Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster yesterday released the list of the top 10 consumer complaints reported to his office’s consumer protection hotline in 2014.
During the year, the attorney general’s consumer protection division processed over 125,000 complaints and recovered or produced results leading to courts ordering more than $57 million for consumers in refunds, restitutions and penalties from 102 lawsuits and 23,000 individual mediations, according to a news release.
The top 10 is ranked by the number of complaints received.
1. No-call and illegal telemarketing complaints. Koster’s office received 52,514 complaints regarding violations of the state’s no-call rules and illegal telemarketing, an 8.5 percent decrease from 2013. Koster’s office filed 20 lawsuits against those who violated the no-call rule, securing over $270,000 in fines and penalties and obtaining court orders banning 28 telemarketers from making such calls in the state.
2. Debt collectors. The attorney general received 1,217 complaints, largely related to abusive, threatening and repeated calls. Missouri law prohibits debt collectors from threatening or harassing residents, calling before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. or continuing to call after being asked in writing to stop. Some consumers indicated they were being harassed for debts not owed.
3. Mail and phone solicitations. According to Koster’s office, many of the 1,208 complaints in the category are scams targeted toward the elderly. A common scam targeting Missourians was solicitations posing as invoices or bills.
4. Financial fraud. There were 1,148 recorded complaints of scam artists using the lure of a prize or award to trick consumers into sending money, buying overpriced products or services, or contributing to phony charities.
5. Home repair and remodeling. Of the 687 complaints, many involved scammers taking advantage of damaging weather. According to Koster’s office, some salespeople will go door-to-door following storms offering services for up-front payments and often not delivering or performing shoddy or incomplete work. Asphalt driveway scams with similar results also were reported.
6. Credit and debit card. These complaints - of which there were 686 - often focus on credit or debit cards being charged or double-billed for services never authorized by the consumer.
7. Telephone cramming and billing. Koster’s office received 674 complaints from consumers who said their phone bills had third-party charges for services not ordered. Last year, Koster obtained $300,000 in penalties and refunds from a national $105 million settlement with AT&T over cramming allegations.
8. Cable and satellite services. The 598 complaints ranged from installation problems to billing disputes and packaging offerings. Koster’s office also pointed to a rising complaint: loss of specific channels over carriage disputes.
9. Mortgage, foreclosure and loan modifications. The 561 complaints signaled a continuation of problems distressed homeowners had with foreclosures and modifying loans.
10. Energy and utility. Propane costs were a heavy source of the 552 complaints. Others involved scammers pretending to be utility company representatives and demanding immediate payment by threatening immediate service cut-offs. Fake invoices also were reported.
According to the release, consumer complaints can be filed to Koster’s office online at
Ago.Mo.gov or by calling the consumer protection hotline at (800) 392-8222.
