Consumer Protection:

Question: How do Ontario consumer protection laws help me if a corporation sells me a faulty product?

Answer: In Ontario, consumer protection helps reduce the “buyer beware” risk by setting rules for what businesses must provide and how they must act during transactions. Key laws include Consumer Protection Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, c. 30, Sch. A; Competition Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. C-34; and Sale of Goods Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. S.1, plus common-law protections like implied warranties tied to intended use and acceptable workmanship. If you are dealing with a faulty purchase, save your invoice, product details, warranty info, and communications, then confirm which consumer right or warranty issue fits your situation. Sharda Paralegal can help you understand the general consumer-protection options available in Ontario without sharing confidential details online; call for guidance.

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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: