Don't Get Ripped Off

After Wall Street practices brought down the entire U.S. and parts of the world economies, Congress finally stepped up in July 2010 and created the WashPIRG students-backed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a new agency that will act as a counterbalance to the banks and ensure that the credit cards, mortgages, and student loans that consumers use are safe and easy to understand. When you have a complaint about a bank or credit card company, you can call on the new CFPB.

Our economy needs to be fair to consumers in order to function. While a company may make a short-term profit from ripping off consumers or putting an unsafe product on the market, it's not good for anyone in the long term.

Our consumer program works to protect consumers by:

Alerting the publice to hidden dangers, scams, and unsafe products
Educating consumers about the choices available by conducting price surveys of various products and services available to students in an effort to allow them to the make the best choices for themselves.
Educating consumers about their rights in the marketplace by producing consumer guides to help people navigate the marketplace.
Advocating for change by working to build the support it takes to pass consumer protection legislation in our states and in D.C.

As students, we're particularly vulnerable to some specific consumer issues:

Online Privacy
Identity Theft
Renters Rights
Student Tax Breaks
Credit Cards
Spring Break and Travel Ripoffs
Cell Phones
Health Insurance
Private Student Loans

Thank President Obama for Protecting Consumers

Latest Updates

Media Hit | Consumer, Higher Ed, Textbooks

Groups target textbook prices to rein in college costs

A push to create free or inexpensive textbooks is gaining momentum as educators, philanthropists and policymakers nationwide search for new ways to rein in college costs.

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Blog Post | Consumer, Democracy

Wall Street Shocks Jon Stewart

Our research has found an alarming thing: Thirty of America's biggest corporations actually spent more on lobbying than they did in taxes — Wells Fargo, General Electric, FedEx and Mattel. [1]

This finding was alarming enough that Elizabeth Warren mentioned it on a recent Daily Show appearance (skip to 3:10), and received a thunderous gasp from Jon Stewart's audience.

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Blog Post | Consumer, Corporate, Democracy, Energy, Energy Service Corps, Higher Ed, Hunger, Oceans, Sustainability

Interns Get It Done! | Brian Moe

The last few weeks have brought some impressive victories for Washingtonians: Seattle city council voted to ban plastic bags and today the President announced that Richard Cordray will be the director of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The CFPB will rein in the bad business practices of banks, lenders, and credit card companies. This is a huge victory for students and consumers.

Of course, we still have a lot of work to do to fix some big problems - stop global warming, end poverty, reform our democracy, and more.

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