Consumers may file consumer disputes with the Consumer Protection Section. If you have a consumer dispute, it may be best to first contact the business. Many problems can be resolved by contacting the salesperson, manager, or the company’s customer service representative. If your dispute is not resolved after contacting the company, you may file a consumer dispute form with us. We will do our best to assist you in attempting to resolve the matter. Depending on the nature of the dispute, we may refer the dispute to another agency, or we may forward a copy of the consumer dispute form, including any documents you provide, to the company complained about and ask for a response. If so, we will review the response and send a copy to you. The information you provide may be used to help the Attorney General’s Office detect patterns of unfair and deceptive trade practices, which may lead to investigations on behalf of the public to eliminate such practices.

Although the Consumer Protection Section can act on behalf of the public when we see a pattern of possible violations of Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law developing on the part of a particular business, the Attorney General’s Office is prohibited by law from providing any legal advice or representing individuals or businesses in court; our office cannot recommend a business or product, act as a court of law, or initiate legal action or act as an individual’s or business’s private attorney. 

We address matters concerning civil unfair trade practices and consumer protection.  If you have a complaint about criminal conduct, such as fraud, we recommend that you contact local law enforcement agencies, which have jurisdiction over criminal activity.  Additionally, if you have a complaint about fraud, waste, or abuse stemming from a disaster, we recommend that you contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) at 1-866-720-5721.