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ASSEMBLY, No. 3851
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
211th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED MARCH 1, 2005
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman WILFREDO CARABALLO
District 29 (Essex and Union)n)
SYNOPSIS
Regulates certain rental-purchase agreements.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act
concerning rental-purchase agreements and supplementing
P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-1 et seq.).
Be
It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly
of the State of New Jersey:
1.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the "New
Jersey Rental-Purchase Consumer Protection Act."
2. The Legislature finds and declares:
a. There is a need for consumers to be able to rent
personal property for personal, family and household
purposes, with the option of returning the property at
the end of any rental period or acquiring ownership of
the property after renting it for a period of time.
b. Consumers who are interested in entering into
rental-purchase agreements are entitled to know the
terms and conditions on which the property is being
offered and, to that end, appropriate disclosures
regarding the nature, cost and other terms of these
transactions should be required in advertisements, on
price cards and in rental-purchase agreements.
c. Consumers who choose to enter into
rental-purchase agreements are further entitled to
certain substantive rights, services and protections as
part of that transaction, including the right to reduced
rental payments if the consumer's income is reduced, the
right to maintenance and service of the property during
the rental term, grace periods for late payments and the
right to reinstate terminated agreements without losing
the benefit of rental payments previously made.
d. Consumers and merchants alike will benefit from
legislation clarifying their respective rights and
responsibilities in rental-purchase transactions.
3. As used in this act:
"Advertisement" means a commercial message in any
medium that aids, promotes or assists, directly or
indirectly, in the consummation of a rental-purchase
agreement. This term does not include price tags, window
signs or other in-store merchandising aids.
"Cash price" means the price for which the merchant
would sell the rented property to a consumer for cash on
the date of the rental-purchase agreement. The cash
price of rented property shall be subject to the limits
established in section 11 of this act.
"Consumer" means a natural person who rents personal
property under a rental-purchase agreement.
"Director" means the Director of the Division of
Consumer Affairs in the Department of Law and Public
Safety.
"Merchant" means a person who regularly provides the
use of property through rental-purchase agreements and
to whom rental payments are initially payable on the
face of the rental-purchase agreement.
"Rental-purchase
agreement" means an agreement between a merchant and
a consumer for the use of personal property primarily
for personal, family or household purposes, for an
initial period of four months or less, that is
automatically renewable with each payment after the
initial rental period, and which permits but does not
obligate the consumer to renew the agreement beyond the
initial term or to acquire ownership of the property. A
rental-purchase agreement shall not be construed to be,
nor governed by the laws relating to:
(1) A retail installment contract as defined in
subsection (b) of section 1 of P.L.1960, c.40
(C.17:16C-1);
(2) A retail charge account as defined in subsection
(r) of section 1 of P.L.1960, c.40 (C.17:16C-1);
(3) A retail installment sale of goods or retail
installment contract for the sale of goods pursuant to
P.L.1968, c.223 (C.17:16C-61.1 et seq.);
(4) A security interest as defined in subsection
(37) of N.J.S. 12A:1-201;
(5) A loan of money or other property, a forbearance
of debt, an extension of credit, or any other
transaction governed under N.J.S. 2C:21-19; or
(6) A loan of money or other property, a forbearance
of debt, an extension of credit, or any other
transaction governed under R.S. 31:1-1 et seq.
