As the state’s primary consumer protection agency, the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) responded to 11,374 written consumer complaints in 2024. The resulting mediations, enforcement actions, and settlements returned over $23 million to Wisconsin consumers through refunds and restitutions directly returned to consumers, and civil forfeitures deposited into the state’s common school fund for the benefit of public education.
The top ten complaint categories of 2024 are:
1. Landlord-Tenant Issues
With 2,525 complaints filed in 2024, landlord-tenant issues remained DATCP’s number one consumer complaint category. The most common disputes between landlords and tenants reported to DATCP include failure to maintain the premises, security deposit returns, unauthorized entry, mold and infestation, inadequate disclosures, and unsatisfactory service.
2. Telemarketing
Telemarketing was DATCP’s second most-reported consumer complaint category of 2024, with 1,513 complaints. Issues include phishing and spoofing, imposter scams, robocalls, harassment, and Do Not Call Registry violations.
3. Home Improvement
There were 664 consumer complaints filed with DATCP in the home improvement category in 2024. Top concerns include quality of work, delays in performance, failure to provide services and materials, failure to honor warranties, deceptive and misleading representations, and failure to disclose lien rights.
4. Identity Theft
DATCP received 618 complaints of identity theft in 2024, an increase over the previous year. The top issue in this category remains online account takeovers, with many of the complaints involving compromised Facebook accounts. S
5. Telecommunications
In 2024, DATCP received 527 complaints from consumers about their telecommunications services. Consumers reported issues about billing disputes, customer dissatisfaction, agreed-upon terms not being followed, deceptive and misleading representations, refund and adjustment policies, and denial of cancellation requests.
6. Medical Services
Consumers filed 439 complaints related to medical services in 2024. The top issue in this category was medical billing disputes. Other topics include unsatisfactory service and misleading representations.
7. Motor Vehicle Repair
There were 341 motor vehicle repair complaints filed with DATCP in 2024. Consumers reported issues such as unsatisfactory quality of work, damage and loss of property, failure to honor agreements or perform work, performance delays, and charges for work not permitted by the vehicle owner.
8. Motor Vehicle Sales (New and Used)
The eighth most common consumer complaint in 2024 concerned sales of both new and used motor vehicles, about which DATCP received 297 complaints. The most common issues cited in these complaints were inadequate disclosures, prize notice mailers, and untrue, deceptive and misleading representations.
9. Travel
DATCP received 244 travel complaints in 2024. The travel category covers a variety of areas such as airlines, hotels and lodging, auto rentals, and travel service bundles, with common consumer complaints including billing disputes, refund and adjustment policies, failure to provide services, failure to return deposits, and unsatisfactory service.
10. Motor Vehicle Accessories
DATCP’s tenth most common consumer complaint category of 2024, having received 141 complaints, was motor vehicle accessories. Refunds, failure to deliver products, and deceptive and misleading representations were the top issues reported by consumers.