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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

MASSPIRG’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, MASSPIRG’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, MASSPIRG 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.

PROTECTING YOUR SECURITY AFTER DATA BREACHES

Data breaches expose victims to serious personal and financial risks. Fortunately, there are steps consumers can take to protect themselves before and minimize the damage done after their personal information has been exposed. 

See all consumer resources.

Get the reports

Issue updates

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Update: MASSPIRG urges lawmakers to close loophole in homeowners' insurance | Deirdre Cummings

MASSPIRG urged state lawmakers to pass, S2830, An Act relative to the remediation of home heating oil releases, a critical consumer protection and public health bill.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Protection

UPDATE: SEC's comment period for climate disclosures rule ends today | Mike Litt

U.S. PIRG submitted a public comment letter supporting the Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposed climate disclosures rule and made recommendations to strengthen it.

> Keep Reading
News Release | U.S. PIRG | Consumer Protection

STATEMENT: U.S. PIRG applauds SEC’s newly proposed ESG regulations

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) unveiled two proposals Wednesday designed to improve the accuracy and transparency of the composition and marketing of mutual funds that sellers claim are responsible when it comes to environmental, social and governance issues.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Protection

GM heeds consumer groups' advocacy, commits to not sell used cars with safety issues | Aaron Colonnese

> Keep Reading
News Release | U.S. PIRG | Consumer Protection

U.S. PIRG applauds Biden Administration’s actions on medical debt

Our statement on Vice President Kamala Harris' announced reforms to reduce the impact of medical debt on Americans’ finances.

> Keep Reading

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News Release | U.S. PIRG | Consumer Protection

STATEMENT: U.S. PIRG applauds SEC’s newly proposed ESG regulations

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) unveiled two proposals Wednesday designed to improve the accuracy and transparency of the composition and marketing of mutual funds that sellers claim are responsible when it comes to environmental, social and governance issues.

> Keep Reading
News Release | U.S. PIRG | Consumer Protection

U.S. PIRG applauds Biden Administration’s actions on medical debt

Our statement on Vice President Kamala Harris' announced reforms to reduce the impact of medical debt on Americans’ finances.

> Keep Reading
News Release | U.S. PIRG | Consumer Protection, Financial Reform

STATEMENT: U.S. PIRG applauds SEC’s climate disclosure rule

Our statement on the Securities and Exchange Commission's newly proposed rule that would require publicly traded companies to improve and standardize the information they disclose about their greenhouse gas emissions.

> Keep Reading
News Release | U.S. PIRG | Consumer Protection

Predatory Loans for Puppies Must be Stopped, Say Consumer and Animal Welfare Advocates

In advance of National Love Your Pet Day on February 20, U.S. PIRG and other members of the Stop the Debt Trap coalition are teaming up with animal welfare advocates to launch a campaign to stop TAB Bank from making predatory puppy loans, many of which go to buy puppies from puppy mills.

> Keep Reading

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Result | Consumer Protection

30 years of toy safety

For the past thirty years, our sister organization U.S. PIRG Education Fund has taken a close look at the safety of toys sold in stores. Their reports have led to more than 150 regulatory actions. In November 2015, they released our 30th annual Trouble in Toyland report.

> Keep Reading
Result | Consumer Protection

Keeping Dangerous Toys Off Store Shelves

Toxic chemicals, including lead and hormone-disrupting phthalates, are now banned in toys, thanks to a law we worked alongside our delegation to help pass in Congress. The same law requires regulators to test toys and infant products for safety before they hit store shelves.

> Keep Reading
Result | Consumer Protection

Locking Out Identity Thieves

In the wake of failures in data security on the part of data dealers and credit card companies, we worked to convince the Legislature to pass one of the nation’s strongest laws to prevent identity theft in 2007.

> Keep Reading
Result | Consumer Protection

Demanding Action From Big Tobacco

Lives have been saved by the Fire-Safe Cigarette Bill MASSPIRG helped to pass in 2006. The law requires cigarette manufacturers to make cigarettes with paper that burns slower to prevent fires started by cigarettes.

> Keep Reading
Report | MASSPIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Not First Class: Flyer complaints soar as airlines cancel flights, deny refunds, ruin plans

Analysis of more than 200,000 complaints shows which airlines and airports do best and worst.

> Keep Reading
Report | MASSPIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

The CFPB Turns 10

As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) turns 10 years old, a new report from MASSPIRG Education Fund recaps how the agency has helped consumers over the past decade and the steps under way to refocus the CFPB on its mission after three years of retrograde decisions under the Trump Administration. The report also provides recommendations for CFPB action moving forward, especially on credit reporting.

