UVM students interning with the Vermont Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) were interviewed recently by WCAX. The UVM Community Development and Applied Economics Department partners with the CAP program, to offer students valuable, transferable job skills with the program’s service learning opportunities.
The Vermont Attorney General’s office marked Consumer Protection Week during March 2024 and stated, “CAP is a 42-year-old program based at the University of Vermont in partnership with the Attorney General’s Office. The program’s primary goal is to address consumer problems in Vermont, which it does through its mediation service, outreach, and education. Staff, with the help of service-learning students, manage informal inquiries, provide referrals to resources, and engage in mediation of consumer complaints. In 2023, the program responded to 8,200 contacts, including reports of scams, and provided extensive mediation services on 1,251 consumer complaints.”
The attorney general’s office also recommended that, “Vermonters experiencing consumer problems should contact the Consumer Assistance Program for help. The program is a useful resource for resolution and complaints filed help to identify problem trends in consumer areas. The CAP data is reviewed by the Vermont Legislature when considering consumer protection laws, for enforcement by the Attorney General’s Office, and for consumer education and outreach. Reach CAP by calling 1-800-649-2424 or online at ago.vermont.gov/cap.”