6 points You Need to know about Consumer Protection & Class Action Rights

As a consumer, you are entitled to be treated fairly and in good faith. If you feel like things aren’t fair, you have dedicated laws and consumer rights that you look into to back you up.

Even after legal campaigns and continuous advertisements, a large number of Consumer protection and Employment attorneys in Los Angeles reports that victims are unaware of their rights and the procedure to fight for their rights. To help you with the same, here are the six common things that you need to know about the Consumer Protection & Class Action Rights.

• What is Consumer Rights Law?

Consumer rights refer to the set of laws that pertains to businesses and organizations offering services and products in order to protect the consumer from any kind of direct or indirect harm.

Consumer rights and consumer protection law provide a way for individuals to fight back against abusive business practices. With these laws in place, sellers of goods and services are held accountable when they seek to profit by taking advantage of a consumer’s lack of information or bargaining power. They are enforced by government agencies, offices of attorneys general, and through individual and class action lawsuits filed by victims.

• What are the common Consumer Right?

Although there are a large number of laws and regulations governing consumer rights, few basic amongst them include:

• Right to Safety: This ensures that the products purchased by the customers are safe to use and operate.
• Right to be Informed: In order to make the correct decision while purchasing different products, customers should be provided with the right and transparent information.
• Right to Choose: As a consumer, you have the right to choose from different options in terms of price, quality, and service of different products.
• Right to be Heard: In case of anything goes wrong, consumers have the right to be heard by the concerned government or regulatory persons.
• What Is Consumer Class Action?

When an individual or group of individuals file a lawsuit in the state or federal court on behalf of a larger group who are dealing with similar concerns or have suffered similar losses, it is referred to as Consumer Class Action. In simple terms, it is a civil lawsuit dealing with consumer rights.

• When can I seek legal help?

If you or your acquaintances have been damaged by any sort of unfair business practices, defective products, an incorrect prescription for drugs, false advertising, or any other instances of the act that violates consumer’s rights, you can seek legal help.

As per the Class Action attorneys in Los Angeles, the type of cases that qualifies for consumer class actions include:

• Deceptive trade practices
• Deceptive and false advertising
• Defective and dangerous products
• Breach of contract
• Deceptive warranties and promises
• Unfair debt collection practices
• Mortgage fraud
• Automobile dealer fraud
• Unfair business practices

These are just the common and most widely reported issues. There can be various other cases that may come under consumer rights violation.

• How Class Action Claims Work

Unlike the basic consumer right lawsuit, consumer class action proceeds through the following steps:

• Determining whether a class action can be filed or not.
• Filing a lawsuit with proper drafting and highlighting the concerns.
• Certifying the Class through the process of class certification.
• Discovery and investigation of the lawsuit to prove the claims made.
• Settlements and trials to resolve the claim.
• Notifying the class members informing them about the judgment and describing the underlying facts alleged in the lawsuit.
• How to deal with the Settlements?

When your case moves towards resolution, you may be presented with settlement options with terms of the agreement. Depending on your preferences and whether you agree to all the terms mentioned, you can either ‘opt-in’ or ‘opt-out’ of the settlement.

These were some of the basic things that one should know regarding consumer protection and class action rights. If you believe that your rights have been compromised,  look for expert consumer protection and class action attorney to help you with the legal aspects.