Consumer Mediation Section
How
it works | Areas of assistance |
Handling Complaint | Sample
Complaint Letter
The Consumer Mediation Section of
the Ventura County District Attorney's Office was established
in 1979 to help resolve consumer/merchant or landlord/tenant
disputes when either party is located in Ventura County. You
and the other party have an opportunity to resolve your dispute
without using the court system.
You may contact us at (805) 654-3110 / 654-3180
or (800) 660-5474, Ext. 3110 or 3180 (within Ventura County).
You can confidentially disclose your problem to one of our
representatives to obtain help in resolving your dispute.
We will send you a complaint form to fill
out and return to us. This form will then be sent to the other
party, along with a cover letter explaining our procedures.
When a response is received from the other party, we will
relay the information to you and follow up on the resolution
of your problem.
We can also provide you with information on
consumer protection laws, advise you on how to protect yourself
as a consumer and refer you to the proper governmental or
community service agency for further information.
The following areas in
which we may be able to help you:
- Automobile repair
- Automobile sales and service contracts
- Billing disputes
- Contract disputes
- Home improvement
- Home solicitations
- Insurance
- Mail order
- Landlord/tenant disputes (no evictions)
- Product repair and service
- Telephone sales solicitations
- Undelivered or unsatisfactory products
- Warranty disputes
Participation in this process is voluntary and
is provided at no charge to either party.
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Identify the specific problem.
Write it down. This will contribute to a clear and unambiguous
statement of the problem.
Collect Evidence
Assemble sales receipts, repair orders, contracts, correspondence
and any other data that support your claim. Keep accurate notes
of all contacts with the person or business against whom you
have a complaint. Include dates, times, names and titles of
those you contact, and the names and addresses of any witnesses.
Plan your strategy
- Ask yourself how you want the problem solved.
Make sure that your request is reasonable. Unrealistic demands
can often hamper the effective resolution of your complaint.
- Identify your resources - who or what is
available to help you. Find out if any laws relate to your
particular situation. Other resources include witnesses,
expert opinions and appraisals, and private legal advice.
In Ventura County, you may contact the Ventura County Bar
Association for information regarding their legal clinics.
Their telephone number is 650-7599. Senior citizens may
want to contact Grey Law at 658-2266. Another resource is
the Commission on Human Concerns at 486-4725.
- Ask yourself if you have all the information
you need to work on your problem. You may want to contact
the Ventura County District Attorney's Consumer Mediation
Section for the pertinent laws or a referral to the appropriate
agency to assist you.
Be well organized
- Pursue your complaint as soon as possible.
- Explain the problem clearly.
- Be courteous, yet firm.
- Put all your supporting documents in appropriate
order.
- Speak first to the clerk who helped you,
if possible.
- If the clerk cannot help you, complain
to the manager.
- If the manager cannot help you, go to the
next level of authority - all the way up the line until
you receive satisfaction.
- Get the names of everyone that you speak
with.
- Be persistent. Remember that you are probably
prepared to give your own problem more attention than others
who eventually might handle your complaint.
- Write a letter explaining
your problem and dissatisfaction.
- Wait a reasonable amount of time for the
complaint to be settled.
Resolution of the problem
- Listen carefully to what you are offered
to settle your problem.
- Be willing to compromise. This is most
appropriate when you are partially at fault, or when you
are getting nothing without compromising.
Contact your local consumer protection agency
If your own efforts do not prove successful, and either party
is located in Ventura County, you may wish to contact the District
Attorney's Consumer Mediation Section at (805) 654-3110 / 654-3180
or (800) 660-5474, Ext. 3110 or 3180 (within Ventura County).
The mediation section has trained staff to assist you in the
resolution of your dispute.
File an action in small claims court
If your dispute cannot be resolved by the Consumer Mediation
Section, it may be appropriate to file a Small Claims action.
The District Attorney's Office has a Small Claims advisor who
can assist you with information on this process. You may contact
the advisor at (805) 654-5054 or (800) 660-5474, Ext. 5054 (within
Ventura County).
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If you are expressing your complaint
by letter, make sure it is clearly written, or typed, and
includes such information as shown in the following example:
Your address here
Your City, State and Zip Code
Date:
Appropriate Recipient
Company Name
Street Address
City, State, Zip Code
Dear Sir or Madam:
The purpose of this letter is to inform you
of my dissatisfaction with (name the product with serial number/model
number or the service performed) which I purchased (the date
and location of purchase).
My complaint concerns (the reason for your
complaint). In order to resolve the problem I would like (the specific action you desire for satisfaction).
I look forward to your reply and resolution
to my complaint and will allow two weeks before referring
it to the appropriate consumer agency.
Sincerely,
Your name
Enclosures(include copies of all related records.
DO NOT SEND ORIGINALS).
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