Your Top 10 Consumer Complaints

angryCars, construction, and credit issues are topping this year’s list of top consumer complaints.

The survey by by Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the North American Consumer Protection Investigators (NACPI) of 37 agencies and 281,639 complaints across the country also revealed that identity theft is topping the list of fastest-growing complaints.

“Considering the epidemic of data breaches that we’ve been experiencing in the last year, it’s not surprising that more consumers are contacting state or local consumer agencies for help to resolve the problems that identity theft can cause,” said Susan Grant, Director of Consumer Protection and Privacy at CFA.

Based on the dollar amount involved, vulnerability of the consumer, and outrageousness of the situation, debt collection was the worst complaint agencies received in 2014.

Here’s this year’s top ten consumer complaints as reported by CFA and NACPI:

  1. Auto. Misrepresentations in advertising or sales of new and used cars, lemons, faulty repairs, leasing and towing disputes.
  2. Home Improvement/Construction. Shoddy work, failure to start or complete the job.
  3. Credit/Debt. Billing and fee disputes, mortgage modifications and mortgage-related fraud, credit repair, debt relief services, predatory lending, illegal or abusive debt collection tactics.
  4. (Tie) Retail Sales. False advertising and other deceptive practices, defective merchandise, problems with rebates, coupons, gift cards and gift certificates, failure to deliver; and Utilities. Service problems or billing disputes with phone, cable, satellite, Internet, electric and gas service.
  5. Services. Misrepresentations, shoddy work, failure to have required licenses, failure to perform.
  6. Landlord/Tenant. Unhealthy or unsafe conditions, failure to make repairs or provide promised amenities, deposit and rent disputes, illegal eviction tactics.
  7. Home Solicitations. Misrepresentations or failure to deliver in door-to-door, telemarketing or mail solicitations, do-not-call violations.
  8. (Tie) Health Products/Services. Misleading claims; unlicensed practitioners; failure to deliver; and Internet Sales. Misrepresentations or other deceptive practices, failure to deliver online purchases.
  9. Fraud. Bogus sweepstakes and lotteries, work-at-home schemes, grant offers, fake check scams, imposter scams and other common frauds.
  10. Household Goods. Misrepresentations, failure to deliver, faulty repairs in connection with furniture or appliances.
Jon Chrisos

About Jon Chrisos

Award-winning journalist Jon Chrisos is the investigative and consumer reporter at CBS 13 in Portland. He also anchors weeknights at 5:30. Chrisos is “On Your Side” investigating the stories that make a difference in your life. He’s passionate about helping those who’ve been wronged, exposing government waste, asking tough questions, and uncovering the truth.