WHITE PLAINS, NY — Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino kicked off National Consumer Protection Week with a visit to Irvington Presbyterian Church, which the county aided in an arduous process to recover $10,000.
The county’s Department of Consumer Protection helped the church recoup $10,000 from a contractor who had refused to issue a refund after an extra one had accidentally been added to a check that was supposed to be for $1,000. Over the six years Astorino has been in office, Consumer Protection has helped residents recover nearly $2.5 million in cash, goods and services.
“The men and women in our department of Consumer Protection are a hardworking, dedicated team, and county residents should know they are here and ready to help,” said Astorino. “Not only do they do a great job advocating for county residents, but through the fees and fines they collect, the department is fully self-funded. This is the definition of good government at work.”
The department provides information on contractors, as well as outreach to warn the public of scams and con artists when they are discovered to be operating in Westchester, many of which prey on seniors and other vulnerable residents.
“National Consumer Protection Week focuses on reminding consumers of their rights in the marketplace and that information is readily available from the Department of Consumer Protection on how to make smart purchases, shop safely on line and how to best protect their identity,” said Acting Director John Gaccione. “It is that much more important than ever because today’s marketplace is changing so quickly.”
Irvington Presbyterian Church’s saga began when a contractor had completed work on a $1,000 project to maintain fire extinguishers, but the church treasurer added an errant one to the check, and $11,000 was deposited by the contracting company. After much stress and aggravation, and coming to terms with possibly having to write off a major loss, the church turned to Westchester Consumer Protection, and that’s when things turned for the better.
“We made an error in overpaying a vendor for his services, and all our efforts to recoup the money were met with avoidance and delays,” said Rev. David Harkness, Pastor of Irvington Presbyterian Church. “We reached out to the Westchester County Consumer Protection Department for help. We were informed at each step taken by the department. Eventually, the vendor paid the $10,000 we were owed. This would not have happened without the help of this department. We are grateful for the intervention and successful mediation.”
The Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection can be reached at (914) 995-2155 and more information is available online at http://consumer.westchestergov.com/