4. For each rental-purchase agreement, the merchant
shall disclose the following items, as applicable, in
the agreement:
a. The name and address of the consumer, the name,
business address and telephone number of the merchant,
and the date on which the agreement is executed;
b. A brief description of the rented property,
sufficient to identify the property to the consumer and
the merchant, including an identification number, if
applicable;
c. Whether the rented property is new or previously
rented;
d. The amount of any initial payment required of the
consumer at the time the agreement is executed or the
rented property is delivered, whichever is later,
including any application or processing charge or fee,
insurance premium or liability waiver fee, or fees for
other optional services agreed to by the consumer and
any applicable tax;
e. The periodic rental rate for the rented property;
f. The cash price of the rented property;
g. The total number, total dollar amount and timing
of all periodic payments necessary to acquire ownership
of the rented property;
h. The difference between the cash price of the
rented property and the total dollar amount of all
periodic payments necessary to acquire ownership of the
rented property, which amount shall be denominated "cost
of lease services";
i. A statement that the total dollar amount of
periodic payments necessary to acquire ownership of the
rented property does not include other charges that a
consumer may incur, such as late payment fees,
processing fees, default, pickup and reinstatement fees
or charges and applicable taxes, which charges shall be
separately identified in the rental-purchase agreement,
and the dollar amount of each such charge disclosed;
j. A statement that the consumer will not acquire
ownership of the rented property unless the consumer has
paid the total dollar amount of periodic payments
necessary to acquire ownership of the rented property or
has exercised the consumer's early purchase option;
k. A statement that the consumer may have cash or
credit purchase options that may result in a lower cost
to acquire ownership of the rented goods;
l. A statement clearly explaining the consumer's
options for acquiring ownership of the rented property,
including a statement that the consumer has the right to
exercise an early purchase option pursuant to section 12
of this act. The statement shall include a clear summary
of the terms of the early purchase option and shall be
accompanied by a statement or a chart showing the amount
required to exercise the consumer's early purchase
option after each periodic payment is made pursuant to
the rental-purchase agreement;
m. Whether the consumer is liable for loss or damage
to the merchandise and, if so, the maximum amount for
which the consumer may be liable, which in the case of
loss shall in no event be greater than the amount the
consumer would have paid to exercise an early purchase
option pursuant to section 12 of this act. In the case
of damage to the merchandise, other than normal wear and
tear, the consumer shall be liable for the lesser of the
amount the consumer would have paid to exercise an early
purchase option pursuant to section 12 of this act or
the cost of the repair as determined by the merchant;
n. A statement identifying the merchant as the party
responsible for maintaining and servicing the rented
property while it is being rented, a description of that
responsibility, and a statement that, if any part of a
manufacturer's express warranty covers the rented
property at the time the consumer acquires ownership, it
shall be transferred to the consumer if permitted by the
terms of the warranty;
o. A statement that the consumer may terminate the
rental-purchase agreement at any time without penalty by
voluntarily surrendering or returning the rented
property to the merchant in good repair, fair wear and
tear excepted, upon the expiration of any rental term,
along with the payment of any past due rental payments
and accrued fees or charges;
p. The consumer's right to reinstate a terminated
agreement pursuant to section 10 of this act; and
q. The grace periods and late payment fees that may
apply to late payments pursuant to section 9 of this
act.
5. a. A merchant shall disclose the information
required by section 4 of this act to the consumer at or
prior to the time the rental-purchase agreement is
executed by the consumer.
b. The disclosures required by section 4 of this act
shall be made in writing, on a form, the format and
wording of which may be prescribed by the director by
regulation, consistent with and limited to the
requirements of section 4 of this act. A merchant may,
at its option, disclose more information than is
required by section 4 of this act, so long as the
additional disclosures are made clearly and
conspicuously in writing as part of the rental-purchase
agreement.
c. In a transaction involving more than one
merchant, only one merchant shall make the disclosures
required by section 4 of this act, but all merchants
involved in a rental-purchase agreement shall be bound
by those disclosures.
6. a. The merchant shall deliver to the consumer a
copy of the completed rental-purchase agreement and all
of the documents that the merchant requests the consumer
to sign at the time that they are signed by the
consumer. The rental-purchase agreement shall not be
enforceable against the consumer until the consumer has
received a signed copy.
b. If a merchant advertises in a language other than
English, or if a language other than English is used in
any oral sales presentation or in negotiations leading
to the execution of a rental-purchase agreement, the
merchant shall, at the request of a consumer, offer a
rental-purchase agreement written in the language used
in the advertisement, oral sales presentation or
negotiations.
c. Except as otherwise required by this section, a
rental-purchase agreement shall be written in plain
English.
7. During the term of any rental-purchase agreement,
a merchant shall:
a. Upon request by a consumer, provide a written
receipt for each payment made by cash or money order;
b. Upon request by a consumer, provide a written
statement of account within seven days of the consumer's
request;
c. Maintain the rented property in good working
condition. If a necessary repair cannot be completed
within a reasonable time, the merchant shall provide
replacement property for the consumer to use until the
original property can be repaired. A merchant is not
required to repair or replace property that has been
damaged as a result of improper use or a negligent or
intentional act of the consumer. All replacement
property shall be comparable in quality, age, condition,
and warranty coverage to the replaced property; and
d. Upon written request by a consumer, during the
term of a rental-purchase agreement and for a period of
12 months after the consumer made the last payment,
provide a copy of the consumer's payment history to a
financial institution, consumer credit reporting agency
or other third person designated by the consumer.
