San Francisco Consumer Action

Consumer Action empowers low- and moderate-income and limited-English-speaking consumers nationwide to financially prosper through education and advocacy. We’ve conducted almost a dozen webinars for thousands of CBO staff members, who share crucial information with their communities. We offer a virtual Help Desk with answers to many consumer questions and links to complaint handling agencies. Our SCAM GRAM and INSIDER e-newsletters provide information consumers can use to protect themselves and invoke their consumer rights under the law. We provide information about class action settlements for which consumers can make claims and receive distributions.

As Consumer Action enters its 52nd year, we have our work cut out for us. We must keep up the fight for policies that promote fairness and financial prosperity for underrepresented consumers and restore lost consumer protections. We must continue producing and disseminating timely, unbiased information that helps all consumers understand their rights, avoid scams, and make wise choices.

1. Consumer education materials published in multiple languages for underrepresented consumers.
2. Educational materials, training and support for a national network of more than 7,500 community-based organizations from all parts of the U.S.
3. A comprehensive website (www.consumer-action.org) that includes consumer news, downloadable materials, an online “help desk," and access to the Take Action advocacy database and nine topic-specific sub sites.
4. Testimony before legislators and policy committees, advocating for underrepresented consumers.
5. Engagement with more than a dozen advocacy coalitions working to improve the marketplace for consumers.

Financial and consumer education materials empower underrepresented consumers to make informed decisions and assert their rights in the marketplace. Each year, Consumer Action creates and distributes consumer guides in five languages and thousands more are downloaded from our websites.

Materials, training and support services to community-based organizations (CBOs) ensure grassroots educators have the most updated consumer literacy tools and information for their constituents.

Consumer Action's Director of Consumer Protection is based Washington, D.C., where she participates in legislative, regulatory, policy and coalition/campaign initiatives. Consumer Action's DC office ensures that underrepresented consumers have a voice in front of lawmakers and the national media. Each year, Consumer Action takes positions on bills at the state and national levels and submits comments and testimony on a host of consumer protection issues. We participate in dozens of national and state advocacy coalitions that amplified the voice of consumers on issues.

Consumer-Action.org offers on-demand access to multilingual materials on dozens of consumer and personal finance topics, links to important consumer news and answers to hundreds of frequently asked questions.

1. Consumer education materials published in multiple languages for underrepresented consumers.
2. Educational materials, training and support for a national network of more than 6,000 community-based organizations.
3. Expert witness testimony before legislators and policy committees, advocating for underrepresented consumers.
4. Unbiased special reports about financial and consumer services.
5. A comprehensive website (www.consumer-action.org) that includes consumer news, downloadable materials, an online “help desk,” and access to the Take Action advocacy database.
6. An online database of class action lawsuits, which enables consumers to join a pending action, make a claim or learn more about the case.
7. Collaboration with other non-profits and financial technology (FinTech) innovators on efforts to assess and improve financial health for underrepresented consumers.
8. Alliances with other consumer advocates and national coalitions to fight for urgently needed policies that ensure a more fair and inclusive economy for vulnerable consumers—particularly low-to-moderate-income and limited-English-speaking households.
9. Dozens of informational webinars that can be accessed for free on our YouTube Channel.