New York City Consumer and Worker Protection Commissioner Samuel AA Levine said his office is waging an aggressive campaign against junk fees and deceptive subscription practices, warning that corporate lawbreaking has gone unchecked for decades. “Corporations that rip people off need to face consequences. I don’t think that’s radical. I think it’s common sense,” Levine told the Guardian in an interview published Friday.
Levine, who previously served as consumer protection director at the Federal Trade Commission under President Joe Biden, was appointed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Since taking office in January, Levine said his office has filed lawsuits against self-storage companies over hidden fees and secured millions of dollars in settlements from Uber Eats and Amazon. In January, Levine and Mamdani announced an $1.8 million settlement with a Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee over worker violations, a moment that a caustic New York Post editorial captured with a photo of the two officials eating Munchkins.
The commissioner’s most ambitious proposal is a “click to cancel” rule that would require companies doing business with New Yorkers to make subscription cancellations as simple as enrollment. If finalized, the rule would make New York City the first municipality in the United States with such a law, Levine said on June 5.
Levine attributed the rise in consumer frustration to the shift from owning products to subscribing to them, enabled by digital interfaces that companies design to maximize retention. “These companies do A/B testing to see what is more likely to inhibit cancellation. This is a deliberate business strategy of ripping people off,” Levine said.
He argued that the city’s legal authority rests on a local statute allowing it to prohibit “deceptive or unconscionable” practices. A similar federal click-to-cancel rule issued by the FTC was struck down by a federal judge on procedural grounds, but Levine said the ruling did not question the FTC’s underlying authority, and he expressed confidence in the city’s legal footing.
Levine said the city receives about 30,000 consumer complaints a year through its 3-1-1 system, which routes complaints to his department. “I’d really like to get the number up,” he said. “I want New Yorkers to think of us when you’re being ripped off.” He said the department uses mediators to resolve individual cases and can bring enforcement actions in city or state court when it identifies patterns of abuse.
Asked why American consumers are so unhappy, Levine replied: “Because everyone’s trying to screw them.” He said lax merger enforcement over the past four decades has concentrated market power in a few large players, giving them an effective veto over policy in Washington.
Corporate law firms and critics have raised alarms about what they describe as Levine’s “aggressive enforcement posture,” warning that he is acting as a local analogue to a state attorney general or the FTC. Levine said he welcomes dialogue with businesses but disagrees with those who want a softer tone. “If people break the law in New York, you park on the wrong side of the street, you’re going to face some pretty severe consequences. I believe the same thing about corporate law,” he said.
Levine said he is open to working with the Trump administration if it is willing to invest resources and prioritize good outcomes over politics. “It remains to be seen whether they really invest the resources necessary to be effective in those spaces,” he said.