Consumer Protection

LOOKING OUT FOR CONSUMERS

CoPIRG’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, CoPIRG’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, CoPIRG 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 | CoPIRG | Consumer Protection

New consumer protections tackling predatory towing makes Colorado a national leader

The Colorado General Assembly sent a bill to the governor’s desk that would ramp up consumer protections around predatory towing. In a recent report, Getting Off the Hook of a Predatory Tow, CoPIRG compared state laws around towing and identified a number of abusive practices following a tow that vehicle owners can experience, from charging exorbitant fees to refusing the owner access to the personal items in their vehicle. Based on the new protections, Colorado would be a national leader.

News Release | CoPIRG | Consumer Protection

Colorado passes nation’s first Right to Repair bill for wheelchairs, awaits Gov. Polis signature

Colorado wheelchair users have won a landmark victory that eventually could affect every U.S. consumer’s right to repair. The General Assembly approved HB22-1031, requiring manufacturers of powered wheelchairs to make available parts, tools, repair manuals, and digital access to owners and independent repairers at fair and reasonable prices. The Colorado bill also marks the first time an industry will be required to provide repair access since Massachusetts voters approved an automotive Right to Repair law at the ballot in 2013.

News Release | CoPIRG | Consumer Protection

Colorado Senate approves wheelchair Right to Repair bill, moves HB22-1031 one step away from Governor’s desk

Consumer and disability advocates are celebrating the passage of HB22-1031, the Right to Repair for Wheelchairs bill, by the full Senate. This first-in-the-nation bill is one step away from the Governor’s desk. The bill would require manufacturers of powered wheelchairs to make available parts, tools, repair manuals, and digital access to owners and independent repairers at fair and reasonable prices to fix their wheelchairs.

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

GM heeds consumer groups' advocacy, commits to not sell used cars with safety issues | Aaron Colonnese

> Keep Reading

News Release | CoPIRG | Consumer Protection

Colorado Senate cmte approves wheelchair Right to Repair bill

Consumer and disability advocates applauded the Colorado Senate Business, Labor and Technology committee for passing HB22-1031, the Right to Repair for Wheelchairs bill, which would require manufacturers of powered wheelchairs to make available parts, tools, repair manuals, and documentation to owners and independent repairers at fair and reasonable prices to fix their wheelchairs. It also requires manufacturers provide the digital access needed to complete repairs.

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News Release | CoPIRG | Consumer Protection

New consumer protections tackling predatory towing makes Colorado a national leader

The Colorado General Assembly sent a bill to the governor’s desk that would ramp up consumer protections around predatory towing. In a recent report, Getting Off the Hook of a Predatory Tow, CoPIRG compared state laws around towing and identified a number of abusive practices following a tow that vehicle owners can experience, from charging exorbitant fees to refusing the owner access to the personal items in their vehicle. Based on the new protections, Colorado would be a national leader.

News Release | CoPIRG | Consumer Protection

Colorado passes nation’s first Right to Repair bill for wheelchairs, awaits Gov. Polis signature

Colorado wheelchair users have won a landmark victory that eventually could affect every U.S. consumer’s right to repair. The General Assembly approved HB22-1031, requiring manufacturers of powered wheelchairs to make available parts, tools, repair manuals, and digital access to owners and independent repairers at fair and reasonable prices. The Colorado bill also marks the first time an industry will be required to provide repair access since Massachusetts voters approved an automotive Right to Repair law at the ballot in 2013.

News Release | CoPIRG | Consumer Protection

Colorado Senate approves wheelchair Right to Repair bill, moves HB22-1031 one step away from Governor’s desk

Consumer and disability advocates are celebrating the passage of HB22-1031, the Right to Repair for Wheelchairs bill, by the full Senate. This first-in-the-nation bill is one step away from the Governor’s desk. The bill would require manufacturers of powered wheelchairs to make available parts, tools, repair manuals, and digital access to owners and independent repairers at fair and reasonable prices to fix their wheelchairs.

