Sites by Subject · Consumer Information

Research Databases

Chilton Library

Find repair information on over 35,000 domestic and imported vehicles from most major manufacturers (1940-present). The repair information includes step-by-step repair procedures, Original Equipment Manufacturer maintenance schedules, wiring diagrams, recalls and Technical Service Bulletins for automobiles and light trucks.

FirstSearch

Access a wide range of subject-specific databases, including WorldCat, a catalog of books and other materials in libraries worldwide.

Gale Legal Forms

Thousands of Ohio-specific and national legal forms spanning a variety of common concerns (bankruptcy, divorce, employment, landlord tenant, living wills, power of attorney, taxes, etc.). Legal definition and attorney directories are also available.

Health & Wellness Resource Center

This database bundles together full-text content from Gale's health databases, reference text titles and hundreds of health journals, pamphlets, and newspaper articles. Recommended for consumers, students, and professionals.

Medline

Authoritative information on clinical medicine, dentistry, education, experimental medicine, nursing, nutrition, pathology, psychiatry, and toxicology. Created and maintained by the National Library of Medicine.

NetWellness

Nonprofit consumer health site that draws upon information created and evaluated by health care professionals at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio State University, and Case Western Reserve University medical centers.

Price It! Antiques & Collectibles

Use this resource to identify, research, and price art, antiques, and collectibles. Pricing information in the database is gathered from three reputable sources: online auctions (eBay, GoAntiques), online retail (GoAntiques, TIAS), and land-based auction houses.

Small Engine Repair Reference Center

Find thousands of step-by-step maintenance and repair instructions for small engine machines (motorcycles, ATVs, lawn mowers, tractors, snow blowers, generators, etc.) and their supporting components.

General Sites

Annual Credit Report

Use this site to obtain free credit reports from the three reporting agencies. You may request copies online, by phone or by mail.

Better Business Bureau

Check up on a business, read consumer alerts, or find your local office.

Consumer Action Website

This site from the Federal Citizen Information Center provides information to be a better consumer in areas such as housing, health care, credit, car buying, insurance, TV, and travel.

Consumer World

The best directory of consumer-oriented links on the Web.

DMA Choice

Provides guidelines for removing yourself from a host of marketing lists.

Epinions

Epinions provides consumer reviews, in-depth product evaluations, and pricing and availability at rated online merchants. Consumers are compensated for consistently writing quality reviews that help others make decisions.

Federal Citizen Information Center

View for free or order low-cost government consumer guides issued by the U.S. General Services Administration.

Federal Trade Commission - Consumer Protection

Contains articles and advice on avoiding scams and rip-offs and offers tips on a variety of consumer topics.

Funeral Consumers Alliance

A nonprofit, educational organization that supports increased funeral consumer protection, is affiliated with the Funeral and Memorial Society of America (FAMSA).

GreenerChoices.org

Practical advice for being a more environmentally friendly consumer. Product reviews, information about large scale environmental issues, and tips for reading food and fish labels. From Consumer Reports.

International Cemetery and Funeral Association

A nonprofit association of cemeteries, funeral homes, crematories and monument retailers that offers informal mediation of consumer complaints through its Cemetery Consumer Service Council. Provides information and advice under "Consumer Resources."

Internet Crime Complaint Center

This is an official site of the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center (IC3), where you can send criminal or civil complaints about Internet crime, and have them officially investigated.

National Consumer League's Fraud Center

Report telemarketing, Internet and other kinds of fraud. Read about the most common types of fraud and learn how to protect yourself.

Ohio Attorney General - Consumer Protection

Allows you to file a consumer complaint online or to print the full text of consumer pamphlets on topics such as Elder Fraud, Crime Prevention, and Ohio's Lemon Law. Victims of foreclosure fraud or predatory lending can call the Ohio Attorney General's help line at 1-877-244-6446.

Ohio Department of Insurance

In-depth shopper's guide on motor vehicle, life, health, long-term car, and medicare insurances, as well as information on fraud annuities, etc.

Ohio Treasurer of State - Fraud, Theft, and Scams

Provides tips to avoid fraud, theft, and scams.

