Page 18: Consumer Rights Blog

  • Blog
A desperate woman behind the wheel
19 Apr, 2024
Daniel Cohen
Data Furnishers’ Mistakes Can Have Deadly Consequences
Personal credit history has become a commodity, and those who profit from it are an inverse pyramid.
985
11 min
Man sees a criminal report on his phone.
19 Apr, 2024
Daniel Cohen
How Credit Reporting Agencies Ruin People's Lives
Like some kind of financial long Covid, when credit reporting agencies and background check companies like On Site LLC don’t fix their mistakes (even after agreeing to and paying a cash settlement) the result is on-going suffering that never ends, like a festering wound.
1005
11 min
A worried Vietnamese man sits on the couch
19 Apr, 2024
Daniel Cohen
Why Vietnamese US Citizens Are Vulnerable to Identity Theft and Background Report Errors
In yet another example of the carelessness of the Credit Reporting Agencies (CRA’s), Vietnamese Americans have an increased risk of reporting errors because they don’t have that many names to go around.
971
3 min
Shipt employees Checkr to screen potential job applicants
23 Oct, 2024
Daniel Cohen
Shipt Uses Checkr For Employee Background Checks
Grocery delivery service Shipt performs employee background checks using Checkr, a background checking company that is well-known to FCRA attorneys like us. Usually it works out OK, but sometimes...
1429
11 min
erroneous background reports from RealPage lead to litigation
19 Apr, 2024
Daniel Cohen
Pushed to the Edge for Profit
Yet another story of an uncaring credit agency ruining someone's life with their inept practices and incompetence, this time it's RealPage
924
11 min
Accurate Background LLC often makes egregious errors in background reports
19 Apr, 2024
Daniel Cohen
The Bellwether of an Ailing Nation
Yet another example of a credit bureau (ACCURATE BACKGROUND LLC , in this case) shamelessly ruining someone's life with their carelessness and indifference
835
11 min
The USPS performs background checks and many potential and current employees
5 Jul, 2024
Daniel Cohen
The USPS Uses GIS For HR, Causing SNAFUs
The United States Postal Service (USPS) uses General Information Services (GIS) technology to perform background checks on new hires, sometimes acting on erroneous information
3781
3 min
the cra circle of sharks
22 Apr, 2024
Daniel Cohen
The CRA Circle of Sharks
This is the (sadly typical) story of one of our clients and her struggles with inaccurate information appearing in background reports from no less than 5 different credit reporting agencies
1035
11 min
military identity theft protection
22 Apr, 2024
Daniel Cohen
People who serve in the military have an increased risk of Identity theft and credit reporting errors
In 2021, service-members, veterans, and military family members reported nearly 50,000 cases of identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
923
4 min
ofac alert on credit report
22 Apr, 2024
Daniel Cohen
False OFAC Alert on Credit Report: How to Solve Error?
If you had the misfortune of being erroneously flagged as a terrorist on your credit report, you need to read this.
934
4 min
whats worse than a plague
17 Mar, 2023
Daniel Cohen
What's Worse Than a Plague?
A letter from our founder, Daniel Cohen
880
11 min
online shopping scams
22 Apr, 2024
Daniel Cohen
Scam Likely: New Study Shows That Older Adults Aren’t the True Victims of Online Shopping Scams
It turns out that younger, supposedly more tech savvy consumers are actually in the majority.
830
11 min
Contact Us
INVESTIGATIVE ENGAGEMENT AGREEMENT

You, (“Client,” “you”), and Consumer Attorneys PLLC (“CA” or “we”), located at 72-47 139th street Flushing, NY 11367 (“CA”) , hereby enter into this limited scope retainer agreement whereby you agree to grant CA the exclusive authority to investigate your potential consumer law claim(s), including but not limited to potential violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”), Equal Credit Opportunity Act (“ECOA”), Electronic Funds Transfer Act “EFTA”), Fair Credit Billing Act (“FCPA”), and/or the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA”) (collectively referenced as “consumer protection statutes”). 1Please read carefully before signing:

Authorization

You authorize CA to investigate your potential consumer law claim(s) under state and federal consumer protection statutes. You authorize CA to contact third parties on your behalf for the limited purpose of investigating your potential consumer law claims. “Third parties” include but are not limited to consumer reporting agencies, creditors, lenders, debt collectors, rental agencies, employers, courts, and law enforcement agencies.

