Legislators vow to fight for carpet 'wholesalers'

photo Staff Photo by Dan Henry/Chattanooga Times Free Press State Rep. Jay Neal, R-LaFayette, listens as state Sen. Charlie Bethel, R-Dalton speaks during a legislative round table meeting at Dalton State College early Thursday morning.

DALTON, Ga. -- Georgia legislators said Thursday they will take quick action to protect Dalton's carpet businesses from censure by the Governor's Office of Consumer Protection.

Speaking at a panel discussion at Dalton State College, Rep. Roger Williams, R-Dalton, said the state office pounced "like a bunch of vultures" on Northwest Georgia carpet dealers who use the word "wholesale" in their names or advertising.

Earlier this fall, several dealers received notices from the consumer protection office telling them to stop calling themselves wholesalers or face legal action.

Under Georgia law, the word "wholesale" can only be used in advertising when it refers to a business selling a product for another business to resell and not to vendors selling to the general public.

Legislators from Murray, Whitfield and Gordon counties vowed to take action early in the January legislative session to change the wording of the law to help the Northwest Georgia businesses.

"It's going to be fast," said Williams.

State Rep. Tom Dickson, R-Cohutta, said a slight change to the law's wording would solve the issue and allow the dealers to sell under the wholesale banner.

Dickson said dozens of businesses in the Dalton area alone -- whose names had been approved by the secretary of state's office when they incorporated -- would be hurt by the enforcement.

"It certainly would have a dramatic effect on those places," said Dickson.

State Rep. John Meadows, R-Calhoun, asked why the businesses have only now been asked to change after calling themselves wholesalers for years.

"How long has that been on the books?" Meadows asked.

Bill Cloud, spokesman for the Office of Consumer Protection, said state law is clear and the agency is only enforcing it after a complaint from other carpet dealers in the Dalton area.

"If you are a wholesaler, you are a wholesaler; if you sell at retail, you are a retailer," said Cloud. "This does not rise to the level of calculus. It's much closer to the level of addition or subtraction."

The lawmakers alleged that the agency was acting at the behest of Atlanta carpet dealers who didn't want to lose sales to competitors up Interstate 75.

Cloud said the agency told 18 businesses around the state to stop using the word "wholesale," including car brokers, jewelers and carpet dealers.

"We are in no way trying to put anybody out of business," Cloud said. "We just want a level playing field."

Contact staff writer Andy Johns at ajohns@timesfree press.com or call 423-757-6324.

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