We In Press

These businesses offer consumers and businesses help in getting negative information off the Internet. In theory, it’s a worthwhile enterprise. It’s easy to have sympathy for anyone victimized by false information racing around the internet. And any service that helps put a stop to that is doing good work.

Two California lawyers are being accused of filing "sham lawsuits" in a wide-ranging conspiracy to get Google and other search engines to de-index negative reviews about their clients... "The scam is not all that complicated," Marc Randazza, Consumer Opinion's attorney, wrote in the lawsuit.

Several days ago, noted Internet lawyer Marc Randazza and his colleagues filed a lawsuit alleging that various defendants were misusing the court system to try to get online criticism deindexed by Google and other search engines. This isn’t the scheme that Paul Alan Levy and I wrote about, though it allegedly has a similar aim: It involves lawsuits filed by real lawyers against real defendants, but the question is whether the defendants are at all related to the posts that they allegedly wrote and that the plaintiffs (or the people behind the plaintiffs) want to see hidden online. (The people at Pissed Consumer first alleged it earlier this year.)

Holiday shopping online can be tricky business. And shopping for holiday trees, ornaments and decorations online can be trickier still. Consumer complaint sites, such as PissedConsumer.com and SiteJabber.com, have been collecting frustrating tales of unfilled orders, merchandise that's sub-par and products that don't resemble what was purchased.

Sears’ doomsday seems close now as it continues to suffer from poor customer service and rising complaints that are eating away its market share and worsening sales momentum. The retail giant will announce 3Q results today and it remains to be seen if things can get any worse.

Ensure that your online transaction goes smoothly by researching the vendor before you finalize the deal; for sellers, Amazon and other big-name e-tailers offer some protection against fraudulent buyers.

What do you do when it's your company that has gotten slimed and maligned unfairly in the press or on one of the prevalent consumer feedback sites such as PissedConsumer.com? Do you fix it? Can you fix it? Do you need to hire a pro? It's interesting that "Reputation management" has evolved from a catchphrase to a science to an actual industry. Has anybody run a search on reputation management agencies lately? Prepare to be buried—you'll get at least 25 pages of Google results.

COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) - From restaurants to retailers, digging up details about a company isn't very difficult these days. "More than 60% of us go online before we buy or hire," says Angie's List Director of Communications Cheryl Reed.

(MONEY Magazine) -- Press 1 if you're delusional enough to think that the customer service rep you just spoke with actually gives a damn about your $5,000 cellphone bill, your exploded microwave or cancelled-without-notice flight.

"Unethical behavior by Beachbody...watch out!" wrote one customer on PissedConsumer.com, an online forum, in June. The customer railed against the Santa Monica, California -- based maker of fitness videos, claiming that it charged for something the customer didn't intend to order online. In the comment box, Tiana, a customer service representative from Beachbody, wrote, "I'm so sorry to hear that you had a bad experience." She left her contact information and added, "I would be glad to assist you and help to restore your faith in our company."

Roni Deutch, television's "Tax Lady," was sued Monday for perpetrating a"heartless scheme" that swindled thousands of people across the nation into paying huge fees to stop the IRS from collecting back taxes.

After hearing stories about complaints at the state's second largest dental HMO, Western Dental, people have asked what can a consumer do? Of course, knowledge is power. If you have questions about any dentist, check out their license and if they have been disciplined at the California Dental Board website

Does web whining work? Private websites with names like ComplaintsBoard.com and PissedConsumer.com have developed an enormous following among consumers who feel cheated by companies. But are these complaint magnets filling an important role in protecting consumer rights or do they merely serve as online bitch sessions?

Consumers should start their search for complaints about a company online at my3cents.com, according to a report released on Monday by the Consumer Federation of America.