Consumer Alert

Ontario man tries to retrieve funds after online banking mistake

An Ontario man said an online banking mistake caused him almost a month and a half of aggravation.

New mobile tickets cause problems for concert goers without smartphones

An Ontario woman says she experienced a roadblock when trying to purchase concert tickets because she didn't have a smartphone.

Ontario buyer who purchased car with lien has it repossessed

A Windsor, Ont. man said a car he bought in a private sale was repossessed from his driveway, because the man he bought it from didn’t pay his car loan.

Barbados recognizes vaccine dose mixing after Ontario couple cancels honeymoon trip

Barbados will officially recognize people with mixed vaccine doses as fully vaccinated after an Ontario couple's story about cancelling their honeymoon trip to the island country got international attention.

Pickup trucks are getting larger, creating hazards for other drivers and pedestrians

Pickup trucks have steadily gotten taller, longer and heavier over the past two decades and research shows they could be a hazard for other drivers and pedestrians.

Toronto house gets flood of offers and sells for $420,000 above asking in 'ridiculous' market

A Toronto townhouse on a busy street that drew multiple offers and sold for $420,000 above asking is a sign there is still plenty of heat left in the city’s red-hot market.

Canadian banks urged to do more to lower fees and credit card interest rates

ACORN Canada held demonstrations in more than a dozen cities across the country on Tuesday, including in Toronto’s financial district, to protest what they call unfair bank fees.

Toronto family out thousands of dollars worth of clothes after dry cleaner never reopens

A Toronto woman says her family is out thousands of dollars worth of clothes after her dry cleaner never reopened alongside the rest of the province.

Ontario woman blindsided by hotel booking fee warns others how to avoid same issue

An Ontario woman says she was blindsided by a big hotel booking fee and is now warning people the simple way to avoid the same issue.

Pat Foran

Pat Foran is an award-winning videojournalist with CTV News Toronto and the host of the station’s popular feature segment “Consumer Alert”.

In this role, Foran has helped consumers recover millions of dollars, exposed scams, warned about unsafe products, and passed on countless money saving tips to the public. The thousands of phone calls, e-mails, and letters he receives prove there is an intense public interest in solid, trustworthy consumer information.

Prior to his role as CTV Toronto’s consumer advocate, Foran worked as a reporter for three different CTV affiliates, beginning in 1986.

Foran is also the author of four national bestselling books on consumer and financial issues. His latest, The Smart, Savvy Young Consumer, is designed to help young Canadians spend and save wisely.

Have a story tip for Pat? Email alert@ctv.ca