ACC Wishes You a Safe and Happy 2023 Holiday Season
As we put away our Halloween decorations, costumes, and trick-or-treat baskets, and prepare for the upcoming holidays, ACC wants to thank its members and volunteers for helping our non-profit association achieve remarkable growth and progress in 2023.
Our membership has swelled to over 384,000 consumers as of November 1st, and we have also expanded our membership reach to include new members in 12 countries in Europe and four countries in Asia.
It should come as no surprise that consumers around the world seek reliable products and services as well as fair treatment from companies, small businesses, and government agencies.
In an era of timely just-in-time deliveries and rapid response to the needs and wants of consumers, the American Consumer Council is working hard to champion several issues that impact consumers.
Among our top priorities are these three:
Airline Complaints. ACC is seeking compensation and redress for consumers who are negatively affected by the continued poor performance by several major domestic airlines in the United States, and their resistance to treat affected passengers fairly with reimbursements or compensation for missed flights, mechanical delays and other issues that are clearly the fault of the airlines. This is a nagging problem that the airlines pretend to address with “we’re sorry for your troubles” emails, but they are not addressing most legitimate consumer complaints in good faith despite their record profits and exorbitant ticket prices. This continues to be one of our top concerns and issues. Interestingly, at the other end of the spectrum, cruise lines are doing a great job for serving consumers and creating memorable experiences!
Auto recalls. While many of the auto recalls we have addressed our not life-threatening, they are clearly a disruption and inconvenience to consumers. ACC is working with the auto industry to promote higher quality standards and encourage a “build-it-right-the-first-time” culture.
Prescription Drug Prices. You’ve probably noticed the flood of television advertisements that tout the “latest-greatest” drug for every ailment under the sun. While we applaud the advancements that pharmaceutical companies are making to help consumers stay healthy, we also believe these companies have a moral obligation to charge consumers a fair price for their drugs and medications. ACC is a strong supporter of empowering Medicare to negotiate fair drug prices, and we encourage Congress to get aboard this pressing issue.
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday and Christmas season, we are grateful to our members, 57 consumer council chapters, corporate sponsors, and credit union partners for supporting the mission and work of ACC.
We wish you a very happy and safe Thanksgiving.
We look forward to your continued participation and support in the coming months as we approach an exciting new calendar year!
Happy Holidays,
Thomas Hinton
President & CEO
American Consumer Council