OhioHeretoHelp.com

Information and resources from public and private entities to help Ohioans search for a job, find education and training opportunities, and learn about other services that might be available to them.

Plain Dealer Scam Finder

Compiled by Sheryl Harris, the Plain Dealer's popular consumer affairs columnist, this site helps you identify, fight, and report consumer scams.

Senior Citizen's Guide to Cincinnati

Helps older adults and those with aging parents or family members find housing, health, financial, travel, entertainment, consumer services, and other senior-related resources in Butler, Greene, Hamilton, Montgomery, & Warren Counties in Ohio and Boone, Campbell, & Kenton Counties in Northern Kentucky.

United States Food and Drug Administration

Legal and consumer information on food, cosmetics, tobacco and medical products.

Urban Legends Reference Page

Also known as Snopes, this site tells whether or not urban legends are true.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Use this website to search for recalls from among 15,000 monitored consumer products or to report unsafe products.

U.S. News & World Report

News, current events, and rankings of schools, hospitals and more.

Viewpoints

A website that lists reviews of products, services, and institutions contributed by consumers for consumers. People share their experiences by writing reviews, posting in blogs, developing how to guides, participating in discussion boards and contributing and voting on ideas.

Automobiles

Autobytel

Resources and advice for those interested in purchasing a new or used vehicle.

Carfax

Carfax provides computerized background checks on a used vehicle's history. The Vehicle History Reports are designed to identify problems and help consumers avoid buying problem cars.

Edmunds

Online version of the popular print publication provides information on new and used cars. Includes prices, ratings, road tests on new cars, and information on incentives, rebates and leases.

FuelEconomy

This website sponsored by the U.S. EPA allows you to compare and contrast the fuel economy of automobiles. It gives estimated fuel costs per year of models dating back to 1985.

Gas Buddy

Put in your zip code and find the cheapest gasoline available.

The Gold Book

Online price guide for classic and collectible cars.

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Crash test information and safety ratings.

IntelliChoice Online Car Ratings

Consumer information and ratings for cars. Includes information on pricing, ownership costs, specifications, safety, standard features and available options.

Kelley Blue Book

Gives pricing for new and used cars, motorcycles, watercraft, and snowmobiles. Includes a payment calculator and new car reviews.

NADA Guidebooks

Gives low, average, and high retail values of used boats, RVs, motorycles, snowmobiles, ATVs, collectible and special interest cars, and used cars. Dates of coverage vary.

National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA)

Provides free retail price values for used cars, motorcycles, boats, and RV's back to 1989. Offers news, legislation, consumer articles, and dealerships near you.

Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles

Advice for consumers buying cars and title information.

U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Safety and recall information.

Yahoo! Autos

A good site for finding the basic specification of a vehicle you may be interested in purchasing.

Foreclosure & Refinancing

Avoiding Foreclosure

Information on avoiding foreclosure from HUD, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Facing The Mortgage Crisis

CET, WVXU, and the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County have created a portal of resources for people who are facing—or think they may face—foreclosure. Includes a documents checklist for foreclosure assistance, local resources for homeowners, an online forum, and phone numbers of local agencies.

Federal Trade Commission - Foreclosure Facts for Consumers

Provides information about foreclosure rescue scams and how to report foreclosure fraud. Offers advice for those having trouble making their mortgage payments.

Hope Now

A government-organized group of counselors, investors, and lenders offering resources and assistance. Non-profit, HUD-approved credit counselors are available.

Internal Revenue Service - Home Foreclosure

Provides a Q&A on home foreclosure and debt cancellation.

Making Homes Affordable

Homeowners can follow a questionnaire to figure out whether or not they are eligible for a refinanced of modified loan. Provides a list of HUD-approved counselors.

Ohio Attorney General - Consumer Protection

Allows you to file a consumer complaint online or to print the full text of consumer pamphlets on topics such as Elder Fraud, Crime Prevention, and Ohio's Lemon Law. Victims of foreclosure fraud or predatory lending can call the Ohio Attorney General's help line at 1-877-244-6446.

Ohio Housing Finance Agency

Provides information and resources to help avoid foreclosure.

Ohio Save the Dream Program

Explains the foreclosure process and how to proceed if you are having problems. Also provides links to free legal assistance.

