TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The top 10 consumer complaints filed with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in 2016 were released Thursday.
The most common complaint was about violations of the state’s Do Not Call list, followed by complaints related to fuel and gasoline, cable services and motor vehicle repair.
Residents across Florida said they are fed up.
“(They call) five, six times a day. Sometimes eight,” said Patricia Douglas. “It was just total insanity.”
Nicole Thompson said she noticed she was paying for gas she hadn't received.
“I noticed it jumped up seven cents and I haven't even put the nozzle in the car,” said Thompson.
Mark Sears had the third most common complaint, cellphone contracts that leave consumers feeling helpless, or owing hundreds of dollars.
“It always seems the consumer gets the short end of the stick,” Sears said.
The department said it recovered $2,965,000 for Florida consumers in 2016.
“We are dedicated to protecting Florida’s consumers, and I’m proud that we recovered nearly $3 million for Floridians this year,” said Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam. “Anyone can call our 1-800-HELP-FLA consumer hotline or visit FreshfromFlorida.com to file a complaint, find information about businesses and professionals and learn how to protect themselves from fraud and scams.”
In 2016, the department received 38,470 complaints and responded to 186,526 calls, 11,627 emails and 13,782 online chats from consumers, a news release said.
The top 10 complaints were:
- Do Not Call –17,177
- Fuel/Petroleum – 1,763
- Communications – 1,644
- Landlord/Tenant – 1,536
- Motor Vehicle Repair – 1,447
- Cable – 1,313
- Medical – 1,281
- Motor Vehicle/Sales Accessories – 1,196
- Other/Miscellaneous – 1,001
- Travel/Vacation Plans – 943
The release noted that, “The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is the state’s clearinghouse for consumer complaints, protection and information. The call center is staffed with trained analysts who can respond to questions about programs and regulations under the department’s purview and provide information on a wide variety of topics or direct callers to the appropriate government agency.”
Consumers who believe fraud has taken place can contact the department's consumer protection and information hotline at 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) or, for Spanish speakers, 1-800-FL-AYUDA (352-9832). For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FreshFromFlorida.com.