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Why does the USA have so few legal protections for ordinary people, and how can we change that?

I’m just a regular person making about $70K a year in a big city, and I’ve recently felt incredibly powerless dealing with private companies. For instance, my landlord’s auto-pay system had a glitch that excluded my pet rent and water bill. I ended up with over $1,000 in late fees. Despite hours on the phone, it turns out their system doesn’t really do auto-pay and requires a fixed amount instead of covering the full rent. It feels like a scam, and my options are to pay the fees or potentially spend a fortune on legal action.

Another frustrating experience was trying to cancel my pest control service. I had to endure a 40-minute call followed by 35 minutes of arguing, just to finally cancel. There’s no online cancellation option, and the process felt like a timeshare sales pitch.

Why do ordinary people seem so unprotected against these shady practices, and how can we change this? How does one person even start to address these issues?

RangerJosie ,

I can’t tell you. Because the mods won’t like it.

But it rhymes with Piolence.

FlashMobOfOne ,
@FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world avatar

To make major, sustained, positive change would require widespread violent revolution.

AndrewZabar ,

It’s the only thing we will have left pretty soon. Capitalism is pretty close to flatlining. Then we will have a Corporate Congress and the nation will become The United Corporation of America - in name as opposed to now where that’s what it is but it’s not yet called that.

FlashMobOfOne ,
@FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world avatar

I do anticipate fascism becoming overt after November, but the powers that be will market it well, like that time they turned Nazism into ‘White Nationalism’.

Maeve ,

We already have corporate Congress.

brygphilomena ,

$1000 is likely small claims court. At least where I was, no lawyers are allowed for small claims so the landlord would have to come to deal with it himself or a representative of the payment company.

dan1101 ,

I don’t know, but companies shouldn’t be allowed to merge if you call either of them and the wait time to speak to a person is more than 2 minutes.

Also companies should have customer conceriges, call them and explain your issue and they navigate the company infrastructure, resolve your issue, and report back.

lordnikon ,

it’s because money equals power and they have all the money and are able to build mechanisms to suck the money you have so that they have even more money. Can’t help with the landlord but for the pest control using something like virtual credit cards numbers. so if they won’t let you cancel. you just delete that card and they lose acess to your payment details. when they contact you for payment just cancel right then.

some_guy ,

I just started listening to a new podcast series called Master Plan that talks about how this happened deliberately and systematically over decades. It followed the Powell Doctrine. You can hear a conversation between the primary host, David Sirota, and Brianna Joy Gray (she’s not one of my favorites, but I tuned in because it was him) on Bad Faith podcast.

swordgeek ,

Open revolution is about the only avenue left.

Rentlar ,

It’s because the American culture of individualism has successfully divided up worker’s power that makes standing against wealthy and powerful individuals next to impossible.

I will say this because people in the US don’t seem to look out for neighbours that they can’t see.

Vote for politicians who will empower the working class and take billionaires and multinational corps down a notch. Don’t let culture war distractions take people’s eyes off the ruling class intentionally diverting the attention away from them.

Team up with your neighbours… you don’t have to start a protest/riot immediately but ask them if they’ve had a similar issue with the landlord’s autopay system. Have barbecues or potluck dinners with them on occasion.

Go to your local city council when an issue you care about comes up. Write to your city council, state rep, house rep and senators about things that concern you. Join local movements or participate in their events to enact change you want to see. United you will be stronger.

Sam_Bass ,

Because we ordinary people do not possess extraordinary funds to buy that protection

Professorozone ,

Because non-ordinary people make the rules.

heavyboots ,
@heavyboots@lemmy.ml avatar

Pretty much we are a corporate welfare state at this point. Electing officials you think will pass or enforce laws to bring them to heel is your best bet. (People like AOC are preferred, as she has never accepted contributions from corporations to her campaign.)

FireTower ,
@FireTower@lemmy.world avatar
  1. Contact local counsel. There’s probably an attorney who practices in rental law near you that does free consultations.
  2. It’s not that we don’t have protections it’s that we have an access to justice issue.
UnderpantsWeevil ,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/83f78b73-67c4-4ad6-afaa-47292aa5ab83.png

MissJinx ,
@MissJinx@lemmy.world avatar

Sorry I’m not american, but what is Pet Rent? never heard of that

Thavron ,
@Thavron@lemmy.ca avatar

I assume it’s a surcharge on their rent for the fact that they have a pet.

MissJinx ,
@MissJinx@lemmy.world avatar

I assumed that too but couldn’t believe

pezmaker ,
@pezmaker@sh.itjust.works avatar

It’s exactly what it sounds like. Extra bullshit monthly rent tacked onto the regular rent in addition to a usually non-refundable pet deposit at time of move in or pet adoption.

Basically you’re a money faucet in the US, and wide open if you have pets or kids

MissJinx ,
@MissJinx@lemmy.world avatar

Wait, Kids too?!! omg

I get the deposit, pets can be destructive, but pet rent is peak captalism. It’s like charging rent by the weight!

thank god I don’t have that here coz I have 2 dogs and 2 cats.

So that applies to any pet? Even hamsters and fish?

pezmaker ,
@pezmaker@sh.itjust.works avatar

To be clear, rent is usually one value for however many humans will be living there, but everywhere has different rules for pets. For the most part you’re restricted to one or two dogs specifically if they’re allowed at all. Some places will charge the same for one or more, some will charge more for 2. It’s really variable. But with RealPage leading the way with the largest rental management companies, is getting pretty unified and difficult to not get fucked over by.

Smaller pets like fish or hamsters usually aren’t mentioned or charged for though that I’ve seen.

Zorsith ,
@Zorsith@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

My lease explicitly prohibits fishtanks (and waterbeds IIRC). Pretty limited to just cats and dogs.

mke_geek ,

It’s an extra monthly fee to cover the cost of extra cleaning and repairs needed due to tenants having pets and the damage they cause.

sunzu2 ,

You need to read the terms of the agreement

If you are in the right, don't pay and let them sue you. Go to the judge and explain the situation.

This is how you handle if you are confident you are right.

If you are not confident, then tuck your dick and pay daddy what he said.

There is nothing in-between.

Gordito ,

Sometimes they have automatic payments that go though your account. Once they took it try to get it back.

sunzu2 ,

I am not following

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