Everyday Law for Consumers

"Your toolkit for prevention, redemption, and occasionally retribution." -Ralph Nader Whenever you purchase goods or services in a personal, household, or family capacity, you are entitled to the rights and remedies of state and federal consumer law. Realistically, only a very small percentage of consumer problems can be addressed by hiring a private attorney. Everyday Law for Consumers teaches practical self-help remedies that ordinary Americans can use to protect their consumer rights. Michael L. Rustad, a nationally known practicing attorney and legal scholar, translates into plain English the legalese that forms the basis for many common transactions, including consumer loans, credit repair, credit, consumer leases, usury, interest rates, Internet transactions, identity theft, distance contracts, home shopping, television advertisements, door-to-door sales, and telephone solicitations. Using real-life examples, sample complaint letters, and an appendix of further examples, this easy-to-read book empowers everyday people to become effective self-advocates in an increasingly consumer-driven society.

Michael L. Rustad

Chapter 1 Introduction; Part 1 Private Consumer Remedies; Chapter 2 Taking Direct Action by Filing a Complaint; Chapter 3 Small Claims Courts; Chapter 4 Choosing and Working with Your Own Lawyer; Chapter 5 Mandatory Arbitration: What You Should Know; Part 2 Common Law's Consumer Protection; Chapter 6 Protecting Your Rights in Consumer Contracts; Chapter 7 Redressing Civil Wrongs: Torts and Defective Products; Part 3 Specific Consumer Protection; Chapter 8 Automobile Sales, Services, and Financing; Chapter 9 Obtaining Credit; Chapter 10 Banking, Credit Cards, and Debit Cards; Chapter 11 Credit Reports and Discrimination in Lending; Chapter 12 Your Debtor's Rights and Remedies; Chapter 13 Protecting Home Sweet Home; Chapter 14 Consumer Protection in Cyberspace and Identity Theft;