Shopping for Products & ServicesYour Rights
Microsites
- Read Up and Reach Out!
[en español]
This website provides information on personal finances, major purchases and investments, consumer rights, and identity theft as well as tips to help organizations include consumer topics in their programs.
- ¡Ojo! Be on the alert against fraud. Stay informed with the FTC
[en español]
Provides tips on how to spot, stop, and avoid fraud.
Facts for Consumers
- All That Glitters... How to Buy Jewelry
[PDF] [en español]
Information to help you get the best quality jewelry for your money, whether you're shopping in a traditional brick and mortar store by catalog or online. 8.5"x11", 4 pages.
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Billed for Merchandise You Never Received? Here's What To Do [PDF]
Explains your rights and steps to take to correct the problem. Includes a sample dispute letter. 8.5"x11", 4 pages, color.
- Check 21: Substitute Checks, Electronic Processing, and What It Means To You [PDF]
Explains how your paper checks can be replaced with copies called "substitute checks" or other electronic items. 8.5"x11", 4 pages.
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Considering a Private Residential Treatment Program for a Troubled Teen? Questions for Parents and Guardians to Ask [PDF]
Have a troubled teen? Think you’ve exhausted intervention alternatives? Considering a private residential treatment program? Questions to ask representatives of programs you may be considering. 8.5"x11", 4 pages
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Cooling Off Rule [PDF]
Explains your three-business-day right to cancel purchases of $25 or more that are made in your home or at a location that is not the seller's permanent place of business. 8.5"x11", 4 pages.
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Costly Coupon Scams [PDF]
Cautions the public about fraudulent promoters who claim consumers can earn big money clipping coupons, or selling "coupon certificate booklets." 8.5"x11", 4 pages.
- Electronic Check Conversion [PDF]
Explains how electronic check conversion works. Offers tips on keeping close tabs on your accounts. 8.5"x11", 4 pages.
- How to Right a Wrong [PDF] [en español]
Explains your rights when it comes to mail and telephone order shopping, unordered merchandise, and door-to-door sales. Also tells you how to write an effective complaint letter, and lists some resources for additional help. 8.5"x11", 4 pages.
- Making Sure the Scanned Price Is Right [PDF]
Advises consumers how to avoid being overcharged for scanning errors. 8.5"x11", 2 pages.
- Ojo! Be On the Alert Against Fraud [PDF] [en español]
- Paying Final Respects: Your Rights When Buying Funeral Goods and Services [PDF]
[en español]
An abbreviated version of "Funerals: A Consumer Guide." Explains the Funeral Rule in brief. 8.5"x11", 6 pages.
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Personal Emergency Response Systems [PDF]
Explains how a PERS works; lists purchasing, renting, and leasing options; offers questions to ask the response center; and includes a shopping checklist. 8.5"x11", 4 pages.
- Prenotification Negative Option Plans
[PDF]
Explains how negative option plans work and your rights under Federal Trade Commission's Negative Option Rule. Lists factors a buyer should consider before subscribing to a plan. 8.5"x11", 4 pages.
- Resolving Consumer Disputes: Mediation and Arbitration
[PDF]
Explains the alternative dispute resolution process for consumers. 8.5"x11", 4 pages.
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Shopping by Phone or Mail [PDF]
Explains the FTC's Mail or Telephone Order Rule and the Fair Credit Billing Act, how to resolve problems with purchases, and how to reduce direct marketing solicitations. 8.5"x11", 4 pages.
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Solving Consumer Problems [PDF]
Simple strategies for resolving a problem you may have with a product or service. 8.5"x11", 4 pages.
- Taking the Scare Out of Auto Repair
[PDF]
Explains how your vehicle works, how to identify common car problems, how to select a good technician, and the kinds of questions to ask. Explains your rights. 4"x9", 20 pages, color.
- The Real Deal: Playing the Buying Game [PDF]
Provides tips and activities for kids on how to spend wisely, shop smart, and separate fantasy from reality. 8.5"x11", 12 pages, color.
- Trial Offers: The Deal is in the Details
[PDF]
[en español]
Explains how conditional trial offers work, and what "No Risks or Obligations" really means. 8.5"x11", 4 pages.
- Unordered Merchandise [PDF]
Offers questions and answers about dealing with unordered merchandise, including demands for payment. 8.5"x11", 2 pages.
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Warranties [PDF]
Explains that federal law requires that warranties be available for you to read before you buy, even when you're shopping by catalog or on the Internet. 8.5"x11", 4 pages.
- Weighing the Evidence in Diet Ads [PDF] [en español]
Helps consumers evaluate claims for weight loss products by outlining several typical false claims. 8.5”x11”, 2 pages.
Consumer Alerts
- 10 Tips for Smart Holiday Shopping Online [PDF][en español]
- Avoiding an Eyesore: What to Know Before You Buy Cosmetic Contacts [PDF] [en español]
- Buying, Giving, and Using Gift Cards [PDF] [en español]
- Consumers Can Tell It to the FTC - Toll-Free [PDF]
- Diversity Visa Lottery: Read the Rules, Avoid the Rip-Offs [PDF] [en español]
- Holiday Shopping: Is a Sale Price Your Best Deal? [PDF]
- How to Be the Class 'Value-dictorian' [PDF] [en español]
- Petal Pushers: Is Your 'Local' Florist Really Long-Distance? [PDF]
- Problems With Online Holiday Purchases? [PDF]
- Taking the 'Bait' Out of Rebates [PDF]
- Television is Going Digital: Get the Picture [PDF] [en español]
- The Eyes Have It - Get Your Prescription [PDF]
- The Keys to Hiring a Reputable Locksmith [PDF]
Promotional Items
- Real Deal Book Cover [PDF]
Promotional item for young consumers. Covers standard size text book. 28"x12", 1 page, color.
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A Rose Is A Rose Is A Ruse Bookmark
Promotional item. Tips to be sure you're using a legitimate local florist when you order your next pot of posies. 2.5"x9", 2-sided, color.
Articles You can reprint these articles in your newsletter, magazine or website.
- Is A Sale Price Your Best Deal? [PDF]
With consumers soon to be blanketed by pre-holiday sales, holiday sales and post-holiday sales, the trick is to make sure the deal you're getting is really the best deal. To help you get the most for you money, the Federal Trade Commission offers these tips.
- Television Is Going Digital: Get The Picture [PDF] [en español]
If you get your programming on an analog television through a rooftop antenna or “rabbit ears,” you will have to take action to keep your TV sets working after February 17, 2009. If you decide to connect your analog TV to a converter box that will get digital reception, you need to know about a special program from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. To learn more, visit www.dtv2009.gov.
- Tips for Buying and Using Gift Cards [PDF]
What to look for when buying and using gift cards, especially the terms and conditions of their use.
