Consumer Protection on the Web

• Federal Government Sites
  • Sites for Consumers
  • Sites for Businesses
     
• GUIDES TO STATE WEB SITES

• NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
   
• LEGAL SITES
   
• WEB DIRECTORIES

FirstGov for Consumers

FirstGov for Consumers is the federal government's portal to its consumer protection resources on the Web.  It contains information on consumer information topics from food safety to identity theft, and it provides links to other government Web sites for consumers.  The information on this site is intended for consumers, but businesses will also find it useful.

 

FirstGov for Seniors--Consumer Protection

This is the federal government's consumer protection site designed for senior citizens.  It contains information on product safety, telephone and mail scams, Medicare and Medicaid fraud, investment scams, drug safety and effectiveness, and other topics affecting seniors.  It also has a set of links to state Web sites for seniors.
 

Federal Consumer Information Center--The Consumer Action Website

This is another portal for general consumer information.  It contains links to information on buying products, what to do if you have problems with products or services, and a sample complaint letter to merchants.  It also provides a directory of persons to whom to write with problems, including federal agencies, state governments and major manufacturers.

 

Federal Trade Commission--Consumer Protection

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Protection page provides a host of links to information on various consumer protection issues with which the FTC can help consumers.  It also provides a link to the FTC's on-line Consumer Complaint Form, which allows consumers to file complaints directly to the FTC over the Web.
 

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

If you need to know about safety issues with any consumer product (except automobiles), this is the place to go.  The site has information on everything from children's clothing to amusement park rides.  The site also contains links to other government consumer protection sites, a place to sign up for e-mail notifications of press releases and recalls, and a place to file a complaint.
 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

This site has just about anything you need to know about automobile safety.  In addition to recalls and press releases, the site has information on child safety seats, school buses, driver distraction, and many other topics.  For anybody concerned with highway safety, this is the place to start.
 

U.S. Food and Drug Administration--Information for Consumers

This page is the jumping-off point for consumer information regarding foods, drugs and medical devices.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provides links to its several divisions, as well as a subject-matter index with links to specific information on specific products and topics.
 

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation--Consumer Affairs Program and Publications

On this site, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) provides consumer information relating to banking and financial services.  There are links to specific topics (mortgages, credit cards, etc.) and a place to file a complaint against a financial services provider.
 

The Federal Reserve Board--Consumer Handbook to Credit Protection Laws

This site provides information to consumers about consumer credit.  The information covers topics from applying for credit, credit history reports and electronic fund transfers.  It, too, contains a place for consumers to file a complaint with the agency.
 

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development--Consumer Information

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulates housing sales and rentals.  The site has information on housing discrimination, health and safety issues (lead paint, etc.), housing construction contractors, reverse mortgages, real estate sales, landlord/tenant matters and manufactured housing.  The page also provides links to other federal agencies.
 

U.S. Department of Transportation--Aviation Consumer Protection Division

This is the consumer Web site for customers who fly on commercial airlines.  It contains information on overbookings, flight delays, mishandled baggage, and other consumer complaints regarding commercial air travel.  It has both publications and a place to register a complaint.
 

U.S. Postal Inspection Service

The U.S. Postal Service's consumer page gives hints on how to avoid being the victim of fraud, how to take your name off of junk mailing lists, what to do if you are the victim of identity theft, what to do if you receive something in the mail that you did not order, and even how to avoid e-mail and telephone scams.  The site also contains a mail fraud complaint form.
 

U.S. Business Advisor

This is the federal government's Web portal for businesses.  It contains information on business development and financial assistance, but also has pages on laws and regulations affecting business.  This is an excellent place for a business owner to start when looking for information on what laws and regulations exist in the industry.  There is also a section on workplace issues, including workplace safety, employee benefits, etc.
 

Federal Trade Commission--Business Guidance

This is a page of links that lead to information on various consumer protection issues, as well as information on specific industries.  For more business-oriented information on consumer protection from the FTC, see the following:
 

Federal Trade Commission--Consumer Protection--Business Information

This is a page of links to information about specific business-related topics.  It includes information on advertising, credit, e-commerce and the Internet, telemarketing and privacy.  In addition, it contains links to information on specific industries, including funerals, tobacco, jewelry and appliances.
 

