My agency is a longtime member of Consumer Federation of America (CFA), but for the first time I attended its annual conference, Consumer Assembly, on May 10th and 11th this year in Washington, DC. It sure made an impression on me and I’d like to share my takeaways.
If you’re not familiar with CFA, it’s an association of over 250 non-profit consumer organizations from across the nation working together to serve consumers’ interests through research, education and advocacy. It also has members from state and local consumer protection agencies such as mine. At Consumer Assembly issues are debated, new initiatives are introduced, knowledge is shared, old friends are reacquainted and new friends are made.
For me it began with the special meeting that CFA always holds the afternoon before the conference, just for representatives of consumer protection agencies. This was a great way to meet people who work with the same challenges that I do, to learn about new issues, and to exchange ideas and expertise. We were warned about unregulated cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings (the next “American Hustle”?); we discussed trends in how fraudsters get payment from their victims; we heard about coaching services in which scammers lure their pigeons into thousands of dollars of debt with the promise of a money-making business just ever so slightly out of reach, but reachable with only a bit costlier coaching – financing conveniently provided. And we had a robust conversation about how our agencies handle consumer complaints and how we can improve our procedures.
At the conference itself, a common thread seemed to run through many of the sessions: that our government institutions are trending away from serving the people and toward serving – take your pick – the elite, corporations, the illuminati. But if we can get past whatever our political differences may be, the proposed solution is a pretty good one: let’s do a better job of promoting, educating, and protecting the consumer. In other words, let’s help people. I really liked that.
We heard about what the Senate was poised to do to protect Net Neutrality (since the conference the Senate has passed a resolution to undo the Federal Communication Commission’s undoing of the Net Neutrality rules, though its fate in the House is unclear). We heard about the upcoming shutdown of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Student Protection Unit (that’s since been done, too). We heard about how the high-interest, payday loan industry preys on our young service men and women and the damage it causes to their lives. We heard about the growing use of arbitration clauses to strip Americans of their right to due process. And we heard about what big data knows about us.
In Proverbs it warns us to be careful about swallowing a set of assertions without giving someone else an opportunity to question them (18:17, in case you want to check me). It’s good advice. So, I especially appreciated the breadth of perspectives (public, private, and nonprofit) that speakers at Consumer Assembly provided on the issues, the healthy discussion among panel members, and the ample opportunities for audience questions.
CFA’s website is a good resource for learning about a wide variety of consumer issues. There’s also a link to Consumer Assembly 2018, where you’ll find the program and some of the speakers’ presentations, as well as videos and livestreams. Check it out, and if you think there’s something here for you – including a way for you to really help others – maybe we’ll meet each other at next year’s Consumer Assembly.