March 9th, 2020 by WCBC Radio
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced the top consumer complaints received in 2019 from Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Morgan, and Pendleton counties.
“Our office is charged with protecting consumers from a myriad of different types of scams and predatory business practices,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “These consumer complaints come in all shapes and sizes. Our Consumer Protection Division diligently reviews each complaint and works vigorously to bring each one to a just resolution.”
The list is assembled from written consumer complaints filed with the Consumer Protection Division. The tally does not include phone calls from consumers who did not follow up with a written complaint. It also does not include reports of scams.
The 2019 top complaint categories for the Eastern Panhandle were:
1. Internet services
2. Used vehicle repairs
3. Home repairs
4. Telephone services
5. Mortgages
6. Landlord / tenant issues
7. Cell phone devices and services
8. Cable TV
9. Collection agencies
Communications complaints, up from second last year, ranked as the top consumer issue statewide, accounting for nearly a fifth of all complaints filed. Automotive and motor vehicle issues fell to second statewide, followed by home repair and remodeling services.
The Attorney General encourages consumers to educate themselves about their rights and responsibilities so they do not encounter similar issues.
Though the list does not include scams, that issue remains a frequently reported consumer issue. The Attorney General warned consumers they should always be wary if a business uses high-pressure sales tactics, refuses to put terms in writing or demands the consumer surrender personal information, such as a Social Security number or banking information.
Consumers who believe they may have been the victim of a scam or taken advantage of should contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-368-8808, the Eastern Panhandle Consumer Protection Office in Martinsburg at 304-267-0239 or visit the office online at www.wvago.gov.
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