VACUUM DISTRIBUTORS SUED IN SALES SCHEME.Byline: City News Service An Anaheim manufacturer and several distributors were accused of offering worthless prizes to get inside consumers' homes and sell vacuum cleaners vacuum cleaner, mechanical device using a draft of air to remove dust, loose dirt, or other particulate matter from dry surfaces. It is especially useful on highly textured surfaces, such as carpets and upholstery, that are difficult to clean by wiping or brushing. costing up to $2,500, a prosecutor prosecutor Government attorney who presents the state's case against the defendant in a criminal prosecution. In some countries (France, Japan), public prosecution is carried out by a single office. In the U.S., states and counties have their own prosecutors. said today. The Ventura County District Attorney's Office filed the consumer protection lawsuit late yesterday against Interstate in·ter·state adj. Involving, existing between, or connecting two or more states. n. One of a system of highways extending between the major cities of the 48 contiguous United States. Noun 1. Engineering Corp., maker of TriStar vacuum cleaners. Also named in the lawsuit were ex-company President Lee Zobel of Santa Ana Santa Ana, city, El Salvador Santa Ana (sän'tä ä`nä), city (1993 pop. 129,873), W El Salvador. It is the second largest city in the country and the commercial and processing center for a sugarcane, coffee, and cattle region. , and distribution companies headed by James T. Ogborn of Lake Forest, and Jonathan Alan Krogman of Newbury Park. Those companies include Golden Star Inc., Research Distributing Inc. and Excell Distributing Inc., all of Anaheim; and Direct Innovative Systems Inc. and Health Rite Enterprises of Newbury Park. Spokesmen for the company and the distributors could not be reached for comment. The lawsuit alleges that sellers used promises of trip prizes to get appointments for sales presentations. After signing contracts, Deputy District Attorney Mitchell Disney said, consumers were either not told they have a right under state law to cancel within three days, or were dissuaded by being told the sales representative would have to ``buy back'' the vacuum cleaner if the contract were canceled, Disney said. Sellers contacted consumers through telephone calls, in a two-step process, the prosecutor said. The seller would call and say he or she was doing a survey, and then ask questions to determine the potential customer's credit-worthiness. Then he or she would call again and say the consumer had won a prize for participating in the survey, Disney said. Another method was to hang advertising material on doors, offering a free trip or prize if one scratches off a coating to reveal three matching items. ``The free trip turns out to be a certificate entitling the bearer One who is the holder or possessor of an instrument that is negotiable—for example, a check, a draft, or a note—and upon which a specific payee is not designated. to get one free ticket for travel if they buy one at the highest rate,'' Disney said. The recipient normally had to pay to make the reservation, although that fee was supposedly refundable Refundable Eligible for refunding under the terms of a bond indenture. , he said. When consumers arrived at their destinations, they were subject to a time- share sales presentation, Disney said. Authorities have gotten more than 40 complaints in Ventura, Orange, Riverside and San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. counties, the prosecutor said. |
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