of a car is a minefield for consumers at even the best of times. Tricks and traps in the auto marketplace can leave consumers paying more for a car than they should – or, worse, to being victimized by predatory and abusive practices by auto dealers and lenders. COVID-19 has left consumers even more vulnerable.

Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Consumer Complaints Break Records

On the 10th anniversary of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) establishment as a centerpiece of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the law passed on 21 July 2010 and the Bureau opened its doors one year later), we look at the latest results from the CFPB’s public Consumer Complaint Database. This snapshot finds that, as the COVID-19 pandemic wreaks havoc on the financial situations of millions of Americans, consumer complaints to the CFPB have spiked to record levels.

Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection, Food

Food Recall Failure

Our research found the majority of grocery stores fail to warn the public about hazardous food recalls. While they collect significant information about Americans shopping habits to sell us more food, they aren't doing enough to use that information to protect the public health.

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Blog Post | Consumer Protection

As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau turns 10, the future is bright | Mike Litt

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau celebrated its 10th birthday last Wednesday. It begins its second decade refocused on its mission of protecting you and me after a few years of, ironically, championing shady business practices over consumers. The agency’s first decade was full of success, setbacks, and promise.

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Tough product safety rules will help babies sleep more safely | Henry Hintermeister

"No parent should ever have to endure the tragedy of losing a child."

Blog Post | Consumer Tips, Consumer Protection

Waking up to the dangers of inclined infant sleepers | Teresa Murray

If you’re stunned that safety standards for inclined sleepers weren’t required before, get this: The new rules don’t take effect for a year. That’s one of the problems in the world of infant sleep.

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Electronics manufacturers’ argument against independent repair exposed as nonsense | Nathan Proctor

"Apple-authorized" vendor leaks intimate photos

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Nearly 70% of companies surveyed improved toxic chemical policies | Henry Hintermeister

Nearly 70 percent of surveyed retailers showed improvement in their chemical safety programs over the last five years.

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Blog Post | Consumer Protection

In the wake of the Capital One data breach, Ed Mierzwinski and Adam Garber explain how to protect your credit

Were you affected by the Capital One breach, one of the largest thefts of data from any bank to date?

Blog Post | Antibiotics, Food

It's time for Wendy's to get antibiotics off the menu

The fast food chain Wendy's has a role to play in preventing a future in which antibiotics no longer work to protect our health.

Blog Post | Food, Solid Waste

What a waste: At least 30% of trash could be composted instead of buried or burned

Each year, America landfills and incinerates enough organic material to fill a line of 18-wheelers stretching from New York to Los Angeles 10 times over.

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

State PIRGs go to Washington for Consumer Lobby Day

Members of Congress hear repeatedly from lobbyists for corporate special interests in their offices and at fundraisers. How can consumer advocates balance the scales?

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Congressional testimony underscores how predatory auto loans are driving Americans into debt

In most of the country, owning a car is all but required. And we're paying for it—to the tune of $1.2 trillion. This is putting the financial well-being of millions of Americans at risk, and U.S. PIRG and our national network are calling for change.

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News Release | U.S. PIRG

Statement: U.S. PIRG applauds Senate introduction of the Veterans and Consumers Fair Credit Act

The Veterans and Consumers Fair Credit Act (VCFCA) was reintroduced in the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on Wednesday. This bill would limit interest rates on loans and go a long way toward protecting consumers, especially veterans, who are often victimized by predatory lenders.

News Release | US PIRG

PIRG, other consumer groups urge DOT Secretary Buttigieg to do more to protect consumers

Representatives of several leading U.S. consumer and traveler groups today met with U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg to urge action on the most pressing consumer protection priorities affecting consumers flying commercial airlines. It was the first time representatives of consumer groups were granted a meeting with a U.S. Secretary of Transportation in nearly five years.

Blog Post

As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau turns 10, the future is bright

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau celebrated its 10th birthday last Wednesday. It begins its second decade refocused on its mission of protecting you and me after a few years of, ironically, championing shady business practices over consumers. The agency’s first decade was full of success, setbacks, and promise.

Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund

The CFPB Turns 10

This report recaps the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s results for consumers over the past 10 years, the steps taken to return the CFPB back to its mission after three years of retrograde decisions under the Trump Administration, and our recommendations for CFPB action moving forward.

News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund

Report: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau turns 10

As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) turns 10 years old, a new report from the U.S. PIRG Education Fund recaps how the agency has helped consumers over the past decade and the steps under way to refocus the CFPB on its mission after three years of retrograde decisions under the Trump Administration.

Consumer Protection

Is that really the IRS? Robocall protections take aim at spoofed numbers

Thanks to new FCC rules, most phone providers are now required to arm their customers with Caller ID verification to confirm whether calls on their network are actually coming from the number on display.

Consumer Protection

Tough product safety rules will help babies sleep more safely

Improperly used inclined sleepers have lead to dozens of infant deaths. Rules established by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission will require all infant sleep products to adhere to more rigorous safety requirements and pass third-party testing.

Consumer Protection

Beech-Nut to stop making some infant rice cereal after officials find arsenic

Baby food maker Beech-Nut announced that it would stop selling its single grain rice cereal after testing by Alaska officials revealed high arsenic levels. PIRG is calling on all baby food companies to immediately recall foods that contain high levels of heavy metals.

Consumer Protection | U.S. PIRG

Virtual Wallets, Real Complaints

New report documents consumer complaints to the CFPB about digital wallets and peer-to-peer (P2P) apps.

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