Consumer Information & Advocacy
This guide is designed to help consumers locate information on the value, pricing, and reliability of goods and services with a focus on consumer advocacy. There are specific headings devoted to higher profile issues in this area such as Children’s Products, Automobiles, and Health. Though the main focus of this guide is on items and services that can be purchased in the United States, some links may lead to resources outside of the U.S.
| General Online Sources | Government Sources | For Children’s Products |
| For Automobiles | For Health | Books | Magazines |
General Online Sources
The Better Business Bureau (U.S. and Canada) https://www.bbb.org/ might have an office in your area. If there is not a listing for a local office in the Yellow Pages of the current phone book, this site will help locate the nearest BBB office. This well-designed site provides information on business and consumer alerts, instructs consumers about how to file a complaint online, and lists many other helpful resources.
Consumer World https://www.consumerworld.org/ is a searchable website that provides access to hundreds of consumer resources on the Internet. It is categorized according to “hot” consumer topics, such as credit card information, mortgage rates, and travel.
A few other good sites…
Consumer Action.org https://www.consumer-action.org/alerts updates consumers with scams, complaints, appalling fees, and other useful consumer information.
Safety Alerts.com http://www.safetyalerts.com/ is an email notification service providing product recall information for free.
Government Sources
The Federal Consumer Information Center https://pueblo.gpo.gov/Publications/PuebloPubs.php is a one-stop shopping center for federal consumer publications. Their website provides a wealth of information on consumer issues, including the Consumer Action Handbook (revised annually), and other FCIC publications.
The Bureau of Consumer Protection https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection has consumer protection information on such topics as lending, automobiles, advertising, children’s issues, products &services, energy & the environment, travel, seniors, and many more.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission https://www.cpsc.gov/ is an Independent Federal Regulatory Agency with a primary focus on family safety. The agency works with industry to develop product standards and bans products where there are no standards, but high risk. Look here for important information on product recalls.
The European Commission https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/science-area/health-and-consumer-protection provides health and consumer protection for the European countries.
The NOLO Law Center https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/consumer-protection will help explain consumer protection laws in plain English and also will help you locate a State Consumer Protection Agency.
Consumer.gov https://www.consumer.gov/ is a directory to government generated consumer information with categories like Managing Your Money; Credit, Loans, and Debt; Scams and Identity Theft; and Toolbox.
The United States Postal Service https://faq.usps.com/s/ has developed a helpful site which contains information ranging from tips on proper packaging, addressing, and shipping costs to advice on moving.
For Children’s Products
Information on Children’s Products can be found in several books and pamphlets.
The Children’s Catalog by Jack Gillis and Mary Ellen R. Fise
The Parents’ Resource Almanac by Beth DeFrancis
Trouble in Toyland https://uspirg.org/feature/usp/trouble-toyland is a report by the United States Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) providing insights to parents and caregivers about toy hazards with advice on how to keep kids safer.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission provides two major resources relating to Kids and Toys:
Toy & Children Reports https://www.cpsc.gov/Research–Statistics/Toys-and-Childrens-Products
Toy Hazard Recall List https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls
For Automobiles
Two sources that are devoted solely to automobile pricing and performance are the NADA Official Used Car Guide https://www.nadaguides.com/ and the Kelley Blue Book https://www.kbb.com/.
Other valuable resources include:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration https://www.nhtsa.gov/ with categories on Safety Problems & Issues, Testing Results, Regulations &Standards, and Research & Development.
Lemon Law &Used Car Information
National Lemon Law Center https://www.nationallemonlawcenter.com/ has state by state Lemon Law information for used cars and also has a consumer product lawyer locator.
Lemon Laws https://www.lawinfo.com/resources/auto-lemon-law/ provides general and state-specific resources related to lemon laws.
Carfax https://www.carfax.com/ provides free vehicle history reports.
For Health
Healthfinder: Guide to Reliable Health Information https://health.gov/myhealthfinder is a free guide to reliable consumer health and human services information, developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Patient Advocate Foundation https://www.patientadvocate.org/ “is a national non-profit organization that serves as an active liaison between the patient and their insurer, employer and/or creditors to resolve insurance, job discrimination and/or debt crisis matters relative to their diagnosis through case managers, doctors and attorneys. “.
Books
Your local public library or bookstore should have books on Consumer Information, Advocacy, and Protection. Look for your specific subject category of interest and search for topics such as ‘consumer information’, ‘consumer education’, ‘consumer advocacy’, or ‘consumer protection’.
Magazines
There are several Magazines that can be found in your local library, bookstore, or even in grocery stores which have a large magazine inventory.
Consumer Reports https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/index.htm is the most popular magazine of its kind, and it may also be available in your library on CD-ROM. There is limited information available via the website for free, but it is worth perusing. Consumer Reports Newsletter on Travel and Consumer Reports Newsletter on Health will most likely be found in a public library or are available for purchase from online bookstores.
Other good general magazines are Consumers Digest, Consumers Research, and Consumer Guide.
This pathfinder created by Michelle Thomas. Updated by Sena Roth
You may also wish to see IPL – Consumer Issues and Services Resources (https://www.ipl.org/category/getsubject-v13-c1-t6615-p6607)