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A Few Clouds and Breezy Learning about consumer affairs
Nassau County Consumer Affairs rep speaks at CEMCO meeting
A community meeting last week hosted by the Council of East Meadow Community Organizations was devoted to giving residents a glimpse into the Nassau County Department of Consumer Affairs.
The department’s mission statement is to protect consumers from fraudulent business practices, while enforcing consumer legislation and supporting competitive business practices. Consumer Affairs representative Kenneth Heino was on hand to answer questions from about a dozen residents in attendance, while also informing them of recent scams that have become increasingly prevalent.
Consumer affairs is the only agency, Heino explained, with the power to issue violations and enforce consumer protection laws in Nassau County. The department is broken into four sections — home improvement; retail; information and education; and weights and measures.
Among the department’s many responsibilities, he said, is to ensure that businesses that use measuring devices for sale and purchase are abiding by the law. One of the biggest industries of that nature is gasoline.
Five gas stations have already been busted this year by consumer affairs, Heino said, for selling three types of gasoline — regular, plus and premium — at varying prices, when they only possessed regular gasoline in a single tank.
He also mentioned the BP station on Carman Ave. in Westbury, which sold water-contaminated gasoline in February to a handful of customers who suffered hundreds of dollars in damages to their vehicles.
The same concept applies for supermarkets and delis, and Heino said another function of consumer affairs is to ensure items are price marked accurately. Department inspectors will often randomly sample up to 100 items in stores to enforce this. They also make sure stores are not selling expired goods.
Another major priority of the department is to protect homeowners from contractors who do work illegally. Any contractor — be it a roofer, landscaper, painter, cleaner, etc. — must have a valid license to work in Nassau County.
