In conjunction with National Consumer Protection Week, March 3-9, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge on Friday announced the top 10 most common complaints the Attorney General’s office received in 2018. National Consumer Protection Week is a partnership with attorneys general from across the country, along with many national organizations, including the Better Business Bureau, Federal Trade Commission and AARP, to encourage consumers to understand their rights and make educated consumer decisions. “At the Attorney General’s Office, we take every complaint seriously and will work diligently to protect Arkansans and hold bad actors accountable,” said Attorney General Rutledge. The 10 most common complaint categories from 2018 were:
Automobile sales, service financing and repair
Sales of goods and services
Health care
Home repair, construction and maintenance
Landlord/tenant and real estate
Satellite, cable and internet service providers
Wireless and landline telephone services
Scams and opportunities
Credit repairs and other financial services
Utilities
After falling to the number two most received complaint in 2017, automobile-related transactions returned to the most common type of complaint reports to the Attorney General’s office in 2018. Last year, automobile sales, service financing and repairs brought in 1,200 complaints.
These types of complaints often involve consumers reporting financing errors; high-pressure tactics to buy add-on services at the time of purchase, such as gap insurance, extended warranties; and sales misrepresentations.
Attorney General Rutledge’s office resolved 5,595 formal complaints in 2018.