If your efforts at the source are not successful, start climbing the complaint strategy ladder.


STEP 2: Send copies of your complaint letters to trade and professional organizations of which the merchant you have a complaint against may be a member. These groups may be able to persuade the merchant to resolve your complaint.


STEP 3: Contact the Better Business Bureau. Contact the Better Business Bureau, 235 West Central St, Suite 1, Natick, MA 01760, 1- 800-422-2811, or at www.boston.bbb.org; (e-mail: info@boston.bbb.org). If you are about to do business with a company or organization and want more information, it is better to call the Better Business Bureau before you make the purchase, or sign the contract.


STEP 4: Complain to government agencies. At the state level the different agencies that work on consumer complaints and enforce consumer laws are the Consumer Assistance Program of the Attorney General’s Office 206 Morrill Hall, UVM, Burlington, VT 05405, 1-800-649- 2424; and the Vermont Attorney General’s Office, (802) 828-3171. If these agencies can’t help you, they will know who can. It’s also useful to notify them of your problem so that they can keep track generally of problems that consumers are having. Complaints concerning professional services can be directed to the Vermont Secretary of State (802) 828-1505.


At the federal level, the primary government agencies responsible for consumer protection are the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), 600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20580 (202-326-2222) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), 4330 East-West Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814-0207 (1-800-638-2772). The FTC is responsible for policing unfair and deceptive business practices while the CPSC is charged with protecting consumers from hazardous products.


STEP 5: Tell it to the judge. If your efforts at all other levels fail, think about going to court. If your claim involves less than $5,000, you can argue the case yourself in small claims court. For example, you might go to small claims court to try to get back the security deposit your landlord owes you, or to get a mechanic to do a repair job over again because it wasn’t done right the first time.


You don’t need a lawyer to bring an action in small claims court, and filing is relatively inexpensive ($35 if the amount in dispute is $500 or less, and $60 if the amount in dispute is over $500). Vermont small claims courts provide an informal forum for resolving disputes where you can state


64 On Your Own, 2008 Edition


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