CA’s Exclusive Investigative Period

CA agrees to investigate your potential consumer law claims in good faith. By signing this agreement, you agree to give CA the exclusive right to investigate your potential consumer law claim(s) for the next 180 days (“Exclusive Investigative Period”). For the duration of the Exclusive Investigative Period, you agree that you will not communicate with any other law firm or legal representative about your potential consumer law claim(s). You agree to forgo any previously scheduled consultation or case review until CA’s Exclusive Investigative Period concludes.

Termination of Exclusive Investigation Period

CA agrees that the Exclusive Investigative Period may not extend beyond 180 days without your prior written consent.

At any time between the date of this agreement and the expiration of CA’s Exclusive Investigative Period, CA may inform you of the outcome of its investigation. If CA’s investigation reveals that you have an actional consumer law claim, CA may ask you to sign a formal retainer agreement. If CA’s investigation does not reveal an actionable consumer law claim, you will receive an e-mail that states CA will not represent you in any further pursuit of your potential claim(s).

The relationship between you and CA automatically terminates at 5pm on the 180th day of the Exclusive Investigative Period or your receipt of CA’s written notice to decline representation, whichever comes sooner. At the conclusion of the Exclusive Investigative Period or upon receipt of CA’s written declination of representation, you are permitted to seek alternative legal counsel without penalty.

Nothing in this agreement should be construed as a promise or guarantee that CA will represent you in a consumer lawsuit at any point in time. CA reserves the right to decline to represent you for any reason permitted by relevant laws and ethical rules.

Your Involvement and Promises to us

You agree to meaningfully participate and cooperate in CA’s investigation of your potential consumer law claim(s). You agree to immediately inform CA if your mailing address, e-mail address, or phone number changes at any point during the Exclusive Investigative Period.
You agree to provide all relevant information, communications, documents, materials, and all other similar instruments to CA and its representatives during the Exclusive Investigative Period. You understand that your failure to provide all relevant information, communications, documents, and materials to CA during the Exclusive Investigative Period may hinder, delay or otherwise frustrate CA’s investigation of your potential consumer law claim(s).

You agree, under penalty of perjury, to provide complete, accurate, and truthful information to CA. All documents and communications, oral or written, past or future, provided to CA during the Exclusive Investigative Period and anytime thereafter are presumed by CA to be true, complete, and accurate.

Fees and Costs Incurred During Exclusive Investigative Period

CA agrees that you will not incur any out-of-pocket fees or costs during CA’s Exclusive Investigative Period. However, if CA agrees to represent you in a consumer lawsuit, CA may recover the fees and costs incurred during the Exclusive Investigative Period from the Defendant pursuant to a future settlement or judgment.

You agree that CA has a right to place a lien on any future monetary recovery obtained by client related to the claims identified during CA’s Exclusive Investigative Period or as a result of CA’s investigative efforts. If you refuse to cooperate with CA in the formal pursuit of the consumer law claim(s) it identifies during or after the Exclusive Investigative Period, you agree that CA has the right to recover the fees and costs it incurred while investigating your potential consumer law claim(s).

Authorization to Use Your Electronic Signature

CA will send you any and all documents that require your signature. You authorize CA to affix your electronic signature to requests, disclosures, or other forms that CA deems reasonably necessary to the investigation of your potential consumer law claim(s) upon receipt of your approval or after the 7th day after the document was sent to you, whichever comes first. Your electronic signature will be used on any and all other subsequent documents that will need signature, affirmation, acknowledgment, or any other forms of authentication in reference to this matter under the above referenced procedure.

1You also agree to give CA the exclusive authority to investigate potential violations of state-specific consumer protection statutes.

All Rights Reserved. Without Prejudice. CONSUMER ATTORNEYS

FORM # INV2024CA119

I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy, Investigative Retainer
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