Do Not Call Tops List of Consumer Complaints For January

February 10, 2014

Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam announced Monday that the top three complaints received in January 2014 at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services were regarding the statewide Do Not Call List, fuel and communications. The agency received 3,927 written complaints in December.

In addition, there were 26,708 calls and 453 emails requesting consumer assistance and information. The top three calls to the agency’s 1-800-HELP-FLA hotline requesting information or assistance were related to the solicitation of contributions from charities, motor vehicle repair and landlord/tenant.

In the past month, the department responded to many consumer concerns and taken action against several individuals or businesses operating outside of Florida law. During the month of January, the agency:

  • Registered 7313 businesses.
  • Initiated 244 investigations.
  • Arrested 13 individuals.
  • Recovered $251,456.00 on behalf of Florida consumers.
  • Added 13,367 telephone numbers to Florida’s Do Not Call List. Currently, there are more than 593,000 numbers on the list.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is the state’s clearinghouse for consumer complaints, protection and information. The call center is staffed with trained analysts who can respond to questions about programs and regulations under the department’s purview, provide information on a wide variety of topics or direct callers to the appropriate government agency.

Consumers who believe fraud has taken place can contact the department’s consumer protection and information hotline at 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) or, for Spanish speakers, 1-800-FL-AYUDA (352-9832). For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit www.FreshFromFlorida.com.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News