By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have launched “Time Is Money,” a government-wide initiative to stop the time-consuming practices used by corporations. The White House called the initiative a significant new effort to ease the daily frustrations that millions of Americans experience. The initiative targets the excessive paperwork, long hold times, and other bureaucratic hurdles that companies often impose, which waste people’s time and degrade their quality of life.
The administration has already made strides in reducing hidden costs through its crackdown on junk fees, which frequently inflate prices on services ranging from travel to banking. Now, with “Time Is Money,” the Biden-Harris Administration focuses on corporate strategies that force consumers to navigate unnecessary obstacles to receive the services or refunds they are entitled to.
“Americans are tired of feeling like they’re being taken advantage of,” White House officials noted in a Fact Sheet. “This administration is committed to addressing the pain points people encounter daily, ensuring that corporations can no longer profit from wasting our time and testing our patience.”
Targeting Everyday Hassles
The initiative is designed to address a variety of consumer frustrations that have become all too common in modern life. These include lengthy hold times for customer service, convoluted processes for canceling subscriptions, and the hoops consumers must jump through to get refunds or rebates. Officials said these practices often are intentionally designed to discourage people from pursuing their rights, all in the name of corporate profit.
Key actions under the “Time Is Money” initiative include:
- Simplifying Subscription Cancellations: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed a rule requiring businesses to make it as easy to cancel a subscription as it is to sign up. This change aims to eliminate the convoluted processes that currently make it difficult for consumers to stop paying for services they no longer want.
- Automatic Refunds for Airline Tickets: Under a new rule from the Department of Transportation (DOT), airlines will be required to issue automatic refunds when flights are canceled or significantly changed. This rule is designed to end the frustrating and often complex process of getting a refund for a service that wasn’t delivered as promised.
- Online Health Insurance Claims: The Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Labor (DOL) are urging health insurers to allow consumers to submit claims online, reducing the need for physical paperwork and making the claims process more user-friendly.
- Combating Customer Service “Doom Loops”: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are taking steps to ensure that consumers can quickly reach a live customer service representative without being stuck in an endless loop of automated prompts.
- Holding Companies Accountable for Deceptive Reviews: The FTC is developing rules to prevent companies from using fake or misleading reviews to deceive consumers. This measure will help ensure people can rely on honest feedback when purchasing.
- Regulating Ineffective Chatbots: The CFPB plans to issue guidelines to address unhelpful chatbots in customer service, ensuring that consumers can access real assistance when needed.
- Streamlining School Communications for Parents: The Department of Education will issue new guidance to help schools simplify communication processes with parents, reducing the time and effort required for routine tasks like filling out forms and communicating with teachers.
The White House also encourages the public to share their experiences and suggestions on how the federal government can help reduce the time and frustration associated with corporate practices. The administration said its goal is to ensure that businesses make it as easy for consumers to cancel services, obtain refunds, and receive customer support as it is for them to spend money in the first place.
Officials also noted that the initiative builds on the administration’s ongoing efforts to improve customer service across public and private sectors. Since the 2021 executive order aimed at transforming federal customer experience and service delivery, agencies reportedly have made notable progress, including the State Department’s online passport renewal beta and the IRS’s new Direct File tool for secure, free tax filing.
“Time is one of our most valuable resources,” officials noted. “Through this initiative, we’re working to ensure that Americans can spend more of their time on what matters most to them, rather than navigating unnecessary corporate obstacles.”
