A Warning to Contractors and a Lesson for Regulators: Enforcement and Penalties Under the Consumer Protection Act

Virtually every regulator engages in some form of consumer protection. Concerns relating to false billing, misleading advertising, and the failure to deliver products and services can be found in nearly every regulatory statute. The vigour with which regulators seek the most serious remedies relating to these consumer protection issues is, however, quite variable. In some cases, the media has criticized regulators for not revoking a registrant’s registration when they have been found guilty of professional misconduct for false or misleading billings.