CREST HAVEN – In 16 years fielding complaints from consumers, Investigator Dolores Rambo has heard many stories, and most break into two general categories depending on the season.
Rambo addressed the Coalition of Civic Associations (COCA) Nov. 2 at the county Administration Building regarding her work at the Cape May County Department of Consumer Affairs, Division of Weights and Measures.
The office’s motto is “Take advantage of us, so no one takes advantage of you.”
In non-tourist seasons, Rambo gets many complaints about home repair contractors who have taken advantage of an unsuspecting person. While it has been state law, “Contractors’ Registration Act,” that such individuals register since 2006, some remain unregistered, she said.
Rambo distributed a packet of information sheets including one about hiring home improvement contractors. She also said that her office could advise homeowners on points about hiring contractors.
Among those tips:
Contact the office at 886-2903 to learn if any complaints have been filed against a contractor. Ask if the contractor is registered.
Get a written estimate of work from three contractors.
Get references from the contractor on past jobs.
Investigate financing options for the project. Do not pay for the entire job at the outset, but a third in advance, a third halfway through and the final third on completion.
When the weather turns warm, and tourists head to local hotels and motels, some have misunderstandings about deposit policies and cancellation procedures.
Since hotels and motels are unregulated, Rambo said, problems sometimes arise.
Scams Arise
Numerous scams exist that seek to siphon money from consumers, many seniors, said Rambo. Among them are ones that call reporting a grandchild is in jail and needs money for bail. Money is often sent via wire transfer to an unknown party, never to be seen again, only to learn the grandchild was never involved in any problem.
Others include telephone calls from a purported utility or IRS collectors seeking immediate payment to forestall legal action.
Rambo stressed, as does the Internal Revenue Service, that they never contact a taxpayer via telephone demanding money.
All such collections are notified via official government mail.
Identity Theft
With many credit card security lapses by hackers, identity theft is an increasing problem for consumers.
The department has booklets of advice on what to do in such a situation.
Rambo urged, “Look at every credit card bill and bank statement.” If anything is amiss, immediately contact the issuing firm and alert them to the fraud.
Regarding weights and measures, Rambo said all gas pumps and scales used for mercantile reasons are checked annually, with a blue seal placed on them.
She said most gasoline stations err on the side of pumping a bit over instead of too little.
Hurricane Damaged Cars
Asked if there had been reports of hurricane-damaged cars being sold at any area dealers, Rambo said she had not heard of any.
Still, she cautioned buyers to be wary if a vehicle’s title has “salvage” on it that means the vehicle may have been in a flood or otherwise damaged.
Wildwood Crest – Several of Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks have created quite a bit of controversy over the last few weeks. But surprisingly, his pick to become the next director of the FBI hasn’t experienced as much…
