-
Current through October 23, 2012
It shall be a violation of this chapter, whether or not any consumer is in fact misled, deceived or damaged thereby, for any person to:
(a) represent that goods or services have a source, sponsorship, approval, certification, accessories, characteristics, ingredients, uses, benefits, or quantities that they do not have;
(b) represent that the person has a sponsorship, approval, status, affiliation, certification, or connection that the person does not have;
(c) represent that goods are original or new if in fact they are deteriorated, altered, reconditioned, reclaimed, or second hand, or have been used;
(d) represent that goods or services are of particular standard, quality, grade, style, or model, if in fact they are of another;
(e) misrepresent as to a material fact which has a tendency to mislead;
(f) fail to state a material fact if such failure tends to mislead;
(g) disparage the goods, services, or business of another by false or misleading representations of material facts;
(h) advertise or offer goods or services without the intent to sell them or without the intent to sell them as advertised or offered;
(i) advertise or offer goods or services without supplying reasonably expected public demand, unless the advertisement or offer discloses a limitation of quantity or other qualifying condition which has no tendency to mislead;
(j) make false or misleading representations of fact concerning the reasons for, existence of, or amounts of price reductions, or the price in comparison to price of competitors or one's own price at a past or future time;
(k) falsely state that services, replacements, or repairs are needed;
(l) falsely state the reasons for offering or supplying goods or services at sale or discount prices;
(m) harass, or threaten a consumer with any act other than legal process, either by telephone, cards, or letters;
(n) cease work on, or return after ceasing work on, an electrical or mechanical apparatus, appliance, chattel or other goods, or merchandise, in other than the condition contracted for, or to impose a separate charge to reassemble or restore such an object to such a condition without notification of such charge prior to beginning work on or receiving such object;
(o) replace parts or components in an electrical or mechanical apparatus, appliance, chattel or other goods, or merchandise when such parts or components are not defective, unless requested by the consumer;
(p) falsely state or represent that repairs, alterations, modifications, or servicing have been made and receiving remuneration therefor when they have not been made;
(q) fail to supply to a consumer a copy of a sales or service contract, lease, promissory note, trust agreement, or other evidence of indebtedness which the consumer may execute;
(r) make or enforce unconscionable terms or provisions of sales or leases; in applying this subsection, consideration shall be given to the following, and other factors:
(1) knowledge by the person at the time credit sales are consummated that there was no reasonable probability of payment in full of the obligation by the consumer;
(2) knowledge by the person at the time of the sale or lease of the inability of the consumer to receive substantial benefits from the property or services sold or leased;
(3) gross disparity between the price of the property or services sold or leased and the value of the property or services measured by the price at which similar property or services are readily obtainable in transactions by like buyers or lessees;
(4) that the person contracted for or received separate charges for insurance with respect to credit sales with the effect of making the sales, considered as a whole, unconscionable; and
(5) that the person has knowingly taken advantage of the inability of the consumer reasonably to protect his interests by reasons of age, physical or mental infirmities, ignorance, illiteracy, or inability to understand the language of the agreement, or similar factors;
(s) pass off goods or services as those of another;
(t) use deceptive representations or designations of geographic origin in connection with goods or services;
(u) represent that the subject of a transaction has been supplied in accordance with a previous representation when it has not;
(v) misrepresent the authority of a salesman, representative or agent to negotiate the final terms of a transaction;
(w) offer for sale or distribute any consumer product which is not in conformity with an applicable consumer product safety standard or has been ruled a banned hazardous product under the federal Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. §§ 2051-83), without holding a certificate issued in accordance with section 14(a) of that Act to the effect that such consumer product conforms to all applicable consumer product safety rules (unless the certificate holder knows that such consumer product does not conform), or without relying in good faith on the representation of the manufacturer or a distributor of such product that the product is not subject to a consumer product safety rule issued under that Act;
(x) sell consumer goods in a condition or manner not consistent with that warranted by operation of sections 28:2-312 through 318 of the District of Columbia Official Code, or by operation or requirement of federal law;
(y) violate any provision of the District of Columbia Consumer LayAway Plan Act (section 28-3818);
(z) violate any provision of the Rental Housing Locator Consumer Protection Act of 1979 (section 28-3819) or, if a rental housing locator, to refuse or fail to honor any obligation under a rental housing locator contract;
(z-1) violate any provision of Chapter 46 of this title;
(bb) refuse to provide the repairs, refunds, or replacement motor vehicles or fails to provide the disclosures of defects or damages required by the Automobile Consumer Protection Act of 1984;
(cc) violate any provision of the Real Property Credit Line Deed of Trust Act of 1987;
(dd) violate any provision of title 16 of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations;
(ee) violate any provision of the Public Insurance Adjuster Act of 2002 [Chapter 16A of Title 31];
(ff) violate any provision of Chapter 33 of this title;
(gg) violate any provision of the Home Equity Protection Act of 2007 [Chapter 24A of Title 42]; or
(hh) fail to make a disclosure as required by § 26-1113(a-1).