News Release | CoPIRG | Consumer Protection

Colorado Senate cmte approves wheelchair Right to Repair bill

Consumer and disability advocates applauded the Colorado Senate Business, Labor and Technology committee for passing HB22-1031, the Right to Repair for Wheelchairs bill, which would require manufacturers of powered wheelchairs to make available parts, tools, repair manuals, and documentation to owners and independent repairers at fair and reasonable prices to fix their wheelchairs. It also requires manufacturers provide the digital access needed to complete repairs.

News Release | U.S. PIRG | Consumer Protection

U.S. PIRG applauds Biden Administration’s actions on medical debt

Our statement on Vice President Kamala Harris' announced reforms to reduce the impact of medical debt on Americans’ finances.

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Result | Consumer Protection

Defending Colorado’s Consumer Advocate

For 30 years, Colorado’s consumer advocate, the Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC), has gone to bat for Colorado consumers on gas, electric and telephone matters. All told, it has saved Coloradans more than $1.7 billion on their bills. Despite this track record of success, in 2015 the state legislature came close to eliminating it. CoPIRG helped mobilize public support and generate media attention to save the OCC.

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

Keeping Families Safe From Dangerous Products

Companies that violate product safety laws will face stiff fines and penalties,

Report | CoPIRG Foundation and U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Not First Class: Flyer complaints soar as airlines cancel flights, deny refunds, ruin plans

We looked at the data around more than 200,000 complaints against the airline industry and the data around flight departures and arrivals starting in January 2016. This analysis should help consumers to take as much as possible into account when deciding where to fly and through which airline.

Report | CoPIRG | Consumer Protection

Data from the Denver Office of Financial Empowerment and Protection

Data provided by the Denver Office of Financial Empowerment and Protection shows that thousands of people were helped in 2020.

Report | CoPIRG Foundation and U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

What Coloradans Are Fixing 2021

Here in Colorado, we want to fix our stuff – even during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a review of data from iFixit, which describes itself as the “repair guide for everything, written by everyone,” over 1 million unique users from Colorado went to www.iFixit.com to look up how to repair something in 2020. Even as repairing our devices for learning and working became critical to staying safe, 6 of the top 10 most popular manufacturers of devices that Coloradans were trying to fix restrict access to parts and service information

Report | CoPIRG Foundation, U.S. PIRG Education Fund, Frontier Group | Consumer Protection

Consumers in Peril

A review of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s public complaint database finds that consumer complaints about financial grievances spiked during the pandemic year of 2020, eclipsing 2019, the previous record year. Analysis of complaint volumes and the types of complaints received shows that, as consumers dealt with the economic fallout of the pandemic, they increasingly faced problems with financial companies.

Report | CoPIRG | Consumer Protection

A Guide for Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft

On September 21st, all fees to place and remove credit freezes at the major credit bureaus will be eliminated. CoPIRG recommends all Colorado consumers take advantage of this opportunity and place a credit freeze at the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) as well as the National Consumer Telecommunications & Utilities Exchange (NCTUE). Here's how.

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Blog Post | Consumer Protection

GM heeds consumer groups' advocacy, commits to not sell used cars with safety issues | Aaron Colonnese

> Keep Reading

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Farmers just want to be able to fix their stuff. Tractor dealer consolidation is getting in the way. | Aaron Colonnese

> Keep Reading

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Report: Recalls of dangerous products are often too little, too late | Aaron Colonnese

> Keep Reading

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

How I got my finances in order | Mike Litt

Even with the knowledge I’ve gained working as a consumer advocate for several years, getting my finances in order has been a work in progress.

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

How I started my estate and end-of-life planning | Mike Litt

Until recently, I did not have estate and end-of-life planning in mind, but it was the natural next step in my quest to be a responsible adult, with a nudge from the existential threat of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pages

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 | 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 CoPIRG and our national network are calling for change.

