Who you gonna call? The AG's office, that's who

When Ray Parker Jr. asked "Who you gonna call?" in the "Ghostbusters" title track back in 1984, I doubt he had the Missouri Attorney General's Office in mind as the answer.

I received an email last week from Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office summarizing the Top 10 consumer complaints his office received in 2020. (And although we had plenty to complain about last year, only a few of the complaints had anything to do with COVID-19.)

The Attorney General's Office has six full-time staff members who reviewed 116,684 consumer complaints in 2020. That comes out to an average of almost 19,450 complaints per staffer during the year.

Chris Nuelle, Schmitt's press secretary, told me he wasn't sure how many of the complaints came through the office's consumer protection hotline and how many arrived via email or through the attorney general's website, but there's no doubt those six staff members spent thousands of man hours on the phone with unhappy Missourians.

"Every complaint is reviewed by our team," Chris said. "And while we try to mediate complaints we receive, there are certain instances where we take legal action, which can range from a cease-and-desist letter to litigation and sometimes criminal proceedings."

When mediation efforts are unsuccessful and when there are credible allegations of potential violations of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act, the office investigates instances of potential consumer fraud and litigates when necessary.

Listed in order of greatest prevalence, here is the list of the most common consumer complaints handled by Schmitt's office last year:

1. No-call violations

By far and away, complaints about illegal telemarketing activities and "no-call" violations were the leading complaint category in 2020. In fact, half of the attorney general's "complaint" staff is assigned to the office's "no-call unit" and dealt with 34,527 complaints from Missourians who had received unwanted phone calls from businesses or organizations soliciting the purchase of goods or services.

2. Solicitations/publications/subscriptions

Coming in a distant second were the 1,848 complaints the office received about mail and phone offers that often had something to do with sweepstakes, lotteries and other solicitations in which scammers promised a valuable prize or high-dollar award to entice consumers to send money, buy overpriced products or services, or contribute to a phony charity. Some also concerned solicitations alleging cures for coronavirus.

3. Financial

The AG's office received 1,646 complaints from Missourians about debt-collection companies, credit-repair services and disputes with financial institutions. Complaints in this category typically involved foreclosures, debt collection, loan servicing and other similar services. Debt collector complaints often included allegations of harassment by collectors who threatened consumers.

4. Retail/wholesale

There were 1,625 complaints last year from Missourians who had issues with retail and wholesale companies, most involving purchases made through the internet, by telephone or through the mail, and involved late deliveries or products that were never delivered. Other complaints in this category were related to appliances, furniture and other items with warranty issues or were defective in some way.

5. Automotive

Missourians filed 1,490 complaints last year about car dealerships and automotive repair shops. Those complaints usually involved failure to deliver titles in a timely manner, as well as shoddy repair work and service issues.

6. Price gouging

Many of the 1,326 complaints alleging price gouging were filed during the initial stages of the coronavirus pandemic by people who felt they were being overcharged for things such as face masks, gloves, food and toilet paper. This was the first time price gouging has made the annual Top 10 list.

7. Communications/technology/online services

The AG's office received 1,256 complaints last year from consumers about their telephone and/or internet service. Many of the complaints were about billing practices in which consumers said they were billed for services they did not order or were charged unauthorized fees on their bills by third parties.

8. Real estate/construction

Home repair, construction and real estate complaints numbered 1,221 in 2020. The most typical complaint in this category related to contractors who asked for money up front and then provided little or no work, substandard workmanship, and/or failed to honor home warranties.

9. Travel/timeshares

There were 1,184 complaints filed last year by Missourians who had issues about timeshares, including timeshare exit companies, and travel clubs. The complaints often involved allegations companies promised to resell timeshares and failed to do so, they failed to provide deeds for timeshares consumers had purchased or they charged undisclosed fees or unexpected increased fees for maintenance and other services.

10. Health

Rounding out the 2020 Top 10 list were complaints about health care providers and related services. The AG's office received 882 complaints last year associated with hospital and physician billing issues, doctor visits, health care related purchases, and disputes about health insurance payments.

The attorney general's consumer protection hotline, (800) 392-8222, is staffed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, with the exception of state and national holidays. Complaints may also be filed online through the attorney general's website, www.ago.mo.gov.

The ads were better than the game

If you were among the 100 million Americans who tuned in and watched the Snoozer Bowl (aka, Super Bowl LV) earlier this month, you probably enjoyed some of the commercials more than you enjoyed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 31-9 trouncing of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Several Missourian readers commented to me about their favorite spots and their opinions were generally in line with national research about this year's highest-rated commercials.

According to the advertising measurement and analytics software company EDO Inc., the highest ranking ads included spots for diabetes smartphone app Dexcom featuring Nick Jonas (who has Type 1 diabetes); SpaceX's Inspiration4, offering viewers a chance to be part of the first civilian trip into space; and the Jeep ad featuring Bruce Springsteen urging the nation to come together on common ground and "reunite America."

The lowest ranking ads were those for Tylenol, Aveeno, Listerine, Target and Dawn. Most of those ads ran during the postgame show. I guess people tuned out rather than watch Tom Brady hoist the Lombardi Trophy ... again.

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