Articles Posted in Consumer

Always be Careful with the Plastic

 The proper use of credit cards is an essential part of financial wellness. People will use their plastic because they do not want to carry around large sums of money and that makes it a personal safety issue. There are times when you will need to use the credit card, and you do need good credit ratings for mortgages and other major purchases. However, you must keep in mind you will spend more with plastic that you would with cash. There are some situations where you should think twice about using the credit card.

Continue reading

A Helping Relationship is formed

Group legal plan vendors are quick to point out all of their benefit options. They attempt to dazzle decision-makers with what the attorneys can do for employees. These people will also bring attention to the favorable comments received. It is all very nice, but what is not said can hide a major problem. Group legal services has to include the opportunity for a plan member to talk directly to an attorney. If it doesn’t the quality suffers.

Continue reading

Getting it May Require Some Help

 Caveat Emptor, “Let the Buyer Beware” is an unwritten law of the marketplace that has been in effect for centuries. It is true that consumers have to be a little bit cautious when they make their purchases and not always trust the advertising. Nevertheless, there are unethical merchants and service providers who don’t seem to understand that the law applies to them. No consumer should be the victim of deliberate bad behavior and there are consumer protection statutes intended to help. The trouble arises in how to follow through with a consumer protection complaint. It sometimes can be complicated for ordinary people and a group legal plan that offers consumer protection advice is giving a good benefit.

Continue reading

Consumers by and large are trusting people. They will believe that a sales associate is not deliberately trying to deceive them when it comes to the purchase of a product. When offered the possibility of purchasing a warranty against future damage, a buyer will many times include that in the final cost. The warranty language is not checked because he or she trusts the store with whom they are dealing. It is unfortunate but there are times when a product is defective and the seller will not honor the warranty. The store will claim there is a clause or phrase that exempts them from fulfilling a promise. A consumer sometimes feels defenseless against the refusal. Access to group legal services is critical to protect an unsuspecting consumer from such a betrayal of trust. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has seen the frustration and anger people feel when a warranty is not honored. Our group legal plan benefit is intended to help a plan member get what is deserved.

Continue reading

A warranty is meant to sweeten the deal. Whenever a consumer goes shopping for major appliances, he or she can expect the sales associate to suggest a warranty as part of the transaction. These provide service and possible replacement if the product becomes defective. It seems to be a very common sense extra, and many people will purchase one. The difficulty arises when the warranty has to be enforced and the company ignores it, stating that the necessary conditions have not been met. Anyone who has a voluntary benefit plan for legal services can get the help needed to have a warranty respected.

The Trouble Is in the Details

Warranty language contains a number of caveats and conditions. These are part of the document to prevent a situation where a buyer arbitrarily invokes the warranty. It is understandable that a company would not want to provide a service without justification, but sometimes the company representative dealing with the issue will refuse to honor a valid warranty. This person may also assume that the buyer does not fully understand the language, making it easier to deny service. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services has a group legal plan that can help. The Personal Legal Protector Plan allows an individual access to a network of attorneys. An experienced lawyer from the area will be there to help the voluntary benefit plan member with any issue that involves a warranty. This legal expert will take a look at the warranty and determine whether or not a plan member has sufficient grounds to have the warranty honored. The Countrywide voluntary benefit plan permits legal communication service. An attorney can send a letter or make telephone calls on behalf of plan member to the issuing company. It ordinarily happens that such communication resolves the difficulty, and the terms of the warranty are enforced.

Merchants who are hesitant to honor a warranty normally change their minds when they discover that the customer has group legal plan protection that includes a veteran attorney.

The Right Use of Finesse

A good lawyer has excellent negotiating skills. Dealing with the merchant is rarely a shouting match, and the lawyer can explain why the warranty has to be legally enforced. A plan member may have a lot of questions, and a Countrywide group legal plan permits unlimited telephone calls to a prospering attorney. Our legal experts provide service with a very sensitive touch. They will explain the full meaning of the warranty patiently, and answer any questions. No voluntary benefit plan member is ever made to feel like he or she is just a case file. Everyone receives superior customer service from any of our attorneys.

Continue reading

It is popularly known as “legalese” and it can read like a riddle wrapped inside a puzzle. The language of the law can be very confusing for the average consumer. So many phrases are in Latin and these are not very easy to understand. It is a reason why many are very hesitant about signing any contract or other legal document. They are very afraid they are signing something that obligates more than expected and leads to litigation. Those who are covered by a group legal plan don’t have to try making sense out of everything all by themselves. There is a translator available in the form of a network attorney.

Making Sense of It All

A major automobile company recently announced the recall of hundreds of thousands of cars. It was the result of defects in the vehicle and it made the evening news nationwide. Large stories like that are newsworthy but they are not the only instance of poor craftsmanship. Regrettably, many consumers are at the mercy of unethical business practices and do not have any means of legal protection.

Consumers Are at Constant Risk

Warranties are offers of service and are ordinarily part of a final sale. The manufacturer or retail company promises that certain services will be performed if and when over a period of time the item proves to be defective. They will include a warranty particularly on durable appliances such as washing machines and also automobiles. Consumers will buy these warranties which are good for several years on a given commodity. The challenge arises when the product proves ineffective but the warranty is declared not applicable.

The manufacturer or store may claim that only in certain unique instances will the warranty be honored. In other words, a warranty purchased in good faith may prove to be worthless. It doesn’t always happen but unethical companies will refuse to honor their warranty; confident that the consumer can’t do much of anything. That smug corporate smile vanishes when it is discovered the consumer has access to legal help. A good group legal plan offers such assistance.

The signs of the holiday shopping season are starting to be seen. Consumers may think it’s a little bit odd, but for retail establishments the Christmas season is where they make the greatest profit. Unfortunately, it is also the time when some purchase problems arise.

The overwhelming majority of retail companies honor all of their warranties. Sadly, there are occasions when there is a defect in a product or service, but the store owner refuses to honor the warranty that was purchased. This individual may cite an obscure clause or unexplained company practice as the reason. A consumer does not have to accept those excuses, and those who happen to be members of a group legal plan designed by Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services have the means to successfully contest this refusal.