Hello, and welcome by my blog. I am the Special Projects Producer at Channel 3. That means I work on a variety of stories including I-Team Investigations, The Fugitive Files, special events like Back-To-School Week, and many other stories that we plan in advance.
I also get the opportunity to talk with many viewers who call the station either with story ideas or looking for help with a problem. Many of the stories you see on Channel 3 start because of these viewer calls and e-mails! For breaking news or events that you want covered, you can get in touch with us at newsdesk3@wfsb.com or by calling 860-244-1700. If you have a tip for an I-Team story call 244-1780 or send us an e-mail at iteam3@wfsb.com
We also have a very talented group of volunteers called The Problem Sovlers. They field consumer complaints and are very successful at helping our viewers get results. You can reach them at 860-244-1750 on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11am – 1pm. You can also leave them a message at that number, and they will return your call when they are in.
Unfortunately, we can’t turn all of the consumer issues into stories for air, but we do try to help everyone by providing information about where to get help. Here are some of the most common places I refer viewers:
The Department of Consumer Protection (Link)
1-800-842-2649 – this toll free number is for business and contractor complaints
1-800-538-CARS (2277) – this number is for the DCP’s Lemon Law Program. It handles complaints about new cars.
Attorney General’s Office – Consumer Assistance Unit (Link)
The Attorney General’s office handles complaints about contractors and businesses. You can call, but any complaint you want investigated should be put in writing and mailed to the following address:’
Attorney General’s Office
ATTN: Consumer Assistance Unit
55 Elm St.
Hartford, CT 06106
860-808-5420
Do Not Call Registry
Many people call to find out how to register a number on the Do Not Call list. You can follow the following link to get your phone number on the list:
https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx
211 (Link)
The United Way of Connecticut administers the 211 helpline. The CT Department of Social Services funds the line. It is open 24 hours a day. Residents of Connecticut can call the number at any time if they are in a crisis, need referrals for services, or want information.
This is just a brief list of agencies in our state that handle consumer issues. If you are dealing with a particular type of business that requires inspections, find out the agency that conducts the inspections and file a complaint with them. For example, if you want to complain about a pet store, you would find a complaint with the Department of Agriculture.
It is important to file these complaints along with calling us so the state agencies involved can investigate and fix any problems.
I hope you find these resources helpful, thanks for reading!
