Fairfax County Office of Public Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
Contact: Merni Fitzgerald, Director of Public Affairs
703-324-3187, TTY 711, Fax 703-324-2010
Media Pager: 703-324-NEWS (6397)
publicaffairs@fairfaxcounty.gov
Feb. 4, 2008
Consumer Affairs Branch
Expands Services at South County Center
Staff members from the Consumer Affairs
Branch of the Fairfax County Department of Cable Communications and
Consumer Protection are now available at the South County Government
Center, 8350 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, for consumer advice on a
weekly basis – every Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The staff was previously at that location only on the first and third
Wednesdays of the month.
Consumers, landlords and members of the business community can discuss issues with a consumer affairs representative at Access Fairfax, Suite 125, in the South County Center. Consumer Affairs staff will continue to be available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 433, Fairfax.
In addition to providing advice, the Consumer Affairs Branch investigates and mediates consumer complaints and tenant-landlord disputes to determine whether consumer protection laws have been violated. The branch provides a complaint history on county businesses to assist consumers with pre-purchase information and supports homeowner associations in the county.
Consumer Affairs staff members also develop conciliation agreements to resolve complex disputes and offer binding arbitration when mediation efforts are exhausted. Consumer Affairs takes a leadership role in the community by distributing educational brochures on a wide variety of consumer topics. Regular meetings are conducted with associations, schools and other interest groups to keep them apprised of current consumer trends and ways to avoid consumer scams, frauds and other problems.
Customers seeking consumer assistance at the South County Center also can take advantage of the many services offered at Access Fairfax, a division of the Office of Public Affairs. Access Fairfax is a multipurpose e-government facility providing phones, a copier/fax machine and computers with access to the county’s public Web site for information and transactions, including payment of personal property and real estate taxes.
For more information, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/consumer.htm or call 703-222-8435, TTY 711.
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