Credit Reports

• AnnualCreditReport.com: To order your credit report for free.

• FTC Article: Access to Your Credit Report

Government Websites

• Ohio Attorney General: File a consumer complaint on-line; consumer sales practices act and lemon law, consumer tips, consumer litigation index. Includes Public Inspection File of consumer law cases, with summaries.

• Consumer.gov: Consumer information from the federal government.

• Federal Trade Commission: Enforces federal anti-trust and consumer protection laws. File a complaint online. FAQs.

• Consumer Product Safety Commission:Recalls and news, report an unsafe product, CPSC publications .

• National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration: Database of consumer complaints for automobiles, file a complaint online, star ratings and crash tests. Also see Safecar.gov

• Recalls.gov

1. Ohio Statutes

Chapter 1345	Consumer Sales Practices Act
RC 1345.21-1345.28	Home Solicitation Sales Act
RC 1345.41-1345.51	Prepaid Entertainment Contract Act
RC 1345.71-1345.76, 1345.78	Lemon Law: Nonconforming new motor vehicles
RC 1345.30	Hearing Aids
RC 1345.81	Replacement Parts for Automobiles
R.C. Chapter 1317	Retail Installment Sales Act
RC Chapter 1331	Monopolies, Anti-Trust
RC Chapter 1351	Rent-to-Own Transactions
RC 1345.02(B)(1); RC 4549.41-4549.51;	Odometer Set Back
RC Chapter 4712	Credit Services Organizations (Entities which offer to repair or improve a consumer's credit, or obtain credit for a consumer)
RC Chapter 4719	Telemarketers
124 HB 386	Predatory Lending
RC 5311.08, 24-27	Condominiums


2. Federal Statutes:

15 USC 1667 et seq	Consumer Leases
15 USC 1666 et seq.	Credit Card Billing
15 USC 1691 et seq	Equal Opportunity Credit Act
15 USC 1681 et seq.	Fair Credit Reporting Act
15 U.S.C. § 1692	Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.	Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act
49 USC 32701-32711	Odometers
15 USC 6101 to 6108	Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act
39 USC 3009	Unordered Merchandise (sent by mail)

3. City Ordinances

City ordinances may also contain consumer protection provisions. Some cities post their ordinances on the internet. See The Cleveland Law Library's Municipal & County Courts. Municipal Codes are also available at the Cleveland Public Library's Public Administration Library.

• Better Business Bureau of Cleveland

• Ohio Consumer's Counsel: Residential Utility Advocate.

• Ohio State Bar: Law You Can Use:
  • FTC Enforces "Consumer Protection" Laws
  • Consumers Should Watch Out for Predatory Contractors
  • Consumers Use Arbitration to Settle Lemon Law Disputes
  • Credit Cards: How Much Do You Know About Them?
  • Digital Signatures: Might You Sign a Contract without Realizing It?
  • After Foreclosure: What You Should Know
  • What You Should Know: Do You Know A Condominium When You See One?

• Ohio State Bar Association Lawfacts Pamphlets: Buying a Home; Ohio’s Credit Laws

• Ohio State Bar Association: The Law and You: Contract Law
• American Bar Association Family Legal Guide: See Chapters on:
  • Home Buying and Selling
  • Home Ownership
  • Contracts and Consumer Law
  • Consumer Credit and Automobiles.

• American Bar Association Guide to Consumer Law
• ABA Guide to Home Ownership
• National Association of Realtors: Legal Field Guides on such issues as fair housing, credit scoring, lead paint, mold, etc.

• NOLO: Consumer Rights
• NOLO: Bankruptcy
• National Consumer Law Center
• Consumer Law Page.Com:Articles arranged by topic; government brochures, links.

• Expert Law - Consumer Law. Articles on various topics such as lemon laws, various scams, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

• Lemon Law Claims.com: Federal law on used car sales.

• Lemon Law America.com

• North American Securities Administrators Association: Investment related complaint center, articles on securities fraud, find state securities regulator.

• National Association of Securities Dealers: Search engine to check a securities broker or dealer's background, investor complaint center, investor alert for common scams.

• Commodity Futures Trading Commission: Consumer advisories, enforcement actions, broker registration and background information.

Books available at local public libraries:

• Ohio Consumer Law. Baldwin's Ohio Handbook Series.
• Consumer Credit and Sales Legal Practices Series. National Consumer Law Center.
• Consumer Law Pleadings on CD-ROM. National Consumer Law Center
• Budnitz, Mark E. Consumer Banking and Payments Law: Credit, Debit, ATM, and Stored Value Cards; Checks and Money Orders; Electronic Transfers and Benefit Payments, with CD-ROM. 1st ed. National Consumer Law Center.
• Klein, Gary. Surviving debt: A Guide for Consumers. 3rd ed.
• Barron, Nancy. Return To Sender: Getting A Refund or Replacement For Your Lemon Car. National Consumer Law Center.

Created on: June 4, 1999 -