July 5, 2005 – The Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs has reached an agreement with Kmart on price violations and outdated products. A public/private partnership will be implemented to resolve the issues.
According to a press release from the DLCA, Virgin Islanders will eventually benefit from the partnership. Kmart officials have agreed to pay $14,000 to settle outstanding citations for violations of consumer laws. The money paid to the DLCA will go into the Consumer Protection Fund and will be used to assist consumers in complaint resolution and consumer education.
Kmart is one of the largest retailers in the Virgin Islands, and its local stores are considered some of the most successful in the chain. According to the release, Kmart is concerned that their customers are satisfied with their products and service, and therefore agreed to cooperate with the DLCA to correct any past problems.
Also as part of the agreement, DLCA will periodically train Kmart management and employees in the consumer laws of the Virgin Islands.
Kmart officials did not return calls to the Source for comments.
The DLCA says consumers are encouraged to report any retail violations and complaints to the Division of Consumer Services. In St. Croix, call Ali Paul at 773-2226; on St. Thomas call Clive Mills at 774-3130; and on St. John call Leona Smith at 693-8036.
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