Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul last week filed a lawsuit against ABC Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric, Inc. (ABC) for its deceptive business practices that mislead consumers, most often senior citizens, to sign a contract for home repair work at inflated prices by unlicensed technicians while they also unknowingly waive their statutory rights to cancel the contract.
Raoul’s lawsuit claims ABC violates the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act, Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the Illinois Home Repair and Remodeling Act.
As a result, the complaint seeks a permanent injunction to stop current and prevent future violations, rescind all contracts entered into due to unlawful practices, as well as civil monetary relief for the violations.
Raoul’s lawsuit alleges ABC technicians enter consumers’ homes to review the consumer’s initial home repair issue but then inspect other areas of the home without asking permission.
When the technicians inevitably find additional issues, they are presented to consumers as emergencies, or even life-threatening hazards that require immediate remedy, the lawsuit alleges.
Raoul’s lawsuit alleges that, in some instances, consumers did not understand they were actually signing a contract or that the contract contained language waiving their three-day right to cancel the contract.
The lawsuit claims these upselling techniques are frequently aimed at senior citizens, who rely on ABC to complete urgent work that they are unable to repair themselves.
When ABC completes the overpriced and often unnecessary work, it is frequently sloppy or incomplete and sometimes performed by unlicensed technicians, according to the complaint.
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