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NEWARK
– The State Division of Consumer Affairs
received nearly 14,000 complaints from consumers
last year, with the high-cost categories
of motor vehicles and home improvements
each generating more than 10% of the total
complaints.
Consumers
filed 1,805 complaints related to motor
vehicles and 1,401 complaints about home
improvements with the State Division of
Consumer Affairs. Complaints about fuel
used for home heating broke into the Top
10 last year while health clubs dropped
out of the annual list.
“Consumer
complaints help our investigators identify
potential problem areas and emerging fraud
trends. It’s vitally important for
consumers to file complaints with the Division
of Consumer Affairs and I encourage them
to do so,” Attorney General Paula
T. Dow said.
The
top complaints categories for 2010 are list
below, with the number of complaints as
noted:
1)
Motor Vehicle - 1,805
2) Home Improvement - 1,401
3) Loans - 1,250
4) Internet Sales/Goods - 650
5) Professional/Occupational Service -
577
6) Fuel/Home Use - 460
7) Banks/Financial Inst - 451
8) Debt collection - 418
9) Telecommunications - 369
10 – (tied) Cable TV/Subscriptions
– 276; Home Furnishings/Furniture
– 276
The
Division of Consumer Affairs announced the
Top 10 list at the start of National Consumer
Protection Week. National Consumer Protection
Week is a coordinated campaign that encourages
consumers nationwide to take full advantage
of their consumer rights and make better-informed
decisions.
“This
list, and the nearly 14,000 complaints received
by the Division last year, highlight our
enforcement priorities and the continuing
need for strong consumer education programs,”
said Thomas R. Calcagni, Acting Director
of the Division of Consumer Affairs. “Taking
part in National Consumer Protection Week
provides another opportunity to demonstrate
how we’re taking on these challenges
and empowering New Jersey’s consumers.”
The
increase in home heating fuel complaints
came as the Office of the Attorney General
and Division of Consumer Affairs filed suit
last March against a Morris County-based
oil company for failure to fulfill contracts
and to make deliveries to customers.
Health
club/gym complaints, which ranked fifth
in overall complaints received in 2008,
failed to make the Top 10 list in 2009 and
again in 2010. The Division of Consumer
Affairs reached settlements with more than
one dozen health club/gym owners in 2009
and 2010 after investigators conducted enforcement
actions. The settlements require facility
owners to comply with the state’s
Health Club Provisions and Health Club Regulations.
National
Consumer Protection Week (NCPW)
is a coordinated campaign that encourages
consumers nationwide to take full advantage
of their consumer rights and make better-informed
decisions. NCPW 2011 takes place March 6
through 12, 2011.
More
information designed to help consumers protect
themselves is offered free of charge at
the State Division of Consumer Affairs NCPW
website at www.njconsumeraffairs.gov
. Information is also available at the official
National Consumer Awareness Week website,
www.NCPW.gov
.
Consumers
who believe they have been cheated or scammed
by a business, or suspect any other form
of consumer abuse, can file a complaint
with the State Division of Consumer Affairs
by visiting its website, www.NJConsumerAffairs.gov,
or by calling 1-800-242-5846
(toll free within New Jersey) or 973-504-6200.
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