7 Business Battles That Bruised Consumers in 2012

Companies get into fights all the time. They fight with each other in the courts over patents. They make dubious claims about each other in their advertising. They get into labor disputes with their own workers. And they get embroiled in extensive contract negotiations with partners and vendors.

To some extent, these disputes are part and parcel of a healthy, competitive business environment. But when these fights escalate, it's often consumers who are left in the line of fire.

That was certainly the case in 2012, which saw protracted contract negotiations between cables companies and TV networks, labor disputes at major sports leagues, and rising tensions between tech giants. When it comes to business battles that caused pain to customers, here's our list of some of the year's worst.

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Matt Brownell is the consumer and retail reporter for DailyFinance. You can reach him at Matt.Brownell@teamaol.com, and follow him on Twitter at @Brownellorama.