8. a. If a consumer experiences an interruption or
reduction of 25% or more of income due to involuntary
job loss, involuntary reduced employment, illness,
pregnancy or disability, the merchant shall reduce the
amount of each rental payment by the same percentage
that the consumer's income has been diminished, up to
50% of the rental payment, for the period during which
the consumer's income is interrupted or reduced, but
only if:
(1) The rental payments actually made by the
consumer are equal to or greater than one-half the total
of payments necessary to acquire ownership of the rented
property; and
(2) The consumer requests the reduction in rental
payment amount and provides the merchant with reasonable
evidence as to the amount and cause of the interruption
or reduction in income.
b. If the amount of each rental payment is reduced
pursuant to this section, the number of payments
necessary to acquire ownership may be increased,
provided that the total dollar amount of payments
necessary to acquire ownership of the rented property
shall not be increased and the rights and duties of the
consumer and merchant shall not otherwise be affected.
c. If the consumer's income is restored, the
merchant may increase the amount of each rental payment,
but in no event shall the amount of a rental payment or
the total dollar amount of payments necessary to acquire
ownership of the rented property exceed the amounts
disclosed in the rental-purchase agreement. At
reasonable intervals following the initial reduction in
rental payments pursuant to this section, the merchant
may require the consumer to provide evidence of the
consumer's income, and that the cause of the
interruption or reduction in income still exists.
9. A merchant may require a consumer to pay a late
fee if, at the end of any rental term, the consumer
fails to voluntarily surrender or return the rented
property to the merchant or renew the rental-purchase
agreement for an additional term, subject to the
following limitations:
a. For rental-purchase agreements with weekly
renewal terms, no late fee shall be assessed until the
payment is made more than two calendar days past due;
b. For rental-purchase agreements with renewal terms
longer than one week, no late fee shall be assessed
until the payment is more than five calendar days past
due;
c. Late fees assessed pursuant to this section shall
not exceed $5;
d. Only one late fee may be assessed on each renewal
payment, regardless of how long the payment remains past
due;
e. Payments received shall be applied first to the
payment of the past due renewal payment, then to
applicable late fees and other charges; and
f. A late fee may be collected at the time it
accrues, or at any time thereafter.
10. a. A consumer who has terminated a
rental-purchase agreement and voluntarily surrendered or
returned the property to the merchant shall have the
right to reinstate the terminated agreement without
losing any rights or options previously acquired if the
following conditions are met:
(1) The consumer voluntarily surrendered or returned
the property to the merchant within seven days of the
termination of the agreement; and
(2) Not more than 90 days have passed since the
property was voluntarily surrendered or returned to the
merchant; except that if the consumer has paid an amount
equal to or greater than one-half of the total amount of
payments necessary to acquire ownership of the rented
property, the reinstatement period shall be extended to
one year following voluntary surrender or return of the
property.
b. The merchant may require the payment of all past
due renewal payments, any applicable late fees, other
accrued fees or charges, and a reinstatement fee not to
exceed $5, prior to reinstatement pursuant to subsection
a. of this section.
c. Nothing in this section shall prevent a merchant
from bringing an action to recover possession of the
property, but such an action may not be brought until
more than seven days after termination of the
rental-purchase agreement. A consumer's right to
reinstate an agreement shall not expire because of the
action to recover possession.
d. Upon reinstatement, the merchant shall provide
the consumer with the same property, if available, and
in the same condition as when it was voluntarily
surrendered or returned to the merchant, or with
substitute property of comparable quality and condition.
e. If the property is returned to the merchant
during the applicable reinstatement period, other than
through judicial process, the right to reinstate shall
be extended for a period of not less than thirty days
after the date of the return of the property.
