Consumer Law

Consumer Complaints Up, But Resources Are Down

By Nick Slade

The latest survey of front-line consumer agencies shows that while complaints went up, the resources to help consumers went down. 62% of the agencies reported that they received more complaints in 2008 than in 2007, and 47% of the agencies suffered budget cuts just prior to or during the survey period, with one being eliminated entirely.

Top consumer complaints for 2008, with 2008 ranking in 2007 in parenthesis:

1. Auto: (1) Misrepresentations in advertising or sales of new and used cars, lemons, faulty repairs, leasing and towing disputes
2. Home Improvement/Construction: (2) Shoddy work, failure to start or complete the job
3. Credit/Debt Collection: (3) Billing and fee disputes, mortgage-related fraud, credit repair, debt settlement, predatory lending, illegal or abusive collection tactics
4. Utilities: (5) Service problems, billing disputes with phone, cable, satellite, Internet, electric and gas services
5. Retail Sales: (4) False advertising, defective merchandise, problems with rebates, coupons, gift cards and gift certificates, nondelivery
6. Services: (9) Misrepresentations, shoddy work, failure to have required licenses, failure to perform
7. Household Goods: (6) Major appliances and furniture, problems with nondelivery, misrepresentations, faulty repairs
8. Landlord/Tenant: (10) Unhealthy or unsafe conditions, failure to make repairs or provide promised amenities, deposit and rent disputes, illegal eviction tactics
9. (tie) Internet Sales: (7) Misrepresentations, nondelivery in online purchases; Home Solicitations: (8) Misrepresentations, nondelivery in door-to-door, telemarketing and mail solicitations, do-not-call violations
10. Health Products and Services: (not in top 10 in 2007) misleading claims, failure to deliver

2008 Consumer Complaint Survey Report | Consumer Federation of America (CFA), National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators (NACAA), and North American Consumer Protection Investigators (NACPI)

Full post as published by Caveat Emptor on August 05, 2009 (boomark / email).