Consumer Affairs
Watching out for Chicago consumers and their money with product news, spending trends, and recall updates.
Chicago agents say the just-approved, $418 million National Association of Realtors settlement over broker commissions might not have an immediate impact, but it will bring changes, and homebuyers and sellers have been asking what it will mean for them.
MV Realty targeted people who had equity in their homes but needed cash — locking them into decadeslong contracts carrying hidden fees, the Illinois attorney general says in a new lawsuit.
Tom Bassett-Dilley sees his home as an experiment that other home and building owners could follow. No natural gas. An induction stove. “My monthly bill is $14.56 a month for the whole year. And that’s for all of my energy.”
Owners say they need the surcharges to stay in business and remain competitive. Critics say it’s a sneaky way to increase the tab without raising menu prices.
This time, Chicago’s north and northwest suburbs got hit particularly hard on property taxes.
“To get invited to the table, you have to have that piece of paper,” says Freddie Ramos, who took out $20,000 in loans to pay for one son’s degree and is cutting back on expenses as a three-year payment pause ends.
It runs through Dec. 7, with potentially dozens of options to choose from, including traditional Medicare and privately run Medicare Advantage plans.
The three-year pause is over for an estimated 43 million borrowers, including 1.5 million in Illinois. Here are some answers to questions borrowers wanted to know about repayments.
After a lifetime of service, seniors dealing with the onslaught of telephone scammers.
Thursday’s announcement follows this year’s 8.7% benefit increase, brought on by record 40-year-high inflation. With inflation easing, the next yearly increase is markedly smaller.
An administrative law judge has recommended the Illinois Commerce Commission approve rate increases totaling about $350 million.
The 50-page complaint against Residents Energy filed Sept. 29 alleges some customers had their energy costs tripled and claims average rates were nearly double those offered by ComEd in 2020.
Northern Illinois, Chicago State and Northeastern Illinois commit to new standardized financial aid offers. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Northwestern, University of Chicago haven’t signed on.
The recalls cover several models from 2010 through 2019, including Hyundai’s Santa Fe SUV and Kia’s Sorrento SUV.
The complaint is the result of a years-long investigation into Amazon’s businesses and one of the most significant legal challenges brought against the company in its nearly 30-year history.
The FTC accused Epic Games of using “design tricks aimed at getting consumers of all ages to make unintended in-game purchases” and making it easy for kids to rack up charges without parental consent.
With an aging population, the health care system is facing a crisis, experts say. We all can see the results in things like the long waits to get in to see a doctor.
Carniceria Guanajuato remains closed, according to health officials, who warn that anyone who ate at there or bought ready-made meals from its grocery store since Aug. 29 might have been exposed.
The Biden administration is providing funding to produce another round of free at-home tests via the COVIDtests.gov program.
The move suggests that the Fed thinks it has time to wait and see if the 11 rate hikes it unleashed starting in March 2022 will continue to cool rising prices.
The company said it initiated the voluntary recall after it received several consumer complaints.
There have been high-profile recalls recently because food products were contaminated with foreign objects including stainless steel in peanut butter and bone fragments in smoked sausage.
This could help people whose Medicare drug plans require big copayments. But the main relief will come from part of the Inflation Reduction Act that caps drug spending by Medicare recipients at $2,000 a year starting in 2025.
The government has been investigating Autopilot for crashing into emergency vehicles parked on freeways, as well as hitting motorcycles and crossing tractor-trailers.
The change doesn’t impact Prime members who pay $14.99 per month, or $139 a year, for free shipping and other perks.
For one day, all movies will be $4 at participating theaters in Chicago and elsewhere. Most theaters nationwide are taking part — more than 3,000, including the AMC and Regal chains.
