Lemon Law Attorney
Consumer Affairs Unit Toughening Up
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AFTER years of accusations that it was more interested in quieting consumers than in protecting them, the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs appears to be responding more forcefully to complaints about businesses - and about itself. AFTER years of accusations that it was more interested in quieting consumers than in protecting them, the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs appears to be responding more forcefully to complaints about businesses - and about itself. Too often, consumer groups say, the division, created in 1971 to toughen the enforcement of consumer laws, has done little more than what company-sponsored better business bureaus do. It prints brochures warning people of potential frauds and advising them of their rights. But once complaints have been lodged, its actions have largely been limited to mediating disputes or referring people elsewhere. Consumer advocates have focused on auto-repair complaints, the largest single source of consumer grievances. From 1985 through 1987, the agency received 6,157 complaints about auto repairs. But in that period, the division did not press a single case against a repair shop in court. ‘’Obviously the agency is not going to be able to go after every complaint,'’ said Neil J. Fogarty, president of the Consumers League of New Jersey, a private, nonprofit advocacy group. ‘’But we’d like them to make a little noise. We’d like them to show that there’s an activist consumer agency that’s going to go out and sue people.'’ Division officials blamed a shortage of lawyers and investigators. And they point to a flurry of activity since 1988: an auto unit was created, court cases were filed against repair shops and the division won some large settlements. It began filing cases under the 1989 Lemon Law, which allows the buyer of a defective new car that cannot be repaired in a reasonable time to receive a full refund. The Attorney General’s office, which controls the division in the Department of Law and Public Safety, says it intends to make the agency even more aggressive. More : query.nytimes.com |
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