#consumer protection

#consumer protection

In a now viral post on X viewed nearly 400,000 times, Lindsay Owens on Sunday wrote, "Big/bad news for consumers. Google is out today with an announcement of how they plan to integrate shopping into their AI offerings including search and Gemini. The plan includes 'personalized upselling.' I.e. Analyzing your chat data and using it to overcharge you."

All of the teams named as defendants advertise on either their social media channels or website that they are part of the Zillow Flex program. Similarly to the two original complaints, the consolidated amended complaint claims that Zillow, and now the real estate defendants, violated a variety of statutes, including the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), the Washington Consumer Protection Act, the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and the law of unjust enrichment and fiduciary duty.

France has two government-ordained sales periods, one in summer, one in winter; the rest of the time discounts and special offers shops can offer consumers are strictly limited. While you might be able to get a deal at other times, the best bargains are reserved for the period of les soldes, when retailers are allowed to sell items at below cost price.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

Budget should have inspected the van when you returned it and quickly given you a detailed invoice explaining the $450 fee. Budget's own policy states that its cleaning charges will be reasonable (although it reserves the right to determine what is reasonable). California's Consumer Legal Remedies Act also prohibits deceptive claims, including vague fees. You should've taken photos of the van at pickup and return, even if you thought nothing was wrong,

"And then that's when I got the shock of my life," McLaren told the I-Team. "That tank of gas that I put in wasn't $79.34 like I had thought. It was $7,934."

In a frenzy of last-minute gift shopping and travel bookings, we can be more anxious, more distracted and more vulnerable. "There's a lot of hustle and bustle during the holiday season, so there's a lot more opportunities for scammers to steal from us," says Amy Nofziger, senior director of Fraud Victim Support at the AARP Fraud Watch Network, a fraud prevention service.

Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The broadband label framework was designed to work like nutrition labels, giving consumers a clear, consistent way to understand what services they are buying before they commit. After years of development and a bipartisan vote to implement these protections, we are now at the point where providers have integrated these labels into their systems and consumers are beginning to rely on them. This is not the moment to reverse course,

The property rights of American homeowners must be safeguarded, Caroline Cone, director of state government affairs for the American Land Title Association (ALTA), said in a statement. It is essential to ensure there are no unreasonable restraints on a homeowner's ability to sell or refinance their home in the future due to unwarranted transaction costs. ALTA, along with AARP, were strong proponents of the bill, as well as other similar pieces of legislation across the country.

According to the lawsuit, Uber charged consumers for the Uber One subscription without their consent, billed them before the end of a free trial, and shared misleading claims about how much consumers can save with the subscription. Uber One subscribers were allegedly forced to go through a lengthy and difficult process to cancel the subscription, which could mean tapping through up to 23 screens and taking 32 actions.

The NCRC announced on Wednesday a tip line for anyone who believes fair lending laws have been violated, saying it has the expertise to investigate and the resources to take action when warranted. Individuals can submit confidential complaints regarding potential violations of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Fair Housing Act, redlining, or unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices. Advocacy organizations have a key role to play in filling the gaps this administration is creating, Van Tol said.

The AGs have given Meta, Google, OpenAI, and others a deadline of January 16th, 2026 to respond to demands for more safety measures for generative AI, saying innovation is not "an excuse for noncompliance with our laws, misinforming parents, and endangering our residents, particularly children."

Accepting the role, McDonnell said he was honoured to lead the group at a "critical juncture" for financial oversight in the UK, stressing that victims of investment fraud and regulatory failures "deserve justice, not excuses", adding 'We will not allow a race to the bottom in regulation'. He argued that consumer protection must be viewed not as a brake on growth but as "the foundation of a financial system that works in the public interest".

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

There's a new type of money spreading rapidly across the internet, propelled by the crypto boom. It's supposed to be worth a dollar, but it's not issued by any government. Called a stablecoin, it is a digital currency that is subject to very little legal oversight and its growing popularity has recently transformed it into a $300 billion market. You can use stablecoins to buy things online, make investments or send money abroad with minimal fees.

Boston police said the skimmers can be hidden inside or placed over an ATM's card reader, allowing them to copy information from a card's magnetic stripe or chip. In some cases, thieves also set up tiny cameras to capture a PIN as it's typed into the ATM. At store checkout counters, criminals may use plastic overlays on keypads or card readers that secretly collect card data.

Outrage has erupted among Independent readers after the UK energy watchdog Ofgem approved a 28bn investment to upgrade gas and electricity networks, which is expected to push household bills up by 108. Many pushed back at the idea that consumers should bear the cost, stressing that energy companies are already highly profitable and that past underinvestment is a result of prioritising shareholder dividends over infrastructure.