Hiring a Consumer Protection Attorney in Kansas City

Consumer protection laws exist in the United States to guarantee that each consumer's rights are upheld. The laws help to protect people from being taken advantage of. 

According to attorney Ryan Bratcher, they help establish rules for what is and isn’t appropriate. Laws protecting consumers attempt to even the playing field for all parties by preventing business fraud that takes advantage of consumers. 

A consumer rights lawyer typically handles class actions and individual client cases involving debt collection, credit monitoring, lemon laws, and consumer fraud.

What Rights Do Consumers Have?

Consumer rights typically refer to a body of laws that address what manufacturers of goods must do to protect consumers from harm. These laws were created due to numerous court cases, and the outcomes of those cases have influenced them. 

A few states have even codified the rules as "consumer rights" laws, but this practice is not yet widespread. Even these codifications might not cover all of the principles typically thought of as "consumer rights." These laws stand out as the most significant:

• Safety
• The right to information
• Freedom of choice
• The right to pursue compensation
• The right to be heard

The Missouri Merchandising Practices Act

The Missouri Merchandising Practices Act protects consumers who fall victim to fraud and dishonest business practices. The act gives consumers a lot of protection. If any of the following caused you to suffer an economic loss, you might be entitled to compensation through a consumer protection claim:

• Insurance theft
• Auto repair fraud
• Vehicle sales fraud
• Home repair and construction fraud
• Abusive collection practices
• Dishonest business practices

In addition to financial compensation, the court has the discretion to grant punitive damages and attorney fees.

How a Consumer Rights Attorney Can Help You

Consumer rights attorneys take an objective look at the fundamental laws underpinning how people interact in the marketplace. They analyze each party involved and find the motivations behind any legally questionable practices. 

Your consumer rights attorney will assist you at every stage by utilizing various resources related to consumer protection and helping build a case around a specific claim or complaint. If you go to court, you will have a specialist by your side, citing everything from law to activism.

These lawyers may concentrate on helping clients get out of debt through bankruptcy and settlement agreements, protecting them from pushy or abusive debt collectors, and removing errors from their credit reports. They could confront banks, credit card companies, debt collection and repossession firms, dishonest car dealers who have defrauded customers or sold lemons, and more.

The Next Steps of Your Complaint

There are several ways to handle a customer complaint. You can start by contacting the retailer or manufacturer who created the issue. If unsatisfied with the resolution, you can submit a formal complaint to the relevant government agency or consumer organization. Additionally, small claims court is an option.

For any course of action you want to take, employing a lawyer with experience in consumer law is highly recommended.