Takata pleads guilty to fraud in air bag case involving 16 deaths
Takata pleads guilty to fraud in air bag case involving 16 deaths
/ February 28, 2017 / 0 comments

Japanese auto parts maker Takata Corp. has pleaded guilty to a criminal charge and agreed to pay $1 billion for a scheme to conceal a deadly defect in millions of its air bag inflators. Takata admitted to hiding problems that can cause inflators to explode with too much force, hurling shrapnel into drivers and passengers….

Madison biotech firm faces class-action consumer fraud lawsuit
Madison biotech firm faces class-action consumer fraud lawsuit
/ February 28, 2017 / 0 comments

Quincy Bioscience, a maker of dietary supplements based in Madison, is the target of a class-action lawsuit over alleged consumer fraud. Attorneys representing a nationwide class of supplement consumers filed the suit last week in a New Jersey federal court. At issue is Prevagen, an over-the-counter Quincy product that’s sold at pharmacies like Walgreens, CVS…

Identity theft, fraud cost consumers more than $16 billion
Identity theft, fraud cost consumers more than $16 billion
/ February 7, 2017 / 0 comments

It’s time to keep an eagle eye on your finances. Some 15.4 million consumers were victims of identity theft or fraud last year, according to a new report from Javelin Strategy & Research. That’s up 16 percent from 2015, and the highest figure recorded since the firm began tracking fraud instances in 2004. “All of…

TV maker secretly tracked consumers’ viewing habits
TV maker secretly tracked consumers’ viewing habits
/ February 7, 2017 / 0 comments

RENTON, N.J. – Television manufacturer Vizio and a subsidiary will pay $2.5 million to settle allegations that they secretly tracked consumers’ viewing habits and sold the information to marketing companies and data brokers. The settlement announced Monday ends parallel investigations conducted by the state and the Federal Trade Commission into the use of data-collecting technology…

OPINION: Groups Sue FTC, Charge Agency Has Failed To Protect Consumers From Used Car Recall Danger
OPINION: Groups Sue FTC, Charge Agency Has Failed To Protect Consumers From Used Car Recall Danger
/ February 7, 2017 / 0 comments

By Christopher Jensen Forbes — Five consumer groups are suing the Federal Trade Commission over the agency’s December decision to allow automakers to say “certified” used vehicles have been carefully inspected for mechanical problems – suggesting that they are safe – despite having an outstanding recall. The only condition set by the federal agency was…

America’s Most Hated Companies
America’s Most Hated Companies
/ January 20, 2017 / 0 comments

(24/7 Wall St.) — When Time Warner Cable merged with Charter Communications earlier this year and the new public-facing operation rebranded, changing its name to Spectrum, it was likely for good reason. For many Americans, each name had come to be associated with poor customer service. The long erosion of reputation has the power to…