The Consumer Protection Service deals with individual complaints
between Des Plaines residents and businesses. However it also helps
educate the community on proper business practices so that the
citizens of Des Plaines are not scammed out of their money.
The Consumer Protection Service began in the 1960's. The scope of
the service was much different than it is currently. When first
organized the consumer protection service was a function of the
Finance department with a few workers whose predominant function was
enforce the Consumer Protection code. The service occasionally
scanned supermarket tags to ensure that promised savings were indeed
saved and also went to local gas stations to measure the amount of
gas that was pumped per reported gallon. When the service first
started these were problems in the Des Plaines community, however
reports of these incidents have dwindled.
The Consumer Protection Service has a board of commissioners,
aptly named the Consumer Protection Commission. It is composed of
seven members appointed by the mayor whom may have ties to the
business community and expertise in various forms of contracting.
This commission helps the Consumer Protection Service decide how to
act in some of the various cases it receives.
