Consumer Law

Consumer law is applied to the efforts of the government, public-interest organizations, individuals, and businesses to establish, protect, and enforce the rights of people who buy products such as food, automobiles or services such as health care and insurance. The basic consumer protection rights, are set forth by U.S. President John F. Kennedy in his 1962 message to Congress on consumerism, are as follow: (1) the right to safety; (2) the right to be informed; (3) the right to choose; and (4) the right to be heard.

·        The right to safety: Products offered for sale should not pose undue risk of physical harm to consumers or their families.

·        The right to be informed: Consumers need sufficient information in order to choose wisely among the competing products and services available. To ensure that consumers have the information they need to buy wisely, the federal and many state governments have passed several important laws directing businesses to disclose necessary information.

·        The right to choose: When a market is not competitive, sellers can set the price as high as they wish. To preserve competition in the marketplace, federal consumer laws make it illegal for businesses to monopolize an industry, restrain trade, or fix prices. The FTC and the U.S. Department of Justice share the responsibility for enforcing these laws.

·        The right to be heard: A consumer who has been cheated of his/her consumer protection rights through the purchase of a product or service that does not perform properly has the right to seek a refund, replacement of the product, or other remedy.

Consequences of Consumer Law:

Many consumer problems are caused by incorrect or fraudulent information. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) bears the primary responsibility for making sure that advertising and labeling are not false or misleading, but does not enforce consumer laws. Therefore, sometimes a buyer finds that the manufacturer or seller will not cooperate in resolving the complaint.

What a Consumer Law Lawyer can do for you:

In recent years consumer protection laws have been passed to help dissatisfied consumers. Some consumer laws declared certain deceptive business practices illegal and give consumers the right to sue a business believed to be violating the law. This is where a good consumer protection lawyer comes into play. A consumer lawyer can help you settle any consumer claim successfully and make sure you get compensated monetarily for any pain and suffering.

About Camilo Concha:
Camilo Concha, is the founder of Attorney Search Network, a  Lawyer Referral Service in California certified by the California State Bar and meets all the American Bar Standards as a Lawyer Referral Service. Attorney Search Network has been in business for over 11 years.