Telemarketers earn highest number of consumer complaints on Oregon Attorney General's annual Top 10 list [The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.]

(Oregonian (Portland, OR) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) March 06--The Oregon Department of Justice released its top 10 consumer complaint list for 2012 with those pesky telemarketers making the top spot for the second year in a row.

For the year, the state received a total of 12,000 written complaints from consumers. Complaints about telemarketers made up about 15 percent of those, or 1,828.

Falling in line behind telemarketers were debt collection agencies at No. 2 with 1,032 complaints, a 42 percent increase from the industry's complaint total last year. The state said the increase likely came from complaints from consumers who received suspicious, albeit valid, notices of late movies from bankrupt Hollywood Video. Home ownership issues followed in the No. 3 slot with 939 complaints. (see the complete list below). The state encouraged consumers who feel they're wrongly being targeted by a debt collector to read up on their rights.

Overall, the state received 12,000 written complaints from consumers last year. The state helped consumers recover $3.7 million during that period and landed $15.8 million in settlements and judgments from civil actions against mortgage companies, pharmaceutical providers and others.

Top 10 Consumer Complaints 2012 1. Telemarketing calls: 1,828 The state said that telemarketing complaints, many from folks who are on the do-not-call list, were forwarded to the Federal Trade Commission that tracks violations. The complaints were mostly about calls from Pacific Telecom Communications Group and Card Services, which uses automated messages with promises to help reduce credit card interest rates. Such automated calls are illegal, the state said, as is its practice of hiding the true number from which the calls are made and the fact it routinely calls do-not-call list members.

2. Collection agencies: 1,032 3. Home Ownership issues: 939 Real Estate Credit 658 Loan Servicers 110 Loan Modifiers 53 Mortgage Brokers 32 4. Telecommunications: 843 Cellular 242 Satellite TV 175 Internet Service Provider 113 Cable TV 73 Long Distance 69 Local Phone Service 40 Bundled Services 21 5. Motor Vehicle Sales: 652 New Car Dealers 198 Selling new cars 98 Selling used cars 98 Used Car Dealers 402 RV, Trailer, Campers 33 Motorcycles 10 6. Financial services: 585 Credit cards 140 Commercial banking 119 Investment activities 114 Sales financing 59 Credit bureaus 58 Payday/title loans 58 Debt reduction services 54 Consumer lending 34 7. International Money Transfer Schemes: 515 The state said less money was lost in 2012 to international money transfer scams -- $825,224, a 25 percent drop from 2011. However, the state also said that while such scams were ranked No. 7 with 515 complaints, it's likely more money was lost as many consumers don't report that they were victimized.

8. Health Related: 375 Physicians 72 Hospitals 54 Medical products 33 Food Supplements 32 Dentists 25 Pharmacies/drug stores 17 Medical discount cards 10 9. Magazine sales agents: 222 Making the list for the first time this year, complaints in this category were mostly concerning Orbital Publishing Group. The state said "unscrupulous magazine sales agents" often send official-looking, but fake subscription renewal and billing notices asking for amounts ranging from $14.98 to $179.95. The state warned consumers and businesses to watch out for solicitations disguised as bills.

10. Timeshare resellers: 201 Timeshare resellers also made the top ten list for the first time this year. The state provides a lowdown on the scam: "A timeshare reseller calls a timeshare owner saying he's got a buyer for their property. The owner is asked to sign a contract and pay a transaction fee -- usually with a credit or debit card -- before the alleged sale can proceed. But after signing the contract and paying the fee, the owner rarely hears again from the reseller. In most cases, the buyer never existed, and the contract was for advertising services only." Have your own issues Read up or contact the state online or by phone 1-877-877-9392.

-- Laura Gunderson ___ (c)2013 The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) Visit The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) at www.oregonian.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

[ Back To Technology News's Homepage ]