Do you feel ripped off?
To put it mildly, Covid has changed a lot of things in our lives, including how we work, who we can meet, where we can travel and how we shop. This has hit businesses hard. Because of the lengthy quarantine and other restrictions, many companies went into near-total or complete shut down and others had to pivot on a dime to survive, with little notice or expertise. This is the part we do know. What is less certain is what the impact all of these changes, closures and pivots will have on the public.
If you bought something…
As we recently discussed on this blog, every Canadian province has strict consumer laws that touch upon every industry, whether you’re shopping in a store or online. For example, if you bought the latest Xbox online and received a Ybox instead, in non-Covid times, you could easily follow the required steps to cancel and return the order within a set period of time.
But what if that deadline set by law has long lapsed because of Covid-related problems? Canada Post delays. Messenger delays. You were unable to get to a post office or even a mailbox to return it. What if your warranty ran out? The short answer is: We don’t know yet. We do not know whether businesses in situations like these will treat you fairly or they will take the money and run.
If your travel plans were cancelled…
If you were scheduled to take a dream holiday in 2020 and your flight was cancelled due to Covid – with no refund (as of yet), you know exactly what we’re talking about when we say the current situation can be frustrating and unfair. Talks with airlines about refunding your money have been going on for a year-plus now. In the meantime, that is YOUR money in THEIR bank account. And it’s a lot of cash: Air Canada reported in February 2021 that it has $2.3 billion in advance ticket sales last quarter. That is one airline. In one quarter. And quite often, that’s your holiday money, so by having spent your cash on nothing, it may prevent you from booking another trip when restrictions are lifted.
Same goes for money you may have spent on vacations, cars, and hotel rooms – all never used. Airbnb, in some cases, is refusing to return money spent on accommodation booked on its platform, suggesting instead you ask the “host” for your refund. In case you were wondering, Airbnb was recently valued at more than $113,000,000,000.
So what are these industries doing with your money? Your rights are not extinguished by a pandemic. If you paid for something you did not receive, get in touch with us. Our legal professionals know the laws and can explain each step to getting a refund or other compensation owed.
If your wedding or other event never happened…
Just as no one is exactly sure how businesses are going to treat their customers as we return to relative normalcy, we also don’t know how your local merchants and service providers are going to react. If you were planning a wedding or other life celebration in 2019 for the Big Day in 2020, chances are you have outstanding deposits with venues, caterers, planners, and more. Same can be said of a mover you paid in advance. Or a security deposit on a new apartment – or a newly built house or condo. You may have asked for a refund and were told no. Or told to wait. Or perhaps you got no response at all. Here again, contact us. We will assess your situation and put a strategy in place to help, which may include sending demand letters on our letterhead, if needed.
If you own a business…
If you run a business and are stressing over what to do with rent, insurance, leases, contracts, employees, independent contractors, and your ongoing business obligations in general, reach out to us asap. The sooner your business can be assessed, the faster problems can be mitigated. We have affordable plans that are perfect for this kind of situation.
The take-away.
These are unsettling and difficult times for people and businesses. And you may find yourself stuck in a rut of no answers or useless answers from people who have your money – and you want it back. There is no need for you to stress because our lawyers are here to help and we have affordable plans that are suited to your specific needs. If you are a business struggling to cope with the rapidly changing obligations and an inbox full of demands, we have affordable plans for you, too. We are local legal professionals, here to help.
Articles on the LegalShield.ca website are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice or opinion in any manner. Laws mentioned in the articles vary from province to province. Any links to third-party sites in our articles are for general information purposes only and LegalShield is not affiliated with, nor does it endorse, the content of linked sites. It is always advisable to seek legal counsel – and LegalShield can help.
