Legal Advocacy To Give You A Strong Voice

Kansas City Consumer Protection Attorneys Fight For Clients

Proven Advocates Battle To Collect Compensation For Fraud Victims

In a society focused on profits, consumers sometimes suffer at the hands of businesses and large corporations. Consumer protection laws have been established to protect the purchasers of goods and services, but these federal and state regulations can be difficult to understand and enforce. Located in Kansas City, the Barnes Law Firm strives to put consumers on an equal footing with powerful companies by vigorously pursuing relief for victims of predatory, deceptive, and unscrupulous business practices. In cases involving banking, credit, automobiles, real estate and other commercial matters, our experienced attorneys help Missouri and Kansas clients obtain fair remedies from the entities that misled or mistreated them.

Knowledgeable Firm Handles A Full Range Of Consumer Protection Actions

Starting with a free initial consultation, we will outline the options that exist if you’ve been victimized by false advertising, unsafe products or some other problem associated with goods or services that you’ve acquired. Many consumer protection laws address specific industries and misconduct such as:

  • The Truth in Lending Act: This provision gives individuals the ability to see how their credit status and other factors affect the financing they need to purchase homes, vehicles and other expensive items.
  • The Fair Credit Billing Act: Billing errors and unfair practices can create short- and long-term problems for credit-card users. When warranted, we use this law to help clients gain relief and reimbursement for improperly applied charges, interest and penalties.
  • The Fair Credit Reporting Act: Inaccurate information in a credit report could be shared with financial institutions and other businesses. Our firm pursues justice on behalf of people who’ve been hurt by faulty financial reporting.
  • The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act: The Food and Drug Administration has the authority to oversee the safety of food, drugs and cosmetics. If you or a family member has been harmed by one of these items, we’ll advise you on the action you can take.
  • The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act: This act prohibits creditors and the collectors they use from employing abusive or misleading practices in their attempt to collect the debt. It also requires creditors to give debtors the ability to evaluate the information being used against them.

Other areas of consumer protection include protection against unsafe products, medical equipment and mislabeled products. “Lemon laws” also exist to ensure that product warranties are honored and information is disclosed when purchasing motor vehicles. Regardless of the particular circumstances, we will represent you as if representing a member of our family, working hard to get you the legal relief you deserve.

Skillful Lawyers Litigate Missouri Merchandising Practices Act Cases

In addition to the federal regulations that protect consumers, Missouri has its own consumer protection act: the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act (MMPA), passed in 1967. It expands the definition of fraud to “any deception, fraud, false pretense, false promise, misrepresentation, unfair practice or the concealment, suppression, or omission of any material fact in connection with the sale or advertisement of any merchandise in trade or commerce.” Four essential elements must be present to succeed in a claim against a business:

  • It must involve the purchase, advertisement or solicitation of merchandise.
  • The good or service must have been for a personal, family, or household purpose.
  • You must have suffered an ascertainable loss of money or property.
  • The loss was a result of an act committed before, during or after a sale or advertisement that was unlawful.

Aside from allowing class-action lawsuits, the MMPA includes a clause that requires attorney fees in these kinds of cases to be “reasonable” so that consumers are not deterred by high legal costs.

Contact A Proven Kansas City Consumer Protection Lawyer For A Free Consultation

Barnes Law Firm represents consumers who have been harmed by manufacturers and service providers in Missouri and Kansas. To schedule a free consultation at our Kansas City, Missouri, office, please call 816-608-4065 or contact us online.