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Another excellent exposé about stealth forced arbitration

3/30/2015

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We need more reporters to be our modern Paul Reveres and to warn us about the anti-American rule being imposed on us with forced arbitration clauses hidden in "take it or leave it" contracts where you have no say and no choice. Full story at: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/arbitration-656044-arbitrator-lindemann.html
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Warning to Veterans: Don't let a cash flow crisis cause you to let someone con you into trading your lifetime retirement pay or VA benefits for a lump sum now!

3/29/2015

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I got a disgusting pitch in the email the other day, asking me to guide veterans to the website for this outfit that buys up guaranteed payment streams at a big discount, essentially suckering people who need those payment streams over a lifetime out of their rights to payment in return for fast cash now.

Maybe the worst part is the focus on veterans, since veterans' retirement pay and benefits are protected from garnishment, but a big lump sum from some scammy lender is not. In other words, if you sign away your retirement pay or VA benefits to this outfit for ready cash now, when you get the check from them, it will NOT be exempt from garnishment the way your pay or benefits were.

And since people willing to trade lifetime benefits for cash now are usually in financial trouble -- or soon will be -- that matters a LOT.

I'll give the pitch below so you can see how scammy these people are, but I'll delete their name and URL because I don't want to lead any veterans to them -- quite the contrary. 
I'm reaching out to you from [Scammy.org], a site dedicated to providing essential information on pensions and annuities. Today we give thanks to all of the brave men and women veterans who serve our country.

Americans who have served in the military may qualify for the Veterans Pension, which is a tax-free monetary benefit. Veterans and their families could be unaware of the options that are available to them due to the complexity of annuities.

We've recently added a new page dedicated to men and women who have served our country in the military:

http://www.[Scammy.org]/veterans/

Your site provides great veterans resources listed here http://www.johngearlaw.com/uploads/6/2/8/9/6289396/veterans_resource_links_updated_5-27-14.pdf;

and I think our resources could be a helpful addition for your website's visitors.

Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions and I look forward to hearing from you.
The only question I have is how these people sleep at night when their entire job is separating the gullible and the desperate from a secure, guaranteed, garnishment proof stream of income and profiting from doing so.
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Tell FCC: Don't let debt collectors harass you on your cell phone, burning up your $$ cell phone minutes

3/26/2015

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With Your Help, NCLC is Fighting Robocalls to Cell Phones

Key Consumer Protection Law is Under Siege

Consumer Protection at Risk

NCLC is fighting attempts by big business to take away protections afforded consumers by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The TCPA currently prohibits robocalls and texts to cell phones without the consent of the owner.
 
The debt collection and banking industries, among others, are lobbying the FCC to gut the important consumer and privacy protection and allow wrong number calls to cell phones with impunity. This will subject consumers to intrusive calls and texts meant for the person who previously used the cell phone number. Industry groups also want to limit consumers' ability to stop harassing calls by debt collectors to their cell phones.
 
NCLC has urged the FCC to require the development of new methodologies - and to use existing technology - to stop these unwanted robodialed calls to cell phones.
 
Congress passed the TCPA more than 20 years ago to protect consumers from receiving annoying robocalls to cell phones. Such calls invade privacy, disrupt lives, and use up expensive minute and text allowances on cell phones.
 
Consumers' Rights
Millions of consumers have registered their phone numbers with the National Do Not Call Registry, signifying their desire to avoid unwanted calls and protect their privacy. Nevertheless, more than 3.7 million Americans reported telemarketing complaints to the FTC in 2013, and more than 2 million of the complaints reported the use of robocalls.
 
Since consumers are already bombarded with unwanted texts and calls, NCLC fears that weakening the TCPA would only increase the problem.
 
NCLC Impact

NCLC is the lead advocate in a coalition of national and state civil rights, community and consumer groups which sent a letter urging the FCC to protect important consumer and privacy protections. NCLC, with the assistance of attorneys from the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA), has also filed numerous comments with the FCC in response to industry attempts to weaken the law.
 
