Consumer Protection – C. 93A
Massachusetts Provides Robust Protections to Consumers
Regan Strom is among the most prominent practitioners and advocates for consumers in Massachusetts. We have experience litigating for individuals and class actions to recover on behalf of those who have been unfairly defrauded or taken advantage of when conducting business in the Commonwealth.
Consumers and businesses who purchase goods and services in Massachusetts deserve an equal and fair playing field. However, unscrupulous practices have become far too common.
You may have been a victim of an unfair or deceptive trade practice. Any action by a business that has the tendency to confuse or deceive a purchaser of goods or services may be in violation of the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act.
Consumer protection violations can take the following forms:
- False or deceptive advertising
- Overcharging consumers for goods and services
- Home improvement contractors abandoning projects and/or taking full deposits before starting work
- Fraud and financial schemes
- Insurance companies refusing to pay claims without good faith justification
- Unauthorized credit card charges
- Unfair or illegal debt collection
- Hidden or illegal fees
- Unwanted or illegal robocalls, telemarketing, and spam
- Product safety and warranty issues
- Landlord/tenant issues: security deposit violations; illegal lease provisions and/or fees
- Data/security claims
About Chapter 93A
Fortunately, Massachusetts provides some of the most robust protections to consumers out of any state in the country. Massachusetts’ consumer protection statute, Chapter 93A, protects consumers from dishonest and unscrupulous trade practices by allowing a consumer who has been aggrieved to pursue up to triple damages and attorney fees from a defendant who violates the law. This law applies to consumers who have been victimized by a fraud, false advertising, bait-and-switch tactics, hidden or illegal fees, or other deceptive business practice.
These protections apply to both individual consumers and businesses subjected to unfair or deceptive practices in business-to-business transactions.
Our Notable Consumer Protection Cases
When you need an advocate to fight for your rights, you need smart, aggressive legal representation. Our attorneys have handled some of the largest, most sophisticated consumer protection cases in Massachusetts, ranging from false advertising schemes to claims for bad faith insurance settlement practices (governed by M.G.L. 176D).
For example, we have prosecuted a series of class actions against heating oil companies in the Commonwealth who are diluting their oil without disclosing the fuel’s actual contents or the risks it poses to customers’ heating equipment. We’ve also taken on insurance companies attempting to deny that they’re responsible for the property damage caused by the diluted fuel.
Our work on these cases has been featured across the state in the Boston Globe and other publications:
“Worcester Fuel Dealer Faces Class-Action Suit Over Home Heating Oil Mixture,” Boston Globe
“Worcester-Based Peterson Oil Under New Scrutiny from Attorney General,” Boston Globe
“Customers’ Class Action Suit Against Peterson Oil Certified by Superior Court – Company Attorney Denies Allegations, Plans to Appeal,” Telegram & Gazette
“Peterson Oil to Face Class Action Lawsuit for Allegedly Selling Bad Oil Mix,” Worcester Business Journal
“Mass. Residents Say Insurers Must Cover $35M Fuel Damage” Law360
If you feel you or someone you know has been the victim of an unfair or deceptive trade practice in Massachusetts, contact us for a free, confidential consultation. We’ll be happy to assist you.
