Permitting, Licensing and Consumer Protection is responsible for enforcing the Broward County Consumer Protection Code and ensuring compliance with local, state, and federal laws and rules to protect the public from unfair and deceptive trade practices.

The information and links below are designed to help you avoid common mistakes in several types of consumer transactions.

For complaint information involving Broward County businesses, visit our office at 1 N. University Drive, Plantation. Please call us at the number below at least one day in advance to determine whether any information exists, and to provide the staff an opportunity to prepare the information for you. The Permitting, Licensing and Consumer Protection Division also licenses auto repair/auto body facilities, building construction contractors, taxicab and limousine companies, kosher food businesses and local household movers. For information on the current status of one of these businesses, call 954-765-4400, Option 8.

Consumer Information / Links

• Appliance/Electronics Repairs
• Car Sales - New
• Car Sales - Used
• Credit and Finance
• Home Improvement and Repairs
• Hurricane Commodity Survey
• Mortgage Information
• Financing a Motor Vehicle (or Boat)
• Online Shopping Tips
• Retail Sales: Refunds, Gift Cards and Layaways
• Three-Day Right to Cancel
• 10 Ways to Avoid Consumer Problems

Scams and Alerts

• 10 Tips for Dealing with Spam (unwanted e-mail)
• What to do if you are a Victim of Identity Theft
• Door-to-Door Sale For Home Repairs
• Telephone Fraud Involving Jury Duty
• Protect Yourself From Gift Card Fraud
• Credit Card Scam
• IRS Email Scam
• Internal Revenue Service's 12 Common Tax Scams
• Look Out for Phony Consumer Protection Agencies
• Medical Discount Card Warning
• Credit Counseling Services
• Online Job Applicants Wanted ID Theft
• Old Scam - New Method: Fraudulent Nigerian Letter Scam Uses the Internet
• 809 Area Code and Other Unfamiliar Area Codes
• "Do Not Call" Registry Scams
• Possible Identity Theft Attempt
• Consumer Privacy - Misleading Privacy E-Mail
• Tax Time Equals Scam Time

Educated Consumer Newsletter

2008

• Issue 2
• Issue 1

2007

• Issue 4 - (PDF)
• Issue 3 - (PDF)
• Issue 2 - (PDF)
• Issue 1 - (PDF)

Consumer Action Handbook

This handbook contains a wealth of valuable information for consumers, and it's free! The 2009 Consumer Action Handbook lists addresses, phone numbers and Web sites for state and federal consumer agencies, and for corporations, as well as details about their operations. Plus there's additional consumer information on a variety of subjects, such as dealing with debt, online auctions, health insurance and weight loss. There's even a sample of letter a consumer might send to a business to resolve a complaint.

Although an overwhelming number of requests has exhausted all available copies, new ones are being printed. To pre-order your copy, click on the link below. This site also contains a link to see the Handbook online, and a link to order a copy in Spanish.

Pre-Order a Copy of the Consumer Action Handbook

Documents created in a portable document format (PDF) require PDF reader software. Acrobat Reader is available from Adobe Systems, Inc. at no cost. Visit the Adobe Web site for this software. Note: Saving editable PDF documents requires the entire Acrobat Suite. You will NOT be able to save documents with the PDF reader software.

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