The author claims that he’s not a rabble-rouser by nature. When asked if he remembered the first time he wrote a letter of complaint that got results, he first replied, “Let me disappoint you by saying I am not a serial complainer, nor am I a coupon clipper. I’m not a person who sends back slightly undercooked steaks at restaurants. I don’t actually like doing any of this stuff.” Nevertheless, he says, “My mother is a wonderful letter-writer and bill payer, and she’s taught me a lot about how important these things are to people. So whenever I am hit with an unfair charge, I feel like it’s my duty to make a stink.”

The first time he remembers complaining was over signing up for a “free” checking account after college and immediately seeing a $10 charge for checks. “I got that charge refunded with a letter,” he recalls. Years later, dealing with an escrow screw-up on a mortgage, “a well-placed phone call got me a $1,500 check.”

Looking out for yourself has limits, though. While everyone knows it’s dumb to agree to a contract you haven’t read, Sullivan admits that he “never” reads the endless User Agreements that pop up whenever you install a new piece of software. “If you did, you wouldn’t be able to use the Internet, or your PC, for that matter. U.S. law is today all about disclosure, and that’s a fatal flaw. First, no one reads EULAs (End-User License Agreements), and they are written to be not read. No reasonable person considers a EULA to be disclosure. Second, you can’t disclose away responsibilities. Imagine this: a tiny note on your front door knocker that said, ‘If you enter, my decrepit floor may collapse under you and you may break your neck. You assume all responsibility.’ You can’t get away with that, and neither should corporate America.”

Until the government starts writing laws that protect citizens more than corporations (let’s not hold our breath), Sullivan will keep picking battles in the consumer trenches. Although his blog began with a focus on computer glitches and cybercrime, his first posts about credit issues and sneaky ATM fees elicited such an onslaught of reader mail that he may never run out of material. “The blogs tend to write themselves,” he says. If only the headaches solved themselves as well.

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