Whether dealing with snake oil products, phishing scams, price gouging or
travel arrangements, it is a unique time to be a consumer. What makes these
issues even more complicated is that the scenarios and responses change
daily. As consumers, what do you need to know?
Price Gouging
Whether termed opportunists or entrepreneurs, price gouging is an
unfortunate side effect of any natural disaster including this pandemic.
Unscrupulous merchants are already charging exorbitant prices for hand
sanitizer, cleaning products, and disinfectant wipes. Not all states have
specific laws on the books that address price gouging. The
District of Columbia
and
Virginia
do
have such specific laws. The Maryland Governor recently signed a State of
Emergency
bill
which grants him the authority to ban price gouging for certain products
during the emergency period. Moreover, county laws like
Montgomery
County’s consumer protection laws regarding “unconscionable” conduct or
“price disparity” related to the sale of goods might be used to address
price gouging. Amazon and eBay are taking steps to prohibit price gouging
activity regarding certain products and have blocked certain sellers.
Bogus Products & Other Scams
There are no approved potions, pills or treatment products to cure
COVID-19. However, the online marketplace and social media advertise
worthless “miracle” products from colloidal silver drinks to virus killing
toothpaste. You may be asked to donate funds towards research or to help
victims. You should research these charities using Charity Navigator,Guidestar or Give.org. Additionally, make sure they have
the proper license from your State. Note, reports are surfacing that
door-to-door scammers are posing as CDC, WHO or other health officials.
These agencies are too taxed to be making on-site health inspections.
Finally, online hackers are sending email messages offering maps to
Coronavirus hot spots and offering health information. Clicking on these
scam messages may allow online viruses or malware access to your computer,
which will then be used to steal your personal and account information. It
is best never to click on unsolicited online offers and only click on
COVID-19 news from a trusted source like the CDC, WHO, your local
hospital’s website or other authoritative entity.
Cancelling Travel, Events and Merchant Closures
Many airlines, hotels and cruise lines are allowing consumers to cancel or
postpone tickets without penalties. Cancellation, credit and refund
policies vary greatly with tour groups, peer-to-peer shared housing and
public events. There are no consumer protection laws that regulate all of
these consumer transactions. It’s best to contact each business directly to
resolve these difficult situations.
Reporting Violations
If you come across price gouging, scam products or other unconscionable
behavior, or if you have questions about cancelling your travel plans,
please contact the following:
District of Columbia
:
- Attorney General-Office of Consumer Protection
- Online Complaint Form
- Consumer Inquires:
consumer.protection@dc.gov
Maryland
:
-
- Maryland Attorney General-Consumer Protection Division
Online Complaint Form
- Consumer Hotline: 410-528-8662 (limited hours 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.)
- Howard County Office of Consumer Affairs
Online Complaint Form
- Consumer Inquiries: (410) 313-6420 or
consumer@howardcountymd.gov
-
- Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection
Online Complaint Form
- Consumer Inquiries: (240) 777-3636 or
consumerprotection@montgomerycountymd.gov
- Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection
Virginia
:
- Virginia Attorney General-Office of Consumer Protection
- Consumer Inquiries: (800) 552-9963 or
consumer@oag.state.va.us
Price Gouging Complaint Form
General Online Complaint Form
Online Contact Form
