Bureau of Automotive Repair Seeks to Shut Down Southern California EZ Lube Shops.SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The California Department of Consumer Affairs/Bureau of Automotive Repair (DCA/BAR) is taking disciplinary action that may result in the suspension or revocation The recall of some power or authority that has been granted. Revocation by the act of a party is intentional and voluntary, such as when a person cancels a Power of Attorney that he has given or a will that he has written. of the Automotive Repair Dealer registrations of 76 Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, EZ Lube auto repair shops. This marks the largest Bureau investigation in recent history against an independently owned automotive repair corporation. In a 176-page Accusation A formal criminal charge against a person alleged to have committed an offense punishable by law, which is presented before a court or a magistrate having jurisdiction to inquire into the alleged crime. , DCA/BAR charges EZ Lube shops with numerous violations of the Automotive Repair Act, including charging for parts and services that were not needed and in some cases not provided, making false or misleading statements, and departure from accepted trade standards. The legal action follows a number of consumer complaints, including information from a local news report, and a two-year investigation in which BAR used fifty-one (51) undercover vehicles to gather evidence of 640 alleged violations. "With the technological advances in the design of today's automobile, maintenance services have become an increasingly important market for the automotive repair industry," says Wayne Ramos, head of the Bureau's Automotive Repair Investigative Branch. "Unfortunately, it has also become an area in which consumers can easily fall prey to deceptive de·cep·tive adj. Deceptive or tending to deceive. de·cep  tive·ness n. business practices. To protect themselves, consumers should know their vehicle manufacturers' recommended maintenance services and mileage MILEAGE. A compensation allowed by law to officers, for their trouble and expenses in travelling on public business.2. The mileage allowed to members of congress, is eight dollars for every twenty miles of estimated distance, by the most usual roads, from his intervals. That information is in the owner's manual." EZ Lube has the right to an administrative hearing administrative hearing n. a hearing before any governmental agency or before an administrative law judge. Such hearings can range from simple arguments to what amounts to a trial. There is no jury, but the agency or the administrative law judge will make a ruling. at which to contest the charges. EZ Lube Inc. (EZ Lube) is an independently owned corporation that offers oil and lubrication lubrication, introduction of a substance between the contact surfaces of moving parts to reduce friction and to dissipate heat. A lubricant may be oil, grease, graphite, or any substance—gas, liquid, semisolid, or solid—that permits free action of services, "quick lube service" at more than seventy (70) locations in California, primarily in the Southern California area. The Department of Consumer Affairs promotes and protects the interests of California Consumers. Consumers who have a problem with an auto repair facility can file a complaint with the Department of Consumer Affairs/Bureau of Automotive Repair by calling 1-800-952-5210. Consumers can also file complaints online at BAR's Web site at www.autorepair.ca.gov. |
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