Michael Hiltzik: Businesses have been ripping off consumers for 50 years. Here's how we can strike back

Raise your hand if something like this has happened to you:

— You booked a hotel room, and discovered when you checked in — or checked out — that the hotel added an undisclosed daily "resort fee" to your bill, for services you never would or did use.

— You spent hours on the phone to resolve a billing dispute or complain about a damaged product, and finally gave up.

— You were part of a class-action settlement over a defective product or crooked business scheme, only to discover that you were entitled to only a few bucks and had to file a form to receive even that much.

— Your personal information was stolen by hackers from a business where you're a customer, or even a business you didn't have direct dealings with, exposing you to identity theft.

— You bought a bag of potato chips or box of cereal, and discovered that two-thirds of it was air.

— You were