Consumer Protection Roundtable (CPRT)

Download the new Consumer Protection Roundtable brochure (PDF file)

Introduction

What Is The CPRT?

Representatives from the City of Seattle, Consumer Product Safety Commission, U.S. Postal Service, Better Business Bureau, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and The Seattle Times helped found the Consumer Protection Roundtable (CPRT) in 1979. The CPRT is a regional information clearinghouse for a broad range of consumer issues from product safety to fraud. The CPRT membership is comprised of representatives from federal, state, county, and city consumer agencies, as well as various consumer organizations, and several consumer reporters from print and TV media. They meet bimonthly to share information on their activities and new publications that they have produced.

Consumer Protection Roundtable Mission Statement

On behalf of its membership, the Consumer Protection Roundtable seeks to provide timely and relevant information about consumer issues and concerns to the residents of the Puget Sound area through interaction with the media, through the sharing of information among the members, and through participation in consumer education-oriented public events and forums.

What Does The CPRT Do?

The membership of the Consumer Protection Roundtable is dedicated to educating the public on consumer issues through close contacts with consumer reporters in the print and broadcast media and by providing timely information on their web sites. One major activity of the CPRT is to refer consumer complaints to the appropriate government agency or consumer organization. This new web site lists topics of interest to consumers and indicates which agency or organization should be contacted to make a complaint or to obtain information.

How Do You Use This Web Site?

The CPRT web site is still under development but it is ready to use. If you know the consumer agency or organization that you wish to contact, please find it in the alphabetical listing and click on it. You will be linked to the home page for one or more consumer agencies or organizations. If you don't know the appropriate consumer agency or organization, please find the appropriate topic area from those listed alphabetically. You will be linked to the home page for that consumer agency or organization. There is also a separate listing for media organizations which offer stories, including archived stories, on a wide range of consumer issues, There are new stories daily.

Future Plans?

The CPRT intends to continuously improve this web site by adding more consumer agencies and organizations, adding more topic areas, and adding links to other consumer referral web sites. We welcome your recommendations also. You may send email to consumerprotection@seattle.gov if you wish to comment on the web site.

A Guide for Consumer Complaints

• The range of consumer issues is too broad to provide a guide that is useful for all of them. Consumer complaints range from product safety to misleading advertising and from poor service to pyramid schemes. There are, however, some basic rules to follow in most instances:
  
  
• Keep detailed written notes of all conversations with the business including names and dates.
  
  
• Keep copies of written contracts, estimates, receipts, warranties, and other documents that are related to the complaint. Keep copies of any letters you send.
  
  
• Try to resolve the complaint with the business by speaking to management. Contact corporate offices if the local business manager is unresponsive.
  
  
• Identify the appropriate consumer agency or organization to file a complaint.
  
  
• Consider using a mediation service or small claims court if the business is unresponsive.

Consumer Protection Home Page

CPRT Brochure

Members of CPRT - Alphabetical Listing

Consumer Links by Keyword

Media Organizations - Alphabetical Listing