{"id":179,"date":"2018-11-27T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-11-27T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/e-signing-your-rights-away\/"},"modified":"2020-03-21T21:49:49","modified_gmt":"2020-03-21T21:49:49","slug":"e-signing-your-rights-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/e-signing-your-rights-away\/","title":{"rendered":"E-Signing Your Rights Away"},"content":{"rendered":"

In our increasingly paperless society, more and more companies are requiring consumers to sign contracts electronically, called “e-signing.”\u00a0 You may have encountered this yourself.\u00a0 A door-to-door salesperson promises you a deal that sounds almost too good to be true, but only if you sign their electronic tablet on the spot.\u00a0 An online lender guarantees to get you money now, but only after you check the boxes on the website.\u00a0 The convenience seems hard to pass on.\u00a0 You don’t even have to deal with the finicky fine print! Instead, you get what you want, and you can get it now<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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The Pitfall of E-signing<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The problem is – even though there’s no paperwork<\/em> – that fine print is still lurking in the background, and it could potentially come back to haunt you.\u00a0 Little did you know that the tablet you e-signed contained a multiple page contract with fees that the salesperson didn’t mention.\u00a0 Or, unknowingly, you provided access to your credit report. You’ve been duped! And now you’re stuck in a contract that is costing you money as each day goes by, and there’s no end in sight.<\/p>\n

Does the consumer have rights?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

But all is not lost. Depending on the situation, you might be able to get out of the contract.\u00a0 In both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, there are laws requiring that — in certain consumer transactions — you receive a copy of the written contract at the time of signing.\u00a0 For example, the Pennsylvania Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act states that home improvement contracts are not valid unless you get a copy of the entire agreement in writing.\u00a0 The New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act requires that in any sale of merchandise, you be provided a full and accurate copy of the contract documents at the time of signing.\u00a0 There are laws in both states that require “cooling-off periods”, during which you can cancel or “rescind” the contract in its entirety.\u00a0 These contracts must also accurately notify you of your right to cancel.\u00a0 Consumer protection laws in other states give consumers similar rights.<\/p>\n

Can I sue and get my money back?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Here’s the problem. When you signed that iPad or checked that innocent-looking box, you may have unknowingly agreed to give up important consumer rights. In all likelihood, your contract contained an arbitration clause, which means that you’ve given up your constitutional right to a jury trial, your right to appeal, and even your right to a judge.\u00a0 You probably also waived your right to bring a class action.\u00a0 This is significant, because if a company is nickel-and-diming you, it may not be financially feasible for an attorney to take on your case unless you have the ability to bring a class action on behalf of everyone who’s been scammed.\u00a0 But when you unknowingly sign your rights away and “agree” to have your case decided individually in an arbitration proceeding, you may not have any legal recourse.<\/p>\n

How can I protect myself?\u00a0 Steps to Take.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Take your time and do not feel pressured by the salesman.\u00a0 It’s important for you to know all of the terms of the deal before e-signing a contract. Demand that the company provide the contract in writing.\u00a0 Insist that the company remove the arbitration clause from the contract.<\/p>\n

Seek Legal Guidance<\/h2>\n

Flitter Milz, P.C. is a consumer protection law firm that represents consumers who have become victim to fraudulent sales practices. If you’re already “stuck” in a bad contract, contact us<\/a><\/strong> today for a free legal review.<\/p>\n

Toll Free:<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0888-668-1225\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Email:\u00a0<\/strong>consumers@consumerslaw.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In our increasingly paperless society, more and more companies are requiring consumers to sign contracts electronically, called “e-signing.”\u00a0 You may have encountered this yourself.\u00a0 A door-to-door salesperson promises you a deal that sounds almost too good to be true, but only if you sign their electronic tablet on the spot.\u00a0 An online lender guarantees to … <\/p>\n

Continue reading E-Signing Your Rights Away<\/span> →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6,7],"tags":[44,47],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=179"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1578,"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179\/revisions\/1578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.consumerslaw.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}