Been There, Done That : ...
What you don’t know can hurt you.
That’s the message for consumers in 1995 from the California Department of Consumer Affairs. “Too many people don’t realize how many laws we have to protect them,” says Joanne Corday Kozberg, secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency.
Among the department’s New Year’s gifts is a 25-minute video, “Rebuilding After a Disaster.” It explains why you should hire a licensed contractor for projects costing more than $300. Useful to any homeowner, the tape is available for $2.99 at HomeBase stores, which underwrote the cost of the project.
The new year will also see many consumer laws go into effect, including tighter regulations on standards for clinics and doctors who perform outpatient surgery, stricter enforcement of child support laws, and new penalties for those who price-gouge during and after disasters.
A joint legislative Sunset Committee will review the function of every state consumer board, and the department’s new Consumer Information Hotline ((800) 952-5210) will help consumer advocates set priorities for the new year. The hot line fields questions and complaints from consumers about California’s 180 state agencies.
