Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Chapter 8 Consumer Services 201 Consumer Advocacy Consumer advocacy involves speaking on behalf of or supporting consumers. Consumer advocates are human services workers who are on the side of consumers, looking out for their best interests. They listen to consumers’ concerns. They provide information about consumer rights and offer guidance for self-advocacy (the action of speaking up for and representing oneself). They support actions to resolve a consumer-related conflict. Consumer advocates play an important role in today’s business world. They often represent the “underdog” and seemingly powerless. Consumer advocates help them have a voice as consumers of goods and services. Some consumer advocates work for consumer protection organizations (Figure 8.2). In these organizations, consumer advocates protect consumers by stopping unfair business practices so the impact on consumers is minimized. They may lead the charge to penalize (punish) those who carry out unfair business practices. Overall, their goals are to improve the quality of life for consumers and to enhance the quality of the marketplace by encouraging just (honest fair) practices. Source: Federal Trade Commission Figure 8.2 The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) protects consumers by working to prevent unfair, anticompetitive, and deceptive business practices. What are some other consumer protection organizations?