February
2003
The 2002 Top 10 Consumer Problems
2002 was a very busy year once again for the
Wisconsin Division of Trade & Consumer Protection. Division
investigators and consumer specialists handled nearly 16,000
written complaints from consumers and responded to more than
180,000 consumer contacts and inquiries by telephone, mail,
or over the Internet.
There can be little doubt the primary consumer protection issue
for 2002 was the state’s new “Do Not Call”
telemarketer registry that I have previously written about in
this column. An amazing 1 million Wisconsin households have
registered to block telemarketing calls. The law took effect
on January 1, 2003, and in the first week, more than 2,500 consumers
called to complain that telemarketers were already violating
the new law. Consumer protection officials, and indeed our new
governor, promised quick enforcement action.
What were the top 10 consumer problems in 2002? Once again,
complaints about telephone companies came in first. Consumers
continue to be unhappy about unauthorized charges on their phone
bills, misrepresented rates, and poor service. Coming in a not-so-close
second were problems with landlords who failed to properly maintain
their apartments or failed to return security deposits at the
end of the lease. Coming in third were investment schemes—a
rapidly increasing problem that was not in the top 10 as recently
as 2000. Complaints against home improvement contractors not
beginning or completing their work came in fourth followed by
complaints about not receiving mail order items on time or in
unacceptable condition.
Motor vehicle repair complaints came in sixth due to problems
consumers said they experienced with repair shops recommending
unnecessary repairs, followed by complaints against telemarketers
making illegal calls before 8 a.m., after 9 p.m., or after the
consumer already asked to be removed from the telemarketing
list. Am I going far out on the limb by predicting that complaints
against telemarketers will be the number one complaint in 2003?
The eighth highest complaint in 2002 was against Internet service
providers (whom consumers said were unable to provide acceptable
Internet service) followed by complaints about computers and
software. Finally, the 10th highest-rated consumer complaint
in 2002 was the unauthorized charging of consumer credit cards
or billing problems with the credit card companies. This is
the first time credit card companies have entered the top 10
and I expect they will be in the top 10 for some years to come.
I will break down some of the top 10 consumer problems in greater
detail in future columns. Did you experience any of these problems
in 2002?
