The Biden administration on Monday launched a new initiative, “Time is Money,” aimed at cracking down on “corporate tricks” that cause unnecessary aggravation in Americans’ lives.
Federal agencies announced new steps to reduce excessive paperwork, shorten wait times and make it easier to cancel subscriptions and memberships.
“These hassles don’t just happen by accident. Companies often deliberately design their business processes to be time-consuming or otherwise burdensome for consumers, in order to deter them from getting a rebate or refund they are due or canceling a subscription or membership they no longer want — all with the goal of maximizing profits,” the administration wrote in a press release on Monday.
The Federal Trade Commission is currently reviewing public comments about a proposed rule to require companies to make it as easy to cancel a subscription or service as it was to sign up for it. On Monday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched an inquiry into whether to extend those requirements to communications companies.
Other steps target customer service shortfalls, including cracking down on endless “doom loops” that prevent customers from speaking to a real person when calling for assistance.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is taking on a rulemaking process to require companies under its jurisdiction to let consumers talk to a real person by pressing just one button. The FCC will launch an inquiry into considering the same requirements for phone, broadband and cable companies, the Biden administration said.
“Too often customers seeking assistance from a real person are instead sent through a maze of menu options and automated recordings, wasting their time and failing to get the support they need. In a recent survey, respondents said that being forced to listen to long messages before being permitted to speak to a live representative was their top customer service complaint,” the press release read.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and acting Labor Secretary Julie Su are calling on health insurance companies to consider implementing the same requirement.
Becerra and Su also penned a letter Monday to health insurance companies and providers calling on them to take “concrete actions to save people time and money when interacting with their health coverage.”
The Office of Personnel Management will also require Federal Employees Health Benefits and Postal Service Health Benefits to make it easier to submit out-of-network claims online.
The announcement builds on previous steps the administration has taken to eliminate some of the hassle Americans experience every day. The administration has targeted hidden “junk fees,” and the Department of Transportation also a new automatic cash refund rule for airlines, requiring them to repay customers when flights are canceled or significantly changed.