REGISTER RIP-OFFS DROP 75%.Byline: Troy Anderson Anderson, river, Canada Anderson, river, c.465 mi (750 km) long, rising in several lakes in N central Northwest Territories, Canada. It meanders north and west before receiving the Carnwath River and flowing north to Liverpool Bay, an arm of the Arctic Staff Writer Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County's 2-year-old program to enforce price accuracy at the cash register has helped reduce overcharges by 75 percent, saving consumers tens of millions of dollars a year, officials said Tuesday. Before the Buyer Beware be·ware v. be·wared, be·war·ing, be·wares v.tr. To be on guard against; be cautious of: "Beware the ides of March" Shakespeare. v. program was launched in 2002, undercover county inspectors found that consumers were overcharged an average of 3 percent of the total purchase price. Since April 2003, the rate has averaged 0.75 of a percent. ``The reduction ... when projected over the billions of retail purchase dollars spent in Los Angeles County each year is an enormous reduction in loss,'' said Robert Atkins, interim director of the Department of Agricultural Commissioner/Weights and Measures. ``The incidence of overcharging is being reduced. Consumers are able to keep more of their money.'' Since the program began, more than 1,500 stores have been fined. ``It isn't the fine that has affected them because, in the past, they just paid these fines,'' said Supervisor Gloria Molina Gloria Molina is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the current chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.[1] Molina grew up as one of ten children in the Los Angeles suburb of Pico Rivera, California, U.S. , who spearheaded the program after she was overcharged at a Kmart. ``It was just the cost of doing business. ``It's the fact that we put up a sign in the front of the store that says this store is in violation. That is what they want to stay away from. That's why they are complying, more so than the fines.'' Gilbert Canizales, spokesman for the California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). Grocers Association, attributed the dramatic drop in overcharges to procedures retailers took after the program began. ``It shows our members are cooperating to the fullest extent. I think, internally, we just kind of tightened up our communications process through the price integrity departments,'' he said. ``A lot of them reviewed their procedures to promptly remove sale signs and sale prices. This was something they were already doing, but they did everything they could do to ensure price accuracy.'' The county's program has spawned similar scanner (1) See also antivirus program. (2) An optical device that reads a printed page or transparency and converts it into a graphics image for the computer. The scanner does not recognize or differentiate in any manner the content of the material it is scanning. registration programs in six other counties. More than 8,550 stores are registered with the county, paying $1.65 million a year in registration fees that cover the expenses of Buyer Beware, including salaries and benefits for 17 inspectors. When inspections show that a particular store or retail chain has widespread overcharges, the county asks the District Attorney's CERTIFICATE, ATTORNEY'S, Practice, English law. By statute 37 Geo. III., c. 90, s. 26, 28, attorneys are required to deliver to the commissioners of stamp duties, a paper or note in writing, containing the name and usual place of residence of such person, and thereupon, on paying certain Office to file charges alleging unfair business practices. When an overcharge is $1 or less, the violation is considered an infraction Violation or infringement; breach of a statute, contract, or obligation. The term infraction is frequently used in reference to the violation of a particular statute for which the penalty is minor, such as a parking infraction. INFRACTION. punishable pun·ish v. pun·ished, pun·ish·ing, pun·ish·es v.tr. 1. To subject to a penalty for an offense, sin, or fault. 2. To inflict a penalty for (an offense). 3. by a maximum fine of $100. An overcharge is a misdemeanor misdemeanor, in law, a minor crime, in contrast to a felony. At common law a misdemeanor was a crime other than treason or a felony. Although it might be a grave offense, it did not affect the feudal bond or take away the offender's property. By the 19th cent. if it is more than $1, which carries a maximum fine of $1,000. Since the program began, more than 1,140 criminal misdemeanor investigations have been submitted to city and county prosecutors. An additional enforcement option is the administrative civil penalty, which takes infractions out of the court system and allows the state Secretary of Food and Agriculture to set the fine. For overcharges of less than $1, a $100 civil penalty is assessed. More than 430 civil penalties have been taken. Two types of notices might be found at store entrances: ``Notice of Overcharge Conviction'' and ``No Overcharges Found.'' Since the notices were first displayed in April 2003, overcharge notices have been placed in store windows at more than 200 locations. Some stores have refused to pay the fines, and the department has sued those stores in small-claims court small-claims court n. A special court established for simplified and efficient handling of small claims on debts. . ``We believe that as word gets out about the seriousness of our intent, stores will promptly pay their fines,'' Atkins said. Atkins said keeping store managers alert to their pricing problems requires an alert public. He said several Buyer Beware initiatives taken to inform members of the public of their right to accurate pricing have proved effective. He said the number of overcharging complaints his office receives has risen from an average of four a month when the program began to 29 now. These initiatives include blue stickers with yellow backgrounds on scanners that inform people how to contact a county inspector. The ``Attention Consumer'' notice informs consumers that they are entitled en·ti·tle tr.v. en·ti·tled, en·ti·tling, en·ti·tles 1. To give a name or title to. 2. To furnish with a right or claim to something: to the lowest advertised or posted price by the store displaying it. Troy Anderson, (213) 974-8985 troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com INFORMATION For information on Buyer Beware, call (800) 665-2900 or go to dailynews.com. CAPTION(S): box Box: INFORMATION (see text) |
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