We at NCLC are particularly concerned about the potential impact of weakening the TCPA on our low-income clients, many of whom rely on their cell phones as their primary means of communication, and cannot afford to purchase unlimited minutes.
 
The National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) and The National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA) circulated a petition for consumers to send a message to the FCC: More than 25,000 people have signed the petition. Click here to add your name!
    
No Robocalls to Cell Phones without our Consent

Add your name to the petition

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Well done piece on why forced arbitration is so evil

3/23/2015

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Alliance for Justice Busts Arbitration Clauses - the hidden thieves

3/15/2015

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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued its long-awaited report on forced arbitration this week. The report reinforces the conclusions of AFJ’s short documentary, Lost in the Fine Print: Forced arbitration is a bad deal for consumers, depriving them of the chance to stand up for their rights in court.

The CFPB held a hearing on the report on Tuesday. AFJ Justice Programs Director Michelle Schwartz testified, and Paul Bland, executive director of Public Justice, who features prominently in Lost in the Fine Print, was part of a panel discussion.

CFPB has the power to prohibit forced arbitration in consumer financial products – and we’re urging the agency to do just that. You can help by signing our petition.

Read our statement on the CFPB report
Read Michelle Schwartz’s testimony at the hearing
Find out more about forced arbitration
Read the CFPB report
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Revoke the License to Steal Corporations Grant Themselves

3/6/2015

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Sign the petition to stop forced arbitration today!

Did you know that Wall Street has found a way to cheat, steal, and defraud Americans without ever being held accountable for their actions? It’s called forced arbitration.

Buried in the fine print of many bank and credit terms of service are dangerous forced arbitration clauses that kick cheated consumers out of court and instead funnel them into a secretive dispute mill rigged in favor of Big Banks and predatory lenders. With forced arbitration, corporations have granted themselves a license to steal and evade the law. And they are getting away with it.

But with your help, this can be stopped. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) can revoke corporations’ license to steal by stopping the abusive practice of forced arbitration.

Join us in telling the CFPB to put Americans’ financial security above Wall Street profits and stop forced arbitration. Sign the petition to the CFPB today!

Petition: https://www.change.org/p/revoke-corporations-license-to-steal-stop-forced-arbitration

 



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Huge Victory for Wronged Consumers

3/3/2015

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From Rep. Williamson:

Today, the Oregon Senate passed HB 2700—the class action accountability bill— by a vote of 17-13. That means the bill is now headed to Governor Kate Brown’s desk for her signature.

 
Thanks to your support and the grassroots advocacy of hundreds of other Oregonians, the Legislature voted to close the loophole that allows at-fault corporations to avoid paying the full penalty ordered by a court when they injure or defraud someone.
 
Because of you, big corporations will no longer be able to duck their responsibilities and avoid paying millions in penalties that they owe Oregon consumers.
 
I was proud to co-sponsor this bill with my colleague Representative Tobias Read. We are grateful to the 50 courageous legislators in the House and Senate who joined us in voting for HB 2700. These men and women stood up to tough corporate pressure and did the right thing for Oregon families and consumers.
 
You can thank these pro-consumer legislators by signing our card today.
 
When Governor Brown signs HB 2700 into law, our state will finally stop letting corporations who injured or ripped off Oregonians off the hook.
 
In the years ahead, remaining class action funds will go to Legal Aid of Oregon to provide services to needy citizens who cannot afford private lawyers and to appropriate charities designated by the judge in each case.
 
We hear a lot about elected officials when they disappoint us. I think it’s also important to recognize committed public servants when they do the right thing. . . .

Sincerely,
/s/ Representative Jennifer Williamson

 

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John Gear Law Office LLC and Salem Consumer Law.  John Gear Law Office is in Suite 208B of the Security Building in downtown Salem at 161 High St. SE, across from the Elsinore Theater, a half-block south of Marion County Courthouse, just south of State Street. There is abundant, free 3-hour on-street parking throughout downtown Salem, and three multi-story parking ramps that offer free customer parking in downtown Salem too.

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