You can file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Division either online or by filling out and mailing a consumer complaint form. See File a Consumer Complaint. You can file a complaint to request that the Division mediate a problem between you and the business, or file a complaint just for the record.
If you have a health billing complaint, you can file a complaint with the the Division's Health Education and Advocacy Unit.
No. Many consumers mistakenly believe all contracts allow a 3-day cooling-off period to cancel. Generally, there's no cooling-off period after you sign a contract. (In Maryland, only a few types of transactions, such as door-to-door sales contracts, allow you a certain number of days to cancel.) However, if the dealer promised finance terms, such as a certain interest rate or monthly payment, and is unable to honor those terms, you can't be forced to accept other terms and may cancel the contract.
Under Maryland law, stores must post their return policies on the wall, on the merchandise, or on your receipt. A store can refuse to accept returned merchandise if that is their posted policy. If the policy isn't posted, the store must accept returned merchandise within a reasonable time period. If an item is defective, the store must repair it, replace it or give you a refund, regardless of its regular refund policy.
The Consumer Protection Division cannot tell you if a company is reliable, but the Division can tell you if anyone has filed a complaint against the business and if so, how the complaint was resolved. A mediator will tell you how many complaints have been filed against the business, the nature of the complaints and how they were resolved.
You can also check to see if an individual or business is licensed with the state before they do business with you, at the Maryland Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing.
Our publication, How to Stop Telemarketing and Junk Mail outlines steps consumers can take to get off calling and mailing lists.
Although you have the right to the information contained in your medical records, the record itself belongs to the doctor and he can ask for a fee to cover record retrieval and photocopying. For more information, visit our page about requesting more medical records.
No, eviction is a legal procedure. To evict a tenant, a landlord must go to District Court to get a judgment against the tenant. If a landlord moves your belongings out of your home, changes the locks, or cuts off utilities without a court order, you should call the police and an attorney or a legal services organization. For more information, visit our publication about eviction.
Maryland's lemon law applies to a car, light truck or motorcycle that is registered in Maryland, has been driven less than 18,000 miles, has been owned less than 24 months, and has: