Consumer Protection in Vermont

The Vermont Consumer Fraud Act (9 V.S.A. Chapter 63) prohibits businesses from using unfair or deceptive acts or practices in commerce. This covers false advertising, hidden fees, bait-and-switch tactics, and misleading claims about a product's quality or origin. A practice can be unlawful even if no individual consumer was actually harmed — the law only requires that the conduct had the capacity to mislead an ordinary person. Both the Vermont Attorney General and individual consumers can enforce the law.

Yes. Vermont's home solicitation sales law (9 V.S.A. § 2454) gives you three business days to cancel any purchase of $25 or more made somewhere other than the seller's regular place of business — such as your home, a hotel event, or a fair. The seller must give you a written cancellation notice at the time of sale. If the seller does not provide that notice, your right to cancel may extend beyond the three-day window and the seller must return all payments within 10 days.

The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act prohibits debt collectors from calling before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., using abusive or threatening language, making false statements, or contacting your employer without permission. You can send a written request demanding that the collector stop contacting you; once received, they may only contact you to confirm they will stop or to notify you of a specific legal action. Report violations to the Vermont Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. You generally have one year from the date of the violation to file a federal lawsuit.

Vermont's Lemon Law (9 V.S.A. Chapter 115) covers new vehicles. Your car may qualify if the same defect has been repaired at least three times under warranty and the problem persists, or if your vehicle was out of service for 30 or more cumulative calendar days due to warranty repairs. If your car qualifies, you are entitled to either a full refund of the purchase price or a comparable replacement vehicle. You must begin arbitration with the Vermont Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board within one year after your express warranty expires.

The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to dispute inaccurate information with any credit bureau at any time; the bureau must investigate within 30 days. Vermont law (9 V.S.A. § 2480h) also gives you the right to place a free security freeze on your credit file with each major credit bureau, blocking new accounts from being opened in your name. Credit bureaus must lift a freeze within three business days of your request. You can report violations to the Vermont Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Under 9 V.S.A. § 2461(b), you can recover your actual damages — or the full amount you paid — plus reasonable attorney's fees. A court can also award exemplary (punitive) damages of up to three times the amount you paid if the business's conduct warrants it. Vermont law makes any contract language that tries to eliminate these rights automatically unenforceable. Attorney's fees are recoverable even if your damages are small, which makes it practical to hire a lawyer for legitimate consumer fraud claims.

Vermont law (9 V.S.A. § 2454a) requires businesses to clearly and conspicuously disclose automatic renewal terms before a consumer agrees to a contract. If a company fails to make this disclosure, the automatic renewal provision may be unenforceable and you may be entitled to a refund of charges you did not knowingly authorize. You can report the conduct to the Vermont Attorney General's Consumer Assistance Program, which can mediate and, where warranted, refer the matter for enforcement.