Rockland Consumer Protection Warns Store Owners Regarding Adding Credit Card Fees to Advertised Prices
Recently, the County of Rockland has received calls from constituents that some businesses have been adding credit card fees to their advertised prices. Since you may be unaware of the rules, we would like to bring this information to your attention.
Regarding credit card charges, the State of New York states how businesses can advertise credit card upcharges. While the law permits differential pricing for cash versus credit, it requires that the if a higher price is charged to credit card users it must be posted in total dollars-and-cents form on the price list, menu, estimate, bill or any other way you use to communicate prices to customers before they make their purchase. You cannot make the credit card customer do their own math to figure out the amount of the upcharge and the actual final price for a credit card purchase.
For example, if a store owner charges a base $10.00 for an item and has a policy of charging a 3.5% upcharge for paying with a credit card, the advertised price has to be “$10.35”. Saying “$10.00 plus 3.5% for use of credit” is prohibited because you are making the customer do math to figure out the final price with the upcharge.
For additional examples contact the Rockland County Consumer Protection at (845)364-3901 or email at CPLCAL@co.rockland.ny.us.
The Rockland County District Attorney and the New York State Attorney General have the authority to enforce this law and the NYS Division of Consumer Protection is charged with assisting aggrieved consumers should they elect to file a complaint. You can file a complaint by following the link at http://www.dos.ny.gov/consumerprotection.
The Rockland County Office of Consumer Protection is serving in an advisory capacity to Rockland County citizens and business owners concerning this issue. If you would like additional clarity on these rules, please call Rockland County Consumer Protection at (845)364-3901 or email at CPLCAL@co.rockland.ny.us.
