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Talk of the Bay
To find consumer protection, see 'Justice'
By MARK ALBRIGHT
Published July 31, 2006
Guess where Pinellas County government listed its consumer protection agency in the phone book? How about under "J" - for justice? Really. The department changed its name to the Department of Justice and Consumer Services in 2003. Consumer complaints surged by a third to 2,997 when the office began accepting complaints online in 2002. The workload slid to 2,794 under the new name in 2005. Phone calls dropped from 39,347 in 2002 to 35,314 in 2005, largely because many shifted to the Web site. The department's job is listed under "consumer protection" on the Web, but the phone book listing changed last fall after a clerk typed on a Verizon form the department's name rather than what it does. "We hope to be listed as consumer protection next time," said Deborah Berry, agency chief investigator who doubts phone traffic was affected. "Most people who call us get our number from some other agency anyway." - MARK ALBRIGHT, Times staff writer
[Last modified July 31, 2006, 06:05:01]
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