Registered Mechanic (MR) licence: weights and measures, not cars
It is DACO’s licence to repair weighing and measuring instruments. $75, expires in a year, and 30 days after expiry you start over.
August 14, 2026
Agency
Departamento de Asuntos del Consumidor (DACO)
Handles consumer complaints against merchants and adjudicates disputes: purchases, warranties, construction, contracting of works and services, parking, motor vehicles and condominium law. It also licenses condominium managing agents, registered mechanics and discount market operators.
Agency's official siteGuides related to this agency
Car factory warranty: what must be honored in Puerto Rico
Act 7-1979 requires the factory warranty in Puerto Rico to be no worse than the U.S. one and to be honored here, wherever you bought the vehicle.
August 23, 2026
Debt collection agencies: the 15 practices the law forbids them
Act 143-1968 licenses collection agencies and forbids fifteen practices, from threatening violence to charging additional fees never agreed to.
August 23, 2026
Security credit freeze: how to shut the door on fraud
Act 236-2015 lets you freeze your credit report so nobody opens accounts in your name. The deadlines, the PIN and who pays nothing.
August 23, 2026
Emergency price freeze: it is automatic and the fine is $10,000
Since Act 52-2019, prices of essential goods freeze automatically when the emergency is declared. Who enforces it and how big the fine is.
August 23, 2026
Generator warranty: repair, deadlines and getting your money back
Act 107-2019 requires honoring warranties on new generators and creates a special action that can end in contract resolution and a refund.
August 23, 2026
Contractor registry: how to check it before you sign
Act 146-1995 creates a public Contractor Registry at DACO, with bond and certification. What to demand before hiring and how long you have to claim.
August 23, 2026
Roof sealing: the contractor needs a licence, not just a brush
Act 281-2000 requires a Board licence to waterproof, seal or repair roofs. What to ask before they climb up, and what the law excludes.
August 23, 2026
Taking something in for repair: receipt, estimate and written approval
Act 272-2000 makes the shop give you a four-item receipt, bars repairs without your written approval, and bans charging for the estimate if it cannot be fixed.
August 23, 2026
Gas cylinders: a 20-pound tank must contain 20 pounds
Act 18-2022 requires each cylinder to contain the net weight of its capacity, certified by an authorized weigher, with the net content labeled.
August 23, 2026
Credit repair companies: what the law forbids them to charge you
Act 153-2013 bans advance payment, gives seven days to cancel and caps the contract at six months. And it clarifies what cannot be erased from your file.
August 23, 2026
Rent-to-own: the right to reinstate your contract
If you fell behind and returned the item within 5 days, you may reinstate the contract without losing what you paid. Late fees cap at $3 or 10%.
August 23, 2026
Self-storage: when they lock you out and when they can auction
After 7 days they may deny you access with no notice. But auctioning requires two notices, a notarial inventory and a published edict.
August 23, 2026
Your data was breached: what they must tell you, and how fast
The entity has a non-extendable 10 days to inform DACO, and DACO 24 hours to announce it. You must be notified as expeditiously as possible.
August 23, 2026
Telemarketing: the hours, the consent and the free trial
They may not call a residence outside 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., nor call or message you without prior consent. And your silence is not a yes.
August 23, 2026
Comparing your medication’s price between pharmacies
DACO runs a portal where pharmacies report what an uninsured consumer pays for the most-used prescription drugs. You can filter by town.
August 23, 2026
Consumer Bill of Rights: 12 rights you can cite
Article 7A of Act 5-1973 gives you a copy of the contract before signing, bans blank spaces, and protects access to water and power without a property title.
August 23, 2026
Cancelling cell, internet or TV: the penalty must drop every month
Act 157-2013 bans early termination charges unless prorated, with monthly reductions and a term that never exceeds two years.
August 23, 2026
Cancelling a contract the same way you signed it
Act 132-2015 requires an adhesion contract to be terminable the same way it began, and that you be told the cancellation routes before signing.
August 23, 2026
Paid parking: damage, theft and overcharging
Act 120-1973 gives DACO primary jurisdiction over your claim for vehicle damage or overcharging, and treats the operator as a bailee.
August 23, 2026
The tip is calculated on the consumption, not the total with sales tax
Act 9-2018 bars a business from calculating the tip on the total price including sales tax. The base is the consumption total only.
August 23, 2026
Weights and measures: the scale in view and net weight on the package
Act 145-1968 requires scales within consumers’ reach to verify packages and bans the words "approximately", "when packed" and "when cut".
