Staff Reports
Violations of the state’s “Do Not Call” list were the most common complaint this year to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
The department released its “Top 10 complaints” list on Thursday. It’s the state’s clearinghouse for consumer complaints, protection and information.
In addition, the department said it recovered more than $2.9 million for Florida consumers.
“We are dedicated to protecting Florida’s consumers, and I’m proud that we recovered nearly $3 million for Floridians this year,” Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said in a statement.
“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.”
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 department received 38,470 complaints and responded to 186,526 calls, 11,627 emails and 13,782 online chats from consumers.
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).
