Business chapter 4:
Local or state consumer protection agencies, state attorneys general, small claims court, BBB, trade associations, and local bar associations
What are dispute resolution sources
Return to place, contact headquarters, consumer agency assistance, dispute resolution, government agencies
What are five methods of resolving consumer complaints?
before you shop, weighing alternatives, making the purchase, after the purchase
What are four research based approaches to buying goods and services?
Unwritten guarantee from the manufacturer that states the conditions under which the product can be returned, replaces, or repaired
What are implied warranties
Quality, brand names, prices
What are some economic factors that influence the decision to buy an item.
Values, money, and time
What are some personal factors that influence the decision to buy an item.
Dispute resolution
What offers ways to settle disagreements about a product
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Who sets regulations on food, drugs, chemicals, cosmetics, and household and medical devices
Small claims court
a court that deals with legal disputes that involve amounts below a certain limit
Rebate
a partial refund of the original price of the product
Down payment
a portion of the total cost of an item that must be paid at the time of purchase
No
Are merchants obligated to respond to complaints?
Yellow pages or calling the local branch of the American Bar Association
How can lawyers be obtained
Millions
How many people are victims to fraud per year
Government agencies
Local, state, and federal agencies that handle complaints from false advertising to illegal business activity
service contract
Separately purchased agreement by the manufacturers distributor
Calm, polite, submit evidence with receipts, contracts, photographs, or witnesses to support your claim
How do you present your case in a small claim court
Limited, implied, extended, full, and express
What are the types of warranties
Free phones prices, travel packages, work-at-home schemes, and investment opportunities
What do phone and mail scams offer
Better Business Bureau
What is the consumer agency sponsored by local businesses in each area
Open dating
A labeling method that indicates the freshness, or shelf life, of a perishable product
Check the consumers resource handbook of the item, check local library, company website, dial info number, toll-free labeling
How do you find the phone number to a headquarters
Tons of billions of dollars
How much money has been lost in fraud
You do not need juries or lawyers so cost is low. The judges decision is final. The process can take a few weeks.
What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of taking a consumer dispute to small claims court?
Lifestyle and culture
What are some social factors that influence the decision to buy an item.
Defective, poor quality, unexpected cost, deceptive pricing, unsatisfactory repair service, and fraud
What are some typical consumer complaints?
Check your needs, gather info, check the market place
What are the phases before you shop
Negotiate the price, decide on credit or cash, know the real price
What are the phases of making the purchase
Identify what's important, compare prices & products
What are the phases of weighing alternatives
Names of people you talk to, dates of attempted repair, copies of letters written, and fees you may have to pay
What do you need to keep during the process
Name & addressed the distributors & manufactures, net weight, content info, nutritional value, # of calories per serving
What must labels include
Class-action suit
a legal action on behalf of all the people who have suffered the same injustice
Legal aid society
a network of community law offices that provide free or low-cost legal assistance
Cooperative
a nonprofit organization owned and operated by its members for the purpose of saving money on the purchase of goods and services
Arbitration
a process whereby a conflict between a customer and a business is resolved by an impartial third party whose decision is legally binding
Warranty
a written guarantee from the manufacturer or distributor that states the conditions under which the product can be returned, replaced, or repaired
Fraud
dishonest business practices that are meant to deceive, trick, or gain an unfair advantage
Impulse buying
purchasing items on the spur of the moment
Mediation
the attempt by a neutral third party to resolve a conflict between a customer and a business through discussion and negotiation
Unit pricing
the use of a standard unit of measurement to compare the prices of packages that are different sizes