August 23, 2026
Surcharge for paying by card: prohibited, and in leases too
Act 150-2008 bars any merchant from charging extra for using a credit or debit card, in both sale and lease transactions.
August 23, 2026
Personal data when you buy: they cannot require it to complete the sale
Act 38-2016 bars requiring your phone, address, licence or SSN to complete a purchase, whatever the payment method.
August 23, 2026
Registering as a condominium manager with DACO
A notarised application, a criminal record certificate under three months old, and two separate payments: $150 and $100.
August 14, 2026
Licence to operate a flea market (discount market)
It is for whoever operates the market, not the vendor. An original insurance policy and Hacienda’s Merchant Registry are required.
August 14, 2026
How to file a consumer complaint with DACO
Three routes: online, on paper at a regional office, or by phone at 787-722-7555. And there is no single form.
August 14, 2026
Condominium complaint with DACO: horizontal property
The seven causes the form lets you tick — illegal assessment, challenge to an assembly, improper cut-off of services and four more.
August 14, 2026
They threw out the files with your data: how the law requires destroying them
Act 234-2014 requires shredding, deleting or modifying files with personal information before discarding them, and recording it before a notary.
August 24, 2026
Student lodging: the DACO licence that must be on display
No student lodging may operate without a DACO licence, and your lease must certify the place complies with Act 48-1990 and its regulation.
August 24, 2026
Your receipt faded: the store had to print it on durable material
Act 95-2006 requires every establishment to issue receipts and warranties in permanent ink and paper lasting more than a year, or as long as the warranty.
August 24, 2026
Air pump: every retail gas station must have one working
Act 67-2004 requires every retail gas station to have a working air pump during the entire time it is open to the public.
August 24, 2026
Defective wheelchair or assistive device: the law gives you a new one in 20 days
Act 402-2000 requires a minimum one-year warranty, a free loaner if repair exceeds 3 days, and new equipment within 20 days if classified defective.
August 24, 2026
"The warranty does not apply in Puerto Rico": selling that appliance is prohibited
Act 93-1971 forbids selling in Puerto Rico household articles and appliances with warranty certificates that do not include Puerto Rico in their coverage.
August 24, 2026
Movie ratings: the notice the cinema must post before selling you the ticket
Act 141-2002 requires cinemas and stores to post in Spanish and English what each rating means, and to warn if adult trailers will run in children’s showings.
August 24, 2026
Computer with used parts: the label, the 10 days and the full refund
Act 240-2006 requires a 1x2-inch bilingual label and gives you repair in 10 days or a full refund if you are sold equipment with used parts without notice.
August 24, 2026
Video games: the store notice and the rating every ad must carry
Act 420-2004 requires stores to post in both languages what each video game rating means, and every local ad to include the game’s rating.
August 24, 2026
Single-use plastics: the ban exists, but is under moratorium until 2027
Act 51-2022 bans handing out or selling single-use plastics, but its prohibition and fines are under moratorium until December 31, 2026.
August 24, 2026
Cement: what the bag must say and the bond that answers if it fails
Act 132-2001 requires every cement bag to state in Spanish and English the type, factory and importer, and requires a million-dollar bond from importers.
August 24, 2026
The shop must give you an invoice with each part and labor listed separately
Act 161-1996 requires every auto repair shop to hand over a complete invoice with the exact cost of each part and the amount charged for labor.
August 24, 2026
A new car ad must state the miles per gallon
Act 31-2007 requires every new car ad to include city and highway mileage, at a size no smaller than one quarter of the model name or price.
August 24, 2026
What a clothing label must say by law
Act 134-1980 requires every textile product to carry a label with fibers by generic name, each one’s percentage, and the country of manufacture.
August 24, 2026
Your cell phone or cable contract cannot renew itself
Act 76-2015 bans automatic renewal clauses in cell phone and paid TV contracts: at expiry, the contract becomes month to month.
August 24, 2026
Extended appliance warranty: it is optional and they must tell you
Act 95-1971 requires separate contracts, makes the service contract optional, bars pressure, and gives a DACO complaint if it is forced on you.
August 25, 2026
Condominium rules: how to get them before you buy
Act 13-2026 obliges the manager to hand over the rules within five business days to the listing broker or to a buyer who asks.
August 27, 2026
Medical debt: it cannot go on your credit report
Act 98-2026 bars reporting medical-expense debts to credit agencies, and bars a collector from telling you it will hurt your score.
August 27, 2026
Which products fall under the price freeze
Act 131-2005 names the first-necessity goods and services freezable in an emergency, and JR 49-2023 added dog and cat food.
August 29, 2026
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