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Senate File 2233

Partial Bill History

Bill Text

PAG LIN
  1  1    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  476B.1  TELEPHONE SOLICITATION
  1  2 RESTRICTIONS – DISCLOSURES.
  1  3    1.  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise
  1  4 requires:
  1  5    a.  "Board" means the utilities board created in section
  1  6 474.1.
  1  7    b.  "Telephone solicitation" means a solicitation made by a
  1  8 person using a telephone, videoconferencing, or other
  1  9 interactive electronic voice communication, for the purpose of
  1 10 selling consumer goods or services to a consumer who is the
  1 11 recipient of such solicitation.
  1 12    c.  "Telephone transaction" means either of the following:
  1 13    (1)  A telephone solicitation.
  1 14    (2)  A purchase contract or other agreement or dealing that
  1 15 results from a telephone solicitation.
  1 16    2.  A person who engages in a telephone solicitation,
  1 17 before asking any questions of or making any statements other
  1 18 than an initial greeting to a consumer, shall disclose all of
  1 19 the following:
  1 20    a.  The name of the individual making the telephone
  1 21 solicitation.
  1 22    b.  A statement that the telephone solicitation is for the
  1 23 purpose of offering or promoting the sale of consumer goods or
  1 24 services.
  1 25    c.  The name of the principal seller of the consumer goods
  1 26 or services.
  1 27    d.  The nature of the goods or services which are being
  1 28 offered or promoted.
  1 29    3.  A person, in a telephone transaction, shall also
  1 30 disclose to a consumer before such consumer enters into any
  1 31 purchase contract or other agreement or dealing, and before
  1 32 the person requests a credit card number or accepts any
  1 33 payment from the consumer, all of the following:
  1 34    a.  The nature and quantity of the consumer goods or
  1 35 services included.
  2  1    b.  The total cost to the consumer to purchase such goods
  2  2 or services.
  2  3    c.  All material terms and conditions affecting the sale,
  2  4 receipt, or use of the consumer goods or services, including
  2  5 credit terms, if any.
  2  6    d.  The name of the principal seller.
  2  7    e.  At least one of the following:
  2  8    (1)  The mailing address of the principal seller.
  2  9    (2)  A local or toll-free telephone number, answered during
  2 10 regular business hours, at which the consumer may contact the
  2 11 principal seller and obtain the principal seller's address.
  2 12    f.  The seller's policy regarding a refund, cancellation,
  2 13 exchange, or repurchase, if either of the following apply:
  2 14    (1)  The seller has a policy that prevents or substantially
  2 15 limits refunds, cancellations, exchanges, or repurchases.
  2 16    (2)  The seller makes a claim or representation regarding
  2 17 refunds, cancellations, exchanges, or repurchases.
  2 18    4.  A disclosure required under subsection 3 shall be made
  2 19 in writing, except that such disclosure may be made orally if
  2 20 either of the following apply:
  2 21    a.  The seller confirms the disclosures in writing at or
  2 22 before the time the seller first delivers the consumer goods
  2 23 or services to the consumer, and before the seller submits any
  2 24 credit card request for payment or takes any other payment
  2 25 from the consumer.
  2 26    b.  The seller does both of the following in writing at or
  2 27 before the time the seller first delivers consumer goods or
  2 28 services to the consumer:
  2 29    (1)  Confirms the oral disclosures.
  2 30    (2)  Discloses that the consumer may cancel the sale after
  2 31 the first delivery of any consumer goods or services and
  2 32 obtain a full refund.  The seller may specify a cancellation
  2 33 deadline, provided that the deadline is no less than seven
  2 34 days after the date of the first delivery.
  2 35    5.  The board shall investigate any complaints received
  3  1 concerning a violation of this section.  If, after
  3  2 investigating a complaint, the board finds that there has been
  3  3 a violation of this section, the board may bring an action
  3  4 against the person engaging in the telephone solicitation or
  3  5 the principal seller, as appropriate, to impose a civil
  3  6 penalty not to exceed ten thousand dollars per violation, and
  3  7 to seek other relief, including injunctive relief, as the
  3  8 court deems appropriate.
  3  9    6.  The board shall adopt rules to implement this section.  
  3 10                           EXPLANATION
  3 11    This bill imposes certain disclosure requirements on
  3 12 persons who engage in telephone solicitations for the sale of
  3 13 consumer goods and services.
  3 14    The bill provides that a person who engages in a telephone
  3 15 solicitation, before asking any questions of or making any
  3 16 statements other than an initial greeting to a consumer, must
  3 17 disclose the name of the individual making the telephone
  3 18 solicitation, a statement that the telephone solicitation is
  3 19 for the purpose of offering or promoting the sale of consumer
  3 20 goods or services, the name of the principal seller of the
  3 21 consumer goods or services, and the nature of the goods or
  3 22 services which are being offered or promoted.
  3 23    The bill provides that a person, in a telephone
  3 24 transaction, must also disclose to a consumer before such
  3 25 consumer enters into any purchase contract or other agreement
  3 26 or dealing, and before the person requests a credit card
  3 27 number or accepts any payment from the consumer, the nature
  3 28 and quantity of the consumer goods or services included; the
  3 29 total cost to the consumer to purchase such goods or services;
  3 30 all material terms and conditions affecting the sale, receipt,
  3 31 or use of the consumer goods or services, including credit
  3 32 terms, if any; the name of the principal seller; the mailing
  3 33 address of the principal seller or a local or toll-free
  3 34 telephone number, answered during regular business hours, at
  3 35 which the consumer may contact the principal seller and obtain
  4  1 the principal seller's address; and the seller's policy
  4  2 regarding a refund, cancellation, exchange, or repurchase, if
  4  3 the seller has a policy that prevents or substantially limits
  4  4 refunds, cancellations, exchanges, or repurchases, or the
  4  5 seller makes a claim or representation regarding refunds,
  4  6 cancellations, exchanges, or repurchases.
  4  7    The bill also provides that the utilities board is to
  4  8 investigate any complaints received concerning a violation of
  4  9 this section.  If, after investigating a complaint, the board
  4 10 finds that there has been a violation of this section, the
  4 11 board may bring an action against the person engaging in the
  4 12 telephone solicitation or the principal seller, as
  4 13 appropriate, to impose a civil penalty not to exceed $10,000
  4 14 per violation, and to seek other relief, including injunctive
  4 15 relief, as the court deems appropriate.  
  4 16 LSB 5189XS 78
  4 17 mj/cls/14
     

Text: SF02232                           Text: SF02234
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Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index

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