New York State Consumer Protection Laws
- The Lemon Law is one of the New York state consumer protection laws.lemon image by Aleksei Volkhonsky from Fotolia.com
New York state's Consumer Protection Board focuses on educating, protecting and representing consumers. The board has three divisions--one educational, one legal, and one focused on overseeing telecommunications. Consumers in New York with problems or questions about their rights can seek assistance through this organization. Proactively learning about your rights helps you fight problems when they arise. - In July of 2010, New York state reported that the vast majority of consumer complaints received originate from deceptive business practices. Business law in New York allows consumers to take a business to Small Claims Court if they can prove a willful violation of the Deceptive Business Practices statues. Penalties range from $50 to $1,000, with the additional cost of legal representation. Selling a used item as new, or misrepresenting the ingredients or qualities of a product both constitute deceptive business practices.
- Beginning in the mid-1980s, New York State laws require that all banks offer low cost banking accounts to customers. Also called a Lifeline account, you only need $25 to open this account. The bank cannot charge more than $3 as a monthly fee, there are no minimum deposits once opened and the consumer can make up to eight withdrawals monthly without further charges.
- New York State law specifically protects consumers from improper contact or behavior from debt collectors. When collection agencies that break the New York Consumer Protection Act, last amended in March 2010, the Attorney General's Office can prosecute that firm. A collection agency threatening to disclose debt information to a person's employer represents an example of improper behavior.
- New York State regulates the use of Social Security numbers, thereby protecting protect consumer identities. For example, Social Security numbers cannot appear on a child's public grade list or a school identification tag, and employers cannot require transmission of Social Security numbers over the Internet unless secured or encrypted.
- New York State's Lemon Law protects car buyers for 90 days or 4,000 miles. Sellers have an opportunity to correct problems. If said repairs fail after four attempts, or if such efforts keep the vehicle out of service for 30 days out of the 90-day period, the consumer can sue for a refund or replacement.
- New York state has numerous other laws that protect consumers, some of which tie directly to federal governance. These include statues for appliances, charities, employment, advertisements, moving services, retail practices and warranties.
