| Volume 127 Number 9 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
How do you know if something is fact or “urban legend”? The next time someone tells you about a way to make a lot of money, get free gift certificates, secret codes for withdrawing money from an ATM, chain-letters that work, strange effects from everyday products, or anything else that just doesn’t seem right, check it out at the link below. Click here for more.
AT&T Announces Wi-Fi Service Faster than Google Fiber
In an attempt to compete with Google Fiber, Google's high-speed Wi-Fi, AT&T announced a new Wi-Fi service called Project AirGig. The service is still under development, but would provide wireless Internet speeds greater than 1 gigabit per second. Google Fiber, currently the fastest commercially available Wi-Fi, provides speeds of up to 1 gigabit per seconds. Most Americans have Wi-Fi speeds in the tens of megabits, mere fractions of Google Fiber or AirGig. Trial services of AirGig will start next year in a limited markets. Click here for more.
Your Money
When shopping on Amazon do not rely on the internet retailer to show you the lowest price. Amazon doesn't always feature the least expensive product in the "Buy Box," the box on a product detail page where customers can purchase a product. ProPublica, a nonprofit journalism organization, found in a recent study that roughly 75 percent of the time, Amazon's own products and those of third-party retailers partnered with Amazon show up in the Buy Box ahead of cheaper products. "In the case of Amazon, shoppers should absolutely look deeper into the offers from various sellers for the same product," said Courtney Jespersen, shopping expert at NerdWallet. "Don't automatically stop at the first deal you see and assume it's the best price. You'll want to factor in the product price as well as shipping charges when judging the overall value of the deal. And don't stop at Amazon either — once you find a deal there, compare it to other retailers as well." Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Automobile dealer is a creditor under Equal Credit Opportunity Act. The Sixth Circuit recently held that an automobile dealer is a “creditor” under the federal Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and was not excepted from the requirement to provide adverse action notices, as the dealer did not “merely arrange for credit by referring applicants to lenders.” The court pointed out that under Regulation B, “those who merely arrange for credit by referring applicants to lenders are considered ‘creditors’ solely for the purposes of the ECOA’s prohibitions on discrimination and discouragement. Under Regulation B, in other words, ‘creditors’ who act as mere middle-men between applicants and lenders have no affirmative obligation to provide applicants with notice stating the reasons for any adverse action.” The Sixth Circuit, however, agreed with the district court that the dealer was a “creditor” subject to the ECOA’s notice requirement because it was a “person who regularly arranges for the extension, renewal or continuation of credit” and fell within the statutory definition. Tyson v. Sterling Rental. Click here for more.