| Volume 137 Number 7 |
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Forward this news alert to your family and friends
Helpful Links
Texas Consumer Complaint Center
Credit Reports and Identity Theft
Your Guide to Small Claims Court
Contact Us
1-713-743-2168
The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Publishers Clearing House and the FTC have both gotten many reports about scammers using the Publishers Clearing House name to deceive people. Scammers call, claiming you’ve won the sweepstakes – but, to collect your prize, you need to send money to pay for so-called fees and taxes Click here for more.
How to Keep a Roomba Vacuum Cleaner From Collecting Data About Your Home
Recently iRobot CEO Colin Angle suggested his company might one day sell the mapping data collected by Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners to tech companies such as Amazon, Google, or Apple. Within two years, he explained, a detailed diagram of the floorplan in your home could well be worth money to a tech giant. He claims no data will be shared with third parties without the informed consent of his customers, however a surefire way to keep this type of data from being collected in the first place is to cut off its connection to the internet altogether. The Roomba will still work while not on wifi and iRobot claims it will delete any data that has been collected upon request. Click here for more.
Your Money
4 Financial Milestones to Reach Before You Retire: (1) save enough to cover three months of living expenses; (2) pay off your mortgage; (3) get rid of costly credit card debt; and (4) amass a large enough nest egg to replace 80% of your yearly income. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Consumer cannot revoke consent to be called. Plaintiff filed suit against alleging violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), 47 U.S.C. 227. The Second Circuit affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment for Lincoln, holding that plaintiff did introduce sufficient evidence from which a jury could conclude that he revoked his consent, but that the TCPA does not permit a consumer to revoke its consent to be called when that consent forms part of a bargained for exchange. In this case, plaintiff's consent was not provided gratuitously, it was included as an express provision of a contract to lease an automobile from Lincoln. Reyes v. Lincoln Automotive Financial Services (2d Cir. 2017). Click here for more.