Corinne Ramey at Wall Street Journal on the decrease in laundromats in NYC

August 3, 2015August 25, 2016 katyusca Earned Media, Print NYC DCA, Wall Street Journal

Laundromats Shrink From Parts of NYC
Do-it-yourself service becoming scarce in higher-rent areas such as the Upper West Side
Corinne Ramey | Wall Street Journal

Self-service laundromats appear to be a vanishing amenity in some New York City neighborhoods even as their numbers overall in the city have slightly increased.

In neighborhoods like the Upper West Side, where retail rents are higher compared with much of the city and many newer apartments have in-building laundries, residents say laundromats are becoming scarce.

On a recent Sunday, neighbors mourned the final day of operation of Laundry Room Plus on Columbus Avenue between West 85th and 86th streets.

“This was like the perfect laundromat, darn,” said Charles Addison,44 years old. The next laundromat “is a long walk from here.”

Jaylieen Camacho, 13, sat waiting with her mom. “I’m sad because we’re probably going to have to drive and that’s a lot of work,” she said.

In an attempt to save Laundry Room Plus, a handful of Upper West Side residents circulated a petition and brought the issue to the attention of local officials. “It’s really, really distressing for the community as a whole,” said Mimi Timell, 56, a laundromat regular, who tried to keep the business from closing. “A lot of people don’t really realize the magnitude of it.”

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Josh Dawsey at Wall Street Journal and the City’s fine reduction

July 31, 2015August 25, 2016 katyusca Earned Media, Print Fine Reduction, NYC DCA, Wall Street Journal

Fines on Small Businesses Drop Sharply
Josh Dawsey | Wall Street Journal

New York City slashed the total amount of fines to small businesses by more than half in fiscal 2015, focusing on warnings instead and addressing a long-standing complaint that it had taken a too-strict approach in the enforcement of consumer laws.

For the fiscal year that ended June 30, the city wrote $15.7 million in fines, down from $32.5 million a year earlier. The city issued 11,923 violations in fiscal 2015, compared with 19,409 the previous year, according to city data.

As a candidate, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city should be more lenient in writing fines because it had been too aggressive in raising revenue off small businesses—particularly in outer boroughs—for what he characterized as trivial violations.

“If a bodega was selling peaches, and they didn’t have individual pricing on every single can, they were fined per can for a very large multitude of cans,” said Julie Menin, the Department of Consumer Affairs commissioner. “We’re trying to distinguish where there is consumer harm and where there isn’t. There were onerous fines for very minor infractions.”

Ms. Menin said the city, under Mr. de Blasio, has written more fines for violations such as selling cigarettes to minors and expired medicine.

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Ana Nieto at El Diario writes on debt collection agency case

January 20, 2015August 25, 2016 katyusca Earned Media, Print El Diario, NYC DCA

NYC manda un aviso al sector de créditos abusivos
By Ana Nieto | El Diario

Las primeras cartas ya han siendo enviadas. En los próximos días varios miles de residentes de Nueva York van a recibir una comunicación en la que se les explica que tienen derecho a una compensación por haber sido víctimas de una agencia cobradora de deuda, National Credit Adjusters (NCA), que trataba de recobrar dinero debido a entidades que hacían préstamos abusivos.

Estos créditos, de elevadas tasas de interés, son conocidos como pay day loans y está prohibido hacerlos y cobrarlos en Nueva York y 14 estados más. Aún así muchas firmas los ofrecen a través de Internet. La tasa anual de los préstamos que NCA ha cobrado e intentaba seguir cobrando rondaba el 782%.

El Departamento de Consumidores (DCA en sus siglas en inglés) del Ayuntamiento de Nueva York llegó hace unos días a un acuerdo con este cobrador de deudas para quedevolviera $962,800 a unos 4,663 personas en la ciudad. Desde el ayuntamiento se buscan más víctimas para asegurar que todos cobran lo que se les debe. Según la comisionada del DCA, Julie Menin, “tiene que cobrar este dinero quien sea víctima desde 2007, independientemente de su estatus migratorio que no se contrasta al abonar el dinero”.

