For eighth year, auto-related issues are the top complaint in consumer group’s survey

Not surprisingly, auto sales and repair issues continue to perplex consumers.

The Consumer Federation of America released its annual report surveying consumer complaints made to 33 state and local government agencies across the country. The 2023 report includes the top 10 complaint categories and finds that participating agencies provided more than $330 million in relief to consumers and handled more 500,000 complaints.

“Unsurprisingly, consumers continue to file the most complaints about issues related to their cars, home improvement contractors, retail purchases issues and debt/finance issues,” Erin Witte, director of consumer protection for the CFA, said in a statement.

The 33 agencies are in 24 states. Agencies responded to a survey from the CFA asking for their top 10 complaint categories and their greatest achievements for the year.

The top 10 complaint categories made to agencies in 2023 are:

1 – Auto sales and repair. Complaints related to the sale and leasing of new and used automobiles – pricing, advertisements, mechanical defects, and more – as well as issues related to the repair of vehicles.

2 – Home improvement repairs and contractors. Complaints about home improvement contractors or repairers, including quality and completion of work and licensure status.

3 – Retail purchase issues. Complaints about the purchase of merchandise – both over the internet and from a brick-and-mortar store – such as items arriving late, receiving the wrong product or a defective product, and refund and exchange policies.

4 – Consumer debt and credit. Complaints about consumer finance issues including banking, lending, debt collection, credit reporting, and other financial services.

5 – Frauds and scams. Complaints about various scams such as imposter scams, gift card payments, fraudulent lotteries/sweepstakes, and IRS calls; elder fraud; identity theft; and business opportunities.

6 – Landlord tenant. Complaints about rental housing conditions, security deposit disputes, and rent increases.

7 – Professional services. Complaints about various types of licensed or unlicensed services such as plumbers, special events, and delivery services.

8 – Healthcare/wellness. Complaints about the quality of health care providers, fitness, and wellness centers. Also includes complaints about medical billing.

9 – Utilities. Complaints about utility providers, including gas, electric, cable, and internet providers.

10 – Towing. Complaints about private and public towing, including licensure, fees, and predatory practices.

Some “honorable mentions” of consumer complaint categories that didn’t make the overall top 10 but were reported by agencies include complaints about wage theft, homeowners associations, timeshare scams, the rise of door-to-door fraudulent solar financing arrangements, restaurant service fees, and trash collection issues.

The report also includes a description of each participating agency’s greatest success for 2023. Some examples are:

Arkansas. Enforcement efforts to combat widespread solar fraud issues, including $4 million of debt relief, an enforcement advisory, and two enforcement actions.

Oregon. Passage of the Oregon Consumer Privacy Act.

Utah. Ban for a lifetime for three individuals who created a “wealth promotion” scheme that deceived Utahns along with a $17 million settlement.

North Carolina. Enforcement and legislative achievements to combat oppressive 40-year real estate agreements through an enforcement action against MV Realty and legislation to ban these contracts in North Carolina.

As 2024 continues, be on the lookout for these type consumer issues. Being alert and informed can save you a lot of grief in your consumer transactions.