Claire Reid
Every year, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection helps thousands of residents resolve conflicts with landlords, telemarketers, health care businesses, telecom providers and more.
Last year, DATCP responded to 11,374 written consumer complaints, according to a news release from the agency, returning over $23 million to Wisconsin consumers. In 2023, DATCP fielded over 10,000 consumer complaints, and the agency worked to resolve more than 11,000 complaints in 2022.
Here are the top 10 reasons why people filed consumer complaints with DATCP in 2024:
1. Landlord-tenant issues
As in 2022 and 2023, landlord-tenant issues were DATCP's top consumer complaint category. In 2024, 2,525 complaints fit this category. Common issues reported include failure to maintain the premises, security deposit returns, unauthorized entry, mold and infestation, inadequate disclosures and unsatisfactory service.
In addition to landlord-tenant issues, DATCP received other housing-related complaints, including 45 complaints about manufactured housing and manufactured housing community concerns.
DATCP has a free landlord-tenant rights and responsibilities guide online at LandlordTenant.wi.gov.
2. Telemarketing
DATCP received 1,513 telemarketing complaints in 2024. Complaints included phishing and spoofing, imposter scams, robocalls, harassment and violations of Wisconsin's Do Not Call Registry.
3. Home improvement
Last year, 664 consumer complaints were filed in the home improvement category. Concerns included quality of work, delays in performance, failure to provide services and materials, failure to honor warranties, deceptive and misleading representations, and failure to disclose lien rights.
4. Identity theft
DATCP received 618 identity theft complaints last year, which the agency said was an increase over the previous year. The top issue in this category remained takeovers of online accounts, including Facebook and other social media accounts. Other concerns included fraud, data breaches and compromised identification documents.
5. Telecommunications
DATCP received 527 complaints about telecommunications services. Consumers reported issues about billing disputes, customer dissatisfaction, agreed-upon terms not being followed, deceptive and misleading representations, refund and adjustment policies, and denial of cancellation requests.
6. Medical services
Last year, 439 were filed relating to medical services. The top issue was medical billing disputes; others included unsatisfactory service and misleading representations.
7. Motor vehicle repair
There were 341 motor vehicle repair complaints filed with DATCP in 2024. Common issues reported were unsatisfactory quality of work, damage and loss of property, failure to honor agreements or perform work, performance delays and charges for work not permitted by the vehicle owner.
8. Motor vehicle sales
Complaints concerning sales of new and used vehicles accounted for 297 of the complaints received by DATCP in 2024. The agency says it works closely with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation on these complaints. The most common issues in this category were inadequate disclosures, prize notice mailers, and untrue, deceptive and misleading representations.
9. Travel
Travel complaints ― which cover issues with airlines, hotels and lodging, auto rentals, travel service bundles and more ― accounted for 244 of those DATCP received in 2024. Common concerns included billing disputes, refund and adjustment policies, failure to provide services, failure to return deposits and unsatisfactory service.
10. Motor vehicle accessories
The 10th-most common complaint last year involved motor vehicle accessories. DATCP received 141 complaints in this category, including concerns about refunds, failure to deliver products, and deceptive and misleading representations.
Other common consumer complaints
Following closely behind DATCP's top 10 consumer complaints in 2024 were complaints regarding:
- Entertainment and recreation
- Warranties and extended warranties
- Major appliances
- Timeshares and timeshare resellers
- Furniture and home furnishings
- Medical devices
How to contact DATCP
For more information and consumer protection resources, or to file a complaint, visit DATCP's Consumer Protection webpage at ConsumerProtection.wi.gov.
You can also contact DATCP's Consumer Protection Hotline can be contacted at (800) 422-7128 or DATCPHotline@wisconsin.gov.
More:You ask, we answer: What to do if you get overcharged at the grocery store in Wisconsin
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