Most borrowers know a late payment or high outstanding balance can hurt their credit. But what about frequenting a massage parlor, retreading a tire, or visiting a marriage counselor? Such activities count, too, according to a suit filed by the Federal Trade Commission in federal court in Atlanta on June 10 against card issuer CompuCredit (CCRT).

Lenders, insurers, and other financial firms use credit scoring systems to make a host of decisions about consumers, including the interest rate on their mortgages, the limits on their credit cards, and the monthly premiums for their auto coverage. Some rely heavily on FICO, a three-digit score developed by Minneapolis-based financial firm Fair Isaac, while others use proprietary models developed by statisticians.

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Gas stations concerned about collecting on automated debit-card transactions are freezing large amounts of money in consumers' checking accounts, causing financial headaches for some drivers who carry low balances.

When a consumer swipes a card at a gas pump, most gas stations freeze $1 as a confirmation that a valid checking account exists. That hold usually lasts for a few hours, but can stretch for a couple of days. The station later debits the actual amount of the gas purchased from the account.

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Yet that's essentially how one of the country's largest private arbitration firms operates. The National Arbitration Forum (NAF), a for-profit company based in Minneapolis, specializes in resolving claims by banks, credit-card companies, and major retailers that contend consumers owe them money. Often without knowing it, individuals agree in the fine print of their credit-card applications to arbitrate any disputes over bills rather than have the cases go to court.

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The new Consumer Protection Regulations will ban 31 types of unfair sales practices outright and tighten controls on traders ranging from double-glazing salesmen to fortune tellers.

The changes adopt an EU directive requiring all businesses to treat customers fairly, closing loopholes that rogue traders have previously been able to exploit.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and Trading Standards will enforce the new rules.

Businesses breaking the law face substantial fines and prison sentences, depending on the seriousness of the offending.

The regulations outlaw traders using misleading statements, fake credentials and aggressive sales practices.

Among the tactics that are now illegal are bogus closing down sales, limited time offers that are later extended, false testimonials on websites and high pressure sales techniques, especially those likely to harm the elderly or vulnerable.

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Nearly all legacy airlines scored poorly in customer satisfaction during this year's first quarter, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index. The index, which measures satisfaction with a company's product, is computed by the University of Michigan's business school, after random surveys of thousands of consumers.

"There were too many lost pieces of luggage and too many flights not on time," says Claes Fornell, a professor of marketing and business administration who founded the index in 1994. "With the soaring cost of jet fuel, airlines are raising ticket prices, overbooking flights and charging extra for premium seats and checking more than one bag."

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