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Practice Areas > Consumer Protection
What Is Consumer Protection?
Consumer protection refers to laws that safeguard people against unfair, deceptive, fraudulent, and other unlawful business practices. These protections can apply when companies mislead consumers about products or services, conceal important information, impose unlawful charges, or otherwise violate rights established by law.
California laws, including the Consumers Legal Remedies Act, Unfair Competition Law, and False Advertising Law, address different forms of business misconduct. The available claim and remedy depend on the transaction, the alleged practice, and how it affected the consumer.
Examples of Potential Consumer Protection Violations
- Misleading advertising: Making false or deceptive claims about a product’s features, quality, performance, or benefits.
- Mislabeled products: Using inaccurate descriptions of a product’s ingredients, contents, origin, or other material characteristics.
- Greenwashing: Making misleading or unsupported claims about environmental benefits to influence purchasing decisions.
- Unlawful charges: Adding unauthorized fees or using deceptive billing practices that cause consumers to pay more than they agreed.
- Insurance misconduct: Improperly denying, delaying, or underpaying a covered claim under circumstances that may support a bad faith claim.
How to Recognize a Potential Consumer Rights Problem
If you believe a business misled you or treated you unlawfully, consider these questions:
- Did an advertisement, label, or sales representative make a claim that influenced your purchase?
- Was important information omitted or different from what you were told?
- Were you charged an amount you did not authorize or that was not properly disclosed?
- Did the practice cause you to lose money, pay more, or receive something different from what was represented?
- Do receipts, contracts, screenshots, product packaging, or communications help document what happened?
A disappointing purchase, billing dispute, or denied insurance claim does not automatically establish unlawful conduct. The specific representations, applicable terms, business practices, and evidence of harm all matter.
Can Consumer Protection Claims Become Class Actions?
Sometimes. When the same alleged practice affects many consumers, a class action may provide a way to address shared claims. Class treatment requires court approval and is not appropriate for every dispute. An attorney can evaluate whether your circumstances support an individual claim, a potential class action, or another approach.
Keep relevant purchase records, advertisements, labels, billing statements, and communications. These materials can help an attorney evaluate the alleged conduct and explain potential legal options.
Request a Free Case Review
If you believe a business has violated your consumer rights, contact Matern Law Group to discuss what happened and explore your legal options.
The attorneys at the Matern Law Group have many years of experience protecting consumers from a variety of unfair, deceptive, and predatory practices.
Deceptive trade practice laws aim to prevent false claims, disinformation, and fraudulent tactics that might mislead consumers into purchasing a product or service. California has specific laws prohibiting false advertising and fraudulent practices.
An example of fraud is tampering with an odometer to make a vehicle appear to have fewer miles. Such actions violate the law, and remedies, including compensation for losses and fines related to legal violations, may be available. A consumer protection lawyer knowledgeable in consumer rights laws can assist in seeking compensation and fighting against deceptive practices.
Types of Consumer Protection Claims
Explore the topics below to learn about insurance bad faith, deceptive marketing, greenwashing, mislabeled products, and related consumer concerns.
Bad Faith Insurance
Insurance companies in California must treat policyholders fairly and handle claims honestly. When insurers adopt policies that improperly deny, delay, or underpay claims, they may harm large groups of consumers and face liability for bad faith and unfair business practices. In some cases, these systemic practices can lead to class actions or coordinated litigation on behalf of many affected policyholders.
Deceptive Marketing
California’s consumer protection laws are robust, aiming to safeguard consumers from deceptive marketing practices through a combination of statutory provisions, legal recourse options, and regulatory oversight. Consumers are encouraged to report misleading advertisements and seek legal advice if they believe their rights have been violated.
Greenwashing
“Greenwashing” is the process of conveying a false impression or misleading information about how a company’s products are environmentally sound. Greenwashing involves making an unsubstantiated claim to deceive consumers into believing that a company’s products are environmentally friendly or have a greater positive environmental impact than is true.
Mislabeled Products
In our consumer-goods driven society, we feel that it is important that companies are held responsible for placing defective, or mislabeled goods in the hands of consumers. When dangerous goods do end up being sold to consumers, the manufacturer or seller should be held responsible.