Ohio State Bar Association

Ohio residents facing foreclosure who need free legal help can call the Ohio State Bar Association at 1-800-282-6556.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Provides HUD-approved housing counseling agencies in Ohio and information on avoiding foreclosure.

Health

Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs

Recommends and discusses medicines based on prices and effectiveness.

ConsumerLab.com

Consumers and healthcare professionals can find the results of independent tests of health-related products here.

Foodsafety.gov

The U.S. government's access point for food safety information and resources.

Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati: Affordable Care Act

Consumer-friendly information about the what the Affordable Care Act means for individuals and businesses.

Healthgrades.com · Health Care Ratings

Site offering Health Care Report Cards, ratings of hospitals and physicians on procedures and diagnosis at over 5000 U.S. hospitals.

National Library of Medicine

The National Library of Medicine provides free access to Medline, which contains over 11 million article references to more than 4300 biomedical journals, and to MedlinePlus, which is composed of carefully selected web resources on over 400 health topics for consumers and professionals.

Self-Help Group Sourcebook Online

Directory of every type of national, international, model and online self-help support group.

Tox Town

Interactive guide to toxic chemicals and environmental health issues in everyday locations. Some resources are available in Spanish.

Home Improvement

Sites by Subject · Home & Garden

Directory of home improvement, interior design, and gardening websites.

Real Estate

Assisted Living On-line.com

An online directory allows users to find facilities in their specific area. Listings include brief descriptions and contact information.

Homebuyer's Fair

Advice for buying a home and relocating, including articles and interactive calculators.

Ohio Council for Home Care & Hospice

Provides consumer advocacy and information for home care and hospice in Ohio. Includes informational guides and links to related topics.

Ohio Rental Housing Locator

Directory of affordable, accessible rental housing in Ohio. Includes apartments with special features for the elderly and people with disabilities.

A Place For Mom

A national elder care referral service that provides comprehensive resources for senior housing and elder care options to seniors and families in need. Provides information about Alzheimer's care, assisted living, home care, nursing homes, residential care homes, and retirement centers.

Realtor Home Search

Official site by the National Association of realtors. Allows searching by community, size of home and other features.

Rent Net

Apartment listings across the U.S. Also lists storage services and temporary furnished suites.

SeniorSites

A comprehensive web source for non-profit housing and services for seniors. Search for housing by zip code, facility name, or desired amenities.

Southwestern Ohio Association of Adult Day Services

Adult Day Services serves clients with physical, mental or emotional impairments needing supervision, increased social opportunities, assistance with personal care or other daily living activities. SOAADS has 27 center members in Butler, Clinton, Hamilton, and Warren counties in Ohio and Campbell and Kenton counties in Kentucky.

U.S. Postal Service - Change of Address

The official change of address form from the US Post Office.

Visiting Nurses Association of America

Supports, promotes, and advances the nation's network of Visiting Nurse Agencies who provide cost-effective and compassionate home healthcare to the elderly and individuals with disabilities. Services include advocacy, education, and collaboration with other service providers.

Scams and Fraud

Cincinnati Better Business Bureau

Provides access to business and charity reports, guidelines for handling disputes and filing complaints, and consumer/business alerts, tips, and information.

Federal Citizen Information Center - Scams and Frauds

Listing of consumer scams, frauds, and consumer abuse items in the news. Provides information on filing a complaint and lists sites to report scams or frauds being committed against consumers.

Federal Trade Commission - Consumer Protection

Contains articles and advice on avoiding scams and rip-offs and offers tips on a variety of consumer topics.

Federal Trade Commission - Foreclosure Facts for Consumers

Provides information about foreclosure rescue scams and how to report foreclosure fraud. Offers advice for those having trouble making their mortgage payments.

A Guide For Seniors : Protecting Yourself Against Investment Fraud

With some basic understanding of how scam artists work, you can avoid fraud and protect your hard-earned money. Prepared by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Identity Theft Protection for the Military Community

Resources and information from the Federal Trade Commission to protect against identity theft.

Internet Crime Complaint Center

This is an official site of the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center (IC3), where you can send criminal or civil complaints about Internet crime, and have them officially investigated.

