Consumer Protection

LOOKING OUT FOR CONSUMERS

ConnPIRG’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 25 years, ConnPIRG’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 buying safer toys.

BIGGER BANKS, BIGGER FEES

In April, ConnPIRG 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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Report | Consumer Protection

Trouble in Toyland

The 2011 Trouble in Toyland report is our 26th annual survey of toy safety. In this report, we provide safety guidelines for consumers when purchasing toys for young children and provide examples of toys currently on store shelves that may pose potential safety hazards.

Report | Consumer Protection

Big Banks, Bigger Fees

Since Congress largely deregulated consumer deposit (checking and savings) accounts beginning in the early 1980s, the PIRGs have tracked bank deposit account fee changes and documented the banks’ long-term strategy to raise fees, invent new fees and make it harder to avoid fees.

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

ConnPIRG Testifies in Support of S.B. 1176, “An Act Concerning Electric Rate Relief” | Allison Cairo

Jennifer Hatch, ConnPIRG Program Associate, testified before the Connecticut General Assembly Energy and Technology Committee in Support of S.B. 1176, “An Act Concerning Electric Rate Relief”.

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Media Hit | Consumer Protection

CT News Junkie: Lawmakers and Health Advocates Propose Ban on Chemical In Paper Receipts

People have begun looking to individual states to enact protective legislation because of the federal government’s inability to adequately address the issue, she said. And Connecticut has been a leader in tackling the issue, in large part thanks to the work of many lawmakers who recognize the gravity of the situation, Hulick said.

Report | Consumer Protection

Halfway to the CFPB: An AFR Progress Report on "Standing Up" the New Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

CFPB Implementation Team staff are making significant progress in their efforts to both build an effective agency and be ready to perform required functions by the transfer date (July 21, 2011). Based on our analysis of several key metrics, on the date halfway between passage and startup, the CFPB Implementation Team is properly focusing on key goals and outcomes. Moreover, the high-quality of its early hires will give it the CFPB the ability to significantly broaden and accelerate its activities over the next six months.

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Media Hit | Consumer Protection

CT News Junkie: Lawmakers and Health Advocates Propose Ban on Chemical In Paper Receipts

People have begun looking to individual states to enact protective legislation because of the federal government’s inability to adequately address the issue, she said. And Connecticut has been a leader in tackling the issue, in large part thanks to the work of many lawmakers who recognize the gravity of the situation, Hulick said.

News Release | Consumer Protection, Financial Reform

Proposed Interchange Fee Reduction is a Win for Consumers

Today ConnPIRG applauded the proposed regulations of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors to decrease swipe fees on debit card transactions. Consumers however, hope to see the Fed adopt a much greater reduction in interchange fees in the final rule due in April, 2011.

News Release | Consumer Protection

Consumer and Safety Groups Laud Strongest Crib Standards in the World

A coalition of consumer and safety groups praised the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for voting today to approve the strongest crib safety standards in the world.

Media Hit | Consumer Protection, Food

Hartford Courant: Senate Passes Food-Safety Legislation

After languishing for more than a year, a food-safety bill that has enjoyed strong bipartisan support passed the Senate on Tuesday, raising prospects for tougher and more extensive federal inspections and other safeguards.

Media Hit | Consumer Protection

New Haven Register: Report: Dangers Lurk on Toy Shelves

Stores still stock toys with hazardous chemicals and potential choking hazards, according to a new report, and consumer advocates and state officials are warning parents to be vigilant while shopping this holiday season.

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Result | Consumer Protection

KIDS’ SCHOOL LUNCHES NOW SAFER

For years, America’s schoolchildren have been eating beef, chicken and other foods that would have been rejected as substandard even by fast food chains. Thanks in part to our advocacy, the U.S.D.A. has stopped buying such low-quality meat for school lunches.

Report | Consumer Protection

Trouble in Toyland

The 2011 Trouble in Toyland report is our 26th annual survey of toy safety. In this report, we provide safety guidelines for consumers when purchasing toys for young children and provide examples of toys currently on store shelves that may pose potential safety hazards.

Report | Consumer Protection

Big Banks, Bigger Fees

Since Congress largely deregulated consumer deposit (checking and savings) accounts beginning in the early 1980s, the PIRGs have tracked bank deposit account fee changes and documented the banks’ long-term strategy to raise fees, invent new fees and make it harder to avoid fees.

Report | Consumer Protection

Halfway to the CFPB: An AFR Progress Report on "Standing Up" the New Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

CFPB Implementation Team staff are making significant progress in their efforts to both build an effective agency and be ready to perform required functions by the transfer date (July 21, 2011). Based on our analysis of several key metrics, on the date halfway between passage and startup, the CFPB Implementation Team is properly focusing on key goals and outcomes. Moreover, the high-quality of its early hires will give it the CFPB the ability to significantly broaden and accelerate its activities over the next six months.

Report | Consumer Protection

Trouble in Toyland: The 25th Annual Survey of Toy Safety

The 2010 Trouble in Toyland report is the 25th annual Connecticut Public Interest Research Group (ConnPIRG) survey of toy safety. In this report, ConnPIRG provides safety guidelines for consumers when purchasing toys for small children and provides examples of toys currently on store shelves that may pose potential safety hazards.

Report | Consumer Protection

Recipe for Disaster

The recall of more than 500 million eggs from two Iowa egg farms is the largest but not the last of 85 recalls that have taken place in the year since food safety reform moved to the U.S. Senate.

Pages

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

ConnPIRG Testifies in Support of S.B. 1176, “An Act Concerning Electric Rate Relief” | Allison Cairo

Jennifer Hatch, ConnPIRG Program Associate, testified before the Connecticut General Assembly Energy and Technology Committee in Support of S.B. 1176, “An Act Concerning Electric Rate Relief”.

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