The Missouri Attorney General’s Office received 126,100 total consumer complaints in 2021, submitted in writing or via phone call. The Consumer Complaint Unit received 86,856 complaints and inquiries and the No-Call Unit received 39,244 complaints.

The Attorney General’s Office has advocates who take complaints and work actively to mediate those complaints between consumers and businesses or individuals.  

According to a news release, in 2021, the Consumer Protection Section obtained $17,342,241.90 in judgments/settlements for the State of Missouri and recovered $13,365,467.61 in restitution for Missouri citizens.

Attorney General Eric Schmitt says, “The Missouri Attorney General’s Office continues to be a fierce advocate for Missouri consumers. Each year, my Office works to address thousands and thousands of consumer complaints, obtain restitution for affected consumers wherever possible, and hold bad actors accountable.”

Top 10 Consumer Complaints in 2021 by industry were:

1.  No-Call Complaints (39,244 received): Complaints involve phone calls to Missouri residents by businesses or organizations soliciting the purchase of good or services.
2. Retail/Wholesale (1,727 received): Most of the complaints involved purchases made through the internet, telephone, or mail and involved late deliveries or products that were never delivered.
3. Automotive (1,611 received): Automotive complaints often involve failure to deliver titles in a timely manner from the dealership. Other complaints involve shoddy repair work and service issues.
4. Solicitations/Publications/Subscriptions (1,512 received): These complaints generally involve the receipt of mail and phone solicitations regarding sweepstakes, lottery, and other solicitation scams.
5. Real Estate and Construction (1,427 received): Complaints involving home repair contractors are among the most common type of complaint received by the office.
6. Financial (1,212 received): Complaints under this category involve foreclosures, debt collection, loan servicing, and other products, services, and practices by banks, mortgage companies, debt collectors, service providers and other financial institutions.
7. Communications/Technology/Online Services (1,081 received): Many complaints related to telephone cramming and billing practices where consumers received a phone bill for services that they did not order or were charged unauthorized fees on their telephone bill from third parties.
8. Travel/Timeshares (895 received): Complaints involved allegations that companies promised to resell timeshares and failed to do so, that companies failed to provide deeds for time shares that consumers purchased, and that companies charged undisclosed fees or unexpectedly and continuously increased fees for maintenance and other related services.
9. Health (797 received): These complaints involved healthcare industry complaints, including billing issues regarding hospitals and doctor visits, supplemental purchases, and disputes regarding health insurance payments.
10. Professional Services (689 received): Those complaints involved concerns with moving companies, towing, funeral homes/cemeteries and special events, etc.

Consumers who wish to file a complaint can do so online at ago.mo.gov or by calling the Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-392-8222.