> Keep Reading
Report | MASSPIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Getting Off The Hook of a Predatory Tow

Every year, millions of Americans have their cars towed without their consent from a private property or public street. Too often, the unknown rationale behind these tows and what to do next can leave drivers stranded and confused. While getting towed is a justified consequence of parking in the wrong place or for too long, most states don’t offer drivers the decency of basic consumer protections such as access to their wallets or medicine, or maximum rates for towing and storage. And that doesn’t even take into consideration those times when drivers believe they’re towed improperly.

> Keep Reading
Report | MASSPIRG | Consumer Protection

Trouble in Toyland 2020

It’s that time of year again when parents, grandparents, caregivers and others feeling generous begin shopping for toys for the kids in their lives. Toy safety has come a long way, thanks to years of work from consumer advocates, public health experts, elected officials and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). These days, examples of dangerous toys contaminated with lead or toys with small parts that pose a choking hazard to young children are more difficult to find in the United States.

> Keep Reading
Report | MASSPIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Auto Loan Complaints on the Rise

Consumer complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) regarding vehicle loans and leases have increased sharply during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report by the MASSPIRG Education Fund and Frontier Group.

> Keep Reading

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Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Update: MASSPIRG urges lawmakers to close loophole in homeowners' insurance | Deirdre Cummings

MASSPIRG urged state lawmakers to pass, S2830, An Act relative to the remediation of home heating oil releases, a critical consumer protection and public health bill.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Protection

UPDATE: SEC's comment period for climate disclosures rule ends today | Mike Litt

U.S. PIRG submitted a public comment letter supporting the Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposed climate disclosures rule and made recommendations to strengthen it.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Protection

GM heeds consumer groups' advocacy, commits to not sell used cars with safety issues | Aaron Colonnese

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Farmers just want to be able to fix their stuff. Tractor dealer consolidation is getting in the way. | Aaron Colonnese

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Report: Recalls of dangerous products are often too little, too late | Aaron Colonnese

> Keep Reading

Pages

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

In the wake of the Capital One data breach, Ed Mierzwinski and Adam Garber explain how to protect your credit

Were you affected by the Capital One breach, one of the largest thefts of data from any bank to date?

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Protection

State PIRGs go to Washington for Consumer Lobby Day

Members of Congress hear repeatedly from lobbyists for corporate special interests in their offices and at fundraisers. How can consumer advocates balance the scales?

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Protection

Congressional testimony underscores how predatory auto loans are driving Americans into debt

In most of the country, owning a car is all but required. And we're paying for it—to the tune of $1.2 trillion. This is putting the financial well-being of millions of Americans at risk, and MASSPIRG and our national network are calling for change.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Public Health, Consumer Protection

How safe is our food? Not safe enough, says PIRG Consumer Watchdog team, and it's trending in the wrong direction

Unsafe food recalls in the U.S. are trending the wrong way. From 2013 to 2017, they rose 10 percent overall, and a whopping 83 percent for the most hazardous meat and poultry recalls.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post | Consumer Protection

1 Year After Equifax Data Breach, Here's Everything You Need To Know

One year after announcing the biggest data breach in history, Equifax still hasn’t been held accountable or provided the information and tools consumers need to protect themselves. Since Equifax won’t help protect consumers, MASSPIRG is stepping in.

> Keep Reading
Blog Post

Update: MASSPIRG urges lawmakers to close loophole in homeowners' insurance

MASSPIRG urged state lawmakers to pass, S2830, An Act relative to the remediation of home heating oil releases, a critical consumer protection and public health bill.

Blog Post

UPDATE: SEC's comment period for climate disclosures rule ends today

U.S. PIRG submitted a public comment letter supporting the Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposed climate disclosures rule and made recommendations to strengthen it.

News Release | U.S. PIRG

STATEMENT: U.S. PIRG applauds SEC’s newly proposed ESG regulations

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) unveiled two proposals Wednesday designed to improve the accuracy and transparency of the composition and marketing of mutual funds that sellers claim are responsible when it comes to environmental, social and governance issues.

Blog Post

GM heeds consumer groups' advocacy, commits to not sell used cars with safety issues

News Release | U.S. PIRG

U.S. PIRG applauds Biden Administration’s actions on medical debt

Our statement on Vice President Kamala Harris' announced reforms to reduce the impact of medical debt on Americans’ finances.

Consumer Protection

GM heeds consumer groups' advocacy, commits to not sell used cars with safety issues

We commend General Motors for its new commitment not to sell used vehicles with unrepaired safety recall defects on its soon-to-be-launched used car platform, CarBravo.

 

Consumer Protection

Farmers want to fix their stuff. Tractor dealer consolidation is getting in the way.

John Deere, which controls 53% of the country’s large tractor market, has consolidated a huge percentage of its dealership locations into large chains — leading to costly repair bills for farmers and delays that can put their crops at risk.

 

Consumer Protection

Not First Class

Our report highlights how flier complaints have soared as airlines cancel flights, deny refunds, and ruin plans. Find out which airlines have the most complaints and what you can do.

 

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.

 
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