11. a. The cash
price of new rented property offered under a
rental-purchase agreement shall not exceed the greater
of the following:
(1) The manufacturer's list or suggested retail
price;
(2) The published or advertised selling price of the
same property in the same trade area; or
(3) The merchant cost, including freight costs,
multiplied by the following factors;
(a) For appliances, the applicable factor shall be
1.75;
(b) For electronics, other than computers, having a
merchant cost of less than $150, the applicable factor
shall be 1.75;
(c) For electronics, other than computers, having a
merchant cost of greater than or equal to $150, the
applicable factor shall be 2.00;
(d) For computers, the applicable factor shall be
1.85;
(e) For furniture, the applicable factor shall be
2.25; and
(f) For items not listed in subparagraphs (a)
through (e) of this paragraph, the applicable factor
shall be 2.00.
b. The cash price of used rented property offered
pursuant to a rental-purchase agreement shall not exceed
the maximum permitted cash price of the rented property
when new, as determined pursuant to subsection a. of
this section, and shall be decreased in accordance with
an adjustment for the following relevant factors:
(1) The frequency and duration of prior rentals and
whether the rented property has been repaired one or
more times; and
(2) The condition of the rented property.
12. a. A merchant shall not offer a rental purchase
agreement in which the total dollar amount of payments
necessary to acquire ownership of the rented property
exceeds twice the cash price of the property. Upon
payment of the total dollar amount of payments necessary
to acquire ownership of the rented property, the
consumer shall automatically acquire ownership of the
rented property, the rental-purchase transaction shall
terminate, and the merchant shall provide the consumer
with written acknowledgment of the transfer of ownership
to the consumer. Any rental payments made to the
merchant that exceed the total amount of payments
necessary to acquire ownership of the rented property
shall be refunded to the consumer.
b. At any time after the initial rental payment, a
consumer may purchase the rented property that is the
subject of the rental-purchase agreement by tendering an
amount equal to the original cash price of the rented
property, minus at least 50% of all rental payments
previously made by the consumer.
13. A rental-purchase agreement may not contain a
provision:
a. Requiring a confession of judgment;
b. Requiring a garnishment of wages;
c. Granting the merchant a security interest, or
other claim to a property interest, in any property
except the rented property delivered by the merchant
pursuant to the rental-purchase agreement;
d. Authorizing a merchant or an agent of a merchant
to commit a breach of the peace during recovery of
possession of the property;
e. Waiving a defense, counterclaim, or right the
consumer may have against a merchant or an agent of a
merchant;
f. Requiring a balloon payment in addition to
regular rental payments in order to acquire ownership of
the rented property, or requiring payments in excess of
the total of payments necessary to acquire ownership of
the rented property as disclosed in the rental-purchase
agreement;
g. Requiring the purchase of insurance or liability
waiver from the merchant to cover the rented property;
h. Waiving any provision of this act or the
regulations that may be promulgated hereunder;
i. Requiring a consumer to pay attorneys fees and
costs; or
j. Stating that mere failure to return the rented
property constitutes probable cause for a criminal
action.
14. a. A merchant in communication with any person
other than the consumer for the purpose of acquiring
information as to the location of a consumer shall:
(1) Identify the merchant and state that the
merchant is confirming or correcting location
information concerning the consumer;
(2) Not communicate by postcard;
(3) Not use any language or symbol on any envelope
or in the contents of any communication that indicates
that the communication relates to the recovery or
repossession of the property; and
(4) Not communicate with any person other than the
consumer's attorney, after the merchant knows the
consumer is represented by an attorney with regard to
the rental-purchase agreement and has knowledge of, or
can readily ascertain, the attorney's name and address,
unless the attorney consents to direct communication
from the merchant to the consumer.
b. Without the prior consent of the consumer given
directly to the merchant or the express permission of a
court of competent jurisdiction, a merchant shall not
communicate with a consumer in connection with the
recovery or repossession of property:
(1) At the consumer's place of employment; or
(2) At any unusual time or place or a time or place
known or which should have been known to be inconvenient
to the consumer. In the absence of knowledge of
circumstances to the contrary, a merchant shall assume
that the convenient time for communicating with a
consumer is after 8:00 a.m. or before 9:00 p.m., local
time, at the consumer's location.
c. A merchant shall not communicate in connection
with a rental-purchase agreement with any person other
than the consumer, the consumer's attorney, or the
merchant's attorney, except as reasonably necessary to
acquire the location information concerning the consumer
as provided under subsection a. of this section, or upon
express permission of a court of competent jurisdiction,
or as reasonably necessary to effectuate a postjudgment
judicial remedy.
d. If a consumer notifies the merchant in writing
that the consumer wishes the merchant to cease further
communication with the consumer, the merchant shall not
communicate further with the consumer with respect to
the rental-purchase agreement, except:
(1) To advise the consumer that the merchant's
further efforts are being terminated;
(2) To notify the consumer that the merchant shall
invoke specified remedies available by law which are
ordinarily invoked by the merchant; or
(3) To effectuate, where necessary, any postjudgment
judicial remedy.
e. A merchant may not harass, oppress, or abuse any
person in connection with a rental-purchase agreement.
