Wisconsin has some specific irritants and now DATCAP has organized a list for the top ones of the past year.
These are the top five complaint categories for consumer complaints received by DATCP in 2021.
1. Telemarketing (2,765 complaints)
Telemarketing complaints continue to be the top consumer concern in Wisconsin. While the number of complaints dropped for the third year in a row, consumers are still faced with many issues surrounding unwanted calls and texts. DATCP continues to educate consumers on how to spot a fraudulent phone call or text in order to prevent becoming the victim of a scam. Telecommunications issues reported to DATCP include imposter scams, robocalls, and ‘Do Not Call List’ violations.
2. Landlord-Tenant (1,678 complaints)
Returning to the number two position, landlord-tenant complaints remained a critical concern for Wisconsinites. In addition to complaints, the DATCP website saw more than 100,000 visits to rental resources including 65,000 visits to the Landlord-Tenant COVID-19 FAQ webpage and 50,000 visits to the Landlord-Tenant Guide webpage.
3. Identity Theft (1,550)
Fraud reports are on the rise nationally, and Wisconsin has followed that trend with identity theft complaints shifting up one position in 2021. BCP works to help victims who report identity theft recover and secure their identity against further fraud. Since identity recovery after fraud is a time-consuming and expensive task, BCP also works to educate consumers on prevention. Throughout 2021, outreach staff presented to more than 4,500 individuals on identity theft and other important consumer protection topics.
4. Home Improvement (580)
Top consumer home improvement concerns in 2021 included lien waivers, non-fulfillment of services, billing disputes, and workmanship issues.
5. Telecommunications (573)
Disputes with telecommunications companies continued to be a concern for many Wisconsinites, but overall the category dropped two places in the ranking. Consumers reported issues such as billing disputes, misleading advertisements, and termination of services as principal concerns.
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