National Consumer League's Fraud Center

Report telemarketing, Internet and other kinds of fraud. Read about the most common types of fraud and learn how to protect yourself.

National Consumer Protection Week

Find out about local events, resources, and information that provide consumer education to protect against scams and frauds. Includes a blog that offers tips and access to consumer protection experts.

Ohio Attorney General - Consumer Protection

Allows you to file a consumer complaint online or to print the full text of consumer pamphlets on topics such as Elder Fraud, Crime Prevention, and Ohio's Lemon Law. Victims of foreclosure fraud or predatory lending can call the Ohio Attorney General's help line at 1-877-244-6446.

Ohio Treasurer of State - Fraud, Theft, and Scams

Provides tips to avoid fraud, theft, and scams.

Plain Dealer Scam Finder

Compiled by Sheryl Harris, the Plain Dealer's popular consumer affairs columnist, this site helps you identify, fight, and report consumer scams.

Social Security Online - Fraud Hotline

Provides guidelines and information for reporting fraud, waste, and abuse within the Social Security Administration's programs and operations.

United States Department of Justice - Fraud

Provides information about identity theft and identity fraud and tips to avoid becoming a victim. Also provides information about internet and telemarketing fraud.

United States Postal Inspection Service - Mail Fraud

Provides information about mail fraud schemes including employment fraud, fraud against seniors, sweepstakes and lottery fraud, telemarketing fraud, and home repair fraud.

Shopping

CNET

CNET has paid technicians who review products and help with online tech support. They specialize in computer and other hi tech products like cell phones, televisions and games.

Consumer Reports

Provides product ratings, information, and articles for non-subscribers. More detailed rating articles and interactive features are available for subscribers of the site.

Consumer Search

ConsumerSearch is a publishing company owned by the New York Times. They try to pinpoint the top-rated products, by scanning commercial review sources, which include computer magazines, CNet, and other published sources. The reviews are rated for credibility, expertise of the reviewer, and the methodology of testing (i.e. did they take the product apart and test it)? It’s not as useful for price comparisons.

Coupon Cabin

Coupon Cabin has free coupon downloads, and you can look for deals by store or by product. Coupons can be emailed to you from this site every Monday.

Deal Catcher

Deal Catcher offers printable coupons and a link to a price comparison site.

Fat Wallet

Fat Wallet lists cash back and coupon offers from hundreds of stores. The cash back offers are rebates that require registration so funds can be deposited to your Fat Wallet account. The site also has an extensive user forum for comments on deals, products, service, etc.

Overstock.com

Overstock.com contracts with name brand merchants to sell their excess inventory at a discount. It seems to help if you find out the manufacturer's suggested retail price first, to see if it’s a good deal or not. Includes customer reviews.

Price Grabber

Price Grabber lets you compare prices on a wide variety of products, but also has consumer reviews of the vendors and products, and links to professional reviews of the product.

Priceline.com

Purchase hotel reservations, airline tickets, etc. by naming your price.

Retail Me Not

Retail Me Not has the secret codes from various retailers that you can enter for discounts. You can search by product or by retailer.

Safe Shopping

An informational site created by the American Bar Association to help Internet users become more informed about shopping online.

Shopzilla

Shopzilla lets you compare prices at online stores, and evaluate those stores on factors like fast delivery and customer support. This site covers a very wide range of products. Consumer product reviews are very short with occassional links connecting to professional reviews.

Smart Shopping At-A-Glance

Offers advice about online shopping, including comparison shopping, discounts, and shipping costs.

Utilities

Energy Star

Get the latest on energy-saving products for home or business, from the EPA and the U.S. Dept. of Energy. Provides qualifications for the federal tax credits for energy-efficient products or renewable energy systems for your home.

HEAP Hotline for Ohio

Home Energy Assistance Program forms and information are here. You can also call their toll-free number, 1-800-282-0880.

Ohio Consumers' Counsel

Provides utility-related information and helps Ohioans resolve problems with their utility companies, including representing consumer interests in legal cases.

Public Utilities Commission of Ohio

Compare electric and natural gas utility rates or get advice on buying phone service.