Consumer Corner: What is the Consumer Protection/Weights & Measures Department?

Provided by the Bucks County Department of Consumer Protection:

Q. The other day I was talking to a friend about your agency.  She was telling me that she attended this activity group that had the director of the office do a presentation and that he talked about everything from scams, to buying a car to buying gas at the pump.  I have also notice this department mentioned in news reports as well as in the newspaper. I am curious to learn about the other ways in which the Bucks County Consumer Protection Department assists the residents of Bucks County.  How would I get this information?  L.T.

A. The Bucks County Consumer Protection/Weights & Measures Department performs many different functions. Their mission is to protect the rights of consumers by providing valuable information about the laws that govern how businesses conduct themselves while remaining fair to both consumers and businesses. We are in close contact with our law makers concerning any changes to existing law and new rules and regulations.

We advocate for consumer’s rights as needed. Guiding consumers in finding solutions to difficult situations is the agency’s specialty.

As you already gathered, a representative of our office is available for speaking engagements or if you’d like, our investigator can attend an event you are hosting and will display our many different brochures and be available to answer questions.  Our brochures can also be found on our website at www.buckscounty.org Click on Consumer Protection, then: “tips and brochures” to see if there is one that would be helpful to you. If you do not have access to the internet you may call our office and we’d be happy to mail a particular brochure to you.  Consumers can also call our office to check on a certain business that they are thinking of hiring to determine if there have been any complaints against them and to make sure that they are licensed if the business requires one. Please keep in mind that, although we may have received a complaint against a particular business, it does not imply that the business did something wrong. There are always two sides to every complaint. It is how the business handles a consumer complaint that is the key.

We also invite consumers to call our investigators or email us with consumer related questions if you are concerned that you may be taken advantage of by a company, a service, a potential telephone or mail scammer and are unsure as to which direction to go next.  We can act as neutral mediators between a consumer and a business in the hope of opening up communications before a consumer may decide to take legal action.

The Weights & Measures Department provides inspections of various weighing and measuring devices used throughout Bucks County in an attempt to maintain a fair and equitable market place for all. These inspections include devices such as gas station pumps, home heating oil truck meters and deli scales to timing devices in car washes and in dryers at Laundromats. This is done to make sure that the devices are accurate and consumers are getting what they pay for.  Once a device passes inspection, an official Weights and Measures seal is adhered to the device. This is the consumer’s way of knowing that the device has been inspected in the year and month indicated on the seal. If a device is found to be inaccurate in its weight or measurement calibrations, the business is notified via a report and given a small timeline in which to make the repairs or the device may be taken out of service. Most devices are inspected on an annual basis, however, if a consumer makes a purchase and questions the accuracy of a device, they may call this office and our inspectors will return to the business and perform a re-inspection.

For additional tips and brochures on many consumers related issues please visit us at http://www.buckscounty.org/government/CommunityServices/ConsumerProtection/ConsumerTips