(July 22, 1976, D.C. Law 1-76, § 5, 23 DCR 1185; Oct. 4, 1978, D.C. Law 2-115, § 3, 25 DCR 1997; June 21, 1980, D.C. Law 3-71, § 3(a), 27 DCR 1891; enacted, Sept. 6, 1980, D.C. Law 3-85, § 3(a), (d), 27 DCR 2900; Mar. 13, 1985, D.C. Law 5-136, § 16, 31 DCR 5727; Mar. 14, 1985, D.C. Law 5-162, § 9(a), 32 DCR 160; Jan. 28, 1988, D.C. Law 7-67, § 5, 34 DCR 7441; Mar. 8, 1991, D.C. Law 8-234, § 2(e), 38 DCR 296; Mar. 8, 1991, D.C. Law 8-236, § 9, 38 DCR 306; Feb. 5, 1994, D.C. Law 10-68, § 27(e), 40 DCR 6311; July 25, 1995, D.C. Law 11-30, § 7(h), 42 DCR 1547; Apr. 9, 1997, D.C. Law 11-255, § 27(x), 44 DCR 1271; Mar. 27, 2003, D.C. Law 14- 256, § 11(b), 50 DCR 238; Mar. 13, 2004, D.C. Law 15-105, § 63, 51 DCR 881; Nov. 24, 2007, D.C. Law 17-42, § 3(b), 54 DCR 9988; Jan. 29, 2008, D.C. Law 17-87, § 7, 54 DCR 11913; Jan. 29, 2008, D.C. Law 17-90, § 3, 54 DCR 11925; Mar. 25, 2009, D.C. Law 17-353, § 222, 56 DCR 1117.)
HISTORICAL AND STATUTORY NOTES
Prior Codifications
1981 Ed., § 28-3904.
1973 Ed., T. 28, Appx., § 5.
Effect of Amendments
D.C. Law 14-256 added subsec. (ee).
D.C. Law 15-105, in subsec. (ee), validated a previously made technical correction.
D.C. Law 17-42, in subsec. (cc), deleted "or" from the end; in subsec. (dd), substituted a semicolon for a period; in subsec. (ee), substituted "; or" for a period; and added subsec. (ff).
D.C. Law 17-87, in subsec. (ee), deleted "or" from the end; in subsec. (ff), substituted "; or" for a period; and added subsec. (gg).
D.C. Law 17-90, in subsec. (ff), deleted "or" from the end; in subsec. (gg), substituted "; or" for a period; and added subsec. (hh).
D.C. Law 17-353 validated previously made technical corrections in pars. (ff), (gg), and (hh).
Legislative History of Laws
For legislative history of D.C. Law 1-76, see Historical and Statutory Notes following § 28-3901.
For legislative history of D.C. Law 2-115, see Historical and Statutory Notes following § 28-3903.
Law 3-71, the "Rental Housing Locator Consumer Protection Act of 1979," was introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 3-124, which was referred to the Committee on Housing and Economic Development. The Bill was adopted on first and second readings on March 18, 1980 and April 1, 1980, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on May 1, 1980, it was assigned Act No. 3-179 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review.
For legislative history of D.C. Law 3-85, see Historical and Statutory Notes following § 28-3901.
Law 5-136, the "Employment Services Licensing and Regulation Act of 1984," was introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 5-280, which was referred to the Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. The Bill was adopted on first and second readings on September 12, 1984, and October 9, 1984, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on October 25, 1984, it was assigned Act No. 5-194 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review.
