Consumer Protection:

Question: What Ontario consumer protection laws can help me if a corporation sells me a defective product or misleads me about pricing or delivery?

Answer: In Ontario, a paralegal at KLP Paralegal Services can help you understand and act on consumer rights under laws like Consumer Protection Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, c. 30, Schedule A, along with related rules such as Competition Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-34, and the contract and goods rules in Sale of Goods Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. S.1.  Often, protections also come from common law implied warranties that goods must be fit for the intended purpose and meet acceptable quality standards, so you can challenge false claims, defective products, or unfair commercial practices.  If you want practical next steps in plain language, call (416) 570-6378 to discuss your situation and get help preparing the right demand or complaint options.

In the world of commerce, and in particular matters of consumer transactions, the individual person as a purchasing consumer is often at significant disadvantage in business dealings, especially when such business dealings involve large corporations.  To help balance the playing field, so to help ensure that individual consumers receive fairness during business dealings, consumer protection laws were put into place.

Without the protection of consumer protection statutes, consumers would be subjected to the common law and the age old adage of buyer beware or caveat emptor as such is known in Latin) and often referred to within historical legal precedents.

The Law

The law contains many statutes that contain provisions providing protection to consumers including, among various others:

• The Consumer Protection Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, Chapter 30, Schedule A;
• The Competition Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-34; and
• The Sale of Goods Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. S.1.

In addition to the statute laws as above, and despite buyer beware principles, the common law as ruled by judges also contains protections for consumers such as implied warranties requiring that sellers to supply products appropriate for the intended purpose or for the performance of good work.

Common Issues Include: