Government Complaint Handling Mechanism in the U.S.

The U.S. government offers several channels for citizens to file complaints and seek resolutions across various sectors. Here’s a quick overview of key agencies and what grievances they handle:

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) – Investigates companies with consumer complaints about fraud or deceptive practices. You can file at https://www.ftc.gov/ and while the FTC doesn’t resolve individual cases, it uses this complaint data to investigate companies.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) – Deals with Financial Services complaints. Companies must respond within 15 days to complaints raised here, and you can track the status of your complaint. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/

Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) – For unsafe products, you can file a complaint at SaferProducts.gov. The CPSC may issue recalls or enforce product safety changes.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) – Focuses on workplace safety complaints at https://www.osha.gov/. They can conduct inspections and impose penalties on employers violating safety standards.

Department of Justice (DOJ) – Handles Civil Rights violations, Reporting a crime, Submitting a complaint, Report and identify missing persons, Register and Apply for permits, or Request Records, Locate a Prison, Inmate, or Sex Offender (https://www.justice.gov/).

State Agencies – Each state has mechanisms for local issues, often through the Attorney General’s office or small claims courts (https://www.usa.gov/state-governments) .