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Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 8 Sec. 4253

  • Consumer: means a natural person who buys other than for purposes of resale any tangible personal property that is distributed in commerce and that is normally used for personal, family, or household purposes, and not for commercial purposes. See
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Provider: means a person who issues, makes, or provides a service contract, and who is contractually obligated to provide service under a service contract and is not the manufacturer. See
  • Service contract: means any contract or agreement to perform or indemnify for a specific duration the repair, replacement, or maintenance of property for operational or structural failure due to a defect in materials, workmanship, or normal wear and tear, with or without additional provisions for incidental payment of indemnity under limited circumstances, including towing, rental, and emergency road service. See
  • Service contract holder: means a person who is the purchaser or holder of a service contract. See
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States may apply to the District of Columbia and any territory and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See

§ 4253. Prohibited acts

(a) A provider shall not use in its name, contracts or literature:

(1) the words “insurance,” “casualty,” “surety,” “mutual”; or

(2) a name deceptively similar to the name or description of any insurance or surety corporation or any other provider licensed to do business in this State.

(b) No provider or its agent shall advertise, print, display, publish, distribute, or broadcast, or cause to permit the foregoing to occur, in any manner whatsoever, any statement or representation with regard to the rates, terms, or conditions of a service contract that is false, misleading, or deceptive.

(c) No service contract sold or offered for sale to a consumer in this State shall fail to contain the authorization of the original service contract holder to return the contract within 20 days of receipt of the contract if no claim has been made under the contract and obtain a refund of the full purchase price of the contract. Each provider shall provide or mail a copy of the service contract to the customer within 14 days of the date of sale, unless the provider makes a copy of the service contract terms and conditions available to the consumer at the point of sale, in which event the provider must provide or mail the service contract to the customer within a reasonable period of time.

(d) Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to impair or in any way affect any rule of law applicable to or governing service contracts not otherwise subject to this subchapter. (Added 1997, No. 109 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1998; amended 2021, No. 105 (Adj. Sess.), § 177, eff. July 1, 2022.)