Basic Consumer Law in Georgia: Warranties
This document discusses warranties and basic consumer safety and protection laws and answers the following questions: What is a warranty? What is an implied warranty? What is a warranty of merchantability? What is a warranty of fitness? What is a warranty of title? How do you waive an implied warranty? What is an express warranty?
What is the difference between a full warranty and a limited warranty? What to do if a warranty is broken? The document is excerpted from An Introduction to Law in Georgia, Fourth Edition, published by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, 1998 (updated 2004).
By: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
Read this in:
Spanish / Espaņol
Be on the Alert against Fraud
(Separate Website)
The FTC, the nation?s consumer protection agency, works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and provides information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them.
By: Federal Trade Commission
Read this in:
Spanish / Espaņol
Consumer Complaints
(Separate Website)
How and when to file a complaint with the Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs; includes complaint form.
By: Georgia.gov
Consumer Law: Legal Issues on the Internet
(Separate Website)
The Internet has become ubiquitous in American life. It raises number of consumer-protection issues that can be addressed here.
By: American Bar Association
Fast Facts on Consumer Rights
(Separate Website)
Quick tips on your rights in certain consumer issues
By: Barnes Law Group
Predatory Lending
(Separate Website)
Predatory lending is the practice of lenders targeting vulnerable individuals and convincing them to take loans with incredibly high interest rates and other abusive terms.
Sometimes, the victims of predatory lending may have less than perfect credit, so they can?t get a standard loan. In other cases, they may actually be able to get a standard loan but are misled by the lender or broker into believing they can?t. They are often hardworking people with limited incomes. An extra expense or setback, such as an unexpected medical bill or a car accident, may leave them unable to pay their bills. With their back against the wall, they become perfect targets for predatory lenders. Some of the most common forms of predatory lending include payday loans, car title loans, and predatory mortgage lending.
By: Barnes Law Group
Product Liability
(Separate Website)
Too often companies try to increase their profits at the expense of consumers. In the production of consumer products like cars, baby cribs, medications, and exercise equipment, manufacturers often "rush to market" for profits. Product safety is not always a priority. Manufacturers may choose cheaper, less safe designs for their products; may have inadequate quality control measures that allow defective products onto the market; or may fail to provide adequate instructions and warnings for the proper use of the product.
By: Barnes Law Group
Regulating Unfair Sales Practices in Georgia
This document covers the basic laws that protect you from unfair sales practices in Georgia, answering the following questions: How do you protect yourself against unfair or deceptive sales practices? What is the Federal Trade Commission and how is it related to unfair and deceptive sales practices? What is the Georgia Fair Business Practices Act? What are some practices that are considered unfair or deceptive in Georgia? What can you do if you are stung by one of these practices? What happens when you don't buy in stores? What is the Door-to-Door Trade Regulations Rule? What is the "Transient Merchants" law and how does it protect consumers? How do FTC rules and the U.S. Postal Service protect buyers? The document is an excerpt from An Introduction to Law in Georgia, Fourth \ Edition, published by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, 1998 (updated 2004).
By: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
Read this in:
Spanish / Espaņol
Schemes to Cheat the Unwary Homeowner If you are like most homeowners, your house is your most valuable investment. As a homeowner you have to be very careful to protect your investment or you may become the victim of schemes to steal your money, your equity, or even your house. This brochure will help you recognize equity theft and title conversion scams and avoid them.
By: Atlanta Legal Aid Society
Read this in:
Chinese / 中文
,
Vietnamese / Tiếng Việt
Securities and Business Regulation Division
(Separate Website)
The Securities and Business Regulation Division of the Georgia Secretary of State's Office protects Georgians from investment, cemetery and pre-need funeral services/merchandise, charity and telemarketing fraud by registering and regulating:
securities offerings, securities firms, securities salespeople, investment advisors, charities, charitable fundraisers, and cemeteries and pre-need funeral services/merchandise.
By: Georgia Secretary of State
Steps YOU can take to protect yourself as a consumer!
(Separate Website)
10 steps you can take to avoid getting ripped off.
By: Barnes Law Group
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
(Separate Website)
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC) is a nonprofit consumer organization with a two-part mission -- consumer information and consumer advocacy. It was established in 1992 and is based in San Diego, California. It is primarily grant-supported and serves individuals nationwide.
The PRC's goals are to:
Raise consumers' awareness of how technology affects personal privacy.
Empower consumers to take action to control their own personal information by providing practical tips on privacy protection.
Respond to specific privacy-related complaints from consumers, intercede on their behalf, and, when appropriate, refer them to the proper organizations for further assistance.
Document the nature of consumers' complaints and questions about privacy in reports, testimony, and speeches and make them available to policy makers, industry representatives, consumer advocates, and the media.
