OCL Client Agencies
OCL has four client agencies, see the OCL Monograph for detailed discussion, that provide consumer protection in a variety of areas. For your convenience, the homepages for these agencies are noted below through their respective agency's logo along with additional links to consumer information.
U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
The FDA ensures that the food we eat is safe and wholesome, that the cosmetics we use won't harm us, and that medicines and medical devices are safe and effective, and ensures the safety of radiation-emitting consumer products such as microwave ovens. FDA also oversees feed and drugs for pets and farm animals. Authorized by Congress to enforce the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and several other public health laws, the agency monitors the manufacture, import, transport, storage, and sale of $1 trillion worth of goods annually. You may contact the FDA at: Food and Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane Rockville, Maryland 20857. Call, toll-free, at 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332). Consumer information online is also available.
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint, or to get free information on any of over a hundred consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the online complaint form, or write the FTC at: Federal Trade Commission, CRC-240, Washington, D.C. 20580. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies worldwide.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
The CPSC is an independent federal regulatory agency, that helps keep American families safe by reducing the risk of injury or death from consumer products. Go to Report unsafe products to send the CPSC information on-line or to Recall/News for information on safety recalls and news releases. You may contact the CPSC at: US Consumer Product Safety Commission 4330 East-West Highway Bethesda, Maryland 20814-4408. Consumer Hotline -- To obtain product safety information, report unsafe products, and obtain other agency information, call toll-free, at 1-800-638-2772. TTY: 1-800-638-8270.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
NHTSA, within the U.S. Department of Transportation, was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970, to carry out safety programs under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 and the Highway Safety Act of 1966. NHTSA also carries out consumer programs established by the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act of 1972. NHTSA has consumer information on motor vehicle safety, crashworthiness, and recalls among other items. NHTSA has an Office of Odometer Fraud Investigations which conducts criminal investigations of odometer fraud rings and provides information for consumers who may be victims. OCL works with NHTSA to enforce the provisions of the federal odometer tampering statute. NHTSA also has a toll-free Auto Safety Hotline (1-888-327-4236) to provide recall information, receive motor vehicle safety complaints and furnish consumers with a wide range of information on auto safety. The Hotline operates from 8 am to 10 pm Eastern Time, Monday thru Friday. A Spanish speaking operator is available from 8 am to 4 pm. In the Washington, DC metropolitan area the number is 202-366-0123. For the hearing impaired the TTY number is 800-424-9153 or 202-366-7800. NHTSA may also be contacted at: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 7th Street SW, Washington, DC 20590.