NYC Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Sam Levine on Junk Fees, Delivery Apps, and Affordability

New Leadership and Priorities

• 🎯 Sam Levine has been appointed as the new Commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) under Mayor Adams.
• ⚡ His primary focus is on making New York City more affordable by tackling issues that squeeze consumers and workers.
• 🔑 Levine aims to make DCWP the "tip of the spear" in this affordability push, leveraging existing strong consumer and worker protection laws.

Combating Junk Fees and Subscription Traps

• ⚠️ The department is enforcing an executive order to ban junk fees and subscription traps.
• 💡 Examples of subscription traps include difficult cancellation processes for gym memberships, while junk fees can be hidden charges on rent or inflated ticket prices.
• 🗣️ Levine emphasizes that deceptive fees are illegal and will be enforced, even against powerful companies.

Addressing Restaurant Service Charges

• ❓ A listener raised concerns about mandatory service charges on restaurant bills that are explicitly stated as not going to wait staff.
• ⚖️ Levine stated that if a service charge is presented as such, it should indeed go to the wait staff, and the department will investigate such cases.
• 📢 Consumers can report suspected