Advocate for consumers' privacy rights in local, state, and federal public policy proceedings, including legislative testimony, regulatory agency hearings, task forces, and study commissions as well as conferences and workshops.
By: The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
Tort Reform and You the Consumer
(Separate Website)
How tort reform legislation effects you as a consumer
By: Barnes Law Group
Fraud and Deception
Beware of Dishonest Immigrant Consultants
(Separate Website)
Recent immigrants who don't speak English fluently are easy prey for dishonest people who pretend to help them. This brochure, by the National Consumer Law Center helps you protect yourself against dishonest immigrant consultants.
By: National Consumer Law Center
Read this in:
Chinese / 中文
,
Korean / 한국어
,
Russian / Pусский
,
Spanish / Espaņol
,
Vietnamese / Tiếng Việt
Credit Card Catch
(Separate Website)
You might think that as long as you pay your credit card bill on time, your credit card company can?t raise your interest rates without giving you fair warning-guess again. Increasingly common among credit card companies is what?s known as a ?universal default? policy. These policies are often hidden in the fine print of your credit card agreement or may be tucked away as a policy update in one of the many flyers or special offers you receive from the company throughout the year.
It's bad enough that credit card companies aren?t usually up front about their universal default policies, but what makes universal default even worse is that it may have nothing to do with your payment history on your credit card account or any of your other debts.
By: Barnes Law Group
FTC Website - Investments
(Separate Website)
This web site contains information about investments and investment scams to watch out for.
By: Federal Trade Commission
Read this in:
Spanish / Espaņol
National Do Not Call Registry
(Separate Website)
telemarketers cannot call your telephone number if it is in the National Do Not Call Registry. You can register your home and mobile phone numbers for free. Your registration will be effective for five years.
By: Nationall Do Not Call Registry
Read this in:
Spanish / Espaņol
Preventing Unwanted Telemarketing Calls
(Separate Website)
The 1998 Georgia General Assembly enacted the Georgia No Call Law in an effort to ease Georgians' burden of unwanted solicitation calls. The law, which became effective on January 1, 1999, prohibits telemarketers who are selling a product, service or good, from contacting those Georgians who have chosen to have their name and telephone number placed on the No Call List, with some exceptions.
By: Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs
Stop Phone Slamming - Switching of Your Long Distance Phone Service Without Your Knowledge
(Separate Website)
Stop Phone Slamming - Switching of Your Long Distance Phone Service Without Your Knowledge or Consent
By: National Consumer Law Center
Read this in:
Chinese / 中文
,
Korean / 한국어
,
Russian / Pусский
,
Spanish / Espaņol
,
Vietnamese / Tiếng Việt
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Web Site
(Separate Website)
CPSC is an Independent Federal Regulatory Agency. CPSC works to save lives and keep families safe by reducing the risk of injuries and deaths associated with consumer products. We do this by: (1) developing voluntary standards with industry, (2) issuing and enforcing mandatory standards or banning consumer products if no feasible standard would adequately protect the public, (3) obtaining the recall of products or arranging for their repair, (4) conducting research on potential product hazards, (5) informing and educating consumers through the media, state and local governments, private organizations, and by responding to consumer inquiries.
By: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Read this in:
Spanish / Espaņol
What To Do If You've Become The Victim Of Telemarketing Fraud
(Separate Website)
Americans lose an estimated $40 billion each year due to the fraudulent sales of goods and services over the telephone. The elderly are frequently targeted. Studies have shown that fraudulent telemarketers direct anywhere from 56% to nearly 80% of their calls at older consumers. It is often difficult to recover money lost to a telemarketing scam. Even so, there are several practical actions that you can take to minimize losses and avoid future scams.
By: National Consumer Law Center
Truth in Advertising
Advertising - FTC Web Site on Consumer Rights and Business Obligations
(Separate Website)
This web site contains over 100 documents covering consumer rights in connection with product advertising, ways for businesses to stay in compliance with the requirements of the law, and guides and policy statements of the Federal Trade Commission on advertising. The documents may be read and printed from the screen or printed in PDF format.
By: Federal Trade Commission
Georgia Consumer's Guide to Deceptive Advertising
(Separate Website)
Consumers are greatly influenced by countless advertisements urging them to purchase products that they may or may not need or want. While many of these advertisements honestly inform and educate consumers, some are false, deceptive, and even illegal. The impression created by a total advertisement, including visual depictions and headlines, is as important as specific claims contained within the ad. The overall impression may have the capacity to deceive, even though each individual statement may be factually accurate. Advertisers must be able to substantiate all claims or offers made before such claims are advertised, and maintain sufficient records to verify those claims.
By: Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs
Home Page
Intake Workers