Law 5-162, the "Automobile Consumer Protection Act of 1984," was introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 5-288, which was referred to the Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. The Bill was adopted on first and second readings on November 20, 1984, and December 4, 1984, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on December 7, 1984, it was assigned Act No. 5-227 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review.
Law 7-67, the "Real Property Credit Line Deed of Trust Act of 1987," was introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 7-163, which was referred to the Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. The Bill was adopted on first and second readings on October 13, 1987, and October 27, 1987, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on November 5, 1987, it was assigned Act No. 7-100 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review.
Law 8-51, the "Natural Disaster Consumer Protection Temporary Act of 1989," was introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 8-330. The Bill was adopted on first and second readings on June 27, 1989 and July 11, 1989, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on August 1, 1989, it was assigned Act No. 8-85 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review. D.C. Law 8-51 became effective on October 19, 1989.
For legislative history of D.C. Law 8-234, see Historical and Statutory Notes following § 28-3909.
Law 8-236, the "District of Columbia Consumer Credit Service Organization Amendment Act of 1990," was introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 8-70, which was referred to the Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. The Bill was adopted on first and second readings on December 4, 1990, and December 18, 1990, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on December 27, 1990, it was assigned Act No. 8-319 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review.
For legislative history of D.C. Law 10-68, see Historical and Statutory Notes following § 28-3901.
Law 11-30, the "Technical Amendments Act of 1995," was introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 11-58, which was referred to the Committee of the Whole. The Bill was adopted on first and second readings on February 7, 1995, and March 7, 1995, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on March 22, 1995, it was assigned Act No. 11-32 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review. D.C. Law 11-30 became effective on July 25, 1995.
For legislative history of D.C. Law 11-255, see Historical and Statutory Notes following § 28-3901.
For Law 14-256, see notes following § 28-3811.
Law 15-105, the "Technical Amendments Act of 2003", was introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 15-437, which was referred to the Committee of the Whole. The Bill was adopted on first and second readings on November 4, 2003, and December 2, 2003, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on January 6, 2004, it was assigned Act No. 15-291 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review. D.C. Law 15-105 became effective on March 13, 2004.
For Law 17-42, see notes following § 28-3301.
Law 17-87, the "Home Equity Protection Act of 2007", was introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 17-101 which was referred to the Committee on Public Services and Consumer Affairs. The Bill was adopted on first and second readings on October 2, 2007, and November 6, 2007, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on November 27, 2007, it was assigned Act No. 17-205 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review. D.C. Law 17-87 became effective on January 29, 2008.
Law 17-90, the "Mortgage Disclosure Amendment Act of 2007", was introduced in Council and assigned Bill No. 17-167 which was referred to the Committee on Public Services and Consumer Affairs. The Bill was adopted on first and second readings on October 2, 2007, and November 6, 2007, respectively. Signed by the Mayor on November 27, 2007, it was assigned Act No. 17-208 and transmitted to both Houses of Congress for its review. D.C. Law 17-90 became effective on January 29, 2008.
For Law 17-353, see notes following § 28-3151.
Effective Dates
Section 4 of D.C. Law 17-42 provides:
"This act shall take effect following the certification by the Chief Financial Officer, through a revised quarterly revenue estimate for fiscal year 2008, that local funds exceed the annual revenue estimates incorporated in the fiscal year 2008 budget and financial plan in an amount sufficient to account for its fiscal effect. The Chief Financial Officer shall set aside revenue to account for the cost of fully implementing this act."
References in Text
The Public Insurance Adjuster Licensure Act of 2002, referred to in subsec. (ee), is D.C. Law 14-256.
The "Automobile Consumer Protection Act of 1984", referred to in paragraph (bb) of this section, is D.C. Law 5-162, codified as Chapter 5 of Title 50.
The "Real Property Credit Line Deed of Trust Act of 1987," referred to in subsection (cc) of this section, is codified as Chapter 23 of Title 42.
Miscellaneous Notes
Application of D.C. Law 14-256 including the amendments to this section: See section 12 of D.C. Law 14-256, codified as § 31-1631.12.
