Unlawful Trade Practices

Consumers can become the victims of bad business practices in any number of ways during the typical purchase of consumer goods and services, such as an automobile. Typical situations include failure to disclose prior damage, misrepresentations about the condition or history of a vehicle, and misrepresentations about the terms of the contracts.

The Oregon legislature passed a comprehensive consumer protection statute known as the Unlawful Trade Practices. That law prohibits businesses from making false or misleading statements when they have reason to know that their statements are false.

Other laws, like the federal Magnuson Moss Warranty Act give consumers additional rights under their warranties for consumer goods, such as automobiles. The federal Truth in Lending law requires lenders or their representatives to disclose the credit terms of a loan in uniform terms so that a consumer can compare the cost of credit from various sources.