Bio
Deborah Garner is in charge of responding to the nearly 30,000 consumer complaints filed each year with the Division of Consumer Services. With a small staff of 24 to monitor the practices of the more than 78,000 businesses in 55 industries under the jurisdiction of the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs, Garner has proven to be a managerial magician, efficiently and effectively responding to each complaint. “Deborah Garner inspires, leads and serves like no other person I have ever worked with. She uses her incredible energy and managerial talent to stay always focused on getting fair outcomes for those we serve,” says Alba Pico, First Deputy Commissioner of the DCA. Garner completely re-engineered the intake process of the 200 complaints received by mail each week. Instead of assigning these complaints to other staff, she and her Deputy Director personally read all incoming complaints, which has cut the processing time to an average of six days. Says one colleague, “Hardly a day goes by that she doesn’t spot a problem for consumers. She identifies trends and knows how to mediate them successfully.” Noticing a spike in the frequency of door-to-door solicitations by alternative energy providers of consumers whose primary language is other than English, she and Consumer Affairs successfully petitioned the Public Service Commission to issue rules regarding how marketing should be conducted for non-English speakers. And Garner’s effectiveness is matched by the personal care she offers to each person seeking help. Says one satisfied consumer, “She came through for me with flying colors. One letter from her and it’s one, two, and three.”
