Consumer Rights

As a consumer, you have certain rights and recourses that you should be aware of. In this article we will cover some of the most commonly encountered problems and show you the best way to handle them.

In today’s world you have the luxury of shopping from the comfort of your own home through the internet, by phone or through the mail. Either way, it’s definitely easier and more convenient than standing in line at the mall! But what happens when you receive your order late? Or worse yet – you don’t receive it at all and then you worry about whats going to happen to your credit history. Well, that’s where your rights come in!

A company must, by law, ship your order within the time stated in their ad. If there is no time posted then the company must ship it within 30 days after receiving your order except if you're applying for credit to pay for your purchase. In which case, the company has 50 days from the date of your order to ship the merchandise. However, if the company can’t ship the merchandise within the time frame then they must give you an “option notice”. This gives you the choice of agreeing to the delay or canceling your order with a full refund.

Now, say you receive a radio in the mail and you didn’t order it? It’s addressed to you and has a bill along with it. According to federal law you can consider it a gift. You can’t be forced to pay for the radio or to return it. In order to avoid repeated bills or errors you may want to send a letter (by certified mail) to the seller that states your intentions. Make sure and keep a copy of the letter as a precaution.

What if you find an error on your credit card statement? Well, in that case you can dispute the charge and withhold the payment on the amount of that charge while it’s in dispute. The error can be anything from a charge for the wrong amount, for something you didn’t charge at all or for an item that was not delivered as agreed. During this time, though, you must still pay any part of the bill that isn’t in dispute in order to keep your consumer credit report in good standing.

You should write your creditor if you dispute a charge. Make sure and include your name, address, account number, and an explanation of the billing error. This letter must reach the creditor within 60 days of the date the bill that contained the error was mailed to you. Then the creditor must acknowledge your complain in writing within 30 days and must resolve the dispute within 90 days of receiving the letter.

You have the right to dispute charges for any unsatisfactory goods or services – if you meet the following guidelines. You must have made the purchase in your home state within 100 miles of your current billing address and the charge must be for more than $50. You must make an effort to resolve the dispute with the seller. Check with a credit report agency in order to make sure there are no mistakes. Look online for a free instant credit report.

If you have problems with exercising any of your consumer rights – contact one of the following:
- Your State Consumer Protection Office
- Your Local Better Business Bureau
- Local Newspapers, TV or Radio Stations
- The Postal Inspector
- The Federal Trade Commission in Washington DC. (note – the FTC doesn’t intervene in individual cases but can help establish a pattern of law violations that may lead to action by the FTC)

-Check with a credit reporting bureau or since the internet provides so many resources look at the 3 bureau credit report site.