Consumer Law

Consumer Law is the area of law that seeks to protect the individual consumer (the retail purchasers of goods and services) from inferior, adulterated, hazardous or deceptively advertised products, and deceptive or fraudulent sales or collection practices. It is a broad area of the law that would be employed by someone who has purchased a defective vehicle (lemon law) or other product, someone who falls victim to a scam or illegal advertising, the victim of identity theft, someone who is being pursued by a collection agency for credit card debt or is being threatened with garnishment and more.

The state and federal governments have set forth a number of very powerful laws meant to protect the consumer regarding these issues. The Pennsylvania vehicle Lemon Law is one of the most powerful consumer laws in the country. Its cousin, the federal lemon law, otherwise known as the Magnuson-Moss Federal Warranty Act, applies not only to vehicles but to any product valued at over $25 that exhibits a defect or non-conformity. Both of the referenced laws provide the consumer with great protections that enable them to receive a full refund or free replacement of their defective product, in addition to the recovery of all reasonable attorney fees necessary to pursue a respective claim.

Another very powerful consumer law is the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. This Act sets forth the specific rights of the debtor and further sets forth the acceptable collection practices that the collector may use. It places limitations on how many times a debt collector may contact an individual, what means they may undertake to collect the debt, what information they must have in order to proceed with a claim and further sets forth the rights and potential claims of the debtor in the event that the debt collector violates the Act.

I am well versed in the rights of creditors and debtors, and in many areas of consumer law, based in part in my knowledge of the law and my experience in dealing with hundreds and hundreds of these types of cases. If you have a purchased a defective product, or have a collection agency attempting to collect a debt from you, please contact my office at 412-823-8003 or send an email to Attorney Greg Artim