The Best Defense

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is a government agency that accepts written complaints from consumers and will investigate a company if enough complaints are filed against it. Complaints should be sent to the Correspondence Department, Federal Trade Commission, Sixth and Pennsylvania Aves. N.W., Washington, DC 20580.

The FTC also has the power to enforce the Freedom of Information Act. If you submit a written request for any public document, such as a company's filings with the state or records of court proceedings, the FTC will provide a copy to you if it has not been exempted by law. Include in your request the company name, the product or service they provide, and a requested time frame for receiving the document. The FTC should send you a written response within 10 working days. For more information, call the FTC hotline at (202) 326-2222. Requests for documents should be sent to the Deputy Executive Director for Planning and Information, Federal Trade Commission, Sixth and Pennsylvania Aves. N.W., Washington, DC 20580.

This article was originally published in the February 1999 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: The Best Defense.