Consumer Protection
PROTECTING CONSUMER SAFETY—Toys should not be toxic or dangerous for children to play with. Our food should not make us sick. The terms for banking and credit accounts should be clear and easy to understand.
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.
SEE ALL CONSUMER RESOURCES
Issue updates
The Veterans and Consumers Fair Credit Act (VCFCA) was reintroduced in the House Committee on Financial Services on Monday. This bill would limit interest rates on loans and go a long way toward protecting consumers, including veterans, who are often victimized by predatory lenders.
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.
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.
Advance directives are legal instructions that include a living will (different from a regular will) and a health care proxy. In them, you state what treatments you do or don’t want at the end of your life and who you want making health care decisions for you if you can’t.
Before listening to In Case You Get Hit By a Bus, I didn’t know about insurance that covers the costs of long-term care, such as home health care or nursing home care, for people who need assistance with daily living activities.
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.
Consumer Protection
Auto Loan Complaints Rise
A review of complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Consumer Complaint Database reveals a sharp spike in consumer complaints about auto purchasing, leasing and finance since the beginning of the pandemic.
Consumer Protection
Gov. Polis signs anti-price gouging bill into law
Gov. Jared Polis has signed into law a CoPIRG-backed bill that makes it illegal to sell food, fuel, medical supplies or other necessities for excessively high prices during a declared emergency. In Colorado and across the country, some sellers have been using the pandemic to take advantage of consumers by dramatically raising prices for essential goods.
Consumer Protection
Rich Cordray offers expert consumer tips with U.S. PIRG advocates via Zoom
During an online panel organized by U.S. PIRG, former CFPB Director Rich Cordray warned that this difficult time will likely last longer than most believe, and that consumers need protections such as mortgage relief and a halt on evictions for nonpayment of rent in order to weather it.
Latest Reports
Tools & Resources
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A New Direction In Driving Trends
Our Changing Relationship with Driving and the Implications for America’s FutureCoPIRG Foundatio -
SO YOU NEED HEALTH INSURANCE. NOW WHAT?
Read the Health Insurance 101 guide below, or download the PDF here.CoPIRG Foundation -
Leading Groups Send Criteria for Evaluating VW Settlement
Seeking Compensation for Consumers and Environment -
Group letter opposing Nancy Beck to head CPSC
Former chemical industry official would be fox guarding henhouse
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