Latest news with #ConsumerAffairs
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Amazon recalls thousands of products that can cause neurological problems in your kids
Thousands of faucets sold on Amazon have been recalled because they could cause lead to seep into the water, which can be extremely harmful for children. Consumer Affairs recently announced that 10,000 faucets sold on the popular online shopping site can expose users to the toxic metal that can cause neurological issues in kids and infants. Lead can specifically cause decreased cognitive performance, attention-related behavioral issues and lower IQ, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Associated Press
20 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
John Henson Joins Pure CallerID Advisory Board, Bringing Executive GC Experience to Accelerate Responsible Growth
Former LendingTree and ConsumerAffairs legal leader deepens Pure CallerID's compliance strategy and enterprise risk bench. SHERIDAN, WY / ACCESS Newswire / June 4, 2025 / Pure CallerID, the B2B SaaS leader in real-time compliance, trusted engagement, and demand generation, today announced the appointment of John Henson to its Advisory Board. A seasoned in-house counsel with a decade of leadership experience at LendingTree and ConsumerAffairs, Henson brings unmatched insight into building compliant, scalable growth in regulated Henson As General Counsel at Henson led Legal, Compliance, Talent, and Culture, overseeing the company's marketing, lead generation, financial services, and reputation management practices. Before that, during his six-year tenure at LendingTree, he served as Vice President of Compliance, Interim General Counsel, and Assistant GM of the Mortgage vertical, where he built and enforced regulatory programs aligned with TCPA, UDAAP, and CFPB/FTC mandates - all while enabling high-velocity marketing operations at scale. Henson's experience spans both the legal and strategic sides of enterprise operations. From defending lead quality under regulatory scrutiny to embedding defensible practices across outbound outreach, his background fits seamlessly with Pure CallerID's mission to help organizations drive contact rates without risking brand or regulatory exposure. Henson is the founder of Henson Legal, PLLC, launched in 2025. He joins a growing Advisory Board that includes Mike Frost (Frost Echols LLC), Josh Langford, and Steve Plunkett, offering strategic guidance across legal, regulatory, PE, and CX domains. Comments on the News: Additional information can be found on the Pure CallerID blog. Benefits of the Pure CallerID service suite include: Contact InformationMedia Team Marketing Communications and Investor Relations (844) PURECID SOURCE: Pure CallerID LLC press release
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas cities dominate rankings for new home construction, report shows
The Brief Several Texas cities lead the nation in new home construction, with Houston ranking first and Dallas second in a new report. In early 2025, Houston issued over 11,000 permits and Dallas nearly 10,000, while San Antonio and Austin also made the top 10. This Texas-led construction boom aims to address a national housing deficit. DALLAS - Several of the top cities in the country for new home construction are right here in Texas, according to a new report. The report from ConsumerAffairs looked at where the most homes are being built in cities across the nation. By the numbers In January and February of this year, Dallas saw 9,811 new building permits issued. Only Houston issued more. 741 new homes were sold during the first two months of the year. Dallas did have the highest prices for newly-constructed homes of the major Texas cities. The average new home cost about $450,000. By the numbers In the first two months of 2025, more than 11,047 new building permits were issued in Houston. That was the most of the 150 U.S. cities included in the report. Houston also topped the list of the most new-construction homes sold with 1,314. The report cites Houston as being the only major metro area in the country without zoning laws. While Houston led the way, several other Texas cities made the list for new-home construction. Dallas (2), San Antonio (8) and Austin (9) also landed in the top 10. Of the top 10, only New York was outside the Sun Belt. Dig deeper The report says the average cost of a new-construction home in the United States is almost $485,000. The National Association of Home Builders believes the U.S. is facing a structural housing deficit and that at least 1.5 million units need to be built to balance the housing market. "What we have is a supply problem," said John Hunt, chief analyst and principal at MarketNsight, a housing analytics firm. "The more we can build, the less upward pressure there is on price … (and) the more folks can afford a home." Houston, Texas Dallas, Texas Phoenix, Arizona Atlanta, Georgia New York, New York Charlotte, North Carolina Orlando, Florida San Antonio, Texas Austin, Texas Tampa Bay, Florida The Source Information comes from the ConsumerAffairs Research Team analyzed data on new building permits and new-construction home sales in January and February. Building permit data comes from the U.S. Census Bureau. New-construction home sales data came from Zillow.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Integrated hostel with 1,000 intake inaugurated in Dharwad
Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distrubution Pralhad Joshi has said that providing quality education and skill training to children should be a top priority especially in a country like India which has abundant human resource. Inaugurating the Deendayal Upadhyay Integrated Students Hostels for boys and girls in Dharwad on Monday, Mr. Joshi said that the government is now providing opportunities for children to choose their preferred subjects in schools and colleges as it is important to encourage them to study in the areas of their interest. Elaborating on the changed priorities of the government, he said that compared to the last four or five years, India now hosts more companies than many others. 'Over 350 companies have established 1,10,000 start-ups, showing the enthusiasm among Indian youth to work and contribute,' he said. 'If India wants to grow as a global leader, we must prioritise schools, colleges and hostels,' he said and added that industrial development and new research will play a key role in effectively utilising the country's human resources, while a skilled workforce is essential for the country's economic growth. Presiding over the event, MLA and Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Arvind Bellad said that all students are equal, regardless of caste or religion and they should live in harmony and unity. Mayor Ramanna Badiger, MLA N.H. Konaraddi, HDUDA Chairman Shakir Sanadi, KBA Chairman Sangamesh Babaleshwar and others participated in the programme.
