1. Describe the purchase or the service
2. the date and place of the purchase
3. name of the product or the person who provided the service
4. the serial number of the product

-economics class wrote letters of complaint regarding unsatisfactory products or services

-80% received responses within 3 weeks

-43% complied with the requests

-64% of the students were satisfied with the responses

-the manufacturer may be of some help

NON-governmental organizations

-better business bureau

-consumer action panels

-media

-professional organization 

• the process by which the parties in the dispute submit their differences to the judgment of an impartial person or group appointed by mutual consent.

• Federal Trade Commission-advertising, credit, warranties
• FDA-problems with foods, drugs, cosmetics
• CPSC- product safety
• NHTSA-automobile safety
• SEC- investment fraud

The Rule requires that when you advertise merchandise, you must have a reasonable basis for stating or implying that you can ship within a certain time. If you make no shipment statement, you must have a reasonable basis for believing that you can ship within 30 days. That is why direct marketers sometimes call this the "30-day Rule."

If, after taking the customer’s order, you learn that you cannot ship within the time you stated or within 30 days, you must seek the customer’s consent to the delayed shipment. If you cannot obtain the customer’s consent to the delay -- either because it is not a situation in which you are permitted to treat the customer’s silence as consent and the customer has not expressly consented to the delay, or because the customer has expressly refused to consent -- you must, without being asked, promptly refund all the money the customer paid you for the unshipped merchandise.

If you buy something at a store and later change your mind, you may not be able to return the merchandise. But if you buy an item in your home or at a location that is not the seller's permanent place of business, you may have the option. The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC's) Cooling-Off Rule gives you three days to cancel purchases of $25 or more. Under the Cooling-Off Rule, your right to cancel for a full refund extends until midnight of the third business day after the sale.

example: omni membership

-claims and rights of many people are handled by a single hearing

-several consumers bading together

-amout consumer receives is small but the company has to pay out big money

• making a false statement  of a past or existing fact with knowledge of its falsity or with reckless indifference as to its truth with the intent to cause someone to rely on such a a statement and therefore give up property or a right that has value. 

• individuals who are unsure of themselves, are dissatisfied with their lives, or fail to use good judgment. 

Who created the phrase:

Theres a sucker born every minute..

• P.T Barnum
• It is generally taken to mean that there will always be many gullible people in the world.
• Some sources claim the quote is most likely from famous con-man Joseph ("Paper Collar Joe") Bessimer, and other sources say it was actually uttered by David Hannum, spoken in reference to Barnum's part in the Cardiff Giant hoax. Hannum, who was exhibiting the "original" giant and had unsuccessfully sued Barnum for exhibiting a copy and claiming it was the original, was referring to the crowds continuing to pay to see Barnum's exhibit even after both it and the original had been proven to be fakes.

1. contests
2. investments and pyramid schemes
3. charities
4. food and health fraud 
5. medical fraud
6. repair services

Problems:

1. dietary supplements
2. cosmetics
3. inaccurate information

Fee-splitting

one doctor recommends you see another and then they split the fee for the follow up visit

Medical Fraud: 

Conflict of interest

Medical Fraud: 

Denial of Claims

• home computers, 
• auto repair scams
• service contracts

The low-ball is a persuasion and selling technique in which an item or service is offered at a lower price than is actually intended to be charged, after which the price is raised to increase profits.

-free diagnosis and then when they have your computer apart they tell you all this stuff that needs to be fixed so you end up spending a lot. 

Credit Card protection offers

• You are not liable after you are DEAD.  the credit card company pays off your balance. 
• federal regulations are already protecting you from someone stealing your card number

• business''s CAN NOT require a person to disclose their social security number