Consumer Law

Economic scams abound. We've got your back.

Posted on June 09, 2009
For Eva Buck, a single mother of twin girls, it was a stranger?s offer to help her save her family?s home from foreclosure. For small business owner Reuben Quam, it was a promise of big returns on his investment. For grandparents Howard and Barbara Rice, it was a call from a supposed relative in trouble...

New Chrysler will uphold Lemon Law promises

Posted on June 03, 2009
Here?s some sweet news for Chrysler owners: The Chrysler Group, LLC, and Fiat have agreed to honor the ?Lemon Law? rights of buyers when the new company takes control of the U.S. auto maker.

Judge?s order puts skids on motorcycle parts dealer?s deceptive sales practices

Posted on June 02, 2009
The Washington Attorney General?s Office is working to ?keep the dirty side down?* for motorcycle enthusiasts who shop for parts over the Internet.  ...

Is 75 percent off MSRP on a car a good deal?

Posted on June 01, 2009
The car ads are enticing: 75% off manufacturer's suggested retail price. $0 Down Delivers! Forced Liquidation!Unfortunately, offers like these can be misleading. ...

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Free help available to pay for Rx drugs

Posted on May 29, 2009
Recent layoffs mean more Washington residents are without health insurance. The good news is they may qualify for assistance to help cover the costs of necessary prescription medications. Help is literally rolling your way this week if you live in Seattle, Spokane, Tri-Cities, Prosser, Yakima, Everett, Olympia, Longview or Vancouver...

Credit card bill: the end of fees or the beginning?

Posted on May 27, 2009
Days after I addressed an All Consuming blog reader?s concern about a sudden spike in his credit card?s interest rate, Congress passed a landmark law to address the problem. But will consumers with good credit end up footing the bill?Do you think the new law will help you or hurt you? 

Is your elderly relative donating too much to charity?

Posted on May 20, 2009
Seniors reportedly receive more telephone and mail solicitations than any other age group. Those with dementia can write check after check to charities without understanding how much they?re spending or how the money will be used.

Is your elderly relative writing too many charity checks?

Posted on May 20, 2009
Seniors reportedly receive more telephone and mail solicitations than any other age group. Those with dementia can write check after check to charities without understanding how much they?re spending or how the money will be used.

The high price of love comes with a contract

Posted on May 19, 2009
The girl next door is married. The guy at your gym already has a significant other. Let?s face it, meeting your future Mr. or Mrs. Right isn?t always easy. So it?s not surprising that dating services are becoming more popular. ... If you're considering such a service, read our tips ...

Congress addresses drastic credit card interest hikes

Posted on May 14, 2009
Ticked off by sudden spikes in credit card rates? You're not alone. Congress is on it. ...  What do you think about the proposed Credit Cardholders Bill of Rights? Has your credit card interest rate changed lately?

If it seems cheap ...

Posted on May 12, 2009
If you received a postcard in the mail saying that your prepaid package containing jewelry is waiting for you and you just need to confirm delivery, would you think it was your lucky day?

When is a credit card payment due?

Posted on May 11, 2009
An All Consuming reader asked the following: My credit card company insists that the payment over due date is when they receive the payment at their office. I believe the post date is the date of payment made. Is there a law defining this? ...

Ride to Hell? Make sure your limo is licensed

Posted on May 11, 2009
It's prom and wedding season. If you plan to hire a limo or town car to celebrate, make sure it's licensed and legitimate. ...

Pay time for notorious foreclosure rescue scammer

Posted on May 07, 2009
A judge ordered a notorious foreclosure rescue scammer to pay more than $3.2 million to victims he wronged plus $179,000 in penalties for violating the Consumer Protection Act ...

Following the yellow brick road to deceitful SEOs

Posted on May 04, 2009
The Wizard of Oz hid behind a Web of lies until he was confronted by Dorothy. Here in our own Emerald City, we have an issue with another kind of deceit: SEOs that boast amazing feats.

