[co-author: Stephanie Kozol]

On March 7, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser announced a permanent Department of Law Consumer Mediation Program after a yearlong successful pilot program. Considering the department’s high number of complaints — nearly 18,000 national complaints in 2022 — the new program will enable the department to oversee informal negotiations to help resolve more consumer-business disputes, thereby increasing customer satisfaction.

Due to limited resources, the department historically used the complaints to inform enforcement efforts and to educate against consumer business scams, but knew it needed to do more. “During our pilot mediation program, we found that many Colorado businesses may want to resolve disputes with customers but are unaware of the concerns of their customers or are uncertain how to reach a resolution,” said Weiser. “By establishing this new program, we can address, and hopefully resolve, a broader range of complaints for consumers. This program will also help businesses better address consumer concerns and promote model business practices, thereby helping protect more consumers in the future.”

Why It Matters

Establishing a permanent consumer complaint referral program exemplifies the importance the Colorado AG’s office places on protecting consumers against fraud and “building good sustainable relationships” between consumers and Colorado businesses. Even though this informal process cannot resolve all consumer complaints, it should help elevate consumer treatment to improve customer satisfaction.