Better Business Bureau
Many consumers don’t know what laws are in place to protect them. State laws all vary somewhat, so you should probably find your state’s attorney general’s office or the office in the state of the merchant you are having problems with. These agencies will tell you if the store you are complaining about has broken any laws and if they have, the attorney general will set them straight. Sometimes there are fines, other times the retailer must correct his practices. If your efforts with the BBB have produced no results, try the office of the attorney general. More teeth. Because it is a state agency, it might take more time for them to get things done, but they are effective. Findlaw.com has a list of all state agencies from A-Z. They also can give you info on a lot of legal issues that apply to consumers today.
Following is an example of Wyoming law that defines unlawful practices;
40-12-105. Unlawful practices.
(a) A person engages in a deceptive trade practice unlawful under this act when, in the course of his business and in connection with a consumer transaction, he knowingly:
( i ) Represents that merchandise has a source, origin, sponsorship, approval, accessories or uses it does not have;
( ii ) Represents that he has a sponsorship, approval or affiliation he does not have;
( iii ) Represents that merchandise is of a particular standard, grade, style or model, if it is not;
( iv ) Represents that merchandise is available to the consumer for a reason that does not exist;
(v) Represents that merchandise has been supplied in accordance with a previous representation, if it has not; except that this subsection does not apply to merchandise supplied to the recipient by mistake or merchandise of equal or greater value supplied as a reasonably equivalent substitute for unavailable merchandise previously ordered by the recipient;
( vi ) Represents that replacement or repair is needed, if it is not;
(vii) Makes false or misleading statements of fact concerning the price of merchandise or the reason for, existence of, or amounts of a price reduction;
(viii) Represents that a consumer transaction involves a warranty, a disclaimer of warranties, particular warranty terms, or other rights, remedies or obligations if the representation is false.
This is just a short example of the laws and remedies available to a dissatisfied consumer in the state of Wyoming, I do not know them all, or to whom they may be applied, but they are there so you can find relief from your problems. So, call your state attorney general’s office and get started. Happy Trails
Don't be like this!
Consumer agencies. If you have called a retailer with a product complaint and received no gratification for your efforts, it is now time to play hardball. I would recommend, from this point, that you limit all correspondence with the merchant to emails. That way you have records of everything stated by the merchant. Now is the time for a subtle threat. Let him know that you have avenues for retribution that could make him uncomfortable. Many, less than sterling, retailers do not realize consumer rights exist and certain agencies out there enforce them. Let the store owner be aware that you know your rights and the organizations that will help administer them. Many times this one email should be enough to make a proprietor come around, if not it is time to call in the dogs.
A brief interlude before you call. Realize your complaint must be reasonable and you want a realistic solution. You are not going to get the product for free just because it was flawed. No consumer group will stand behind you on that. I am a retailer and have been for 38 years, so believe me when I say that some of you consumers are just plain deranged. I have a website and work on it frequently. One time I listed the price of a purse at $o.oo. A simple mistake made with no evil intent. A woman called and was furious that I would not sell her the bag for free. I told her no, it was an honest mistake. I corrected the error immediately after she was through shouting at me, but two days later the Better Business Bureau called to investigate her complaint. They understood that no one can expect to receive a free handbag when the merchant had made an honest error and corrected it right away. So, when making a complaint , be fair, or no one will take you seriously.
Now to the consumer agencies that can help you. The first is the Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org/). Call or file through their website, which is very easy. They will call the retailer and mediate on your behalf. If the retailer chooses not to respond or capitulate, the BBB has no legal recourse to make him do so. However, they will give him a poor rating on their report and a smart merchant will not want that to happen because it is totally public on their site.
I like Complaints Board (complaintsboard.com), because it publishes your written complaint in full and allows you to be very explicit in your wording (no four letter words, but ripoff etc. is allowed). Again, the merchant does not like to see this type of negative publicity in print.
Next edition I will mention some more consumer sites, and some government sites that are slower, but put more teeth in their bite. Happy Trails
