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DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS. (Jonathan Mintz, Commissioner) Natalia Kolganova October 15, 2007. Key Public Service Areas. Protect and empower consumers. Facilitate fair business practices. Ensure efficient, accountable, and customer-friendly operations. Critical Objectives.
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DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS (Jonathan Mintz, Commissioner) Natalia Kolganova October 15, 2007
Key Public Service Areas • Protect and empower consumers. • Facilitate fair business practices. • Ensure efficient, accountable, and customer-friendly operations.
Critical Objectives • Expedite the resolution of consumer complaints. • Ensure compliance with tobacco regulations to minimize sales to minors. • Enforce compliance with license laws, consumer protection laws, and weights and measures laws. • Minimize licensing center wait time while maximizing customer service.
Performance Report • Protect and empower consumers. • DCA resolved approximately 7,300 complaints, 17 percent higher than the previous year, contributing to longer processing times. • Restitution awarded to consumers jumped 46 percent to $5.3 million. • Since Fiscal 2003 the Department has led the Mayor’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) campaign to raise the awareness of workers with low incomes about their rights to this federal, State, and City credit.
Performance Report • Facilitate fair business practices. • Compliance rates for inspected businesses were at record levels and met performance goals. The proportion of businesses in compliance with tobacco regulations at both the initial and follow-up inspections rose to 89 percent and 91 percent, respectively. • The Agency’s intensive, multi-pronged focus on HICs, the top complaint category, resulted in a record number of licensed contractors, a rise of 24 percent from Fiscal 2006 and a 70 percent increase from Fiscal 2003.
Performance Report • Ensure efficient, accountable, and customer-friendly operations. • The average wait time at the Department’s licensing center improved, reaching a low of 10 minutes. The change was attributed to a decrease in customer volume and the on-site assignment of a CA attorney to address more complicated questions.