TITLE 6

Commerce and Trade

SUBTITLE II

Other Laws Relating to Commerce and Trade

CHAPTER 43. Retail Installment Sales

Subchapter VII. Add-On Sales

§ 4327. Addition of subsequent purchases to contract.

A retail installment contract which otherwise conforms to the requirements of this chapter, may contain the provision that the seller may at the seller’s option add subsequent purchases made by the buyer to the contract, and that the total price of the goods or services covered by the contract shall be increased by the price of such additional goods or services, and that all service charges and installment payments may, at the seller’s option, be increased proportionately, and that all terms and conditions of the contract shall apply equally to such additional goods or services. The contract may also provide that the goods purchased under the previous contract or contracts shall be security for the goods purchased under the subsequent contract but only until such time as the time sale price under the previous contract or contracts is fully paid.

6 Del. C. 1953, §  4327;  52 Del. Laws, c. 34270 Del. Laws, c. 186, §  1

§ 4328. Allocation of payments made subsequent to add-on purchases.

When a subsequent purchase is made, the entire amount of all payments made previous thereto shall be deemed to have been applied toward the payment of the previous time sale price or time sale prices. Each payment thereafter received shall be deemed to be allocated to all of the various time sale prices in the same proportion or ratio as the original cash sale prices of the various purchases bear to one another; where the amount of each installment payment is increased in connection with the subsequent purchase, the subsequent payments (at the seller’s election) may be deemed to be allocated as follows: an amount equal to the original rate, to the previous time sale price, and an amount equal to the increase, to the subsequent time sale price. However, the amount of any initial or down payment on the subsequent purchase shall be deemed to be allocated in its entirety to such purchase.

6 Del. C. 1953, §  4328;  52 Del. Laws, c. 342.

§ 4329. Memorandum on subsequent purchases to be furnished to buyer.

(a) When a subsequent purchase is made, the seller shall deliver to the buyer, prior to the due date of the first installment, a memorandum which shall set forth the following:

(1) The names of the seller and the buyer, the place of business of the seller, the residence or place of business of the buyer as specified by the buyer and a description of the goods and services sufficient to identify them. Services or multiple items of goods may be described in general terms and may be described in detail in a separate writing.

(2) The cash sale price of the goods, services and accessories which are the subject matter of the new retail installment sale.

(3) The amount of the buyer’s down payment, itemizing the amounts paid in money and in goods and containing a brief description of the goods, if any, traded in.

(4) The difference between paragraphs (a)(2) and (a)(3) of this section.

(5) The amount, if any, included for insurance, specifying the coverages and the cost of each type of coverage.

(6) The amount, if any, of official fees.

(7) The unpaid balance, which is the sum of paragraphs (a)(4), (5) and (6) of this section.

(8) The unpaid time balance of the prior contract or contracts.

(9) The new unpaid balance, which is the sum of paragraphs (a)(7) and (8) of this section.

(10) The amount of the service charge computed in conformity with § 4315 of this title.

(11) The consolidated time balance, which is the sum of paragraphs (a)(9) and (10) of this section, payable by the buyer to the seller, the number of installments required, the amount of each installment expressed in dollars and the due date or period thereof.

(b) The items need not be stated in the sequence or order set forth above; additional items may be included to explain the computations made in determining the amounts to be paid by the buyer.

(c) This memorandum shall contain the statement that the seller is adding the subsequent purchase to the buyer’s existing contract in accordance with the provisions thereof.

6 Del. C. 1953, §  4329;  52 Del. Laws, c. 342.

§ 4330. Obligation of buyer in absence of memorandum.

Until the seller delivers to the buyer the memorandum as provided in § 4329 of this title, the buyer shall be obligated to pay only the cash sale price of the subsequent purchase.

6 Del. C. 1953, §  4330;  52 Del. Laws, c. 342.

§ 4331. Service charge on consolidated time balance.

Subject to the other provisions of §§ 4315-4317 of this title, the service charge to be included in a consolidated time balance shall be determined by applying the service charge at the applicable rate specified in that article to either:

(1) The total of the unpaid balance of the subsequent contract and the unpaid balance of any previous contract included in the consolidated total determined by deducting from the then unpaid time balance thereof any then unearned service charge in an amount not less than the refund credit for anticipation in §§ 4320-4323 of this title (computed, however, without the allowance of any minimum earned service charge), for the period from the date thereof to and including the date when the final installment of such consolidated total is payable; or

(2) The principal balance of the subsequent contract for the period from the date thereof to and including the date when the final installment of such consolidated total is payable and, if the due date of the final installment of such consolidated total is later than the due date of the final installment of any previous contract included in the consolidated total, on the time balance then unpaid on such previous contract from the date when the final installment thereof was payable to the date when the final installment of such consolidated total is payable.

6 Del. C. 1953, §  4331;  52 Del. Laws, c. 342.

§ 4332. Minimum service charge in add-on transactions.

The minimum service charge as provided in paragraph (3) [repealed] of § 4315 of this title may be used but once in any series of add-on transactions.

6 Del. C. 1953, §  4332;  52 Del. Laws, c. 342.