[ Browse by Service Category : Consumer Assistance and Protection : Sub-Topics of Consumer Complaints (30) ]
Advertising Complaints
Programs that accept and, where possible, attempt to resolve complaints regarding unfair, false or misleading advertising of consumer products or services on radio or television, in printed ads or in verbal sales presentations.
Insurance Complaints
Programs that accept and, where possible, attempt to resolve complaints regarding the licensing, services, unethical or improper conduct of personnel or other inappropriate business practices of companies that sell insurance or settle insurance claims.
Practitioner Complaints
Programs that accept and, where possible, attempt to resolve regarding the licensing, incompetence, negligence, violations of laws relating to the use and prescription of dangerous drugs and narcotics, quality of service, excessive fees, unprofessional conduct or other inappropriate business practices of individuals who are licensed to practice in the health, mental health and veterinary science fields.
Utility Service Complaints
Programs that accept and, where possible, attempt to resolve complaints regarding the rates, services, equipment, unethical or improper conduct of personnel or other inappropriate business practices of companies that provide electricity, water, natural gas or telephone services.
Television Complaints
Programs that accept and, where possible, attempt to resolve complaints regarding companies that manufacture, sell, service or repair television sets or handle the programming for regular, cable or satellite television.
Drug Complaints
Programs that accept and, where possible, attempt to resolve complaints regarding the effectiveness, packaging, labeling, safety, advertising or other problem with prescription or over-the-counter drugs or problems relating to substitution of counterfeit or adulterated drugs for the genuine product.
Housing Complaints
Programs that accept and, where possible, attempt to resolve complaints regarding improper, unethical or illegal practices in the provision of housing.
Notary Public Complaints
Programs that accept and, where possible, attempt to resolve complaints regarding the quality of service, fraud, deceit, negligence, incompetence or misconduct of notaries public. The most common complaints involve failure to require a document signer to personally appear before him or her, failure to require proper identification, notarization of a forged signature and failure to keep a register of all of notarized transactions or the register is incomplete or inaccurate.
Radio Complaints
Programs that accept and, where possible, attempt to resolve complaints regarding companies that manufacture, sell, service or repair radios or handle radio programming.
General Consumer Complaints
Programs such as local consumer complaints offices that respond to a range of consumer issues rather than specializing in handling a particular type of complaint. These programs register complaints by consumers and, when possible, attempt to find a satisfactory resolution.
Government Complaints/Government Ombudsman Offices
Programs such as governmental, departmental or nonprofit ombudsman offices that provide assistance for people who want to register complaints about or have other issues which relate to the activities, actions or lack of action by public officials or civil service employees in local, county, provincial or federal government offices or the agencies they regulate and/or fund. Also included are programs that handle complaints about the availability and quality of services provided by any of these levels of government. The program provides an objective, neutral and independent review of complaints; offers reasonable remedies when complaints are substantiated; and uses information from the complaints and the investigations they trigger to identify and resolve problems within the agency or department and improve services.
Lawyer Complaints
Programs that accept and, where possible, attempt to resolve complaints regarding the licensing, incompetence, negligence, quality of service, excessive fees, fraud, misrepresentation, unprofessional conduct or other inappropriate business practices of individuals who are licensed to practice the law.
The above terms and definitions are part of the Taxonomy of Human Services, used here by permission of INFO LINE of Los Angeles.