Massachusetts Consumer Programs

The Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General provides grants to a statewide network of Local Consumer Programs. Currently 19 Local Consumer Programs serve all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth.

The Local Consumer Programs provide information about state and federal consumer protection laws. They also offer free voluntary mediation services to consumers who file complaints concerning problems they encounter with businesses from which they have purchased goods or services. The Local Consumer Programs resolve about three-quarters of the over 10,000 written complaints they handle each year. In 1999, mediation resulted in 1.3 million dollars being returned to Massachusetts consumers.

Individual resolution is usually done in a face to face mediation with the stated goal "to provide Massachusetts citizens with mediation services for the resolution of their consumer and landlord/tenant disputes, and to provide a cross-section of volunteers from across the state with intensive training in mediation skills which they can offer to their communities." The Face-to-Face Mediation Program (FTFMP) started in 1983. There are nine community mediation programs - in Springfield, Worcester, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Lowell, Somerville, Brockton, Greenfield and Cape Cod for the mediation of consumer and landlord/tenant disputes. The mediators for these programs are community volunteers who have received 30-40 hours of training in mediation skills and techniques.

FTFMP grant money comes partly from state appropriations and partly from settlements. The state gives approximately $35,000 to each Community Mediation Program. Disputes are referred to FTFMP by the courts and community agencies. The mediation sessions are held at a small claims court or at the FTFMP office. The Office of the Attorney General's Mediation Services Department provides oversight and support of the FTFMP through program monitoring, technical support and training, statewide meetings, and annual site visits.

Local Consumer Programs do not have law enforcement authority, but the information obtained by them is used by the Office of the Attorney General to form the basis for legal actions filed by the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Division on behalf of large numbers of consumers.