NCJ Number
79901
Date Published
1979
Length
361 pages
Annotation
This consumer protection manual teaches consumers how to be assertive about their rights in today's marketplace and explains how to identify consumer 'rip-offs' in advertising, auto buying and repair, food shopping, mail order, and other areas.
Abstract
It emphasizes that the average consumer must be shrewd and informed and should compare prices before making a final purchase. If consumers fail to 'do their homework' and are cheated, their financial losses will be their own fault. If consumers are sold defective items, for instance, they should first contact the company or person that sold them the item, ensuring that they have all the facts on hand to argue their case. They should then express firm indignation if their complaint is not acknowledged; write to the president of the company; and, if all else fails, contact groups or persons which might be of assistance, such as the Better Business Bureau, consumer action panels, various trade groups, newspaper action lines, or governmental agencies. The text also explains the various types of advertising fraud that have surfaced recently and ways consumers can use to get fraudulent ads off the television and out of the newspapers. The meaning of the different warranties issued by companies is also explained. Types of supermarket rip-offs are discussed, and advice is given regarding unit pricing, clipping coupons, and various supermarket practices. The text warns against impulse buying when food shopping and suggests that consumers talk with their supermarket manager or a governmental agency, such as the Food and Drug Administration, if fraud is suspected. Ways to avoid restaurant rip-offs, such as the substitution of choice meats for lower grades, are discussed, and types of mail order fraud and ways to combat them are described. Advice is also given on the types of fraud practiced by doctors, lawyers, dentists, bureaucrats, and other professionals; on nefarious credit and finance practices; and on unfair practices in the moving van industry. Appendixes describe how to write an effective complaint letter, list Federal and State consumer offices, list action line broadcasters and journalists, present a State-by-State list of private consumer agencies, and supply an index.