Consumer Law

Consumer protection laws provide individuals with consumer rights, allowing individuals to defend themselves against merchants with abusive or deceptive business practices. Consumer laws are designed to hold merchants accountable for the goods and services they sell, especially those who would seek to make a profit by taking advantage of a purchaser’s lack of bargaining power or information. While some of the merchant conduct addressed by these laws relates to unfair practices, these laws also address fraudulent practices and unfair competition. If you are having a consumer law problem, contact the Royal Law Office today to learn more about our services. Our phone numbers are 301-275-9973 (in Maryland) or 202-255-6921 (in the District of Columbia). If you are interested in online legal services, please visit our “Contact Us” page and fill out the contact form. Someone from our office will respond via email, or you can chat with us online.

Debt collection is profitable for debt collectors! Know your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and don’t ignore collection attempts. If you are unable to make payments to your creditors, a debt collector may start legal proceedings to sue you for the monies owed (as well as additional fines and fees). Whether you are disputing your case through arbitration proceedings or preparing for court, you need an experienced debt settlement attorney on your side. If no legal action has been taken, you need an experienced negotiator to assist you in obtaining a resolution. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help.

There are laws in place to protect consumers who are shopping for a vehicle. Federal and state laws are designed to penalize automobile dealerships in the event that they take advantage of consumers. Some types of Auto Dealer Fraud include: false advertising; inflating the purchase price, failing to disclose accidents, or flood or fire damage; misrepresenting the quality of a used vehicle, etc. These automobile fraud laws address unfair practices, dealer deception, financing matters and contract issues. If you have purchased a new vehicle that turns out to be defective, you may be covered under local lemon laws.

Credit reports contain an abundance of personal information, this information includes: where you reside; whether you have ever been arrested or sued; how you choose to pay your bills; and whether you have ever filed for bankruptcy. It also includes your payment history. When credit reporting companies decide to sell the information in your credit report to insurers, creditors, employers and/or other businesses, they use this information to evaluate various applications. If there is an error on your credit report, ensuring that it gets corrected is pivotal to your future financial well-being. Know your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The Act promotes accuracy, fairness and privacy in the reporting of consumer credit information.

Consumers should make sure that:

1. All of the information on their credit report is accurate, up-to-date and complete.
2. Someone else is not using his/her name, Social Security number or credit cards to commit identity theft. These thieves can use the information they gather to open new credit card accounts and, when the bills for this new card are not paid, the delinquency ends up on the consumer’s credit report.
3. Obsolete, incorrect and/or unverifiable information is removed after investigation by the credit reporting agency.

Home Improvement Fraud

If you are not a ‘Do It Yourself’ (DIY) kind of person, hiring a professional to complete a home improvement project makes sense; however, finding a proficient, reliable contractor is essential to a smooth, trouble-free remodel. Protect yourself before hiring a contractor by checking licenses, reading reviews and making sure you have a written contract that you understand. Watch out for door-to-door sales, high pressure sales, lack of insurance, and contractors using the licenses of other individuals/businesses. If a home improvement project goes awry, it can be costly. In addition, subpar work, completion delays and legal issues may result.

If you are in the middle of a home improvement gone wrong, we may be able to help. Contact us!