Consumer Protection Attorney
Companies and other parties have a legal obligation to their customers when it comes to truthful advertising, protection of their personal information, fair debt collection practices, lawful eviction proceedings, and fair credit reporting. However, consumers should be wary; many small businesses and large corporations alike commit various forms of fraud, either intentionally or unintentionally, that end up harming consumers in the end. If you have fallen prey to deceptive, misleading, or otherwise illegal business dealings, you have the right to sue the party responsible for your damages. Here at Simms Showers LLP, our consumer protection attorneys can help you seek justice for the financial damages that have been caused to you.
Our Areas of Consumer Fraud
Consumer protection encompasses a vast area of the law, from HOA disputes to car manufacturers selling lemons to unknowing buyers. We assist clients along a broad range of these consumer disputes, fraud, and other issues, including the following:
- Identity theft;
- Unfair evictions;
- Credit reporting errors and mixed credit reports;
- Illegal debt collection;
- Robocalls;
- Warranty claims;
- Payday and title loans;
- Credit card billing errors;
- HOA disputes; and
- More.
There are various state and federal laws that protect consumers, and depending on the specific circumstances of your case, one of the following laws may apply to your case:
- The Virginia Consumer Protection Act—The Virginia Consumer Protection Act (VCPA) is designed to create a fair environment for consumers, free of unethical business dealings by prohibiting such acts as false advertising, misrepresenting the origin of goods and services, making false or misleading claims about a product, and more. If the wrongdoing was willful, the Act enables consumers to sue for treble damages. Treble damages can be up to three times the actual damages suffered by the plaintiff. The Act also allows recovery of attorney’s fees.
- Virginia Lemon Law—The Virginia Lemon Law requires that manufacturers refund or replace lemon vehicles (vehicles that have serious defects).
- Debt Harassment—Lenders are required to follow fair debt collection practices, though many disobey the law by repeatedly calling debtors at all hours of the night, hiring debt collection agencies that use threats and coercion, or by continuing to contact you once you have already written to them to stop.
- Fair Credit Reporting—The Fair Credit Reporting Act protects information gathered by consumer reporting agencies. It prohibits these agencies from giving out this sensitive information to parties that do not have a purpose specified in the Act, and creates various legal duties for the consumer reporting agencies, such as investigating disputed information.
Contact Our Leesburg Consumer Protection Attorneys
Consumers have the right to seek financial compensation as a form of justice when a business has taken advantage of them by employing illegal debt collection practices, engaged in false or misleading advertising, or lost their personal information, resulting in identity theft. If you believe that you are the victim of consumer fraud, we encourage you to take action immediately by calling the Leesburg and Loudoun County consumer protection attorneys at Simms Showers LLP today to schedule an appointment.
