Gouged

A searing exposé of the new tools of corporate profiteering and a field guide to the deceptive tactics companies are using to cheat consumers out of their money—and how we can get ahead of them—from a leading voice in economic policy and executive director of a corporate watchdog think tank

Everywhere you turn, Americans are getting ripped off: Landlords use software to band together and organize artificial rent hikes. Ride-sharing apps spike the price of trips when your phone is about to die. Online ticket sellers hide behind exorbitant processing fees. And car companies install software that reports your driving behavior to insurance companies so that they can raise your premiums. Price gouging is the latest frontier in corporate profiteering—and it’s gutting the American economy and your wallet.

In Gouged, economist and veteran consumer advocate Lindsay Owens takes us inside the corporate boardrooms where pricing decisions are made, uncovering the tricks, traps, and outright fraud corporations use to jack up the price you pay at checkout. From data collection to drone surveillance, modern technology provides companies a staggering arsenal of sophisticated tools to squeeze as much money out of consumers as possible, bringing in record profits as a result. Drawing on original reporting, shareholder meeting transcripts, and rigorous economic analysis, Owens takes aim at big-tech behemoths, airlines, health insurance companies, and more to pull back the curtain on how price gougers are coming for almost every line item in your household budget, from doctors’ visits to rent, groceries, and even your summer vacation.

Gouged arms us with the essential knowledge we need to first recognize, then sidestep the traps that corporations try to conceal from us. In a world where price gouging has become ubiquitous, Gouged is necessary reading for anyone looking to stay an informed consumer, save money rather than surrender it to greedy CEOs, and stand up for fair prices in America.