Check Florida Businesses And Charities Online

Check For Complaints And License Expirations

LABELLE, FL. -- Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson this week announced that consumers can now go online and check the complaint history of any company or business that has generated complaints to his department.

Residents can visit the Division of Consumer Services website at http://www.800helpfla.com and access the complaint data by choosing a box on the left hand side of the page entitled "Business/Complaint Lookup." Complaints can also be made directly from the website.

A check of Hendry county's registered charities, as one example, lists 15 in LaBelle and 5 in Clewiston. None had any complaints registered. Consumers could also look up an auto repair company or pawn shop, for example, to see if it is registered.

The Division of Consumer Services regulates and licenses a broad array of business entities in Florida, including auto repair shops, interstate moving companies, health studios, dance studios, travel companies, business opportunities, pawn shops, charities, game promotions, professional surveyors and mappers, and commercial telemarketers.  In addition, it mediates disputes that consumers have with those businesses, as well as disputes that consumers have with unregulated businesses.

In addition to providing the complaint history of a company, the database also provides information on the kind of license, if any, the company has with Bronson's department.

Before now, consumers could obtain the information by calling the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services toll-free hotline at 1-800-HELPFLA (1-800-435-7352).  That service remains available, but those with access to a computer can now check out businesses 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

While the new service is designed to provide consumers with instant access to a company's complaint history and licensing information, it also enables businesses to track complaints against them and lets them know when their licenses are scheduled to expire and therefore need to be renewed.

The Division of Consumer Services regulates and licenses a broad array of business entities in Florida, including auto repair shops, interstate moving companies, health studios, dance studios, travel companies, business opportunities, pawn shops, charities, game promotions, professional surveyors and mappers, and commercial telemarketers.  In addition, it mediates disputes that consumers have with those businesses, as well as disputes that consumers have with unregulated businesses.