What you do — and don't — have to sign

It’s only with a small business that you have any hope of modifying a contract, says Nancy B. Rapoport, a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Boyd School of Law. “The more

remote you are from dealing with an actual human who wrote the contract, the less likely it’s negotiable,” she says. “Apple is not going to negotiate terms and conditions with me. Pat’s Auto

Repairs, maybe.” To challenge liability limits after the fact, you’d have to go to court, where you might have to prove that the other party was guilty of gross negligence or willful

misconduct. Laws vary by state. Give yourself time. A doctor’s office will often send paperwork before your appointment to fill out ahead of time. Use the opportunity to review the terms,

and do the same with other contracts, Rapoport says. If you know you’ll be making a big purchase, such as an automobile, ask for a copy of the contract to review ahead of time or to take

home and look over before signing. Don’t let a service representative rush you into signing a form while packing up. Take a seat and say you need time to review it. “You want to make sure

you understand what you’re signing,” Rapoport says. GET PROMISES IN WRITING If something isn’t written in the contract, it doesn’t exist, Rapoport says. “In fancy contracts, there’s always a

clause that says, ‘This represents the entire agreement between the parties,’  ” she explains. This means all the stuff the salespeople tell you ahead of time is unenforceable unless it’s

in writing. Rapoport recently joined a gym and was told by the sales­person, “You can back out of it within the first 30 days.” But when she looked at the contract, it didn’t say that. This,

she says, is a situation in which you should ask to have specific language added to the contract, noting that a handwritten addition to the paperwork is fine, as long as both parties

initial it. CHECK THAT A CONTRACT REFLECTS YOUR AGREEMENT “If they’ve agreed to charge you $5,000 for roof repair, and you look at the contract and see $7,000, then you should not sign that

contract,” says Ira Rheingold, executive director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA). “I can’t tell you how many times someone said, ‘I bought the car. I thought the

interest rate was going to be 5 percent, and then I got to look at the paperwork and it was 8 percent.’ ” If you’ve received a contract ahead of time with an estimate and later are presented

with the final paperwork, compare the two contracts. “Hold up the pages to each other and make sure the first line and the last line match,” Rapoport says. “If something’s different, at

least you know where to look.” DON’T SIGN WHAT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND If you’re stumped by the language in a document, ask for help, Rapoport says. The people who gave you the contract can’t

give you legal advice, but they can explain what a passage means, she says. If you’re at a doctor’s office, ask the receptionist, who will either have an answer or can refer you to an office

manager or compliance expert for further clarification, says Stephen Curley, a lawyer in Stamford, Connecticut. If there is nobody on-site to answer your questions, tell the office you

don’t feel comfortable signing until staff can track the appropriate person down. BE STINGY WITH INFORMATION If, as part of a contract or disclosure form, you’re asked to provide information

you’d rather not give out — say, your Social Security number, phone number or email address — feel free to challenge or simply ignore that. Unless a contract demands it, you likely have no

legal responsibility to provide info a business or service provider wants. If on the fence, consider asking the business, “Why do you need this?” Rapoport says.