SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2000 SESSION

006743904
HOUSE BILL NO. 1183
Offered January 24, 2000
A BILL to amend and reenact § 59.1-198 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.
----------
Patron-- Reid
----------
Referred to Committee on Corporations, Insurance and Banking
----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 59.1-198 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 59.1-198. Definitions.

As used in this chapter:

"Business opportunity" means the sale of any products, equipment, supplies or services which are sold to an individual for the purpose of enabling such individual to start a business to be operated out of his residence, but does not include a business opportunity which is subject to the Business Opportunity Sales Act, Chapter 21 (§ 59.1-262 et seq.) of this title.

"Consumer transaction" means:

1. The advertisement, sale, lease or offering for sale or lease, of goods or services to be used primarily for personal, family or household purposes;

2. Transactions involving the advertisement, offer or sale to an individual of a business opportunity that requires both his expenditure of money or property and his personal services on a continuing basis and in which he has not been previously engaged;

3. Transactions involving the advertisement, offer or sale to an individual of goods or services relating to the individual's finding or obtaining employment; and

4. A layaway agreement, whereby part or all of the price of goods is payable in one or more payments subsequent to the making of the layaway agreement and the supplier retains possession of the goods and bears the risk of their loss or damage until the goods are paid in full according to the layaway agreement.

"Goods" means all real, personal or mixed property, tangible or intangible.

"Person" means any natural person, corporation, trust, partnership, association and any other legal entity.

"Services" includes but shall not be limited to work (i) performed in the business or occupation of the supplier or (ii) performed for the supplier by an agent whose charges or costs for such work are transferred by the supplier to the consumer or purchaser as an a non-negotiable element of the consumer transaction. For the purposes of this chapter, non-negotiable elements include destination fees for automobiles charged by the supplier.

"Supplier" means a seller or lessor who advertises, solicits or engages in consumer transactions, or a manufacturer or distributor who advertises and sells or leases goods or services to be resold or leased by other persons in consumer transactions.