Get the information, tools and resources it takes to protect yourself in today’s ever-changing marketplace.
These days we all need to be smart consumers. We need access to the information and resources it takes to avoid the latest scams, stop identity thieves, spot rip offs and keep unsafe food and toxic products out of our shopping carts. PIRG’s consumer watchdog team does the research, conducts media exposes, produces consumer guides, and sends out consumer alerts so we have the tools to make smart, safe, informed choices.
When we use free websites and apps, there's often cookies and other tracking technologies in the background harvesting huge amounts of data about who we are and what we do online. Virtually no laws rein in the companies behind these cookies, nor how they use and sell the info they collect.
Our guide provides tips for avoiding price-gouging and a how-to for reporting bad actors.
As passengers swelter through a summer of airline delays and cancellations, the U.S. Department of Transportation asked U.S. PIRG to present on whether requiring airlines to provide more information earlier in the search process would increase consumer choice and further the recommendations of the President's Executive Order on Competition. Screenshot from slide deck features 1929 "Offical Airline Guide." Public domain courtesy Smithsonian Institution via archive.org.
It's easy to spend thousands more on a car than you meant to, especially when dealerships use tricks and traps to lock you into bad deals. The FTC has proposed new rules to help.
The bill is a mixed bag for advocates.
The NYTimes reports that "When Customers Say Their Money Was Stolen on Zelle, Banks Often Refuse to Pay." We did a report last year on consumer complaints about Zelle and similar apps.
We're hearing about an avalanche of scams involving rental listings.
Consumer Watchdog, PIRG
Senior Director, Federal Consumer Program, PIRG
Director, Consumer Campaign, PIRG
Food & Agriculture, Advocate, PIRG
