Glossary for Consumer Law Essentials

• Consumer: you are a consumer when you buy a product or a service

• Contract: an agreement between two or more people to do something

• Creditor: person who is owed an amount of money

• Debt: an amount of money a person may owe

• Debtor: person who owes money

• Expense: money spent on something

• Goods: something you buy (same as “purchases” and “product”)

• Income: money received by you

• Lien: a legal right that someone has on property because they provided some material or service to the property

• Mediator: a person who is trained to help people solve their problems and reach an agreement

• Small Claims Court: a court that manages claims for amounts of money up to $25,000

• Warranty: a promise made by the company that sells you the item about how long it will last and what it will do

In law, to formally deliver documents to a person in a manner that complies with the rules of court. Service may be ordinary (mailed or delivered to a litigant's address for service), personal (hand-delivered to a person), or substituted (performed in a way other than the rules normally require). See "address for delivery," "ordinary service," "personal service" and "substituted service."

Something which can be owned. See "chattels" and "real property."

In law, something that is relevant or important. A material fact, for example, is a fact relevant to a claim or a defence to a claim. See "claim," "evidence" and "fact."