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Consumer Protection Tips For 2017

January 2017 is here
Jo Ingles
January 2017 is here

If you are thinking about joining a gym, returning an unwanted holiday gift or changing companies you do business with in this new year, Ohio’s Attorney General has some warnings for you. 

Attorney General Mike DeWine says if you make a New Year's resolution to join a gym, read the contract. It shouldn’t last longer than three years and you’ll have three days to cancel. If you got gift cards this holiday, DeWine says don’t wait to use them. They can get lost, lose value and the business could close. On unwanted gifts, DeWine says check return policies to save time and frustration. And if you're doing business with a new company, he urges you to check for complaints with his office or the Better Business Bureau. The new year is also a good time to review bank accounts, update online passwords and check credit reports. And under a new law, you can now freeze your credit or your child’s to protect from identity theft.

Copyright 2016 The Statehouse News Bureau

Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment.