this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2024
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No Stupid Questions

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I'm just a regular person making about $70K a year in a big city, and I've recently felt incredibly powerless dealing with private companies. For instance, my landlord’s auto-pay system had a glitch that excluded my pet rent and water bill. I ended up with over $1,000 in late fees. Despite hours on the phone, it turns out their system doesn’t really do auto-pay and requires a fixed amount instead of covering the full rent. It feels like a scam, and my options are to pay the fees or potentially spend a fortune on legal action.

Another frustrating experience was trying to cancel my pest control service. I had to endure a 40-minute call followed by 35 minutes of arguing, just to finally cancel. There’s no online cancellation option, and the process felt like a timeshare sales pitch.

Why do ordinary people seem so unprotected against these shady practices, and how can we change this? How does one person even start to address these issues?

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[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 92 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Vote. Seriously. Recent history around consumer protection has been very partisan and this is something that impacts us all

One party creates things like

  • cfpb
  • net neutrality
  • ACA
  • education assistance

The other party. Cancels, sues, interrupts. Project 2025 probably tries to entirely destroy

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (4 children)

One party creates things like cfpb

Putting warning labels on predatory lending. Spending more time fighting various right-wing interests in the right-wing dominated courts than doing any actual regulating. Does nothing to deliver actual money to the people who need it - all they can do is regulate the extent to which a private loan is shitty and extortionary.

net neutrality

Tries to regulate the ISP monopoly rather than breaking it up. Doesn't actually guarantee internet access to anyone. Doesn't extend high speed internet or establish public internet access points. Also constantly under fire in the right-wing dominated courts, such that they can't effectively deliver on their function.

ACA

The best thing about the ACA is the extension of who qualifies for Medicaid. Everything else is a band-aid on a band-aid. Just open up Medicaid as the Public Option and you'd have done more good for more people in the long run.

education assistance

Doesn't limit the total cost of education. Can't even extend loans at the Prime Rate, because some private middle man always needs to get a cut. Doesn't improve access to education by setting up new public schools or vocational programs. Doesn't increase teacher pay, reduce student housing costs, or mitigate the cost of living while pursuing an education.

Blah blah, the Republicans Are Worse. But the Democrats only ever seem capable of operating through the private sector via subsidies and civil penalties. Where is the actual public infrastructure? What does the public sector actually own and operate? What is being delivered at cost rather than as a profit-center for a third party?

[–] faltryka@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I once got screwed by my mortgage provider and was helpless. I submitted a complaint to the CFPB and they contacted my mortgage provider and made them make things right. That directly translated to significant money back in my pocket.

[–] FierySpectre@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

It's sad that this is the best option for y'all.

[–] Buttflapper@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

All of these are really important policy changes that have positively impacted our society. How do you spark change to the effect of all these? I recently reached out to the Federal trade commission on one company that has some extremely predatory practices but don't think that'll do anything. What other methods can I use? Email congressman or something?

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 3 points 2 months ago

After two hours of calls to try to resolve mobile data failing to work with a particular company who said I'll have to factory reset my device, I said I would have to do it later, but would probably end up contacting the FCC. After I hung up, mobile data was magically working in less than two minutes.

[–] SoJB@lemmy.ml -5 points 2 months ago (2 children)

And for the cherry on top, the party in the 2-party system that claims to be the “good” side trying to implement all these citizen-friendly policies have enjoyed multiple majorities in the last 40 years that would have allowed them to do these with the snap of a finger using well documented legal mechanisms.

And yet, they do not.

That liberal sneer about leftists just wanting to complain rather than fix things? Also projection.

Really weird how everywhere I turn, the “good” side is doing the same fucking thing as the bad orange side.

[–] rbesfe@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

"both sides are the same" is exactly what republicans want everyone to think

[–] djsaskdja@reddthat.com -2 points 2 months ago

They’re not the same. They’re just different shades of shit.

[–] Cryophilia@lemmy.world -1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Fuck your bullshit propaganda.