Earl Ross, a 43-year-old graphic artist, found that out the hard way a couple of years ago after a contractor royally mucked up a hot tub installation at his Owings Mills home. Ross paid the installer almost $8,000 up front to do the job, but when it was completed, Ross said he came home to a spa half-full. "It leaked about 400 gallons of water every day into the foundation of my house," Ross said. "I had to hire someone else to redo the job. The second said the first guy didn't install a pipeline correctly. The seeping water damaged my stairwell and cinder blocks, which I paid a waterproofing company $7,200 to repair. "I also had to pay the second company $8,000 to fix the first guy's mistake," Ross said.

The story goes on to explain why arbitration is now being included in nearly every one-sided contract (ever try to amend a bank account or credit card or employment contract?):

Back in the day, the Federal Arbitration Act was applied only to settle disputes between two businesses. Instead of duking it out in expensive court battles, the two Goliaths would let a seemingly neutral third party judge the quarrel. In 1995, though, the U.S. Supreme Court expanded the act's scope to consumer cases. Soon, banks started adopting the clauses into contracts. In 1999, credit card companies followed suit. By 2001, all long-distance and cellular carriers joined the bandwagon, Bland said. What started off as an admirable concept to avoid a proliferation of lawsuits has morphed into a system that stacks the deck against consumers.

More information is available at the PIRG-backed givemebackmyrights.org.