BOISE, Idaho (Legal Newsline) – Private Client Payment Corp. (PCPC) has agreed to settle allegations of misleading state businesses, Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said. PCPC will pay $9,000 in restitution to business owners who filed complaints.
“Idaho’s Consumer Protection Act is designed to protect businesses, too,” Wasden said. “This is another example of how the law is intended to make sure all parties play fairly in Idaho’s marketplace.”
PCPC sold lease agreements for credit card processing terminals and equipment to small businesses throughout Idaho. In 2015, the company began approaching owners about updating their terminals, allegedly coercing them into signing non-cancelable lease agreements. These business owners complained to Wasden’s office that the company misrepresented costs, made false promises about cancellation abilities and failed to give out signed lease agreement copies.
Under the terms of the settlement, PCPC must educate its sales representatives about state consumer protection laws, provide reps with written identification, ban reps from making unauthorized promises and provide each consumer who completes a sales transaction with a copy of the agreement. PCPC will pay restitution to six business owners, as well as reimburse Wasden’s office for attorney fees.