Contracts are used in many areas of our lives to define relationships and promises made between parties. As a consumer, when you make a purchase, contract for a service, or agree to a transaction, you are entering into a contractual agreement.
But sometimes, one party to a contract misrepresents itself or its product or doesn’t follow through with its obligations and responsibilities. Pennsylvania has important laws protecting consumers from deceptive practices and businesses that exploit their trust. When a business, service provider, or other entity engages in deceptive practices, they can be found in breach of contract.
You have important consumer rights if you have entered into a transaction with an individual or company that has been deceptive or has not fulfilled its contractual responsibilities. You may have the right to enter into a breach of contract dispute with that party. The experienced Montgomery County consumer lawyers at Saffren & Weinberg can help you take legal action and get the justice you deserve.
Your Rights as a Consumer
When consumers purchase goods or services, they are often confronted with long, complex contracts that can be difficult to understand. In many cases, the consumer has no power to change this contract and must rely on the other party to stand by their responsibilities.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. While most businesses are trustworthy and stand by their legal obligations, others outright ignore the terms of their contract, misrepresent themselves or their services, or make changes without notice. This can leave consumers feeling helpless and without the goods or services, they were promised.
Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law
In Montgomery County, personal consumer transactions are protected under Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, or UTPCPL.
The UTPCPL is a series of specific protections for consumer products and services, including motor vehicles, homes, mortgages, home improvements, insurance policies, and other consumer transactions for personal use. Under this law, consumers who are taken advantage of by a business or other entity can enter into a breach of contract dispute against that party.
The UTPCPL protects consumers against deceptive actions such as
- Passing off goods or services under another company’s name
- Creating a misunderstanding or confusion about an affiliation, connection to, or certification by others
- Using deceptive representations or designations to sell their products or services
- Offering inferior quality goods
- Offering used goods as new
- “Bait and switch” advertising
- Misadvertising goods and services
- Deceptively offering prizes or other referral incentives
- Not complying with the terms of a written guarantee
- Falsely stating that services or repairs are needed
- Making inferior repairs or improvements to real property
- Phone solicitations that are obtuse and deceptive
- Making the consumer sign a contract waiving their legal rights
Furthermore, an included provision called the “catch-all provision” covers any other “fraudulent or deceptive conduct that creates a likelihood of confusion or misunderstanding” during a consumer transaction.
Penalties for a violation of the UTPCPL can include triple the amount of the consumer’s actual damages, plus attorney fees.
If you have been defrauded or deceived by an individual or business in Pennsylvania, the experienced Montgomery County consumer lawyers at Saffren & Weinberg can help you get fairly compensated for this deception by filing a breach of contract action against that party.
Breach of contract dispute in Montgomery County
Going up against a business for unfair and deceptive practices can seem daunting, but with skilled legal counsel on your side, you can level the playing field.
If you have entered into a contract with an individual or company in Pennsylvania and they have misrepresented themselves or not fulfilled their contractual obligations, you have important consumer rights. You may be able to hold that party accountable in a breach of contract dispute in Montgomery County.
At Saffren & Weinberg, our skilled team of Montgomery County consumer lawyers can help you hold that party liable. Call us at (215) 576-0100 or contact us online to schedule a free case evaluation.
Disclosure:
This website is designed to provide only general information. The information presented on this website is not formal legal advice. You should not rely on any general information from any source for making legal decisions. Each legal matter is unique and requires specific attention from a qualified and experienced attorney. Unless a representation agreement has been signed with Saffren & Weinberg, we are not your legal representatives.