As if one Swine Flu virus weren?t enough

Posted on May 01, 2009
Scammers are trying to cash in the Swine Flu frenzy. As if the threat of a pandemic weren?t enough, now we have to worry about a potential computer virus epidemic, phishing attacks and bogus prevention products.

Foreclosure relief kit a neatly packaged rip-off

Posted on April 29, 2009
This e-mailed advertisement for a ?Foreclosure Relief Kit? clogged up a co-worker?s inbox. It looks like an attractively packaged rip-off, if you ask us.

Kittitas teens take 2nd place in national LifeSmarts contest

Posted on April 28, 2009
Congratulations to Kittitas High School for a second place win in the national LifeSmarts competition!

Courts offer break on your overdue traffic fines

Posted on April 28, 2009
Washington courts are offering a one-time amnesty program for folks with unpaid parking tickets and traffic fines. Pay now and they'll waive your late fees.

Cell phone coupons baffle retailers

Posted on April 28, 2009
When KOMO aired a report this week about a company that provides an app that lets you download coupons to your mobile phone, I was intrigued. But as the story shows, both consumers and businesses may be ripped off ...As a consumer, would you use coupons if they could be downloaded to your cell? As a business, would you accept a coupon that wasn?t paper?

Cheaper drugs thanks to settlement

Posted on April 27, 2009
A new class-action settlement means that thousands of drugs will be less expensive. News sources including KOMO TV reported last week that the prices of more than 1,400 drugs including Lipitor, Claritin, Prilosec, Celebrex and Ambien, will be reduced by 4 percent and some consumers will receive money.

Another warning about extended car warranties

Posted on April 23, 2009
The Washington Attorney General?s Office is leading a 40-state investigation into several businesses that send official-looking postcards warning that your car?s warranty recently expired or will soon. ...

CenturyTel-Embarq merger in works

Posted on April 22, 2009
Today, the Public Counsel Section of the Washington State Attorney General?s Office joined a multi-party settlement agreement in the proposed merger of CenturyTel and Embarq. The settlement recommends that the state Utilities and Transportation Commission approve the merger subject to a set of conditions to protect consumers served by the phone companies.

Dilbert's frustration with rebates

Posted on April 20, 2009
Yesterday's Dilbert cartoon sums up complaints we frequently hear about rebates. ... Do you still buy products with rebates or have you given up?

Spring shredding is here! AG shows how it's done

Posted on April 16, 2009
Attorney General Rob McKenna will make a guest appearance Saturday morning at the Better Business Bureau's Secure Your ID Day shred event in Bellevue.

Should there be an Attorney General's Warning on checks?

Posted on April 14, 2009
Attorney General Rob McKenna was a guest Tuesday morning on KZOK?s Bob Rivers show. As McKenna talked about all-too-common scams involving fake checks, wire transfers and Craigslist ads, wisecrack Rivers suggested a new prevention strategy ...

Are you on the sucker list?

Posted on April 14, 2009
If you've ever become the victim of a scam, you may end up on what's called a "sucker list."  But what happens if cons have the wrong number? Unfortunately, as this story from KIRO TV shows, you might still be bombarded with phone calls even if you're not a sucker.

Big jump in scareware from spam

Posted on April 08, 2009
A new Microsoft report cites a dramatic increase in scareware programs that warn PC users about purpoted problems then try to sell them a fix through bogus security alerts ...

Other blogs we/I think you should be reading

Posted on April 08, 2009
You, consumer-savvy reader, deserve to know what else is going on. So here are other blogs, news feeds, etc. that we/I think you should be reading in addition to All Consuming. Know another good source for consumer protection stories? Share it here.

Music downloads could lead to identity theft

Posted on April 07, 2009
The U.S. Attorneys Office has charged a Seattle man with identity theft after he stole documents from computers using LimeWire. ... We've got more info on peer-to-peer file sharing on our site. ...

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