With income tax season upon us, many are rushing to file their returns before the April 15 deadline. Meantime, others are searching for much-needed help to avoid foreclosure on their homes. Both are important issues that this edition of ConsumerWise focuses on to help guide consumers through these often complicated matters.
As you sift through the newsletter, you can also learn more about the day-to-day operations of the Miami-Dade Consumer Services Department. Did you know that last year was one of the most successful years for consumers in Miami-Dade County? The department obtained more than one million dollars in consumer reimbursements. In addition, one of our local taxicab drivers was hailed a hero for recovering a newlywed couple's camera, which was lost as they returned from their honeymoon.
We have also started using a new database that is more efficient and user-friendly for managing records. Not only will this system help reduce costs, but it will also grant greater access to information and speed up the process of inputting and retrieving important data.
We invite you to become better acquainted with our services and the educational information we offer to better protect you -- the consumer. Stay tuned to all our latest developments and news by visiting our website at www.miamidade.gov/csd.
Cathy Grimes Peel is the Director of the Miami-Dade County Consumer Services Department. The Department functions as the consumer information and protection arm for Miami-Dade County residents and visitors.
Save Yourself Trouble During Tax Filing Season
It's tax filing season, and while many are busily preparing their income tax returns for the April 15 deadline, others are plotting ways to steal innocent people's hard-earned money.
Reaching a first-ever benchmark, the Miami-Dade Consumer Services Department recuperated $1.2 million in goods, services and monetary reimbursements for consumers in 2007 after helping to mediate their business disputes. That's an increase of 75% over 2006. The department took in 4,571 complaints for the year, of which the most common consumer grievances were due to monetary losses or dissatisfaction with a product or service.
Reaching Out to the Community One Consumer at a Time
For those not exactly sure what the Miami-Dade Consumer Services Department does or how they can take advantage of the services and resources available, help is just a phone call or a computer click away.
Because technology changes with time, so must government processes to be more efficient and effective. To stay ahead of the curve, the Miami-Dade Consumer Services Department, which licenses and regulates 18 different types of businesses, recently launched a new database called CAVU.
It's not too often that people will go out of their way to help a stranger in need, but that's exactly what local taxicab driver Mohammed Sohail did when he searched for and found a couple's lost camera.