The following conduct is a violation of this section:
(1) The use or threat of violence or any criminal
means to harm the physical person, reputation or
property of any person;
(2) The use of obscene, profane or abusive language;
(3) Causing a telephone to ring, or engaging any
person in telephone conversation repeatedly or
continuously with intent to annoy, abuse, or harass the
person; and
(4) The placement of telephone calls without
disclosure of the caller's identity.
15. a. A renegotiation occurs when an existing
rental-purchase agreement is satisfied and replaced by a
new agreement undertaken by the same merchant and
consumer. A renegotiation shall be considered a new
agreement requiring new disclosures pursuant to this
act. The following events are not renegotiations and do
not require new disclosures:
(1) The addition or return of property in a
multiple-item agreement, or the substitution of
property, so long as the periodic rental payment
allocable to the rental term is not changed by more than
25%;
(2) A deferral or extension of one or more renewal
payments or portions thereof;
(3) A reduction in the charges in an agreement; and
(4) An agreement involved in a court proceeding.
b. No new disclosures are required for any extension
of a rental-purchase agreement effectuated by an
automatic renewal upon payments made after the initial
term.
16. a. If an advertisement for a rental-purchase
agreement refers to or states the dollar amount of any
payment and the right to acquire ownership of any one
specific item, the advertisement shall also clearly and
conspicuously disclose the following information, as
applicable:
(1) That the advertised transaction is a
rental-purchase agreement;
(2) The cash price of the advertised property;
(3) The total number and total dollar amount of
payments necessary to acquire ownership of the rented
property;
(4) The cost of lease services;
(5) A statement that the consumer will not acquire
ownership of the advertised property unless the total
amount of payments necessary to acquire ownership of the
rented property is paid; and
(6) Whether the property is new or used.
b. Any personal property displayed or offered under
a rental-purchase agreement shall bear a tag that
clearly and conspicuously discloses the following
information:
(1) The cash price of the displayed property;
(2) The dollar amount of periodic payment and the
payment period;
(3) The total dollar amount of payments necessary to
acquire ownership of the property;
(4) The cost of lease services; and
(5) Whether the displayed property is new or used.
c. An owner or agent of any medium in which an
advertisement for a rental-purchase agreement appears or
is disseminated shall not be liable under this act.
d. The disclosure requirements of subsection a. of
this section do not apply to any advertisement that does
not refer to or state the amount of any periodic
payment, or that is published in the business pages of a
telephone directory, or in any similar directory of
businesses.
e. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, a
merchant may make the required disclosures in the form
of a list or catalogue that is readily available to
consumers if displaying a price tag would be impractical
due to the size or nature of the merchandise.
f. An advertisement for a rental-purchase agreement
shall not state that a specific lease of any property at
specific amounts or terms is available unless the
merchant usually and customarily leases or will lease
the property at those amounts or terms.
17. a. A merchant creates an express warranty to a
consumer by any of the following:
(1) Any affirmation of fact or promise made by the
dealer to the consumer which relates to the property
creates an express warranty that the property will
conform to the affirmation or promise;
(2) Any description of the property creates an
express warranty that the property will conform to the
description; or
(3) Any sample or model exhibited to the consumer by
the merchant creates an express warranty that the
property actually delivered to the consumer will conform
to the sample or model.
b. A warranty that the property will be merchantable
is implied in every rental-purchase contract. For
property to be merchantable, the property shall be at
least such as:
(1) Pass without objection in the trade under the
description in the rental-purchase agreement;
(2) Are fit for the ordinary purposes for which
property of that type is used; and
(3) Conform to any promises or affirmation of fact
made on the property, container or label.
c. In addition to any other implied warranties
provided by law or by this act, a merchant creates an
implied warranty that property will be fit for the
purpose for which it is intended, if at the time the
rental-purchase agreement is made, the merchant knows or
reasonably should have known that the consumer is
relying on the merchant's skill or judgment to select or
furnish suitable property.
d. Any exclusion, modification or limitation of a
warranty, express or implied, shall be void.
