Consumer Law Essentials

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Cover of Consumer Law

The Consumer Law Wikibook from People's Law School describes some of the most common consumer problems faced by British Columbians and in particular by newcomers to the province. It aims to help you:

• understand the laws that protect you when you buy items or hire someone to provide a service, such as home repairs,
• learn your options when someone owes you money, or you owe someone money, and
• learn how to identify scams and frauds and how to avoid them.

Contents

• Problems with a Purchase
  • How do I start a complaint? · Steps to make a complaint

• Problems with Home Repairs
  • What should I put in a written contract? · Tips about hiring a contractor · Tips about paying for repairs · Disagreements about the repair work

• Someone Owes You Money
  • How do I write a demand letter? · When do I go to court? · Getting legal help from a lawyer

• Problems with Debt
  • Where do I start? · What do I put in my budget? · What can the Credit Counseling Society do to help me?  · How do I contact my creditors and what do I say?  · Debt collectors

• Identity Theft
  • What does identity theft mean? · How do they get the information? · Minimizing risks  · What can you do if your identity is stolen?

• Internet Scams
  • "Free trial" scams · Phishing and smishing · Anti-virus scam · Smartphone app scam · Facebook link-sharing scam · Bogus Internet services · Overpayment scams · Free government money · West African scams

• Loan and Credit Scams
  • Advance fee loan scams · Bogus credit cards · Wipe your credit report clean

• Work Scams
  • Work at home, make huge profits · Mystery shopper scams · Bogus franchises · Pyramid schemes

• Prize, Sales and Relative Scams
  • Prize and contest scams · Door-to-door scams · Relative scams

• Sources of Help for Consumers
  • Options for information and assistance · Consumer Protection BC

• Glossary

About this Wikibook

• About the Consumer Law Wikibook
• Learn more about Clicklaw Wikibooks or visit other wikibooks from People's Law School

About People's Law School

The People's Law School is a non-profit charitable society whose purpose is to provide British Columbians with reliable information about their rights and responsibilities under the law.

Suite 150 - 900 Howe Street

Vancouver, BC V6Z 2M4

Telephone: 604-331-5400

Email: info@publiclegaled.bc.ca

Website: www.publiclegaled.bc.ca

Consumer Law Wikibook © People's Law School is, except for the images, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence.