Auto-Related Complaints Top Consumer Woe

The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the North American Consumer Protection Investigators (NACPI) recently released findings of an annual survey they conducted based upon information from 38 state, county, and city agencies in 22 states across America. The agencies that provided complaint numbers for the survey received a total of 289,732 complaints last year. As was the case in 2010, auto-related complaints ranked #1 out of all categories of consumer complaints. Consumer auto complaints concerned misrepresentations in advertising or sales of new and used cars, lemons, faulty repairs, leasing and towing disputes. Auto sales also made the list for “worst complaints” agencies received last year. “Worst complaints” could be based on the number of complaints about a particular subject, the dollar amount involved, the impact on particularly vulnerable consumers, the outrageousness of the situation, or any other factors that agencies chose. Notably, the agencies listed “auto repossessions” as one of the fastest-growing subjects of consumer complaints.