In recognition of National Consumer Protection Week 2025, the PIRG Education Fund has created consumer protection tips and tools to help Arizonans address a wide range of common issues.
Diane E. Brown, Executive Director of the Arizona PIRG Education Fund, stated, “As consumers, we have a lot of plates to keep spinning: Making sure our information is safe. Finding a better credit card. Sorting out our medical bills. Buying electronics that last. While data breaches, robocalls, and artificial intelligence pose risks, new technology and tools can help thwart threats.”
The PIRG Education Fund offers dozens of guides and step-by-step tools to help make life a little easier for consumers. For National Consumer Protection Week 2025, the organization focuses on several of 2025’s most pressing issues:
New guide: How to store important documents in the cloud safely – by R.J. Cross, Director, Consumer Privacy Program
Nearly 1 in 5 Americans has at some point had to evacuate their homes during a severe weather event, according to an October 2024 YouGov poll. Being prepared for such a natural disaster includes not only having prescriptions and pet supplies in an emergency “go bag” but also a plan for important paperwork. PIRG Education Fund’s new consumer guide, “The best way to store important documents before disaster hits” helps consumers to disaster-proof documents.
‘The best laptops of 2025 are repairable’ guide helps you choose fixable devices – by Lucas Gutterman, Director, Designed to Last Campaign
Consumers pay good money for their laptops, and they deserve ones that can be fixed if they break. PIRG Education Fund is releasing an updated “The best laptops of 2025 are repairable” guide. The guide calculates a grade based on repairability scores for the most popular laptop brands on the market. Companies that design their devices to last receive a good grade, while those “failing the fix” receive poor grades.
New guide: Freeze your credit report from all three bureaus in half an hour online – by Stanton Cope, Consumer Watchdog Associate
Congress in 2018 approved allowing consumers to freeze their credit files at no charge. Yet it’s estimated that only about 10% of consumers have done so. According to PIRG Education Fund, it’s become easier to perform this crucial finance-protecting task online (and you can still do it by phone in about 20 minutes total for all three national credit bureaus). The organization’s new guide, “Freezing your credit files online in 30 minutes: Step-by-step guide with screenshots” is by a staffer who had never frozen his files before. Freezing online will be a breeze for consumers who follow along with screenshots and pro tips.
Other helpful guides:
How to file a freeze for minors
Tips to avoid robocalls, robotexts and scams
What to do if your information is compromised in a data breach
How to lower your medical bills – by Patricia Kelmar, Senior Director, Health Care Campaigns
Many individuals and families plan for expected expenses, but medical bills can throw off even the most carefully crafted budget. When people know their rights and protections, they can better fight erroneous medical bills, appeal insurance company denials of coverage and budget better by finding out prices in advance. PIRG Education Fund’s guide shows how to get a good faith estimate, appeal an insurance denial, understand a medical bill, negotiate prices, and make sure your credit report doesn’t include paid medical bills. For tips on fighting medical bills, check out the six-part guide: “Medical Bills: Everything you need to know about your rights.”
Spotlighting the CFPB’s first-of-its-kind credit card shopping tool – by Mike Litt, Director, Consumer Campaign
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) offers the Explore Credit Cards comparison tool on its website. The tool uses unbiased, public data collected by the CFPB from all major credit card companies and some smaller companies that have voluntarily provided it. PIRG Education Fund discusses the importance and utility of this tool and explains how to use it.
Planning to fly in 2025? A lot has changed since last year – by Teresa Murray, Consumer Watchdog Director
If you generally fly only during spring break or the summertime, you can look forward to several new airline passenger protections in 2025 that didn’t exist a year ago. And you’re likely to need some of these new protections this year: Passenger volume is expected to reach 5.2 billion in 2025, a 6.7% increase compared with 2024 and the first time that the number of passengers will exceed the 5 billion mark, according to the International Air Transport Association.
Travelers can walk through what rights they have now, and how to best handle disruptions, in PIRG Education Fund’s helpful guide, “Airline travel tips you shouldn’t fly without,” available here.
