The White House on Monday released a set of proposals it says will help consumers reclaim their time, and money, from companies that make it difficult to cancel subscriptions, file health claims online or issue airline refunds. The initiative, which the Biden Administration has dubbed Time Is Money, also calls on companies to stop sending customers to endless automated phone menu loops or ineffective chatbot when customers are seeking help, asks the Department of Education to help improve communications between parents and schools, and proposes more accountability in how companies handle online reviews.
In a White House briefing about the proposals, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are credited as fighting back against "headaches and hassles" that people face when dealing with corporations.
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"These hassles don't just happen by accident," the briefing reads, in part. "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."
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This latest attack against bad customer-support practices is part of a larger war that the administration launched in 2022 on such items as excessive concert-ticket fees, credit card late fees and surprise charges. Some of it has yielded change: the following year, Airbnb and Ticketmaster announced they would display "all-in" pricing that would show customers all of the charges and fees before a purchase.
With Time Is Money, the specific proposals include:
A new Federal Trade Commission rule that would "make it as easy to cancel a subscription or service as it was to sign up for one." According to the White House, the Federal Communications Commission is looking into a similar rule for communications companies.
Automatic refunds from airlines if a flight is canceled or "significantly changed" when a customer doesn't opt for rebooking or alternative compensation. The Department of Transportation would enforce a rule that would require payment to a customer instead of flight credits when this happens.
Revamping health-insurance claims processing to make it easier to file claims online, to appeal claim denials and to find out what health providers are in-network.
A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule that would eliminate "Doom Loops" that send customers to hard-to-navigate automated voice menus or to ineffective chatbot services. The rule would allow customers to reach a human with one button press by phone.
The Federal Trade Commision plans to crack down on companies that publish fake online reviews, suppress negative reviews or pay for positive reviews.
The Department of Education will offer guidance on ways schools can improve communications with parents, although details on how that will happen were not specified in the brief.
In addition to these proposals, the White House says it is looking for more ideas and has created a Time Is Money web portal where citizens can share their experiences and suggest other federal actions.