New Yorkers deal with misleading advertising, hidden fees, bait-and-switch pricing, subscription dark patterns, and products that do not live up to their promises every day. When a company’s conduct affects consumers broadly, New York General Business Law §§ 349 and 350 may provide a path to hold that business accountable.
What New York law covers
Section 349 addresses deceptive acts and practices in the conduct of business. Section 350 addresses false advertising. These laws are built around the way a reasonable consumer would understand a company’s conduct, not just what the company says it intended.
That can matter when the evidence includes a product label, an online advertisement, a checkout screen, a warranty promise, or a recurring-billing disclosure that tells only part of the story.
Start with the evidence
Save screenshots, receipts, order confirmations, product packaging, advertisements, customer-service messages, warranty terms, and subscription records. Write down when you saw the representation, what you paid, what happened next, and how the company responded. A clean timeline often reveals the connection between the misleading conduct and your loss.
Identify the real defendant
The brand name on a package is not always the legal entity that should receive a demand letter or appear in a complaint. Check your receipt, terms of sale, website disclosures, corporate filings, and customer-service information before naming the defendant.
Know the deadline
New York consumer claims can have time limits, and waiting can make evidence harder to preserve. If you believe you have a claim, organize your records and consider speaking with a licensed New York attorney about your specific situation.
New York Consumer Justice is a practical, educational playbook for mapping the facts to GBL §§ 349 and 350, preparing a demand, drafting a complaint, handling service and discovery, and thinking through enforcement.
Explore the New York Consumer Justice playbook.
Educational content only. This is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.