18. a. If a court as a matter of law finds a
rental-purchase agreement or any clause of a
rental-purchase agreement to be unconscionable, the
court may:
(1) Refuse to enforce the rental-purchase agreement;
(2) Enforce the remainder of the rental-purchase
agreement without the unconscionable clause; or
(3) Limit the application of any unconscionable
clause to avoid an unconscionable result.
b. If it is claimed or appears to the court that a
rental-purchase agreement or any clause of the
rental-purchase agreement may be unconscionable, the
parties shall be afforded a reasonable opportunity to
present evidence as to the agreement's setting, purpose
and effect to aid the court in the determination.
c. For the purpose of the section, a rental payment,
charge or practice expressly permitted by this act is
not in itself unconscionable.
19. a. A merchant that fails to comply with the
requirements of this act shall be liable to a consumer
actually damaged by a violation of this act in an amount
equal to the greater of the following:
(1) The actual damages sustained by the consumer as
the result of the merchant's failure to comply with this
act; or
(2) (a) In the case of an individual action, 25% of
the total of payments necessary to acquire ownership,
but not less than $100 nor more than $1,000.
(b) In the case of a class action, the amount the
court determines to be appropriate, except that as to
each member of the class no minimum recovery is
applicable.
A merchant found liable under this act shall also be
liable to the consumer for the costs of the action and
reasonable attorneys' fees, as determined by the court.
b. No consumer shall offset any amount for which a
merchant is potentially liable under this section
against any amount owed by the consumer, unless the
amount of the merchant's liability has been determined
by judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction in an
action in which the merchant was a party. The provisions
of this subsection do not bar a consumer then in default
under the terms of a rental-purchase agreement from
asserting a violation of this act as an original action,
or as a defense or counterclaim to an action brought by
the merchant.
c. An action under this section shall not be brought
in any court of competent jurisdiction more than four
years after the date of the occurrence of a violation
that is the subject of the suit.
d. If a merchant assigns or transfers a
rental-purchase agreement to a third party, all of the
consumer's rights created by the rental-purchase
agreement and this act are preserved.
e. It is an unlawful practice and a violation of
P.L.1960, c.39 (C.56:8-1 et seq.) to violate any
provision of this act.
f. A consumer shall not recover damages under both
subsections a. and e. of this section, in the same
action brought for a violation of a provision of this
act.
20. The director may promulgate rules and
regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure
Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as may be
necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.
21. This act shall take effect on the 90th day after
enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill protects consumers and clarifies the
rights and responsibilities of consumers and merchants
by defining and regulating rental-purchase agreements
involving personal property used for personal, family or
household purposes. The bill further defines
rental-purchase agreements by providing that
rental-purchase agreements are not governed by certain
other statutes, including usury statutes.
The bill requires a merchant to disclose in writing
certain items at or prior to the time the
rental-purchase agreement is executed by the consumer.
These disclosures include the cash price of the rented
property and the total dollar amount of payments
necessary for the consumer to acquire ownership of the
property.
The bill prohibits the inclusion of certain
provisions in rental-purchase agreements. The bill also
provides, in certain instances, for a consumer's right
to reinstatement of the rental-purchase agreement;
provides for a lowering of payments if a consumer
suffers an involuntary loss of or reduction in income
under certain circumstances; regulates permissible late
fees; and defines renegotiations of rental-purchase
agreements.
In addition, the bill prohibits a merchant from
offering a rental-purchase agreement in which the total
payments necessary to acquire ownership of the rented
property exceed twice the property's cash price. As
defined in the bill, cash price means the price for
which the merchant would sell the rented property to a
consumer for cash on the date of the rental-purchase
agreement, subject to certain limitations applicable to
new rented property and used rented property, as
provided in the bill.
During the term of the rental-purchase agreement,
the bill requires merchants to maintain the rented
property in good condition, provide written receipts for
cash or money order payments and provide comparable
replacement property in certain circumstances.
The bill also regulates a merchant's debt collection
and repossession practices, creates express and implied
warranties as to the rental property and provides that a
court can find all or part of a rental-purchase
agreement to be unconscionable and unenforceable.
The bill provides options for recovery in damages
for a consumer who suffers a loss due to a violation of
the bill's provisions, including individual actions and
class actions, and recovery under the "consumer fraud
act." Finally, the bill requires the Director of the
Division of Consumer Affairs to promulgate regulations
necessary to effectuate the purposes of the act.
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