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Contact the Attorney General’s Public Inquiry Unit to report a complaint about a business or if you have questions or comments. Complaint Against Business; General Contact Form; Contáctenos/Formularios
You can report your complaint directly to that regulating agency. Complaint Referral Table. If your complaint is not against a business that is regulated by another agency, then you may file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office using the Complaint Against Business form below.
The Attorney General represents the public beneficiaries of charities who cannot sue in their own right. The Attorney General investigates and audits charities to detect cases in which directors and trustees have mismanaged, diverted, or defrauded the charity.
- Overview
- What does filing a complaint with the attorney general do?
- What types of situations does the AG's office help resolve?
- When should I file a complaint with the AG's office?
- Filing a Complaint with the AG's Office
- Pursuing Other Actions to Resolve Your Issue
1 What does filing a complaint with the attorney general do?
2 What types of situations does the AG's office help resolve?
3 When should I file a complaint with the AG's office?
When you're trying to resolve a dispute with a business, you might feel like you're on your own—but you're not. Your state's attorney general (AG) has your back. It's part of the AG's job to protect consumers from businesses that engage in fraudulent, deceptive, or unscrupulous business practices. When you file a complaint with the AG's office, you not only take advantage of the office's resources to help resolve your dispute but also help prevent others from having the same problem.
Filing a complaint informs your state AG of unscrupulous business practices.
Mediating your dispute through the AG's office can help you find a satisfactory resolution.
Many AGs mediate individual disputes.
Not every state has a mediation program, but most do. If your state does, you can take advantage of this incredible resource to find a satisfactory resolution to your dispute. Mediation is offered at no cost to you and typically doesn't require a lot of time and effort on your part either.
Since the AG's office is involved, the business is usually going to be a lot more receptive than they were when it was just you. They want to stay on the good side of the state government so they'll usually be more willing to work with you.
Even if your state doesn't have a mediation program, they'll typically notify the business of your complaint. The fact that the issue is now on the AG's radar might be enough to convince the business to come to the table.
Consumer complaints help state AGs enforce consumer protection laws.
State AGs are the primary enforcers of each state's consumer protection laws, but they need your help! If no one alerts the AG's office to a business's unscrupulous business practices, that business will continue to victimize consumers.
AGs help resolve situations where a business is acting deceptively or fraudulently.
The AG enforces your state's consumer protection laws, so the office is primarily concerned with situations where a business is violating those laws. But many AG offices help mediate other disputes between consumers and businesses that don't implicate consumer protection laws at all.
The specific issues your state AG's office deals with depend on your state's consumer protection laws. Some AG's offices have an extremely broad scope, while others can only handle problems in a few very narrow categories.
When you file your complaint, an agent in the AG's office will review it. If they determine that another government agency is better suited to handle your complaint, they'll forward the information to that agency.
File a complaint when you have a dispute with a business that you can't resolve on your own.
Try to work directly with the business first to resolve your dispute. If the person you talk to says they can't help you, take the issue to someone higher up the corporate ladder—a manager, the company president, or even the owner. File a complaint with the AG's office if the business reps are digging in their heels and refusing to work with you.
you to do everything you can to resolve the dispute before you file a complaint with them. Most don't have this as an explicit requirement, but they still advise you to try to resolve the issue with the business on your own first.
Some state AGs have form letters on their
Find your state AG's website to find out what services they offer.
State AGs typically have a lot of information on their
about your rights as a consumer and what you can do if a business or individual violates those rights. You'll also find lots of resources that you can potentially use to help resolve your dispute.
Gather all documents related to the dispute.
Typical supporting documentation includes leases, contracts, repair invoices, advertising material, letters, or receipts. You might also have photos or videos that are related to the dispute.
For example, if you bought a vacuum cleaner from a local business and it never worked, you might've made a video showing the cleaner's failure to power up or lack of suction.
File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
The BBB is a nonprofit organization that accepts and reviews complaints about businesses. If you're unable to get your problem resolved to your satisfaction,
The organization makes it easy to start the process
Businesses value their BBB rating, which is partially determined by their record of resolving complaints. This means if you get the BBB involved, the business might be more willing to work with you.
Sue the business in small claims court.
If you have a monetary dispute that involves less than $5,000, you might be able to recover through small claims court. Small claims courts have simplified procedures and forms in plain language. You don't need an attorney to sue in small claims and you might be able to resolve your dispute that way.
If you believe a business, service provider, third-party, or contractor has violated the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), you can submit a complaint online.
Filing a Complaint. If a letter to the manager does not resolve the problem, you may want to file a complaint with the following: Department of Consumer Affairs. File a complaint online at www.dca.ca.gov or call 800.952.5210 to have a complaint form mailed to you. California Attorney General's Office. File a complaint online at http://oag.ca.gov/.
People also ask
How do I file a complaint against a regulating agency?
How do I file a complaint against a regulated business?
How do consumer complaints help state AGs enforce consumer protection laws?
Should I file a complaint with the AG's office?
Why do I need to file a complaint with the AG?
How do I file a complaint with DCA?
Step 1: Contact the Business Directly. Step 2: Use Social Media to Share Your Complaint. Step 3: Consider Leaving a Review. Step 4: File a Government Complaint Against the Business. Step 5: File a Lawsuit Against the Business in a California Small Claims Court.
