|
Buying wisely
Better
Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau provides instant
access to business and consumer alerts as
well as helpful resources. Plus, you can
file a complaint online and more. This web
site is provided by the Council of Better
Business Bureaus, Inc., and the BBB system
of over 150 Bureaus located throughout the
United States and Canada.
California Department of Consumer Affairs
"The Department of Consumer Affairs' mission
is to promote and protect the interests of
California consumers. We have information to
help you make smart choices and solve
problems. We'll educate you regarding your
rights and responsibilities. To protect
consumers, we license and regulate 2.3
million professionals, including doctors,
dentists, contractors and auto-repair
technicians."
Consumer Reports
ConsumerReports.org features Ratings and
recommendations on thousands of products and
services in categories including appliances,
cars, electronics and computers, home and
garden, health and fitness, babies and kids,
food, personal finance, and travel. All site
visitors have free
access to
helpful advice;
safety alerts;
recalls;
e-Ratings of online shopping, service,
and information sites; and
much more.
Subscribers have access
to Consumer Reports' unbiased product and
service Ratings and recommendations,
selections from the latest issue of Consumer
Reports, a searchable archive of the past
four years of Ratings, and much more.
Consumer
Search
Consumer Search is an indexing and
abstracting service for finding reviews of
products, on or off the net. This site
provides a searchable index (by keyword and
category) to reviews from nearly 90 printed
sources, including Consumer Reports and
Consumers Digest, and Internet sites. Users
can choose from nearly 60 categories of
searches.
FirstGov for
Consumers
A directory of federal government websites
providing consumer information. Topics
include food, product safety, health, home,
money, transportation, children, and
technology. Also provides information about
identity theft and the National Do NOT Call
Registry.
U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
CPSC, an independent Federal regulatory
agency, helps keep American families safe by
reducing the risk of injury or death from
consumer products. This site provides
publications, press releases, recalls, and
links to consumer information from other
agencies. Users can report online an unsafe
product or an injury or death involving a
consumer product.
U.S. Food &
Drug Administration
The Food & Drug Administration makes
available FDA Consumer, the Agency’s monthly
magazine, from April 1989, plus a searchable
index from 1985.
Child care
ChildCareAware.org
National organization committed to helping
families find the highest quality child care
and child care resources in your community.
Call the national toll-free hotline
(800-424-2246) or their website to discover
informative and reliable materials on a
variety of child care issues.
Credit Reports
Free Credit
Report - Federal Trade Commission
Consumers can access a free annual credit
report by either typing the web address
www.annualcreditreport.com OR by using
the link provided by the FTC on their
website. All of the background and vital
information is available and it is easy to
retrieve. You can also obtain a copy of your
report by calling 877-322-8228. Other free
source of your credit report is available
from Experian at
www.freecreditreport.com.
Giving wisely
Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance
- Give.org
Give.org has a listing of current BBB Wise
Giving Alliance reports on charities and
other soliciting organizations.
"Investigate before you donate"
CharityNavigator.org
Your independent evaluation guide to over
2,500 of the largest American charities.
GuideStar:
U.S. charitable organization database
Search for information about more than
850,000 IRS-recognized U.S. charitable
organizations BEFORE you donate.
Recycling wisely
eRecycle.org
"A partnership between government,
manufacturers, retailers and the
environmental community," eRecycle.org
provides information for consumers,
retailers, manufacturers, and recyclers
about California's electronic waste
recycling program. The site also offers a
searchable database of facilities in
California that collect electronic equipment
for reuse or recycling.
Household Hazardous Waste - County of Los
Angeles Department of Public Works
Find out how and where you can safely
dispose of these hazardous household
wastes.
Repairs
Do It Yourself
Find information on Autos/Boats, Crafts,
Gardening, Hobbies, Home building, Home
improvement, Living, and Woodworking.
eHow
Provides information on more than 15,000
how-to solutions. Step-by-step instructions
are searchable through 14 subject areas or
by keyword. Instructions list steps, tips,
warnings, and products necessary to complete
the task. Requires free registration for
complete information.
Hints from
Heloise
Information on a multitude of practical,
inexpensive, and useful household
suggestions and advice.
Photofact
Electronic Repair Manuals
Find repair
manuals for TVs, VCRs, radios, CBs, and
more. If you need repair information on your
consumer electronic device, search our
Index
and see if we have what you are looking for!
Telephones
Directory Assistance – FREE from your home
or your cellphone
1-800-FREE-411
1-800-411-SAVE
Do Not Call
List: NATIONAL Federal Trade Commission
You can register your HOME or MOBILE
telephone number, online at
www.DONOTCALL.gov
if you have an active email address.
Or you can call toll-free, 1-888-382-1222
(TTY 1-866-290-4236), from the number you
wish to register. Registration is free.
|
