The $20 rebate that didn’t materialize, the wedding gown that didn’t arrive on time, the new car that’s in the shop again, the health insurer that wouldn’t pay for the life-saving operation ... the Maryland Attorney General’s consumer complaint mediators tackle problems like these every day. On June 29, Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. will honor a team of 53 dedicated Marylanders who volunteer their time to help solve other people’s consumer problems, and will also celebrate 25 years of the volunteer program in his office.

Under the supervision of the state’s Consumer Protection Division staff, volunteers take on the challenging job of mediating disputes between consumers and businesses, or between patients and health care providers or insurers. Mediators review complaints filed by consumers, then discuss the complaint with both the consumer and the business and attempt to work out a mutually agreeable resolution to the dispute. In 2003, the Division handled more than 14,500 complaints and obtained over $4 million in restitution for consumers.

“The volunteers do an incredible job. Their work expands and enhances the service we are able to provide to Maryland consumers,” said Attorney General Curran.

The Division began using volunteers to mediate complaints in 1979 as a way to increase the services it provided to the public. The volunteers receive training in mediation skills and in consumer law. Many are retired, and bring to the work a wealth of experience from their former careers. Many find the job so rewarding that they volunteer for years; two have been with the Division for 23 years.

One thing hasn’t changed since 1979: the top complaint category then, as now, is automotive - new car sales, used car sales and auto repair.