What Are Unfair Trade Practices?
Let’s say you want to remodel your kitchen. After finding a reputable contractor and discussing the changes you want made, there is a contract drafted and you feel you’ve made the deal of a lifetime – they’re giving you a sweet deal for all of your requests, and it’s an even lower price than you expected. Construction begins, and then unknown charges start appearing on the statements: a need to adjust the height of your cabinetry, an extra charge for rearranging the pipes under your sink, and another charge to install a new garbage disposal. You say to yourself, I didn’t ask for all of this and it wasn’t in the contract. When you approach the contractor, he declares that all of these additional changes are necessary to achieve your dream kitchen.
This is just one example of an unfair trade practice. For the above scenario, the contractor is at fault for not including each additional charge on the original contract that was agreed upon. If he purposely left the surprise charges off the contract, he could be sued for intentionally misleading the customer.
Unfair Trade Practices are slanderous or illegal methods that businesses use to generate more business or eliminate competition. Not only do they upend the balance of fair industry, but they can be downright dangerous to an extent. If you think you might be a victim of an unfair trade practice, take a look at some examples below and consult us at Hammond Law Firm in New Orleans, LA for a more in-depth look at your case.
Types of Unfair Trade Practices
Below are just a few examples of unfair trade practices that are commonly found. What is important to note about these examples is that unfair trade practice applies if the act was intentional towards the victim for profit or personal gain.
Misrepresentation and False Advertising
This act entails a business lying about their product or hiding the facts in order to attract more business, whether it’s misrepresenting their own product or a competitor’s product. For example, if you bought a piece of jewelry from an infomercial that boasted “100% real diamonds” and you find out later that the diamonds are partial or even fake, then you are a victim of false advertising.
Defamation
Defamation is doing harm to someone or a rival business by intentionally damaging their reputation, sometimes by slandering or through degrading propaganda. Let’s say there are two rival diners in a small area, Diner A and Diner B. Diner A starts publishing advertising claims and telling their customers that Diner B does not properly prepare their food and customers could easily get sick there. Diner B’s business goes down as the rumor spreads. When they discover the source of the rumor, they sue Diner A for defamation. Since Diner A was purposely degrading Diner B to generate more business for themselves, they would most likely be charged accordingly.
Boycotting, Coercion and Intimidation
This type of unfair trade practice seems fairly obvious about the harm involved. Think of coercion and intimidation as a school bully who demands money from their classmate or else that classmate will be beaten. An example would be if Business A threatened or blackmailed a Competitor into closing its doors. If the same Business A organized a boycott against Competitor for the sole purpose of reducing the industry competition, Competitor could legally sue Business A for an unfair trade practice.
Again, these are only a few examples of types of unfair trade practices. If you feel you have been mistreated by a business or are unsure if a rival business has performed an unfair trade practice against you, consult us in New Orleans, LA. We will gladly review your case to clarify if an unfair trade practice has occurred and what the next steps should be.
Contact Us for Experienced Legal Advice
If you feel you have been a victim of an unfair trade practice, or are being accused of an unfair trade practice, contact us today at Hammond Law Firm in New Orleans, LA for an in-depth consultation about your case.
With a long history or successful cases, our professional and highly experienced team is ready to tackle your case and define what your legal rights are. Contact us online or call us at (504) 586-3535 today.
