Top Consumer Complaint for 2021? Auto Sales and Repairs - Again!

Consumer group releases list of Top 10 consumer complaints in 2021

The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has released its annual list of the Top 10 consumer complaints by industry. This year - for the sixth year in a row - auto sales and repairs topped the list of financial transactions that led to consumer complaints.

Twenty-three agencies from fifteen states responded to a survey from CFA asking for their top ten complaint categories, the worst and most common COVID-related complaints and their greatest achievements for the year, and agencies also provided examples of complaint narratives from consumers. Collectively, these agencies handled over 208,000 complaints, secured over $119 million in monetary relief and provided unique non-monetary relief and assistance to consumers across the country.

The Top Ten List:

1. Auto Sales & Repair
2. Landlord Tenant
3. Home Improvement Repairs and Contractors
4. Retail Purchase Issues
5. Consumer Debt & Credit
6. Frauds and Scams
7. Utilities
8. (TIE) Healthcare/Wellness & Robocalls/Telemarketing
9. Professional Services

10) Travel & Recreation

“Each year, we are delighted to work with the dedicated public servants at each participating agency and learn about their efforts,” Witte said. “Their responses give us insight about what is happening in the marketplace and which strategies have been particularly successful.”

According to the CFA report, consumer protection agencies at the state level not only receive numerous complaints, but also take action to resolve them. For example:

Agencies successfully resolved large-scale matters, including the Virginia Attorney General’s Office settlement with ticket reseller “Tickets On Sale,” resulting in over $180,000 in restitution for failing to honor its “100% buyer guarantee” or refund consumers for cancelled events. The Maryland Attorney General’s Office also successfully mediated with a major state university that refused to let students back out of their off-campus housing leases after the university made most classes remote. Through mediation, the Attorney General obtained a reduced fee for the tenant students.

Jim Witkowski/Unsplash