India.com
4 days ago
- Business
- India.com
What Is Dark Pattern? How Digital Platforms Trap Users With Cheap Trial Offers?
What Is Dark Pattern? Amid the Consumer Affairs Ministry's move to make people aware of 'dark patterns' deployed by apps and e-commerce sites, a formal complaint has been submitted to the Reserve Bank of India highlighting concerns about certain apps allegedly engaging in deceptive auto-debit practices, reported Times Now. The report said that these apps reportedly mislead users by offering trial subscriptions for Rs 1 or Rs 2, without clearly disclosing that initiating the trial will automatically activate an auto-debit ranging from Rs 149 to Rs 699 once the trial period concludes. The Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India recently convened a meeting which brought together key representatives from major e-commerce companies, industry associations, Voluntary Consumer Organizations, and National Law Universities for a focused dialogue on eliminating deceptive online practices. What Is Dark Pattern? A dark pattern is a design tactic used in websites, apps, or digital interfaces that deliberately manipulate users into making decisions they might not otherwise make like subscribing to a paid plan unknowingly. These patterns are deceptive and often serve the interests of the company rather than the user. False urgency tricks you into making quick purchases — it's a dark pattern. Stay smart, verify before you buy! Report violations to the National Consumer Helpline at 1915 or WhatsApp 8800001915. #ConsumerRights #ShopSmart #DarkPatterns #FalseUrgency #JagoGrahakJago #NCH1915 — Consumer Affairs (@jagograhakjago) May 31, 2025 Several well-known Indian platforms, including Kuku, Stage, and Seekho, have come under increasing scrutiny for reportedly using misleading billing methods that take advantage of gaps in digital payment systems — a pattern that poses significant concerns for both users and investors alike, reported CNBC TV18. Dark patterns, formally recognized as unfair trade practices under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, include tactics such as false urgency, basket sneaking, bait and switch, drip pricing, and subscription traps. Guidelines to curb these were issued by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) in November 2023. आज के 'Podcast with Jagriti' के इस खास एपिसोड में, हम बात करेंगे, ई-कॉमर्स की दुनिया में फैले डार्क पैटर्न्स के जाल के बारे में।#DarkPattern#Jagograhakjago #Jagriti #Podcast #NCH1915 #PodcastwithJagriti — Consumer Affairs (@jagograhakjago) May 25, 2025 What Did The Government Say? Union Minister for Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi has expressed concern around dark patterns in digital commerce. The Union Minister emphasised the importance of responsible industry behaviour, adding that the Guidelines on Dark Patterns were the result of intensive consultations with various stakeholders, including leading e-commerce companies and industry associations. With mutual agreement reached, the Minister urged all companies to now fully comply with the guidelines and integrate them into their internal governance and consumer protection mechanisms. Highlighting recent developments, Joshi noted a significant surge in consumer complaints related to dark patterns on the National Consumer Helpline (NCH). To address this, he issued a clear directive to all major e-commerce companies: conduct regular internal audits to identify and eliminate dark patterns on their platforms. आखिर क्या है Dark Pattern, जिसे लेकर मचा है बवाल, जानिए कैसे सरेआम काटी जाती है जेब, और आपको पता भी नहीं चलता!#DarkPattern #ECommercehttps:// — Zee Business (@ZeeBusiness) May 29, 2025 'Companies must not wait for the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to intervene. They should proactively recognize and remove these deceptive practices before notices are issued. This is not just regulatory compliance—it's about building trust with your consumers,' he stated. He said that the Jagriti App enables consumers to report dark patterns on e-commerce platforms directly to the CCPA and flags suspicious websites, while the Jago Grahak Jago App shields users from malicious platforms and offers real-time safety scores for the e-commerce link which a consumer is visiting. The Union Minister warned of action if companies failed to comply with the law. Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare stated that the CCPA has issued 11 notices related to violations involving dark patterns, along with over 400 notices for broader unfair trade practices. She also mentioned that the focus of regulatory scrutiny will now expand to include the quick-commerce and ride-hailing industries. The representatives of the major e-commerce companies AIRBNB, Amazon, Apple, Zepto, Electric, Tata Digital, Adidas India, Samsung, Ikigai Law, Indigo Airlines, Ixigo, MakeMyTrip, Mastercard, Meta, Netmeds, Namma Yatri, PharmEasy, Reliance Retail, Rapido, Shiprocket, Snapdeal, Swiggy, Thomas Cook, Uber, Whatsapp, Yatra, Zomato & Blinkit, Flipkart, Google, Justdial, ONDC, and Paytm were present during the meeting. Further, the major industry associations CAIT, CCI, FICCI, NASSCOM, PHDCCI, and Retailers Association of India along with Voluntary Consumer Organisations and National Law Universities, attended the meeting.
