Thursday, February 6, 2014

AG fines California company for No-Call Act violations

A California auto warranty company has been fined $10,000 for violating the Kansas No-Call Act, Attorney General Derek Schmidt said today.

“Kansans who register on the Do-Not-Call list have an expectation that telemarketers will leave them alone,” Schmidt said. “We are continuing to enforce the law against those who violate the No-Call list and are working with the legislature to strengthen the Kansas No-Call Act.”

Auto Protection Alliance LLC, doing business as Auto Processing Center and Lead Services LLC, agreed to a consent judgment ordering the company to pay the state $10,000 in penalties and fees for violations of the No-Call Act. The Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division began investigating the company in January 2013 after receiving seven complaints from consumers in Douglas, Johnson, Lyon and Miami counties. The investigation revealed that the company had solicited Kansans by telephone, marketing their extended auto warranty products and services. Some of the Kansas consumers who were called were on the National Do-Not-Call list. The company also agreed to refrain from future violations of the Act. A consent judgment ordering the fine and injunction against future violations was approved last week by Shawnee County District Judge Larry Hendricks.

Last month, Schmidt asked the Kansas Legislature to update the Kansas No-Call Act to allow the Attorney General’s Office to enforce the Act against telemarketers who call consumers’ cell phones. The bill is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Utilities Committee next week.

Last year, Schmidt’s office litigated 17 cases against violators of the No-Call Act, resulting in $3.4 million in penalties and fees.

Kansans who wish to register a phone number on the Do-Not-Call list may do so by visiting www.InYourCornerKansas.org and clicking on the “Register for the Do-Not-Call List” button.