Survey outlines top 10 complaints with American consumers

Consumer Federation of America, North American Consumer Protection Investigators outline complaints

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Consumer Federation of America and the North American Consumer Protection Investigators release a national survey outlining American consumers' top 10 complaints.

The survey used 38 agencies across the U.S., who provided information about the most common complaints received in 2011.

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  • 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 modifications and 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
  • Retail Sales: False advertising and other deceptive practices, defective merchandise, problems with rebates, coupons, gift cards and gift certificates, failure to deliver
  • Utilities: Service problems or billing disputes with phone, cable, satellite, Internet, electric and gas service
  • Services: Misrepresentations, shoddy work, failure to have required licenses, failure to perform
  • (Tie) Internet Sales: Misrepresentations or other deceptive practice, failure to deliver online purchases
    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, grant offers, fake check scams, the grandparent scam and other common frauds
  • Real Estate: Timeshare sales and resales, retirement communities and assisted living facilities, real estate fraud
  • (Tie) Household Goods: Misrepresentations, failure to deliver, faulty repairs in connection with furniture or appliances
    Home Solicitations: Misrepresentations or failure to deliver in door-to-door, telemarketing or mail solicitations, do-not-call violations

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