Consumer Rights in Ontario under the Consumer Protection Act

The Ministry of Consumer Services and Consumer Protection Ontario have helped create this guide for you to know your consumer rights in Ontario for many typical financial transactions.

From gift cards, payday lending, identity theft, collection agencies, home repair, motor vehicle repair, and more the Consumer Protection Act provides you with many basic rights to ensure a safe transaction and offer recourse for common problems.

Your consumer rights in Ontario include:

• a cooling off period for certain contracts including credit repair agreements and loan broker agreements
• a requirement for clear and comprehensible contracts
• timely remedies to return your money after a contract is cancelled
• no obligation to pay for goods you didn’t want
• a written contract required for an agreement when services are performed in the future
• a full disclosure of credit terms including a rate expressed annually
• truthful explanation of all costs associated with the contract
• no false or misleading representations
• a restriction on repossession of goods if you have paid over two-thirds of the contract
• an ability to cancel if the goods aren’t delivered within 30 days
• written estimates and a limitation on what you have to pay if the supplier exceeds that amount
• UPDATE: The Consumer Protection Act, 2002 has been amended by the Putting Consumers First Act in 2017 to provide additional consumer rights in Ontario by prohibiting suppliers from soliciting or entering into unsolicited contracts for prescribed goods and services at consumers’ homes. Contracts that are formed contrary to these provisions would be void, and consumers would be able to keep any goods and services provided without any obligations.

Review the full Consumer Rights in Ontario guide at this free download.