MilConsumer Blog Feed

For people who prefer to buy Made in USA merchandise, products from Lithionics Battery LLC seemed like an attractive option. According to the FTC, Lithionics and General Manager Steven Tartaglia used phrases and American flag images to convey a Made in USA marketing message for their battery, battery module, and battery management system products. But don’t wave Old Glory just yet. As the FTC’s first action under the new Made in USA Labeling Rule...

For consumers shopping for textiles for the home, products promoted as made from bamboo are a popular draw. But the FTC says some items advertised by global retailers Kohl’s and Walmart as “bamboo” were actually made of rayon. According to separate FTC settlements, the companies’ misleading representations violated the FTC Act and the Textile Act. In addition, the FTC says Kohl’s and Walmart engaged in “greenwashing ” by making deceptive eco...

A rose is a rose is a rose, but for many consumers who go car shopping, the price isn’t the price isn’t the price. A record-setting $10 million settlement announced by the FTC and the State of Illinois alleges that North American Automotive Services – car buyers in Illinois, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Missouri know them by the dealership name Napleton – used a host of deceptive and unfair tactics related to hidden fees for add-ons like service...

As businesses know, “free” is a word that attracts consumers’ attention year-round. As Tax Time approaches, it’s a particular draw for people who want to file their taxes for free. Intuit – the company that advertises and markets TurboTax – prominently promotes “free” filing, including in TV ads where pretty much the only spoken word is “free.” But according to a complaint filed by the FTC, Intuit has engaged in deceptive practices surrounding so...

Homeowners are looking for skilled home repair professionals. Service providers – plumbers, remodelers, landscapers, etc. – are looking for customers. That match used to happen through word of mouth or perhaps a sign on a community bulletin board. Now companies like HomeAdvisor collect information about homeowners and then sell those leads to service providers. But an FTC administrative complaint alleges that HomeAdvisor deceived its members –...

M any small businesses go to online retailing platform CafePress when they want to buy or sell customized items. However, according to a proposed FTC settlement, the company’s lax security practices allowed data thieves to take the idea of “personalization” in a disturbingly different direction. The complaint alleges that hackers exploited the company’s security failures to access personal information about millions of CafePress users – including...

For people trying to gain a financial foothold, the promise of “$10,000 per week” is a heavyweight representation. But all too often, they wind up losing their life savings to the promoters of bogus investment schemes. The FTC just announced a $2.425 million settlement in its action against RagingBull.com, an outfit the agency says exploited people’s dreams of economic security while often leaving them on the financial ropes and trapped in hard...

Consumers’ health information is already a particularly sensitive category. But health information and other personal data from kids as young as eight? That can raise privacy concerns to the stratosphere. A $1.5 million FTC settlement with WW International, Inc. – you know them by the previous name Weight Watchers – and its subsidiary Kurbo, Inc., underscores the principle that collecting and maintaining that kind of information raises a company...

Two years into the pandemic and you thought you’d seen it all? How about an herbal tea that claims to cure COVID in 24-48 hours? It’s a representation the FTC says is steeped in deception. So we’ve joined forces with the FDA and the Department of Justice to file suit in federal court to challenge – among other things – allegedly false and deceptive claims that Earth Tea cures COVID-19 and that the defendants have clinical proof to back up their...

Do you have employees or colleagues who went to DeVry? Or perhaps you attended. You might have already gotten money back from the FTC. That’s thanks to a 2016 FTC settlement with the school over allegations that it didn’t tell the truth about how likely it was that its grads could get jobs in their field, or how much they’d earn compared to grads from other colleges. But now, you might be eligible to get your DeVry federal student loan debt...