CONSUMER INFORMATION

Basic Starting Points

• The Best Information on the Net:  Consumer Information -- online information from phone service providers to product ratings, from scam and fraud alerts to law and health resources
• Better Business Bureau -- Type in your zip code for the BBB serving your area.
• Catalog Choice -- "a free service that lets you decline paper catalogs you no longer wish to receive."  Requires registration, an email address, and your customer number from catalogs you have received in the mail.  
• Charity Navigator -- "Find a charity you can trust."  This site not only rates charities but also provides tips for older donors, choosing your holiday charity gifts and how to avoid scams.  Did you know that 50% of donations by individuals are made between Thanksgiving and Christmas?
• Consumer World -- The Consumer Resource Guide; "a public service, non-commercial guide cataloging over 2000 of the most useful consumer resources."  This site also highlights companies that have questionable practices such as installing spyware on home computers.
• Essential.ORG -- a collection of links to various advocacy and activist groups, coalitions, and associations
• FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection -- Learn more about business fraud, scams, and unfair practices, and how to protect yourself or what to do if you become a victim of these practices.
• National Do Not Call Registry -- "gives you a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls at home."
• OptOutPrescreen -- using this website you can "opt out" of receiving offers from credit card and insurance companies for five years or permanently; you will need to provide your name, address, social security number, and date of birth.
• Recalls.gov -- several federal agencies have created this site to help people find out about recalled items from a single source.  Also gives you the option to sign up for emailed notices.

Cars

• Autotropolis -- like other sites, you can locate new or used cars using Autotropolis.  But check out the wikis, like the "Green Cars Wiki" that has a number of articles about fuel-efficient and hybrid cars; or the "WikiMobile" with buying guides, new car reviews, and much more.
• Car Care Council -- information for vehicle owners about the importance of preventive maintenance and repairs
• Edmund's Automobile Buyer's Guides -- buyer's guides, new and used car reviews, invoice/MSRP information for new cars, and a lot of other useful information for those thinking of buying a new car
• Fuel Economy Guide -- Looking for the most fuel-efficient SUV?  Want to know more about hybrids and alternative-fuel vehicles?  Check here first.
• Insurance Institute for Highway Safety -- crash test results and vehicle ratings from the "nonprofit research and communications organization funded by auto insurers."
• Kelley Blue Book -- new car prices, old car values, buying and selling tips, and more from a trusted source
• The Lemon Car Page -- general information regarding lemon car cases; however, remember that Pennsylvania laws may be different.
• NADA Car Guides -- "Free vehicle pricing and information."
• NHTSA -- (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) How safe is your car?  Has the child seat you've been using been recalled?  Find answers to these kinds of questions on this excellent website.
• WindshieldSpot Consumer Windshield Guide -- When can a cracked windshield be repaired?  How does a professional repair a crack?  This site has a variety of information meant to help you understand more about your car's windshield.

Cars - Alternative Fuels and Fuel Efficiency

• DriveClean -- This site from the California Air Resources Board provides lots of information about zero and near-zero emission cars.  Learn more about hybrids, fuel cells, alternative fuels, and the future of driving cleaner!
• Drive Green -- Hybrids, fuel cells, algae; it's all covered here by Popular Mechanics.  Researchers look beyond the hype and into the future of transportation.
• Edmunds Green Car Guide -- Find out how to shop for a fuel-efficient car, how to save money on the car you already have, and other tips to help you save money.
• Online NewsHour Science Reports:  Alternative Fuels -- This site from PBS helps explain the big deal about ethanol, biodiesel, and other alternative fuels, both as fuels and how they impact other parts of the economy (such as corn for fuel increasing the cost of feed for livestock).

Credit and Banking

• Annual Credit Report -- All consumers are eligible to receive 1 free credit report every 12 months from each of the three major credit reporting agencies.  Note that your credit report does not include your credit score unless you purchase the service from a reporting agency.  Go to the Federal Trade Commission's site to find out more.
• Bank Rate Monitor -- find out the rates for mortgages, CDs, loans, credit cards, and more
• The Secret History of the Credit Card -- this site from PBS' Frontline and The New York Times may give you new insight on the history of consumer credit!  Read "Eight Things a Credit Card User Should Know" for some surprising practices, quiz yourself to find out how much you know, read the "More to Explore" section or individual interviews, or watch the complete show.  Viewing the show requires RealPlayer or Windows Media Player.

