Section

Legal & Consumer

Your rights in everyday transactions, disputes and agreements.

No lawyer needed, a filing fee under a hundred dollars in most states, and a decision in weeks. The trade-off is what you can claim.

Federal law limits how, when and how often they can contact you, and requires them to prove the debt on request.

Stores set return policies. Warranty law is different, and it applies whether or not anyone mentions it.

Signatures help but are not required. Clicking agree usually is one. Here is what makes an agreement enforceable.

The first 48 hours decide how much cleanup follows. Freezes and reports come before anything else.

Complaints work better when they land at the agency with jurisdiction. Here is which one handles what.