Consumer Protection Division

Members of the Bay Fitness health clubs in Annapolis, Severna Park and Chester can get information about refunds they may be due by calling a hot line set up by the office of the attorney general: 410-576-7052.The Consumer Protection Division has ordered the owner of Bay Fitness in Annapolis to refund advance payments collected from members and stop collecting more than three months' advance payment from prospective customers until he posts a bond to cover the payments.Club owner Gary D. Mackler and his company, Chesapeake Fitness Ltd., did not post a bond that would have covered the amount they collected in advance payments from customers, according to the attorney general.

Maryland's consumer protection division has filed complaints against two health clubs and their owners for not registering with the state. The state requires health clubs to be registered and bonded, which protects consumers from losing fees paid in advance if the club goes belly up. The state's targets: Body Talk, a Laurel club owned by Arnell Tunstall-Richardson; and Kassama's Okinawan Karate Studio in Baltimore owned by Ontagu-Ibrahima Kassama....

Your home is your castle — but even a palace would be unpleasant if it's drafty, leaky or crumbling. Under state law, new homes built in Maryland are protected by a one-year warranty, and they're guaranteed against structural defects for two years. This coverage can help buyers who discover defects after they move in. But persistence will be required, as Thomas Brower and his parents discovered. Their builder, Ryland Homes, had fixed several problems, such as a leaky gas fireplace, on the Rosedale house they bought in August.

Under an agreement announced Thursday by the Maryland attorney general's office, Wells Fargo has agreed to make loan modifications and pay nearly $1 million in restitution to customers of two lenders acquired by the bank. The office's Consumer Protection Division, which reached the agreement with Wells Fargo, said lenders Wachovia and Golden West Financial used deceptive marketing in offering consumers adjustable-rate home loans. Wells Fargo will pay $940,056 to borrowers with "Pick-a-Payment" mortgages written by Wachovia and Golden West who lost their homes in foreclosure, the agreement says.

A Massachusetts-based realty property management company has agreed to stop charging its Maryland tenants improper application, cleaning and holding fees, and will give money back to thousands of consumers. The state Consumer Protection Division estimates more than 5,000 consumers are eligible to receive refunds of $100 to $125 from Berkshire Realty Holdings LP. Berkshire denied allegations by the state attorney general that it violated laws under the Consumer Protection Act. The company did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Thousands of renters, including those who have leased apartments at Ridgeville Chase in Westminster, will benefit from a settlement reached between the Maryland attorney general's Consumer Protection Division and a national property management company that charged improper fees to tenants. The settlement reached last week with Berkshire Realty Holdings, L. P. means tenants will no longer be charged more than $25, or the actual cost of processing a rental application, according to the attorney general's office.

BEL AIR -- Luskin's Inc. is seeking an injunction to block a challenge by the attorney general's office that its air fare giveaway ads violate Maryland consumer protection law.Luskin's filed its complaint in Harford Circuit Court last Friday.The Howard County-based retailer, which has a dozen metropolitan outlets, says it voluntarily discontinued an ad campaign July 31 that offered "free airfare . . . with selected purchases" and presented a revised campaign to the Consumer Protection Division on Aug. 17.The division had notified the company July 27 that its print and television promotions in June violated the Maryland Consumer Protection Act. It cited three reasons:* Consumers had to buy items to receive a vacation.

The consumer protection division of the attorney general's office has ordered the defunct Bay Fitness health clubs in Severna Park and on Kent Island to pay almost $325,000 in fines and restitution for selling memberships not adequately protected by bonds.The clubs, owned by Gary D. Mackler, failed in May last year after collecting membership fees from 250 patrons, none of whom was reimbursed.Mackler reportedly has left the country and is believed to be living in Hong Kong, Assistant Attorney General Steve Sakamoto-Wengel said.

Police seek Laurel man charged in shooting Police were seeking yesterday Terrell T. Bush, 21, of the 200 block of Fort Meade Road in Laurel. Bush is charged in a warrant with attempted first-degree murder in the shooting of Marcellis L. Anderson, 24, of the Baltimore Highlands section of Baltimore County. Anderson was in serious condition yesterday at Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. Police said he was shot in the upper body after an argument on Arwell Court. Attorney general orders business to cease operating The state attorney general's office has issued a cease-and-desist order against Hoffman Marine Construction Inc. of Pasadena, charging that the company took money from customers to build piers, seawalls and other structures but did not deliver.