Government Resources

• Center for Responsive Politics: Opensecrets.org -- "nonpartisan guide to money’s influence on U.S. elections and public policy." Find out how much money candidates are raising for their campaigns, or how much lobbyists spend.
• Congressional Accountability Project -- group devoted to pushing congressional reforms as they relate to the senators and representatives, such as ethical questions and congressional pay raises
• FactCheck.org -- How much of what you hear on the news is true?  You might be surprised about the facts!  "The Annenberg Political Fact Check is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.  We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit, 'consumer advocate' for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases."
• Federal Citizen Information Center -- online and for-purchase consumer information brochures from federal agencies
• USAspending.gov -- "Have you ever wanted to find more information on government spending? Have you ever wondered where federal contracting dollars and grant awards go? ... The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (Transparency Act) requires a single searchable website, accessible by the public for free."

Health

• The Cochrane Collaboration -- This site features articles concerning "evidence-based health care", aimed at both the public and at practioners.
• Health News Review -- "Grades for Health News Reporting"  Did the media get a health story right, or are you only hearing part of what you need to know?  Start on this site to find out what the experts think about what the media tells us.
• PubMed --  News stories often mention "a recently published study" when announcing a medical discovery.  Many of those studies can be found here; read them for yourself!
• Quackwatch: "Your Guide to Quackery, Health Fraud, and Intelligent Decisions" -- run by a retired doctor, this site focuses on non-traditional medicine and helps you identify the warning signs of hoaxes and fraud.  For more information about who's behind the site, check out the "Who Funds Quackwatch?" and "Frequently Asked Questions" pages.
• Tufts Health Letter -- Published by the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, this newsletter tries to clear up confusion about eating, nutrition, exercise, and more.  Many of the articles can be read online for free.
• Wellness Letter -- With a focus on food, testing, exercise and more, this site offers one free article each month from the newsletter, published by UC Berkeley.

Miscellaneous Resources

• Committee for Skeptical Inquiry -- "encourages the critical investigation of paranormal and fringe-science claims from a responsible, scientific point of view and disseminates factual information about the results of such inquiries to the scientific community and the public."
• Consumer Product Safety Commission -- the federal agency that helps identify items that pose "unreasonable risks" to people; has lists of recalls by date and topic
• Do It Yourself -- guides on everything from home decoration and improvement to financing and frugal living
• FDA Consumer Magazine Archive -- magazine of the US Food and Drug Administration; has an index of issues from April 1989 - April 2007; however, not all issues or articles are available on the Internet
• National Consumers League's Fraud Center -- nonprofit group organized to fight telemarketing and internet fraud
• Pennsylvania Utility Choice Program -- Pennsylvania consumers can choose their local telephone carrier, electricity supplier and natural gas supplier.  But how do you make the best choice?  Start with this page first to get the facts that can save you money.
• Policy and Ethics: Critical issues and legislation surrounding genetic research -- reports and studies made available by the National Human Genome Research Institute
• Product reviews and reports by Consumer Search -- provides both quick summaries and complete reviews, collected from a variety of publications
• RoofHelper -- This site provides information like when you might want to repair or replace your roof or windows, what to expect when your roof is being worked on, and how to find a contractor.  There's even a discussion of "green roofs" and their advantages and disadvantages.
• Snopes.com: Urban Legends Reference -- Have a question about something you read online or in an email?  Wonder if it's true or a hoax?  Check out this site which researches "urban legends [as well as] common fallacies, misinformation, old wives' tales, strange news stories, rumors, celebrity gossip, and similar items."
• Understanding Vacation Ownership -- Have questions about time shares?  This site explains how it works, provides tips for buying and selling time shares, and even has a dictionary for the terminology.

Last updated May 1, 2009.