Customers have spoken – and here are their top complaints.
A joint study by consumer watchdog organizations Consumer Federation of America, the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators and the North American Consumer Protection Investigators listed 10 offending industries and what customers say they’re doing wrong.
- Auto – Misrepresentations in advertising or sales of new and used cars, lemons, faulty repairs, leasing and towing disputes
- Credit/Debt – Billing and fee disputes, mortgage-related fraud, credit repair, debt relief services, predatory lending, illegal or abusive debt collection tactics
- Home Improvement/Construction – Shoddy work, failure to start or complete the job; A tie with Retail Sales – False advertising or other deceptive practices, defective merchandise, problems with rebates, coupons, gift cards and gift certificates, failure to deliver
- Utilities – Service problems or disputes with phone, cable, satellite, Internet, electric and gas service
- Services – Misrepresentations, shoddy work, failure to have required licenses, failure to perform
- Internet Sales – Misrepresentations or other deceptive practices, failure to deliver online purchases
- Household Goods – Misrepresentations, failure to deliver, faulty repairs in connection with furniture or appliances, and
- Landlord/Tenant – Unhealthy or unsafe conditions, failure to make repairs or provide promised amenities, deposit and rent disputes, illegal eviction tactics
- Fraud – Bogus sweepstakes and lotteries, work-at-home schemes and other schemes
- Home Solicitations – Misrepresentations or failure to deliver in door-to-door, telemarketing or mail solicitations, do-not-call violations.
