News Releases

County and State Agencies Take Legal Action Against Used Car Dealership; Other Consumers Urged to Come Forward

The Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) and the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) have collaborated to take legal action against the owner of Rockville Auto Sales, Behzad Samya, after both agencies received numerous complaints from consumers who purchased used vehicles but did not receive good titles or registrations to the vehicles within the timeframe required by law. OCP and MVA have both issued multiple citations to the merchant.   Release Date:  11/19/2009

 OCP Urges Senate to Pass Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights 
Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) joined Maryland State Delegate Bill Frick, Eric Friedman, Director of the Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection, Charles Shafer, President of the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition, and consumer Ed King to discuss what federal, state and local governments are doing to protect consumers from the abusive practices often used by credit card companies.  Release Date:  05/04/09

Abatement order issued for Appliance Repair Company                        The District Court of Maryland issued an Order for Abatement in October 2008 for Montgomery Maytag, LLC to prohibit the company from performing any appliance repairs in Montgomery County until the firm receives a license. The company has continued to operate in violation of the court order.

Montgomery County’s Office of Consumer Protection has received five complaints from consumers against Richard Frederick Buls, Jr. trading under several names, including “Montgomery Maytag Service, LLC,” “Maytag Service” and “R.F. Buls, Jr.” for failure to properly repair household appliances. Civil citations were issued to the merchant for failure to be properly licensed to perform appliance repairs in Montgomery County.  Release Date 03/03/09 

Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection Joins Broad Coalition to Highlight Annual National Consumer Protection Week     

Montgomery County’s Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) has joined a group of federal, state and local government agencies and other national consumer advocacy organizations to launch the 11th annual National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), March 1-7. The goal of NCPW is to encourage consumers nationally to make smarter decisions about managing their money, using credit wisely and building a solid financial foundation.

OCP will host four free showings of the movie “Maxed Out,” an entertaining documentary about credit card debt in America directed by James Scurlock. At the conclusion of the movie, OCP investigators will be on hand to speak about how to choose and use credit cards wisely, how to obtain credit reports and the importance of a credit score.  Release Date: 02/24/09

Consumer Protection Issues Warning About Door-to-Door Sales of Water Treatment Systems                                                                                        Montgomery County’s Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) advises residents to beware of unscrupulous door-to-door salespeople selling water treatment systems by misrepresenting themselves to be government employees. For Press Release in Spanish, click here.  Release Date: 02/18/09

Consumer Protection Office Launches Webpage Providing Domestic Workers Model Contract 

Montgomery County’s Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) has launched a webpage that provides a domestic workers model contract, disclosure statement, resource links and information regarding the new law that protects the rights of domestic workers in Montgomery County. The contract can be printed in English, Spanish or French.  For Press  Release in Spanish, click here. Release Date: 01/12/09

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 Alerts

 Beware of Door-to-Door Alarm System Solicitors

Montgomery County's Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) warns residents about alarm system representatives traveling door-to-door in Montgomery County.

Our office has received numerous inquiries about door-to-door salespeople offering 'free' installation of alarm systems.  These sales pitches often result in long term monitoring contracts with installations that have been done the same day.  OCP urges consumer to obtain estimates, review all contracts thoroughly, and be aware of any three-day right of cancellation to which they may be entitled.

 Certified Electrical Products -- What Should Consumers Look For?

Montgomery County's Fire and Rescue Service and Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) announced that they have found and removed electrical space heaters and extension cords, as well as other potentially dangerous electrical items being sold throughout Montgomery County that were not properly tested and certified. County and State laws provide that it is illegal to sell electrical products unless they are clearly labeled with the symbol from a certified testing laboratory.

Consumers can check to see if items have been tested by a certified testing laboratory by checking the Maryland State Fire Marshal's website for a full list of approved testing laboratories. You can also check to see if products are certified by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Electrical Testing Laboratories (ETL) by going to their websites.

Updated Banking "Phishing" Scam Alert:

The Office of Consumer Protection reminds consumers to be vigilant when you get an email or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply or click on the link in the message.  Internet scammers may state that there is a problem with a consumer's account and then ask the accountholder to relay personal identifying information. These are scams, referred to as "phishing". According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), phishers send an email or pop-up message that claims to be from a business or organization that you deal with – for example, your Internet service provider (ISP), bank, online payment service, or even a government agency. The message usually says that you need to “update” or “validate” your account information. It might threaten some dire consequence if you don’t respond. The message directs you to a Web site that looks just like a legitimate organization’s site, but it isn’t. The purpose of the bogus site? To trick you into divulging your personal information so the operators can steal your identity and run up bills or commit crimes in your name. More information can be found at: http://www.ftc.gov/spam.  If you get e-mail that is phishing for information, forward it to spam@uce.gov.