Unfair business practices encompass fraud,

misrepresentation In common law jurisdictions, a misrepresentation is a false or misleading '' R v Kylsant'' 931/ref> statement of fact made during negotiations by one party to another, the statement then inducing that other party to enter into a contract. The ...

, and oppressive or

unconscionable Unconscionability (sometimes known as unconscionable dealing/conduct in Australia) is a doctrine in contract law that describes terms that are so extremely unjust, or overwhelmingly one-sided in favor of the party who has the superior bargaining ...

acts or practices by

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." Having a business name does not separa ...

, often against consumers, and are prohibited by law in many countries. In the European Union, each member state must regulate unfair business practices in accordance with the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, subject to transitional periods. In the United States, the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...

's Bureau of Consumer Protection works to prevent unfair business practices by: "collecting reports from consumers and conducting investigations, suing companies and people that break the law, developing rules to maintain a fair marketplace, and educating consumers and businesses about their responsibilities." Individual states within the U.S. are also responsible for protecting consumers against unfair practices. The Consumer Protection Act, protects Alberta, Canada consumers from being taken advantage of. Unfair business practices may arise in many areas, including: * Tenancy matters *Matters involving the advertising and sale of products and services to consumers *Matters involving insurance claims and the settlement thereof * Debt collection in cases of

default Default may refer to: Law * Default (law), the failure to do something required by law ** Default (finance), failure to satisfy the terms of a loan obligation or failure to pay back a loan ** Default judgment, a binding judgment in favor of ei ...

In addition to providing for the award of compensatory

damages At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognised at ...

, laws may also provide for the award of punitive damages as well as the payment of the plaintiff's legal fees. At common law, individuals were not entitled to attorney's fees or punitive damages for wrongful acts committed by businesses in most states. Most often, laws prohibiting unfair business practices require consumers to send a demand letter to the business prior to commencing a lawsuit. If the business fails to make a reasonable offer of settlement within a specified period of time, and is subsequently found liable in court, it may be liable for punitive damages and the injured party's reasonable attorney's fees under many statutes. In some instances, the statutes provide for prevailing plaintiffs to recover double or triple the actual damages against non-settling defendants. When statutes prohibiting unfair and deceptive business practices provide for the award of punitive damages and

attorney's fee Attorney's fee is a chiefly United States term for compensation for legal services performed by an attorney ( lawyer or law firm) for a client, in or out of court. It may be an hourly, flat-rate or contingent fee. Recent studies suggest that whe ...

s to injured parties, they provide a powerful incentive for businesses to resolve the claim through the settlement process rather than risk a more costly judgment in court.

See also