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DCA Secures Nearly $1 Million in Consumer Restitution for 4,600+ NYers in Debt Collection Agency Case

January 5, 2015October 28, 2016 katyusca Press Releases NYC DCA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 5, 2015

DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS SECURES NEARLY $1 MILLION IN CONSUMER RESTITUTION FROM DEBT COLLECTION AGENCY THAT ILLEGALLY COLLECTED ON PAYDAY LOANS

In Largest Settlement in Consumer Affairs’ History, More Than 4,600 New Yorkers Eligible for Refunds

Consumer Affairs Secures $1.5 Million More in Restitution in First Six Months of Fiscal Year, Up 85 Percent from Last Year

Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Julie Menin today announced a record-breaking settlement with National Credit Adjusters (NCA), a debt collection agency formerly licensed by DCA that collected on illegal payday loans from New Yorkers. NCA agreed to pay $962,800 in consumer restitution to at least 4,663 New Yorkers, the highest amount of restitution ever secured by DCA through settlement. NCA must also notify eligible New Yorkers that they are owed money and submit requests to the credit reporting agencies to delete the negative information they provided for those New Yorkers. The agreement requires the company to stop collecting all debts in New York City. NCA is also banned from applying for a debt collection agency license in New York City for at least six years, and is ordered to pay $350,000 in fines.

Read full press release: National Credit Adjusters Settlement Announcement

City’s New Licensing Center Offers Enhanced Services to Further Help Businesses Thrive

December 23, 2014August 25, 2016 katyusca Press Releases NYC DCA, Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 23, 2014

DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS OPENS CITY’S NEW LICENSING CENTER OFFERING ENHANCED SERVICES TO FURTHER HELP BUSINESSES THRIVE

Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner (DCA) Julie Menin today announced the grand opening of DCA’s new Licensing Center in the lobby of 42 Broadway in Lower Manhattan. The 12,700-square-foot space was constructed in six months and provides additional needed space to allow DCA to continue serving businesses in person at a centralized location. This welcoming and easy-to-use Center is part of DCA’s ongoing efforts to meet Mayor de Blasio’s goal of improving the climate for small business in New York. Earlier this year, DCA implemented a Business Relief Package of nearly two-dozen reforms that are reducing fines in number and cost, as well as increasing transparency, fairness, education and outreach.

Read the full press release: Licensing Center Opening

City Urges Dept of Defense to Finalize & Strengthen Regulations to Protect Military Families

November 10, 2014January 14, 2015 katyusca Press Releases NYC DCA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2014

DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND MAYOR’S OFFICE OF VETERAN’S AFFAIRS URGE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO FINALIZE AND STRENGTHEN NEW REGULATIONS TO PROTECT MILITARY FAMILIES FROM PREDATORY CREDIT PRODUCTS

The Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) and Mayor’s Office of Veteran’s Affairs (MOVA) today urged the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to finalize strong regulatory changes to better protect military families against high-cost credit products. DCA and MOVA support the DoD’s proposal and called on them to also consider applying the protections to rent-to-own transactions and so-called “courtesy” overdraft protection. DCA Commissioner Julie Menin and MOVA Commissioner Loree Sutton today is also submitting a joint letter to DoD supporting their proposed revisions to the Military Lending Act (MLA) regulations, which would extend coverage to additional credit products and improve the efficacy of existing protections.

Read the full press release: Veterans Day Initiative

Settlement Agreement Forces Used Car Dealership to Pay $441,000 in Fines & Restitution

October 28, 2014August 25, 2016 katyusca Press Releases NYC DCA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 28, 2014

THE DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS ENTERS SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT FORCING UNSCRUPULOUS USED CAR DEALERSHIP TO PAY $441,000 IN FINES AND RESTITUTION

Planet Automotive Used Deceptive Advertising and High-Pressure Sales Tactics to Coerce Consumers into Paying for High-Cost Financing and Unwanted Add-ons

Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Julie Menin today announced a settlement agreement with Planet Automotive, Inc. and its owner. The agreement is a result of DCA’s charges that Planet Automotive used deceptive advertising to lure consumers in and then pressured those consumers into agreeing to thousands of dollars in unwanted add-ons, such as extended warranties and theft protection, and then compelled those consumers to finance through the dealership. The agreement requires Planet Automotive, which now does business as Platinum Auto Mall at 37-15 Northern Boulevard in Long Island City, to pay $441,000 in fines and consumer restitution to 39 New Yorkers and to adhere to strict compliance with the law. The settlement agreement, which comes just months after DCA launched an aggressive investigation into the sale of unrepaired recalled used cars in New York City, also requires the dealership to check the recall status of each vehicle and repair all safety defects prior to sale. This is the first time DCA has made this requirement as part of a settlement agreement.

Read the full press release: Planet Automotive Settlement