Living for Today — Planning for Tomorrow
News You Can Use
America’s Top Ten Consumer Complaints
Home improvement and repairs tops the list of America’s consumer complaints, according to the most recent survey of consumer complaints done by the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators and Consumer Federation of America. The top ten categories generating the most complaints at consumer agencies were ranked in this order:
- Home Improvement/Repairs
- Automobile Sales
- Automobile Repairs
- Credit
- Telecommunications/Cable/Satellite
- Debt Collections/Billing Practices
- ID Theft/Deceptive Practices
- Internet/ ISP/E-Commerce
- Major Purchases/Household Goods
- Telemarketing/Sales Practices
Home improvement contractor and repair complaints have consistently been listed within the top five complaint categories for the past five years. Complaints usually include failure to use a written contract, abandonment or refusal to complete work, workmanship issues and noncompliance with building code requirements.
Mississippi consumers affected by recent tornados or those looking to spruce up their homes this summer should be particularly wary of paying in advance for work to be completed later. Shopping carefully by getting estimates and carefully comparing prices with services is a good rule of thumb for home improvement projects, as well as other types of consumer spending, including auto sales or repairs and shopping for cable, cell phone or Internet services. Consumers should also check with references and the Better Business Bureau to learn if customers have been treated fairly in the past.
Complaints about identity theft and Internet fraud, including on-line auctions and email deception to gain access to consumer’s bank accounts are a rapidly growing concern. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission reports that these two areas account for more than half of consumer fraud complaints filed with the agency last year.
To learn more about avoiding and solving consumer problems, visit the Consumer Federation: http://www.consumerfed.org/NACAAComplaintreport.pdf