Q: What are some consumer protection laws and what do they do?

A: Here are a few:

• Truth-in-lending: This law requires lenders to disclose credit costs and contract provisions.
• Unsolicited credit cards: This law prohibits companies from sending you credit cards you didn’t ask for and imposes a limit on your liability for the unauthorized use of such a card.
• Fair Credit Reporting Act: Under this law, credit reporting agencies must give you access to your credit records, allow you to dispute information contained in the records, and reinvestigate any disputed information at your request.
• F.T.C. Door-To-Door Rule: This regulation allows you 3 days to cancel any contract on credit or any cash sale of $25 or more which takes place away from the seller’s regular place of business (at your home, for example). Under the law, door-to-door sales contracts must include a bold- faced notice of this cancellation right.
• Equal Credit Opportunity Act: This law forbids anyone to refuse to give you credit based on sex, marital status, race, etc.
• The Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act:  This act prohibits sellers from using false or misleading statements. It gives you 3 days to cancel a sale made in your home and requires the seller to notify you of this right. It also requires car dealers to provide specific warranties on the cars they sell. Dealers can avoid these warranties only by having you sign a contract containing a disclaimer of warranties in bold print.
• The Motor Vehicle Retail Installment Sales Act: This law outlines the terms that must be included in a financing agreement for buying a car. It requires that the contract clearly state the amount of the finance charge and other charges you must pay beyond the cash price of the car.

Q: What is the difference between a "full" and a "limited" warranty?

A: Under a full warranty, the dealer or manufacturer gets a reasonable number of chances to fix defects but then must allow you to choose a full refund or a replacement without charge. A full warranty applies to anyone who owns the product during the warranty period. Few companies give full warranties.  You have no refund or replacement rights under "limited" warranties. Most warranties are limited.

Q: Do I have to pay for work done by a repair shop that I didn’t authorize?

A: It depends on what you told the shop when you asked them to do the repairs. Make sure your instructions to the repair shop are clear-—tell them if you don’t want them to do any work without calling you first. Repair shops are required to offer a written estimate for anticipated repairs and the amount charged may not exceed that amount by 10%. If the "estimate" is a fixed amount for a definite repair, the amount charged may not exceed that estimate.

Q: Are warranties important?

A: Yes, they give you the right to have defects fixed at no charge. You should always ask for a copy of the warranty. The dealer must give you a copy.

Q: What if I bought a "lemon"?

A: The New Vehicle Buyer Protection Act allows you to cancel the deal if you bought a defective new passenger car from a dealer and certain other conditions are met. If a defect "substantially impairs" the value of the vehicle, you tell the dealer and give him or her a reasonable number of chances to fix it. Within a reasonable time you must notify the dealer that you are canceling the purchase and must return the vehicle without substantial change to it.

Q: Do I have any protection after the stated warranty period ends?

A: Maybe. There is usually an implied (unwritten) warranty created by law guaranteeing that, for a reasonable time, an item you bought from a dealer will be fit for the purpose for which it was sold. But there are certain requirements on you if you want to enforce an implied warranty. Please see a lawyer.

Q: Do these warranties apply to used items?

A: It depends. If something is sold "as is," and if the "as is" limitation is properly made, there are no warranties. If something is purchased from someone who isn’t a dealer i.e. someone who regularly sells products, there are usually no warranties.

Q: Whom should I contact if I have a consumer question?

A: Contact a lawyer or the Consumer Affairs Division of the Office of the Illinois Attorney General.

CONSUMER HOTLINES Carbondale 800/243-0607 Chicago 800/386-5438 Springfield 800/243-0618

To download the full Becoming a Legal Adult Booklet, please click here.