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Consumer Revolt Spurred Via the Internet

Posted by Zonk on from the power-to-the-pocketbook dept.

sas-dot writes "UK's newspaper Independent outlines the brewing consumer revolt being fomented on the web. 'Consumer militancy' is becoming ever more common, as individuals join forces on the internet to fight back against the state and big business. Businesses from banks to soccer clubs have been the target of these groups, in each case facing the fury of consumers who feel they have been wronged. For example, 'A mass revolt has left the high street banks facing thousands of claims from customers seeking to claw back some of the £4.75bn levied annually on charges for overdrafts and bounced cheques. More than one million forms demanding refunds have been downloaded from a number of consumer websites. The banks are settling out of court, often paying £1,000 a time.' Are these kinds of organized 'advocate mobs' going to be the future of internet activism?"

6 of 309 comments (clear)

  1. Must just be in England... by cayenne8 · · Score: 5, Interesting
    "'A mass revolt has left the high street banks facing thousands of claims from customers seeking to claw back some of the £4.75bn levied annually on charges for overdrafts and bounced cheques. "

    I'm actually surprised at the apathy shown towards the Bank of America fiasco of exploiting loopholes in the law to allow them to open accounts and credit cards for illegal aliens!!

    I figured there would have been a much larger rush of people to move their accounts away from them.

    I guess aiding and abetting law breakers just isn't enough to get the typical US citizen's ire up....

    --
    Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    1. Re:Must just be in England... by hal2814 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      "I guess aiding and abetting law breakers just isn't enough to get the typical US citizen's ire up"

      At least someone is getting money from illegal aliens in that scenario. I withdrew my money from BoA after Clark Howard brought to light the man who was jailed after he asked a teller to verify a shady check, she verified it was genuine, and then he was jailed for cashing that check since it was a fake check. But no, I don't particularly care that a bank is profiting from our government's inability to properly enforce immigration laws.

    2. Re:Must just be in England... by cayenne8 · · Score: 4, Interesting
      "By the way, isn't it better that they're putting their money into the bank system, where it can be reinvested back into the economy?"

      No...we should be enforcing existing laws, and possibly make some stronger ones that make it virtually impossible to earn a living in the US without proper, legal documentation for immigrant workers. If you withold banking privs, make it impossible to wire money, prosecute employers that hire illegal aliens and make it impossible for illegas to get a job, cut off all social services....basically make it impossible to live in the US as an illegal, dry up all incentive to come here illegally...THEN, you'll have solved the problem. They will leave if they can't work or get a govt. handout.

      I'll agree at the same time, there needs to be a streamlined method of legally getting citizenship (hopefully the end goal of all immigration)...and make it easier to get a temporary visa which would allow the above to be set up for a legal immigrant worker.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    3. Re:Must just be in England... by networkBoy · · Score: 3, Interesting

      No, I'm worried about my future high-schooler aged child's cabbage picking job.
      People say that the reason the illegals do these jobs is because no-one else will. I call BS. This is easily like the fast food jobs in the city, a high-school or JC job for extra cash while still living at home.

      Mind you I don't fault the immigrants, illegal or otherwise for wanting to come here to better their life, but I firmly believe that starting off by entering the country illegally is the wrong way to do it. A large percentage of specific crimes in high immigrant areas (drug and robbery issues in LA for example) are committed by illegal (and often gang members) immigrants. While I realize that these people may be the minority of their total population, the easiest way to deal with it is deportation of all illegals.
      [ditribe]
      Christ make work visa's easier to get for Mexicans, I DON'T CARE, just stem the tide of people who are outside the system. If they have a work visa then they can get an international drivers license (no need for a state ID) and they can get a TIN (no need for a SSN) and with those two pieces of data along with their passport they can buy US car insurance if they drive. It's all within the existing legal framework. Enforce what we have and tell Pres Fox to go fuck himself when he complains about how we treat illegals in our country. Heaven forbid you enter Mexico illegally. You're below the child molesters in Mexicali prison.
      [/diatribe]

      Ta,
      -nB

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  2. Yes, yes they will by smooth+wombat · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Are these kinds of organized 'advocate mobs' going to be the future of internet activism?


    Yes, yes they will. See the current bruhaha over Bank of America and their giving credit cards to illegal aliens as well as allowing unapproved documents to be used to open accounts.

    Even, gasp!, Michelle Malkin is getting into scrum and accusing the Bush administration of ignoring and condoning the actions of Bank of America.

    One need only do searches for things like "lawsuit Match.com" to see that (maybe) consumers will be getting the upper hand. Until businesses bribe, er, lobby, Congress to protect them that is.

    --
    We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
  3. Stating a general theory of political reality. by GodInHell · · Score: 4, Interesting

    We are the people. Individually we are weak. Together we rule the world.

    Those who oppress us cannot do so unless we help them. Those who go against our-selves rampant, shall suffer the only possible consequence.

    As humanity learns to speak with one another, breaking down barriers of distance, language, and culture, the existing governmental powers are going to have a very interesting dillema on their hands. One people, one world, one government.

    -GiH
    The preceding has been your dose of political idealism for the day. Overdosiong on political idealism may lead to conspiracy theories, or dellusions of power. Use only as recomneded.