Three Missions. Advocacy, Education and Assistance are our three related missions at Smart Consumer Services. Fair Practices and Health & Safety are the two primary issues of concern to Smart Consumer Services' advocacy campaign.

Improved Awareness. Many recurring or chronic consumer concerns can be resolved by consumers themselves - with better awareness of or improved access to existing services. But many other consumer advocacy issues involve multiple, conflicting, interlocking, or entrenched pieces of our state and national regulatory, legal and manufacturing systems.

Long-term Commitment & Partnership. Finding solutions to complex consumer problems requires a long-term commitment of the necessary resources to monitor issues; to gather information; and even more importantly, to share that information with each of the involved groups. When those groups affected by a particular consumer issue agree to work cooperatively as partners to address it, win-win solutions that benefit everyone can usually be found.

Questions Foster Solutions. Smart Consumer Services is a proponent of a non-adversarial partnership approach to conflict-resolution wherever possible. Below are a few of the important questions and issues we're currently tracking and working on:

What can be done to reduce the excessive number of problems & conflicts between homeowners & contractors?

Why CAN'T you select any cable TV company you want?

What can be done to reduce the high incidence of fire & burn in the home, especially among children?

Are building and common household products in our homes, schools and offices contributing to our health problems?

Should consumers demand that more fire resistant materials or sprinkler systems be used in home construction?

Is your local property tax assessor taking advantage of you?

Does product safety testing & approval by independent laboratories really MEAN what we HOPE it does?

Where do you turn for reliable consumer assistance when buying or selling a house?

Are firefighters in some places financially motivated to use outdated, inefficient or antiquated equipment & methods?

Should home inspectors routinely test tap water and indoor air quality?

What can YOU do to reduce the level of conflict in your homeowner association?

Should your Realtor have told you about a toxic waste Super Fund Site 5 miles from your new home?

Why is it so hard to find the responsible party when you have a problem with your manufactured home?

Why do 20% of the smoke alarms in U.S. homes contain dead or disconnected batteries?

Comprehensive, Multi-Sector Campaign. Smart Consumer Services works with an array of agencies and organizations on an issue-by-issue basis to improve the quality of life, safety and support services available for individuals and families. We work to promote better awareness in the media and are actively involved in educating manufacturers, service providers and regulatory agencies about the needs and concerns of consumers.