(a) A lessor shall not send any solicitation or other promotional material to a person identified by the consumer as a reference to verify the consumer’s income, assets, credit history, or residence unless all of the following occur:
(1) The lessor clearly discloses in the rental-purchase agreement or application that (A) the lessor may send solicitations or other promotional material to references provided by the consumer unless the consumer objects and (B) the consumer has the right to object without incurring any additional rental charge or fee or any loss of contractual rights.
(2) A space on the rental-purchase agreement or application adjacent to the disclosure described in paragraph (1) is provided for the consumer to indicate the consumer’s approval or disapproval of the lessor’s sending solicitations or other promotional material.
(3) The consumer affirmatively indicates approval.
(4) The lessor does not vary any term required to be disclosed pursuant to Section 1812.623 depending on whether the consumer approves or disapproves of the lessor’s sending of solicitations or other promotional material to references.
(b) The first solicitation or other promotional material directed to a person whom the consumer has identified as a reference shall clearly offer the reference the opportunity, without cost, to instruct the lessor to refrain from sending further solicitations or other promotional material to the reference. If so instructed, the lessor shall not send any further solicitations or other promotional material to the reference and shall remove the reference’s name and address from the lessor’s mailing list.
(c) This section shall not apply to solicitations or other promotional material sent generally to people solely on the basis of demographic, geographic, or postal zip code criteria and without regard to whether the people have been identified as references by consumers.
(Added by Stats. 1994, Ch. 1026, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 1995.)