N.Y. County Passes Consumer Protection Law for Furniture

June 15, 2008  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on June 2008 Consumers who by furniture in Suffolk County, New York, will receive protection under a new law passed by the county legislature on May 28, according to a report in the Times Beacon Herald, which serves communities on Long Island.

The law requires home furnishings retailers to place a consumer’s down payment on furniture in an individual escrow account until the goods on order are delivered. The retailer cannot use the money until delivery, and also must give the consumer written documentation of the name and address of the bank managing the escrow account.

The report quoted a written statement from Lynne Nowick, county legislator chairwoman of the Consumer Protection Committee and a cosponsor of the bill: “The purpose of this measure is to protect the consumer and prevent the loss of deposits to unscrupulous retailers or companies (that) go out of business, become insolvent or simply disappear.”

The law will take effect after being filed with the New York Secretary of State, which a Nowick aide told the paper takes approximately three weeks.