Consumer Information

Now more than ever it is important to be an informed consumer.

This tutorial will direct you to sources so you can learn about your rights as a consumer, find out about the best products before you buy, and know your advocates for complaint resolution.

RESEARCH PURCHASES

ConsumerAffairs.com includes consumer news, recall information and tens of thousands of pages of consumer complaints, comments and compliments

ConsumerSearch.com provides reviews on products and important trends and developments. Products are reviewed by experts like Consumer Reports and Good Housekeeping, as well as users themselves.

Epinions.com shares both good and bad reviews of products written by people who have actually used them.

ConsumerGuide Products has three divisions: products, automotive, and travel. Users not only learn of new products, but also how they work. There are product reviews, price guides, and advice.

CAR REVIEWS AND PRICING

ConsumerGuide Automotive gives prices, reviews, and road-test evaluations.

Edmunds.com provides both new and used car reviews, advice and maintenance information.

Kelley Blue Book rates cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles, and personal watercraft.

NADA provides pricing information on new cars, used cars, classic cars, motorcycles, boats, RV's and manufactured homes.

PRODUCT SAFETY AND RECALLS

Recalls.gov is the one-stop gateway to US Government recalls for unsafe, defective products. This site links to government agencies such as FDA, USDA, EPA, Consumer Product Safety Council, the National Highway Safety Administration, and the United States Coast Guard.
You may also use this site to report a dangerous product.

CONSUMER EDUCATION

Federal Citizen Information Center This US Government program provides consumers with helpful publications, including the Consumer Action Handbook, which gives consumer advice and lists useful contacts for consumer complaint resolution.

Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel is your residential utility consumer advocate. The OCC provides the Ohio utility consumer with links to utility service providers and payment centers, as well as educational publications.

CONSUMER COMPLAINTS

Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection is the nation's consumer protection agency collecting complaints about business and business practices. Find educational material about identity theft, buying a car, or shopping for a loan. You can also register your telephone number with the Do Not Call Registry.

Ohio Attorney General can assist Ohioans in resolving individual consumer complaints.

Ohio Department of Insurance is available to help Ohioans who have questions or concerns about their insurance coverage, whether medical, auto, home, life, or Medicare. The ODI has a consumer hotline and a place for filing a complaint.

Top of page

Reference