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

188,000 Coloradans Call For Ballot Measure To Rein In Payday Loan Interest Rates

On August 6, CoPIRG and coalition partners dropped off 188,045 signatures at the Colorado Secretary of State’s office in support of a ballot measure to cap sky-high payday loan interest rates. The Secretary of State’s office has the next few weeks to validate the signatures and assign Initiative 126 to the November 6 ballot.

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

1 Year After Equifax Data Breach, Here's Everything You Need To Know

One year after announcing the biggest data breach in history, Equifax still hasn’t been held accountable or provided the information and tools consumers need to protect themselves. Since Equifax won’t help protect consumers, CoPIRG is stepping in.

News Release | CoPIRG

New consumer protections tackling predatory towing makes Colorado a national leader

The Colorado General Assembly sent a bill to the governor’s desk that would ramp up consumer protections around predatory towing. In a recent report, Getting Off the Hook of a Predatory Tow, CoPIRG compared state laws around towing and identified a number of abusive practices following a tow that vehicle owners can experience, from charging exorbitant fees to refusing the owner access to the personal items in their vehicle. Based on the new protections, Colorado would be a national leader.

News Release | CoPIRG

Colorado passes nation’s first Right to Repair bill for wheelchairs, awaits Gov. Polis signature

Colorado wheelchair users have won a landmark victory that eventually could affect every U.S. consumer’s right to repair. The General Assembly approved HB22-1031, requiring manufacturers of powered wheelchairs to make available parts, tools, repair manuals, and digital access to owners and independent repairers at fair and reasonable prices. The Colorado bill also marks the first time an industry will be required to provide repair access since Massachusetts voters approved an automotive Right to Repair law at the ballot in 2013.

News Release | CoPIRG

Colorado Senate approves wheelchair Right to Repair bill, moves HB22-1031 one step away from Governor’s desk

Consumer and disability advocates are celebrating the passage of HB22-1031, the Right to Repair for Wheelchairs bill, by the full Senate. This first-in-the-nation bill is one step away from the Governor’s desk. The bill would require manufacturers of powered wheelchairs to make available parts, tools, repair manuals, and digital access to owners and independent repairers at fair and reasonable prices to fix their wheelchairs.

Blog Post

GM heeds consumer groups' advocacy, commits to not sell used cars with safety issues

News Release | CoPIRG

Colorado Senate cmte approves wheelchair Right to Repair bill

Consumer and disability advocates applauded the Colorado Senate Business, Labor and Technology committee for passing HB22-1031, the Right to Repair for Wheelchairs bill, which would require manufacturers of powered wheelchairs to make available parts, tools, repair manuals, and documentation to owners and independent repairers at fair and reasonable prices to fix their wheelchairs. It also requires manufacturers provide the digital access needed to complete repairs.

Consumer Protection

GM heeds consumer groups' advocacy, commits to not sell used cars with safety issues

We commend General Motors for its new commitment not to sell used vehicles with unrepaired safety recall defects on its soon-to-be-launched used car platform, CarBravo.

Consumer Protection

Farmers want to fix their stuff. Tractor dealer consolidation is getting in the way.

John Deere, which controls 53% of the country’s large tractor market, has consolidated a huge percentage of its dealership locations into large chains — leading to costly repair bills for farmers and delays that can put their crops at risk.

Consumer Protection

Not First Class

Our report highlights how flier complaints have soared as airlines cancel flights, deny refunds, and ruin plans. Find out which airlines have the most complaints and what you can do.

Consumer Protection

Report: Colorado consumers faced major challenges with credit bureaus, debt collectors in 2020

If you were treated unfairly by a financial company such as a credit bureau in 2020, you're not alone. "Consumers in Peril," a CoPIRG Foundation report on the top marketplace threats that Americans faced in 2020, found that problems with banks, credit bureaus and debt collectors were among the top consumer complaints.

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