Works with consumers and local businesses to help resolve disputes as an alternative to going to court. Complaints can be filed against Accredited and Non-Accredited businesses. Uses various dispute resolution processes; 1) Conciliation: Staff will collect the information needed from the customer and then contact the business and work with both parties to assist in negotiation to settle the problem. Staff present the customer's views to the business and offer the business' viewpoint to the customer in an impartial way; 2) Mediation: If conciliation does not solve the problem, mediation may be the next step. In mediation, an impartial third party - the mediator - clarifies and reframes problems and helps the two sides talk with each other and discuss solutions. The mediator does not decide the merits of either party's claim. The mediator's goal is to identify the interests of each party and work with them to arrive at a win-win solution; 3) Arbitration: If conciliation and/or mediation efforts are not successful, arbitration may be the next step. The parties state their views at an arbitration hearing, offer evidence and let an impartial arbitrator make a decision that will end the dispute. Both parties must sign an Agreement to Arbitrate that briefly describes the specific issues involved and the scope of the arbitrator's authority in the case. This agreement sets the groundwork for the arbitration hearing. In arbitration, the arbitrator is asked to consider all relevant factors and to make what he or she considers a fair decision based on fairness rather than the law. While the parties in dispute may argue legal principles, the arbitrator does not have to follow them strictly in making a decision.