Protecting Consumers

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 THE PUBLIC

Arizona PIRG’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 years, the state PIRGs’ Trouble In Toyland report has surveyed store shelves and identified choking hazards, noise hazards and other dangers. To date, our report has led to at least 150 recalls and other actions to get dangerous toys off store shelves. Click the link to read our report.

BIGGER BANKS BIGGER FEES

In April, the state PIRGs 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.

Issue updates

Report | Arizona PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Trouble in Toyland 2009

The latest Trouble in Toyland report, along with a new interactive tool accessible via smart phone or computer – http://toysafety.mobi or http://www.toysafety.net - will help parents and other toy-buyers avoid some common hazards.

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News Release | Arizona PIRG | Financial Reform

CONSUMER ADVOCATES TO FED: STOP EVASIONS BY CREDIT CARD COMPANIES

Advocates from state and national consumer groups today urged the Federal Reserve Board to close loopholes in its proposed rules to prohibit credit card companies from using new tricks and traps to get around the protections of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosures Act (Credit CARD Act).

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News Release | Arizona PIRG | Financial Reform

Arizona PIRG Applauds U.S. House Committee Vote to Advance Landmark Consumer Agency to Replace System that Failed

Today, the U.S. House Financial Services Committee approved landmark reform legislation establishing a proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA), despite attacks from industry opponents. Although several exceptions to the agency’s coverage must still be addressed on the House floor or in the Senate, overall, according to the Arizona Public Interest Research Group (Arizona PIRG), the CFPA bill as passed creates an independent agency with broad authority to protect consumers in the financial marketplace.

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News Release | Arizona PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Arizona PIRG Education Fund Urges Support of a Broadband Plan That Serves the Public Good

As the state and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) begin to consider a long-term strategy to innovate infrastructure, the Arizona PIRG Education Fund and the Media and Democracy Coalition issued A Public Interest Internet Agenda, to serve as a guide to direct decision makers towards consumer protective policy solutions that will connect every citizen to the Internet.

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News Release | Arizona PIRG | Consumer Protection

Consumer and Privacy Groups Urge Congress to Enact Consumer Privacy Guarantees

A coalition of ten consumer and privacy advocacy organizations today called on Congress to enact legislation to protect consumer privacy in response to threats from the growing practices of online behavioral tracking and targeting.

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News Release | Arizona PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Arizona PIRG Alerts Shoppers to Hidden Toy Hazards

Hazardous toys are still sold in stores across the country, according to the 22nd annual toy safety survey released today by the Arizona PIRG Education Fund.

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News Release | Arizona PIRG | Consumer Protection

Arizona PIRG Applauds U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Passage of Comprehensive Product Safety Bill

The Arizona Public Interest Research Group (Arizona PIRG) today commended the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee for its passage of the CPSC Reform Act of 2007, S. 2045.  The bill is based on Arizona PIRG’s 3-part platform to protect the public: it strengthens bans on lead in children’s products, adds money and resources to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and improves surveillance of imports.

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News Release | Arizona PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Statement of Diane E. Brown, Executive Director, on Latest Mattel-China Recall

The unfortunate news that another 9 million toys tainted with lead paint or dangerous small magnets were recalled today underscores many problems that need to be addressed.

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News Release | Arizona PIRG | Consumer Protection

Arizona Moves Closer Towards Combating Identity Theft

The House Judiciary Committee today voted in favor of SB1345, a bill that unanimously passed the Senate and would give consumers the right to put a security freeze on their credit files.

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News Release | Arizona PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Group Commends Consumer Product Safety Commission for Taking First Step Toward Banning Lead in Children

Yesterday, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) took a long overdue first step toward banning lead in children’s metal jewelry. We have known for decades that lead can cause permanent developmental damage in children or even death, so we commend the CPSC commissioners for voting to protect children from lead exposure.

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TOY SAFETY TIPS ON-THE-GO

From toxic chemicals to choking hazards to dangerous magnets, see what dangerous toys to watch out for while you shop.

CONSUMER ALERTS

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