Section 10-1-38. Criminal and civil penalties

   (a) Any person who shall willfully and intentionally violate this article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $500.00 for the first offense and shall be punished as for a misdemeanor for each subsequent offense.

(b) A violation of Code Section 10-1-33 by the seller or holder shall bar recovery of any finance charge, delinquency, or collection charge on the contract.

(c) In case of a willful violation of this article with respect to any transaction, the buyer in such transaction may recover from the person committing the violation (or may set off or counterclaim in any action by such person) a minimum of $100.00 or double the time price differential and any delinquency charge and any attorneys' fees and court costs charged and paid with respect to such transaction, but the seller may recover from the buyer an amount equal to the cash price of the goods or services in such transaction and the cost of any insurance purchased by the seller for the buyer in connection therewith.

(d) Notwithstanding this Code section, any failure to comply with Code Section 10-1-33 may be corrected within ten days after the date of execution of the retail installment contract by the buyer; and, if so corrected, neither the seller nor the holder is subject to any penalty under this Code section.

Ga. L. 1967, p. 674, § 8.