Of Consuming Interest is a weekly show examining the most important consumer issues today.
Consumer advocate Charlie Leocha of Travelers United discusses the many hidden fees you are likely to pay when making travel arrangements. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Pete Sepp a member of the Coalition for Contact Lens Consumer Choice discusses proposed changes to the rules that give consumers the ability to shop around for eyewear and to have refractive eye exams and renew prescriptions online. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Chairman Ajit Pai of the Federal Communications Commission discusses the funds dedicated to helping restore the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico communications networks, action taken against robocallers, initiatives against cramming and slamming, and efforts to deploy broadband to rural areas. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Ted Frank of the Competitive Enterprise Institute Center for Class Action Fairness discusses how class action lawsuits sometimes benefit only the lawyers bringing the suit, not the damaged consumers. Actions taken by the center have resulted in positive changes for consumers involved in class action lawsuits. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Kyle Burgess of Consumers’ Research discusses how counterfeit products and drugs endanger the lives of millions of consumers. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Janet Bodnar, former editor of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, discusses the pros and cons of retirement and how to have a meaningful life after leaving your job. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Owen Donley, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, discusses cryptocurrencies. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Stacey Gray of the Future of Privacy Forum discusses the privacy and safety implications of electronic devices that use the internet such as personal assistants, smart TVs, children’s toys, baby monitors, etc. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Maryam Cope, vice president of government affairs at the American Hotel and Lodging Association, discusses third-party hotel booking websites that may steal your money or even your identity. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Jill Gonzalez of WalletHub.com discusses which credit cards are best to use for international travel. Choosing the right card can mean significant savings for consumers because some credit cards add 3% foreign transaction fees. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Matt Schulz, senior analyst with creditcards.com, discusses the pros and cons of gas station credit cards. These cards charge an average interest rate of 23.61% which is nearly 7 percentage points higher than the national average of all credit cards and with fewer rewards. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
Nat Wood, with the Federal Trade Commission, discusses actions taken by the agency to combat robo calls, grandparent scams, identity theft and a host of other frauds targeting consumers. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Patrick Webre of the Federal Communications Commission discusses the agency’s initiatives to stop illegal robocalls. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Marc Scribner of the Competitive Enterprise Institute discusses how automated vehicles will reduce the number of injuries and property damage caused by accidents. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies for the Cato Institute, talks about the gag rule that places restrictions on discussing legal uses of drugs for off-label purposes, as well as a bill that would make trial drugs available to terminally ill patients. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
John Berlau, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, discusses the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and how its regulations affect payday loans, which are used by over 12 million consumers each year. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Scott Michael, president of the American Moving and Storage Association, talks about the decisions you’ll have to make when you change where you live. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Jim Quiggle with the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud discusses medical identity theft and other trends in insurance fraud. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Jill Gonzalez, senior analyst with wallethub.com, discusses the best and worst credit cards. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .
Jim Quiggle, communications director for the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, provides information on insurance scams that are associated with natural disasters. A major concern is contractors who aren’t licensed or insured and who do shoddy work. He offers tips on finding the right contractor. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info ....
