Attorney General lists top 10 consumer complaints in 2023

NEW YORK — New York Attorney General Letitia James recently kicked off National Consumer Protection Week by releasing a list of the top 10 consumer complaints received by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in 2023.

According to the press release sharing the list, the top complaints range from price gouging of essential goods and services to housing issues, online banking fraud and travel-related issues. James also provides a variety of tips on how consumers can avoid common scams.

“With families struggling to make ends meet, consumers expect and deserve quality products and services for their hard-earned money,” James said in the release. “As Attorney General, I take my responsibility to stand up for New York consumers against fraud and abuse as a top priority.

“When New Yorkers raise concerns and file complaints with my office, we take action and work to hold bad actors accountable,” she continued. “As always, I urge New Yorkers to stay vigilant, and to keep my office informed about scams and violations of consumer protection laws.”

During 2023, the release said James took historic actions to protect New York consumers, address complaints, hold bad actors accountable and ensure New York laws were upheld. James successfully defended New York’s Rent Stabilization Laws.

Additionally, James protected homeowners and tenants from discrimination, deed theft, fraud, lead contamination and abuse, the release said. James proposed rules to protect consumers and small businesses from corporate profiteering and strengthen New York’s price gouging law and also issued consumer alerts warning against price gouging during states of emergency.

James sued Credit Acceptance Corporation (CAC), one of the nation’s largest subprime auto lenders, for deceiving thousands of low-income New Yorkers into high-interest car loans. According to the release, James and a coalition of 17 other attorneys general called for a national recall of unsafe Hyundai and Kia vehicles and issued a consumer alert to protect New Yorkers from car thefts.

To protect New York consumers against identity theft, the release said James held companies accountable for data breaches and provided a guide on how to better protect New Yorkers’ personal information. James also sued SiriusXM Radio for trapping consumers in subscriptions and maintaining deliberately long and burdensome cancellation processes.

James urges New York consumers who have been the victim of deceptive or fraudulent practices to file a consumer complaint online, the release said.

The following are the top 10 most common types of consumer complaints received by OAG in 2023 by category:

• Retail Sales: online purchases, price gouging, retail sales, defective merchandise, poor customer service, pet stores and animal breeders. 5,569

• Landlord/Tenant: security deposit releases, evictions, tenant harassment. 3,900

• Automobile: sales, service, financing, repairs. 3,553

• Credit, Banking, and Mortgages: debt collection, credit card billing, debt settlement, payday loans, credit repair, credit reporting agencies, identity theft, banking, loan modification scams, mortgage lending and servicing. 3,215

• Consumer Services: alarm companies, dry cleaners, restaurants, movers, storage facilities, services for personal or household use. 2,699

• Internet: internet services and service providers, data privacy and security, digital media, frauds through internet manipulation. 2,570

• Utilities: wireless and residential phones, energy servicers and suppliers, cable and satellite. 1,922

• Home Repair/Improvement: repair issues, deceitful contractors, solar panel installations. 1,371

• Travel: airline customer service, flight cancellations and refunds. 873

• Entertainment: events, concerts, ticket sales. 533