Tag Archives: fees

Customer Loyalty is Sloping

Pay to park

For those who frequent cities and attractions, it is typically assumed that you have to pay to park your car.  It is considered a perk to enjoy free parking, which is why routine skiers are fighting back at Vail Resorts Inc. following the recent implementation of a new fee policy at the premier parking location of Northstar California Resort. For years, visitors took advantage of the convenient access to the slopes from that parking lot; but now they are forced to reconsider their options.  A lawsuit was filed in December, alleging fraud and breach of contract against Vail Resorts Inc. Continue reading →

Illinois Law Firm Agrees to Reimburse Scammed Customers

Debt

Legal Helpers Debt Resolution, an Illinois company claiming to lower its customers’ debt interest rates, agreed to reimburse customers who paid for the company’s services in advance and yet did not receive any debt consolidation.  The company will have to pay a reported $2.1 million in a settlement with the state.  By law, debt consolidation companies are not allowed to charge an up-front fee.  Instead, a firm can only make money once they’ve actually reduced a customer’s interest rate or otherwise negotiated a reduced debt load.  Usually, this means making a contract for a certain percentage of whatever the deduction turns out to be.  This a necessary protection, as otherwise consumers can be duped into paying for a service that provides no actual benefit.  Only truly determined scum would then be able to take advantage of struggling families.  So how did Legal Helpers Debt Resolution get around this?

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Citizens Pays $132.5 Million for Overdraft Practices

Show me the money

Citizens Financial Group, a bank based in Rhode Island, was accused of unfair business practices in its calculation of overdraft fees for its poorer customers.  Instead of processing transactions in the chronological order they were created, the bank elected to process them from largest to smallest.  This increased the likeliness and amount of overdraft fees, which are levied when a customer spends more money than he/she has in the bank.

Read on to find out exactly how these customers were ripped off