New York State Consumer Laws
- New York State has a variety of automobile legislation designed to protect consumers.Headlight on an old car image by Scott Griessel from Fotolia.com
Consumers in New York are protected by a number of laws and acts that regulate how businesses and individual traders operate. The state's officially sanctioned consumer watchdog is the New York State Consumer Protection Board, which was established in 1970 to protect, educate and represent consumers. - Consumers who suffer damages because a business has engaged in false advertising may seek recompense by filing a civil law suit. False advertising concerns misrepresentations in the labeling or advertising of goods and services. For example, it is considered misleading if an employment vacancy lists a salary that is later revealed to be dependent on some other factor not advertised.
- Consumers have a legal right to ask debt collectors in New York to cease all communication, according to the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. To be legally binding, the consumers must write to the collection agency in the first instance. When the letter is received, the debt collector is no longer permitted to contact the consumer, aside from writing to inform that contact will stop or that it intends to take legal action.
- As part of the general business law, the New York State's Used Car Lemon Law provides protection to consumers who have bought a used car with less than 100,000 miles on its clock. The law provides that the car is warranted for between 30 and 90 days from the day of purchase.
- This law states that if a dealer cannot successfully repair a vehicle following a reasonable number of attempts, and it is less than a year and a half old, then the consumer can legally obtain a replacement or a full refund. A reasonable number of attempts may be thought of as four repairs for a single problem or if the vehicle has been out of use for a month or more.
