Protecting Consumers

WashPIRG Foundation's consumer protection program strives to protect the safety, privacy and pocketbooks of consumers. Throughout the year, we write and release reports, deliver testimony, and educate the public on consumer issues ranging from unsafe products to unfair fees to privacy.

Toy Safety
Trouble in Toyland, released in November 2002, is WashPIRG Foundation's annual toy safety report, compiled in conjunction with state PIRGs across the country. The report highlighted potential safety hazards posed by toys, including choking, exposure to toxic chemicals and hearing loss. The report was publicized in time for holiday shopping through media events in Seattle, Olympia, Tacoma, Everett, Bellingham, Vancouver and Yakima, and received extensive print, radio and television media coverage.

WashPIRG Foundation Executive Director Robert Pregulman appears on KING5-TV to release the June 2002 report Playing It Safe on playground safety. Photo: KING5-TV

Playground Safety
In June 2002, WashPIRG Foundation released Playing It Safe, our biannual playground safety report, written in conjunction with the Consumer Federation of America. It surveyed more than 1,000 playgrounds, including 37 in Washington, for protective surfacing, fall zones, pressure-treated wood, peeling paint, excessive heights, hazardous swings, head entrapment hazards, and clothing entanglement hazards. It found that a sizeable proportion of the playgrounds, including those in Washington, lacked these basic safeguards and were dangerous to children. Report releases in Seattle, Bellevue and Everett received coverage in the Seattle Times and Everett Herald, and from Seattle television affiliates of Fox, NBC and CBS news.

Exorbitant Bank Fees
Big Banks, Bigger Fees, released in November 2001, surveyed 521 banks and 144 credit unions in 32 states and the District of Columbia for hidden fees. The report found that Washington ranked 10th best in the nation for annual regular checking account costs. Residents could save around $75 a year, however, by banking at small banks and credit unions, which tend to have lower checking account costs than big banks.

Privacy
WashPIRG Foundation believes consumer consent should be required before personal information is shared and sold and that uses of your information should be disclosed. We reiterated this position in July 2002 when we testified before the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) on proposed consumer information rules. As a result, the WUTC later enacted some of the toughest standards in the country for preventing telephone companies from sharing their customers' most private information without permission. However, these rules will not go into effect until a lawsuit filed by Verizon against the WUTC is resolved.