Tennessee AG's office announces top consumer complaints of 2024
In honor of National Consumer Protection Week, the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office Division of Consumer Affairs (DCA) announces the top ten complaint categories of 2024.
DCA received 8,536 formal consumer complaints during the last calendar year. The division diligently routes complaints to appropriate agencies or mediates them. The informal mediation process addresses disputes regarding consumer financial transactions, such as purchasing products, goods, or services for the home or personal use. The process affords customers and businesses a good faith means to remedy disputes.
DCA's voluntary mediation program facilitated consumer recoveries of over $3 million in cash, merchandise, and services in 2024.
The categories that received the most complaints are as follows:
- Home Improvements/Repair & Home Warranties: 684 complaints (Same ranking as 2023) Involves the purchase and execution of home warranties, as well as the use of contracting services to repair or remodel the home. Common complaints include disputes related to warranty coverage; quality of work performed by hired individual/business; incomplete work; and structural damage caused by hired individual/business.
- Health Services & Products: 675 complaints (Up from #3 in 2023) Involves consumer disputes with health service providers such as hospitals, laboratories, physician offices, and dental offices. Complaints regarding the manufacturing and distribution of health supplements and products (such as hearing aids) also fall within this category. Common complaints relate to inaccurate billing, misquoting service prices, and responsiveness to billing questions.
- Landlord/Tenant: 614 complaints (Down from #2 in 2023)) Involves disputes between tenants and property owners or property managers. Common complaints relate to security deposits, conditions of the rental, and responsiveness to repair requests.
- Internet Sales: 520 complaints (Up from #8 in 2028) Involves consumer dissatisfaction with items or services purchased online. Common complaints include issues with refunds and returns, or the product or service not being provided after payment. Often, the product or service was solicited via social media advertisements.
- Personal & Professional Services: 495 complaints (Up from #9 in 2023) Complaints about health clubs, as well as services offered by professionals including hair stylists, locksmiths, exterminators, photographers, surveyors, and others. Common complaints involve the quality of service, charges for services not received, and problems redeeming gift certificates.
- Debtor/Creditor: 490 complaints (Down from #4 in 2023) Involves matters related to financial services such as debt collection, payday loans, credit repair, and account management.
- Motor Vehicle – Repairs & Warranties: 483 complaints (Down from #6 in 2023) Involves complaints of consumer dissatisfaction with vehicle repair service. Common complaints involved issues regarding the length of time taken for repair and availability of appropriate parts. The category also includes consumer dissatisfaction regarding vehicle warranties.
- Motor Vehicle—Used Sales & Advertising: 482 complaints (down from #5 in 2023) involve consumer dissatisfaction with the purchase of a used vehicle. Common complaints include disputes over the vehicle’s condition, difficulties getting the vehicle properly titled and registered, and inaccurate advertisement of the vehicle.
- Motor Vehicle – Lease/Towing/Rental/Parking: 413 complaints (Down from #7 in 2023) Involves dissatisfaction with the leasing, towing, rental, or parking of a vehicle.
- Timeshares/Vacation Clubs: 406 complaints (Up from #11 in 2023) Complaints related to the purchase of property under a timesharing agreement and the sale of these agreements. The most common complaints report high-pressure sales tactics, misrepresentation of the contract, and resale scams.
In addition to complaint mediation, DCA also makes numerous presentations to interested groups every year and distributes free printed consumer education materials. In 2024, the division doubled its efforts to spread scam prevention messages to older Tennesseans by completing 40 presentations to senior centers statewide. Groups can request a speaker by contacting consumer.affairs@ag.tn.gov.
DCA’s online consumer complaint form and numerous electronic educational materials are available on the division’s website at www.tn.gov/consumer.