Sixteen homeowners who were defrauded when Manor Builders Inc. suddenly ceased operation last year will be issued refunds by the Consumer Protection Division of the state's attorney general's office.Palmer C. Williams Jr., the owner of Manor Builders, Inc. and Phoenix Land Inc., fled Maryland after reneging on contracts to build homes in Baltimore and Harford counties. Williams left behind a $20,000 escrow account, which the division seized and is distributing to the homeowners."Buyers should know that Maryland law protects them in the event the builder goes out of business," Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. said.

The office of the state attorney general ordered an Anne Arundel County home builder on Wednesday to pay more than $124,000 in refunds to customers who were building a home in Baltimore County, penalties and costs. The attorney general's consumer protection division says Steven Hessler and Charm City Builders Inc. of Pasadena violated the state's Custom Home Protection Act by failing to place money paid by the customers in an escrow acount or have a surety bond to cover the deposits and payments made.

The consumer protection division of the Maryland attorney general's office has sued a Missouri marketing company and its owners for selling auto repair warranties that didn't provide the coverage promised, the state announced Monday. Officials said U.S. Fidelis Inc., which used to operate under the name National Auto Warranty Services Inc., sold warranties that were supposed to extend the manufacturer's warranty and provide comprehensive coverage. Instead the warranties, which cost $500 to $2,000, provided only limited coverage and consumer claims were often rejected, the state said.

Your home is your castle — but even a palace would be unpleasant if it's drafty, leaky or crumbling. Under state law, new homes built in Maryland are protected by a one-year warranty, and they're guaranteed against structural defects for two years. This coverage can help buyers who discover defects after they move in. But persistence will be required, as Thomas Brower and his parents discovered. Their builder, Ryland Homes, had fixed several problems, such as a leaky gas fireplace, on the Rosedale house they bought in August.

The Consumer Protection division of the Maryland attorney general's office issued a cease-and-desist order Wednesday to an Anne Arundel County locksmith after consumers complained of exorbitant fees, refusing to give estimates and charging credit cards without prior authorization. The business, ATCL-MD, Inc., Around the Clock Locksmith and its owner Joseph M. Horton are accused of charging as much as $1,400 just to respond to a request for services, and more than $4,300 to replace locks.

The Consumer Protection division of the Maryland Attorney General's office issued a cease-and-desist order Wednesday to an Anne Arundel County locksmith after consumers complained of exorbitant fees to replace and change locks, refusing to give estimates and charging credit cards without prior authorization. The business, ATCL-MD, Inc., Around the Clock Locksmith and its owner Joseph M. Horton are accused of charging as much as $1,400 just to respond to a request for services, and more than $4,300 to replace locks, according to a statement.

W hat can you do if the gym where you've been working out isn't working out? That's the conundrum faced by about 3,000 members of the former Gold's Gym in Parkville who received letters last month stating that the franchise location had closed as of Feb. 6. Some customers, like Esther Roskam, were upset because by the time she received her letter Feb. 12, her monthly membership fees had already been automatically debited from her checking...

The prize letter said Pat Paddack and his wife, Diane, had won a Lincoln Town Car. They had only to travel to a Pennsylvania campground to claim it.At first, they couldn't believe it, said Mr. Paddack, a former mayor of Hagerstown. "We read this thing 50 times before we called," he recalled.However, when they arrived at the campground, there was no car -- only a high-pressure sales pitch and a set of steak knives.The Paddacks were among 100,000 Maryland families lured to the Outdoor World Corp.

A Jessup moving company and its owner have agreed to pay the state attorney general's office $32,039 to settle claims that the company charged customers for insurance it never provided. The money, some of which will be used to pay restitution to 112 Magic Movers Inc. customers, was part of a larger settlement that also included agreements from the company to comply with a new state law on liens, to arbitrate future customer complaints through the attorney general's office and to change the way it handles contracts, according to state officials.

More than 500 current and former Maryland brides-to-be have cash coming their way as part of a settlement between the state's attorney general and David's Bridal, the national discount dress chain. David's Bridal has agreed to pay more than $33,000 in restitution, plus $30,000 in penalties and legal costs, for allegedly charging consumers excessive layaway cancellation fees during the past four years, Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler announced yesterday. The company, which has five shops in Maryland, routinely billed buyers a 25 percent forfeiture fee if they canceled a layaway order, according to Gansler.