HIKIND DEMANDS CONSUMER AFFAIRS CEASE TARGETING COMMUNITY BUSINESSES WITH PETTY, NUISANCE TICKETS

NEWS FROM
ASSEMBLYMAN DOV HIKIND

November 19, 2013
Contact: Yehudah Meth                                                       For Immediate Release
718-853-9616 (office)
973-945-4903 (cell)

HIKIND DEMANDS CONSUMER AFFAIRS CEASE TARGETING COMMUNITY BUSINESSES WITH PETTY, NUISANCE TICKETS

‘THE CITY NEEDS MONEY,
BUT DON’T BREAK OUR SMALL MERCHANTS TO GET IT.’

Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) is demanding that the Department of Consumer Affairs cease ticketing small businesses in Boro Park with petty, nuisance tickets. In recent months, community merchants have been inundated with expensive tickets, many of which Assemblyman Hikind believes were unnecessary and meant only to fill a quota.

After receiving numerous complaints from local merchants, Assemblyman Hikind’s staff began canvassing community businesses to find out what has been occurring with Consumer Affairs’ tickets. In one case, a silver merchant was fined $625 for not posting prices on silver items, when it is well known that silver is a commodity and the price of silver fluctuates from day to day. In a second case, a small barber shop was fined for not posting a refund policy. In a third case, an eyewear establishment was fined for not having posted their refund policy in a “conspicuous” location, although it was plain to see that a refund policy had indeed been posted.

“When you read some of these tickets, it’s just ludicrous,” said Assemblyman Hikind. “Store owners weren’t even warned about questionable infractions—they were just blindsided with very expensive penalties. Is that fair? Clearly these inspectors were instructed to try to find any and all opportunities to fine these store owners. But that is a tremendous hardship for some of them. How many haircuts does a barbershop have to give to pay one of these fines?”

The number of tickets given out by Consumer Affairs skyrocketed from 10.9 million in 2010 to nearly 24.2 million in 2012.

Earlier this year, Assemblyman Hikind began working with NYC Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio to address this problem. On June 26, Hikind joined de Blasio in demanding the resignation of NYC Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jonathan Mintz following the commissioner’s admission that inspectors are “flagged” for writing less than a certain number of tickets. “This is the toughest economy in recent history,” said Assemblyman Hikind. “Small businesses in our community are having a hard enough time without the additional expense of petty tickets from Consumer Affairs that are aimed at raising revenue for the city. The DCA should be helping educate businesses on what the laws are and aren’t—they should be there to support these businesses, which are the lifeblood of our community. Instead, these businesses are being shaken down.

“Our merchants are receiving fines for hundreds of dollars and are then compelled to pay them because they are told by the DCA in writing that if they contest the tickets and are found guilty, the penalty will be double the price of a plea bargain. We have long suspected a quota system was in place and in June it became clear that this shake down of small businesses is being mandated from the top. I look forward to working with our new mayor to put an end to this type of extortion.”

Assemblyman Hikind with Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio at the Public Advocate’s office on June 26, 2013 denouncing a quota for Consumer Affairs tickets.