About this site
A message from the Outraged Consumer (our publisher, Jim Hood)
Why does this site exist? There are plenty of consumer news and advocacy sites. Why did we create another one?
Well, for starters, this is a continuation of an effort I started in 1998 or so, when I started something called ConsumerAffairs.com. At that time, there was the always excellent Consumer Reports and not too much else. So our little site started letting consumers publish reviews of businesses that had done them wrong, in their view. This was a controversial notion at the time and we took a lot of heat but we also got a lot of support from our readers (though not from anybody else). Yes, we ran advertising, which kept the lights on and helped us pay our legal bills but didn’t affect our news coverage.
Years went by and consumer review sites grew like kudzu. Most are really advertising or p.r. in disguise. Their news articles are often “underwritten” and the veracity of their reviews is questionable at best. (ConsumerAffairs still plays it fairly straight and documents how it selects which reviews to publish.)
I eventually sold ConsumerAffairs after the legal bills and constant attacks got to be a bit much. I decided to get back into the game, so to speak, earlier this year after seeing who was doing what and not finding much of value. Consumers and the agencies that protect them were in a hostile environment and not getting a lot of support.
I was also curious to see whether AI could be helpful in gathering and processing the information required to publish a site like this. A lot of journalists seem to put job retention first and fight anything that threatens to trim the payroll but the reality is that, one way or another, big media outlets are in trouble and it's time to find new efficiencies that help deliver the information consumers and citizens need.
Just to be clear – I am the sole supporter of this site. I don’t get paid and no one has to pay to read what’s published here. We don’t sell advertising and we don’t take money from political or corporate interests. Consumer journalism has been my passion since I was a local news reporter back in the dim and dusty past and I am hoping this site helps to keep honest coverage of consumer issues alive for a while longer.
I like to say we’re nonpartisan, pro-consumer. If you agree, please tell your friends and associates about us. Forward our newsletters and recommend our site. We don’t want your money – only your attention for a few minutes each day. Thank you.
James R. Hood
7/15/2026