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NEWARK
– State Office of Weights and Measures
officers have cited 49 gold and jewelry
buying businesses with more than 1,600 summonses
for alleged violations of state statutes,
during a just-concluded statewide inspection
sweep that found inaccurate scales that
misweighed items and resulted in consumers
receiving less money.
The
Precious Metals Task Force commenced its
inspections in June following receipt of
a consumer complaint. The task force conducted
unannounced inspections of jewelry stores
and also transient buyers of gold and jewelry
who typically operate within hotels and
frequently move.
“Some
of the buyers defrauded consumers, short-weighing
their items and likely paying them less
than the true value of the items,”
Attorney General Paula T. Dow said. “We
found violations statewide and we’re
putting the industry on notice that we won’t
tolerate the cheating of consumers.”
A
scale that had a spring mounted under the
weighing platform was among the confiscated
scales displayed at a press conference today
at the state Office of Weights and Measures
in Avenel. The spring pushed back as an
item was weighed, producing an inaccurate
reading.
“Consumers
who need to sell their heirlooms and keepsakes
to raise cash deserve to get every dollar
that their gold, jewelry and precious metals
are worth. But buyers who use unapproved,
uninspected or purposely tampered with scales
are cheating consumers out of money,”
said Thomas R. Calcagni, Acting Director
of the State Division of Consumer Affairs.
The
businesses were cited for violations of
laws that require detailed receipts to be
provided to sellers, as well as for the
use of scales that were found to be unregistered,
not inspected, not approved for use in New
Jersey, and that had been unsealed and tampered
with.
Complete
receipts given to consumers selling their
items must include information about the
type of precious metal or item purchased,
the fineness (quality) of the metal, the
weights of the items purchased, the prices
paid, and the name and address of the buyer.
That information is important to the consumer
who may later wish to dispute the transaction
or attempt to reclaim their jewelry during
the 48 hours when the buyer is required
to keep the purchased item.
Transient
gold and jewelry buying businesses are required
to post a $5,000 bond with the state in
order to conduct business.
Calcagni
noted that consumers can contact the State
Office of Weights and Measures directly
at 732-815-4840. Complaints
also can be filed online at www.njconsumeraffairs.gov
.
Deputy
Attorney General Neil Magnus is representing
the state in this matter. The civil penalty
for each violation conviction ranges from
$100 to $500, with the court setting the
exact penalty.
The
violations chart and key to the violation
codes are attached.
Calcagni
thanked the following local Weights and
Measures offices for their participation
in the task force inspections: Bergen, Burlington,
Camden, Cumberland, Essex, Hudson, Mercer,
Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic,
Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties
and the cities of East Orange and Trenton.
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