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission--Business Information

As the title implies, this page contains links to information about consumer product safety directed to businesses.  One of the sub-pages contains guides to laws and regulations by product, by industry, and by the names of federal acts.
 

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation--Resources for Bankers

Among the information this page--which is directed to bankers and financial services companies--provides is information on fair lending practices, information for bank directors, links to laws and regulations, and links to other federal agencies.
 

State Consumer Contacts

The Federal Consumer Information Center maintains this list of state and county consumer protection agencies throughout the country.  For those states where the counties are responsible for most consumer protection, county agencies are listed.  Where states are small enough so that a state agency handles consumer protection, then only the state agencies are listed.  Occasionally, industry-specific offices are listed, but the list is not comprehensive for industry-specific agencies.
 

Consumer World--Consumer Agencies

The section of the page to which the above link leads is a list of state consumer protection agencies.  This page is also listed under general resources, below.
 

Better Business Bureau

The BBB is a nationwide organization that assists consumers and businesses in resolving complaints between them.  The national council keeps statistics on member companies, including customer complaints.  It issues "reliability reports" on member companies.  The web site also has pages of consumer tips regarding various industries.
 

AFL-CIO Consumer Protection for your Working Family

This web-site, run by the national AFL-CIO labor union, provides much good information about consumer protection.  It also has many links to other consumer protection sites.
 

Direct Marketing Association--Consumer Home

The Direct Marketing Association is an industry association whose members include "catalog companies, direct mailers, teleservice firms, Internet marketers, and other at-distance marketers," involving both business-to-consumer and business-to-business transactions.  Their consumer Web site includes information on direct marketing, including electronic marketing, for consumers.
 

Fraud.org--National Fraud Information Center

Fraud.org has information about telemarketing and Internet fraud.  It includes a link to information about fraud against businesses.  On the web site are fraud alerts and pages on how to report fraud.
 

SafeShopping.org

This site is produced by the American Bar Association.  It provides information to consumers about on-line shopping.  It includes information on products, shipping, complaints, and privacy and security.
 

National Consumer Law Center

The NCLC describes itself as "America’s Foremost Advocate for Low-Income Consumer Justice and its Leading Expert on Low-Income Consumer Issues."  It provides legal services to low-income individuals facing consumer-related problems.  The issues it handles include bankruptcy problems, "pay day" loans and predatory lending issues, consumer banking issues, manufactured housing problems, immigration issues, and automobile lemon law concerns
 

The 'Lectric Law Library Lawcopedia's Consumer Rights & Protection Topic Area

The 'Lectric Law Library is an off-the-wall site of legal information.  The information is contributed by volunteers, so a user will have to be careful of its accuracy.  Fortunately, most of the material is credited, and a user can judge the usefulness of it, at least to some degree.  The site does have a lot of good information about consumer-related matters, all of which is listed off of this page.
 

Nolo Consumer and Travel Center

Nolo is a publisher of materials (both print and electronic) for individuals and small businesses who want legal information without consulting a lawyer.  This page is the jumping-off point for the consumer information on Nolo's web site.  Although the information is not comprehensive, there is some good information about several important consumer law issues.
 

Google--Consumer Information

This is search engine Google's directory of consumer information.  Google's editors have put together this excellent list of resources.  The page also includes links to consumer information about specific topics, from Advocacy and Protection to Travel.
 

Yahoo--Consumer Advocacy and Information

This is Yahoo's version of a directory of consumer information.  Again, Yahoo's editors have determined that the sites listed here are useful consumer information sites.  There are both general consumer information sites and sites on specific topics.
 

Skeptic Web Ring

This "Web Ring"--or list of Web sites who share a similar interest--focuses on Web sites that discuss "paranormal phenomena and fringe science."  Among the Web sites discussing UFO's, ghosts and the like are sites discussing alternative medicine (hypnosis, massage, homeopathy, etc.), psychics, and claims against childhood immunizations.  The member Web pages range from legitimate organization to wacko individuals, so the user will have to judge the information on each page for him or herself.

If you have any comments or suggestions for this guide, please e-mail them to Matt Pollack

Copyright 2002 Matthew Pollack.  All rights reserved.