Consumer action handbook now available

They say "don’t sweat the small stuff," but sometimes that small stuff can make life a little more difficult—like your new high-tech gadget that breaks the second time you use it, the telemarketers who always seem to know when you’re sitting down to dinner or that hole in your roof that the contractor was supposed to fix.

Where can you turn for help?

The new, free 2002 Consumer Action Handbook from the Federal Consumer Information Center offers help on everything from writing a complaint letter to buying a used car.

This 160-page guide features consumer tips, a sample complaint letter and sources of assistance.

Get the facts on using credit cards wisely, protecting your privacy and yourself from fraud, shopping from home and more. The handbook’s Consumer Assistance Directory lists thousands of names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses for Better Business Bureaus, corporate consumer contracts and state, county and city government consumer protection offices.

Before you decide to buy any product, know who you are dealing with. If the company is unfamiliar—do your homework. Check with your local consumer affairs office and the Better Business Bureau to review the company’s complaint record. Don’t share your personal information—your bank and credit card accounts numbers or Social Security number—with any business you haven’t checked out.

When you do decide to purchase a product, be sure to follow all instructions. Save any contacts, sales receipts, owner’s manuals and warranty documents, in case you run into trouble later.

If something does go wrong, don’t procrastinate—notify the company as soon as possible. Look up the company’s contact information in the handbook. Follow the handbook’s sample complaint when you write your own letter, fax or e-mail. To obain your free copy:

Call toll-free 1 (888) 8 PUEBLO. That’s 1 (888) 878-3256, weekdays 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time and ask for Item 592J.

· Send your name and address to the Federal Consumer Information Center, Dept. 592J, Pueblo, Colo. 81009.

· Visit www.pueblo.gsa.gov and read or print the handbook and hundreds of other FCIC publications for free.