Part 2—How consumers can start the battle The telemarketing industry is enjoying huge profits from enormously increased—and often illegal—robocalling. The Federal Trade Commission supposedly regulates robocalling. Given the enormous increase, not to mention criminality, of roboscams, either the FTC is overwhelmed by enforcement of regulation or is underfunded to effectively regulate. We are immersed in […]
Sophisticated Robo-Campaigns Ahead
Part 1—Political roboscams coming to a phone near you You hear these urgent messages every day: “Don’t hang up. This is important.” Or “We’ve been reviewing your credit card history for the last 6 months.” Or “We’ve been studying your medical history and can get you a free back brace.” My favorite is “This is not […]
Christie Is Finally Finished
A Consumerist Review of Chris Christie’s Let Me Finish Chris Christie’s new book is a fun read—especially the last two chapters and if you live in New Jersey. Mostly he retells stories in which he portrays himself playing important critical roles, as in the recovery efforts from Hurricane Sandy and the famous President Obama embrace that upset his […]
Trump’s Ten Commandments
You shall have one idol–namely Me.
What Should Yale Do About Kavanaugh?
Has Saturday Night Live pushed Yale to take action? In a nutshell—or because of a nut—Yale University is probably wrestling with an image management problem: What should Yale do about Brett Kavanaugh’s claims about beer consumption while at Yale compared to what his classmates say? Yale has three options: Ignore:Whether Kavanaugh becomes an Associate Justice or […]
United’s Possibly Priority Luggage and Lesser-First Class Services
Replace PRIORITY with POSSIBLY PRIORITY
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Hype Will Upset Pharma
Of special interest are her comments on free-range foods and fish, over-the-counter medicines and vitamins….
The Bankers’ New Friend
Does the new CFPB think Citi management has been born again?
Kim’s Comments On Meeting Trump
Kim: We compared weight-loss programs.
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Dr. Seuss Turned Down Ronald Reagan
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FedEx Wins DIBY Award
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Mutual Benefits Joins GCC of C
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Citi Is Mad at Judge Rakoff
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Questions For Melania
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What Is God Telling Todd Akin?
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Romney: Yachts For The Navy
- Sophisticated Robo-Campaigns Ahead
- Sophisticated Robo-Campaigns Ahead
- Christie Is Finally Finished
- Trump’s Ten Commandments
- What Should Yale Do About Kavanaugh?
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United’s Possibly Priority Luggage and Lesser-First Class Services
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Hype Will Upset Pharma
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Gary Nelson: I just wonder what will be taking place on these "...
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Joseph Ting: e: Fleeced by fees when you travel by Stephanie Ro...
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Nadia K. Faulkner: http://www.johnythegame78r2.com...
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Ellie Esposito: Same thing happened to us. Would be nice to know d...
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Josh Saintperle: Hmmm -- last time I called Comcast for a problem, ...
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E.A. Blair: If I claimed to be in a constant conversation with...
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Charles Selden: Hope my post was helpful....
Why This Blog?
My name is Charles Selden. I write this blog for consumers who have been abused by corporations. Like you.
Me?…abused?
That’s right. Abuse is not confined to children, spouses, the elderly, or baseball umpires. The most regularly abused person is the American consumer. It has gone on so long that most people accept it as “just the way things are” and are sure nothing can be done about it. You have been abused as a consumer--unless within the last 12 months you have not shopped for food, called a toll-free number for technical assistance, tried to find “your question” in a list of FAQs, bought an appliance or computer, eaten out, booked a flight, watched cable TV, taken a vacation, used a credit card, paid a medical bill, bought an item on the Internet or purchased a cashmere sweater. If all of your purchases and calls for help ended happily, you are either exceptionally lucky or a wee bit delusional. The fact is abuse of consumers is profitable for corporations, although abuse is not a word they would use.
There’s no shame in being a consumer abused by a corporation. The shame is that more consumers do not fight back when abused. That’s where this blog comes in.
I’ve been a consumerist for more than four decades. I look forward to corporate abuses, especially the compensation and fun parts. The corporations do their part and I do mine. This blog chooses a few of the “better” episodes to amuse and instruct consumers. The blog will not urge you to join a movement or contribute to a cause. Indeed, it is absolutely not about trying to change what corporations do to consumers. Why spoil a good thing?
As for my Manifesto, it owes a lot to Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence. He used the word abuses to describe what King George and his cohorts were doing: “a long train of abuses…to reduce them under absolute Despotism.” Corporations treat consumers that way.
To see how I fight back, try my blog for a while. Laughter is good for your spirit and getting compensation for abuses is good for your bottom line.
Portraits by Mike Peters
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