Self-help information through various links, documents, publications, etc. Check the Community Directory Channel for more resources.
There are 54 resources
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Cars
Automobile Warranties
(Separate Website)
Lawline FAQ: There are two types of warranties that may come with the purchase of both new and used cars: express warranties and implied warranties. Be sure you know your rights under express and implied warranties, as well as extended warranties and service contracts.
By: South Carolina Bar Association
Automobiles - Lemon Law
(Separate Website)
By: SC Department of Consumer Affairs
Dealing with Automobile Dealerships
(Separate Website)
Lawline FAQ: Nearly everyone has had an unpleasant experience in buying or maintaining an automobile or knows someone who has. Also, nearly everyone knows of cars that have given years and years of trouble-free service. To protect your legal rights and ensure that your purchase will meet your needs and provide minimal aggravation, you need to take certain steps both before and after the purchase.
By: South Carolina Bar Association
Lemon Law FAQs
(Separate Website)
By: SC Department of Consumer Affairs
Lemon Laws
(Separate Website)
Lawline FAQ: South Carolina has a lemon law. This law protects consumers who purchase or lease a new car on or after October 3, 1989, if the new car turns out to be defective. Find out the three conditions a car must meet to be considered a lemon, and what you can do if your car is a lemon.
By: South Carolina Bar Association
Have a Complaint Regarding a Business?
(Separate Website)
How to file a complaint if you have a problem with a business. Also lists the local Better Business Bureau offices.
By: Better Business Bureau
Licensee Look-up
(Separate Website)
Choose a profession from the list to look up information on licensees in that area.
By: SC Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation
Professional and Occupational Licensing Boards - List of Boards
(Separate Website)
By: SC Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation
The Savvy Consumer's Guide - Beware of Unlicensed Health Plans
(Separate Website)
PDF document (may load slowly).
By: SC Department of Consumer Affairs
Abusive Lending Website of the Federal Trade Commission
(Separate Website)
This web site contains documents relating to: (1) home equity loans, home equity credit lines and common home equity scams, (2) high rate, high fee mortgages, (3) reverse mortgages, (4) payday loans, and (5) mortgage discrimination. You may view the documents on-line and print them out or print them in PDF format.
By: Federal Trade Commission
Advance-fee Loan Scams
(Separate Website)
Advance-fee loan sharks are preying on unwary consumers, taking their money for the promise of a loan or credit, and leaving them in hot water. The scam artists often impersonate legitimate lenders to entice consumers into falling for their bogus offer.
By: Federal Trade Commission
Definitions and Terms used in the South Carolina High Cost Mortgage and Consumer Home Act of 2003
(Separate Website)
Slide presentation. PDF document (may load slowly).
By: South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center
Don't Pay to Borrow Your Own Money: The Risks and Costs of Tax Refund Anticipation Loans
(Separate Website)
How would you like to pay a super-high price to borrow money that already belongs to you? Sounds ridiculous, right? But that's pretty much what happens to many folks at tax time. You may be tempted by tax-time advertisements for "Fast Cash Refunds," "Express Money" or "Instant Refunds." Beware! Many of these "fast refunds" are really LOANS, refund anticipation loans, with extremely high interest rates!
By: National Consumer Law Center
Easy Credit? Not So Fast. The Truth About Advance Fee Loan Scams
(Separate Website)
The vast majority of lenders are owned and managed by legitimate professionals. But fraudulent loan brokers and other individuals misrepresenting the availability of credit and credit terms definitely are in business. One of their favorite strategies is the "advance-fee" loan. That's when they guarantee you'll get a loan or other type of credit - but you must pay before you apply.
By: Federal Trade Commission
Helping Elderly Homeowners Victimized by Predatory Mortgage Loans
(Separate Website)
Equity-rich, cash poor elderly homeowners are an attractive target for unscrupulous mortgage lenders. Many elderly homeowners are on fixed or limited incomes, yet need access to credit to pay for home repairs, medical care, property or municipal taxes, and other expenses. The equity they have amassed in their home may be their primary or only financial asset. Predatory lenders seek to capitalize on elders' need for cash by offering "easy" credit and loans packed with high interest rates, excessive fees and costs, credit insurance, balloon payments and other outrageous terms.
By: National Consumer Law Center
Overview of Predatory Lending Law
(Separate Website)
Report on current laws regarding predatory mortgage lending. PDF document (may load slowly).
By: South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center
SC High Cost Mortgage and Consumer Home Act of 2003
(Separate Website)
Report on high cost mortgage loans and laws protecting consumers, presented in a slideshow format. PDF document (may load slowly).
By: South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center
Consumer Law: Legal Issues on the Internet
(Separate Website)
The Internet has become ubiquitous in American life. It raises number of consumer-protection issues that can be addressed here.
By: American Bar Association
Donating to Public Safety Fund-Raisers
(Separate Website)
As a businessperson, you may want to contribute to law enforcement or public safety groups in your community or buy advertising in publications that seem to be sponsored by nonprofit organizations. While you give back to the community that supports your business, be sure to apply the same savvy you use to make your business decisions when you consider your response to a fund-raising appeal.
By: Federal Trade Commission
E-consumer.com: Your site for cross-border e-commerce complaints
(Separate Website)
On April 24, 2001, responding to the challenges of multinational Internet fraud, and working to enhance consumer protection and consumer confidence in e-commerce, thirteen countries unveiled econsumer.gov, a joint effort to gather and share cross-border e-commerce complaints
By: Federal Trade Commission
Adobe Acrobat Reader required. (If you are using a screen reader that does not support PDF format, copy the PDF link, and use the Access Adobe online form to convert this file to HMTL text.)
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Information Not Legal Advice. This web site has been prepared for general information purposes only. The information on this web site is not legal advice. Legal advice is dependent upon the specific circumstances of each situation. Also, the law may vary from State to State, so that some information in this web site may not be correct for your jurisdiction. Finally, the information contained in this web site is not guaranteed to be up to date. Therefore, the information contained in this web site cannot replace the advice of competent legal counsel licensed in your state.
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Any listing of an attorney does not constitute a recommendation of the attorney. Before hiring any attorney, you should investigate the attorney's reputation and qualifications.
Links. This web site contains links to other resources on the Internet. Those links are provided as citations and aids to help you identify and locate other Internet resources that may be of interest, and are not intended to state or imply that we sponsor or are affiliated or associated with the persons or entities who created such site, nor are the links intended to state or imply that we are legally authorized to use any trade name, registered trademark, logo, legal or official seal, or copyrighted symbol that may be reflected in the links.
E-mail. Viewing this Web site , or transmitting an e-mail message through this Web site, does not create an attorney-client relationship. Sending e-mail to an attorney mentioned in this site does NOT create an attorney-client relationship between you and the attorney. Unless you are already a client of the attorney, your e-mail may NOT be protected by the attorney-client privilege. Moreover, unless it is encrypted, e-mail can be intercepted by persons other than the recipient. Deadlines are extremely important in most legal matters. You may lose important legal rights if you do not hire an attorney immediately to advise you. Many people do not check their e-mail daily, and some attorneys do not respond to unsolicited e-mail from non-clients.
(Separate Website)
