Customer Service

Every customer service call begins with a lie, and the lie is this: "Your call is important to us." If the call were important, a person would answer it. Instead, you get a robot with the warmth of a parking ticket, reading you a menu longer than the one at a diner.

There is a special kind of betrayal that happens under fluorescent lights, holding a gallon of milk, when a machine calmly announces to the entire store: unexpected item in the bagging area. You did not steal anything. You did not try anything clever. You simply placed your groceries exactly where groceries are supposed to go, and now you are a suspect in a crime against produce.

Prepaid debit cards are marketed as simple financial tools for people who want to avoid banks. The Federal Reserve found that one of the biggest issuers in the business was making things anything but simple, and it fined the company $44 million for it.

Multi-level marketing companies love to talk about freedom, entrepreneurship, and being your own boss. The Federal Trade Commission just had a $225 million conversation with Amway about what happens when the earnings pitch does not match the reality.

Nothing triggers a dopamine rush like a flashing "70% OFF" banner. France's consumer watchdog has a message for shoppers: that discount might be a mirage, and it just fined fast-fashion retailer Boohoo 2.3 million euros for allegedly manufacturing them.

Think you found the best hotel deal online? A new class action lawsuit against Expedia Group argues that the "deal" was the product of a rigged market, and that millions of travelers may have paid inflated hotel rates for years without knowing it.

Booking a hotel room should not require the detective skills of a forensic accountant, but according to U.S. regulators and a string of lawsuits, a popular corner of the online travel world has been making it exactly that hard. Priceline.com, part of Booking Holdings, is facing possible Federal Trade Commission action over third-party hotel booking services that allegedly charge hidden fees and mislead travelers.

Imagine paying extra for a flight fare because it advertises free seat selection, and then discovering the word free was doing a lot of heavy lifting. That is the crux of a proposed class action filed against JetBlue Airways on August 31, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.