Consumer Protection

A longtime family friend of mine worked in the banking industry at the time when credit cards were being rolled out in Canada. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he would drive from town to town in rural Ontario to convince skeptical bank employees that it was possible to buy groceries with a 3″ […]

Have you taken a DNA test to find out where in the world your ancestors came from? If so, congratulations! You may have helped create a new treatment of psoriasis. How is that even possible? Turns out a direct-to-consumer genetic testing company sold the rights to DNA samples to a major drug company to help […]

While so many people are forced to stay at home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have turned to video games to pass the time. If you game on a PC, one of the most well-known computer peripherals to acquire is a mechanical keyboard. Even if gaming is not your thing, a mechanical keyboard still […]

On March 27, 2020, Ontario Premier Doug Ford issued a warning to COVID-19 profiteers: “We’re coming after you.” He cited high-end grocery retailer, Pusateri’s, which had charged customers $29.99 for containers of disinfecting wipes — a price premium that even Pusateri’s clientele noticed. (CTV notes that the average price for these wipes is $5.99.) Pusateri’s […]

With the holidays behind you, now is a good time to take stock of the gifts you’ve received. Gift cards are a popular gift because they let recipients pick what they want to buy. So-called “prepaid credit cards” offer even more choice than traditional gift certificates because they’re accepted wherever credit cards are accepted. Ontario […]

Imagine this: You’ve arrived at the airport. You check in, and want to tweet about your upcoming adventure. Panic sets in as you look at your phone and realize it has less that 10% battery life left. At your gate, or built into the tables at the airport bar, you see a charging station with […]

Background Competition is everywhere. In a free-market economy, companies compete for customers, buyers compete for manufacturers, employers compete for employees, etc. The theory is that, when enough participants compete, companies make what people want and offer it at a price that will sell. A competing company with a better product will attract consumers. If consumers […]

If you have ever felt pressured to purchase something online that very second, it turns out that may not be your fault. A recent study out of Princeton University sheds light on “dark patterns”, or deceptive marketing practices that websites use to manipulate online shoppers – to complete a sale or spend more money.[efn_note]Arunesh Mathur, […]

Most people have had the experience of a pushy door-to-door sales representative who will not take ‘no’ for an answer.  Unfortunately, these sales tactics often result in homeowners being misled and pressured into signing contracts they don’t fully understand, for products that don’t perform as they were led to believe they would. Ontario has banned […]

A number of people have complained about a Toronto-based weight-loss scheme. The company, Weight Loss Grants, promised consumers money if they lost weight. According to Global News, the scheme offered to reimburse consumers for certain weight-loss expenses if they successfully met their goal on a certain date. The company directed participants to weight-loss services offered […]

Anyone who knows me knows I have particularly strong view about small overcharges. I wrote an LLM thesis on the topic.[efn_note]”Keep The Change?: A behavioural approach to class action antipathy where losses are trivial” (2018) [pdf].[/efn_note] Here’s my thing: assuming companies deal with thousands or millions of customers, and assuming customers aren’t going to sue […]

On March 28, 2019, after filing for bankruptcy, discount airline WOW Air cancelled all operations and grounded flights leaving thousands of Canadian travellers stranded across Europe and North America. Without other options, Canadian travellers who booked return flights with WOW Air had to pay out of pocket to return home with no compensation from the […]

Some fishy DNA results have drawn attention to food mislabelling in Canada. According to Global News, Dr. Jen McDonald and the students in her molecular biology course at Fanshawe College used DNA sequencing to fact-check how grocery stores and restaurants labelled their fish. Their results, which McDonald revealed on Twitter (@AwesomeBiota), were shocking. The students […]

Plenty of people swear by ginger. Whether for nausea, inflammation, or an immunity boost, ginger has a reputation for being good for you. So it’s no surprise that the producers of ginger ale would want you to think that they make their drink with real ginger. This might be why Canada Dry labelling says “Made […]