False Advertising and Deceptive Sales Practices

How These Disputes Commonly Develop

A consumer sees an advertisement or speaks with a salesperson about a product or service. The business makes representations concerning price, quality, features, performance, duration, limitations, or other terms. The consumer enters the transaction and later receives documents, a product, a service, or billing that may not match what was represented before the sale.

Facts That May Help the Firm Understand the Matter

• The exact advertisement or words used
• Who made the representation
• The date and place of the representation
• The documents signed
• The amount paid
• What product or service was delivered
• How it differed from what was represented
• What the business said when questioned
• Whether a standard advertisement, script, or policy was used
• Whether another proceeding or deadline exists

Types of Conduct the Firm Reviews

• A business said one thing before the transaction and did another afterward
• A price, term, limitation, or material condition was not accurately disclosed
• An advertisement or sales presentation contained a material misrepresentation
• A promised product or service was materially different from what was delivered
• An advertised offer was not honored
• A recurring charge or renewal practice was not clearly disclosed
• A business omitted information material to the transaction
• The same representation or policy may have affected multiple consumers

Information to Preserve

• Exact advertisement or screenshot
• Website address
• Brochure or sales material
• Contract
• Receipt or payment record
• Email and text communications
• Names and roles of salespeople
• Notes of verbal conversations
• Product descriptions
• Photographs
• Any later explanation or proposed resolution