Do Not Call list violations top consumer complaint |
Article Courtesy of The Palm Beach Post By Susan Salisbury Published December 4, 2015
Complaints about violations of the state’s Do Not
Call list ranked as the top consumer complaint for 2014, the Florida
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says.However this year
there was a 4 percent decrease in Do Not Call complaints. The decrease
in complaints may be contributed to the agency’s increased enforcement
efforts over the past two years, which have resulted in the collection
of more than $430,000 in administrative fines.In addition, more than
$5.3 million was recovered on behalf of Florida consumers in 2014,
almost twice as much as was recovered last year.“One of our priorities
is to assist consumers in need across Florida,” said Commissioner of
Agriculture Adam H. Putnam. “Anyone can call our 1-800-HELP-FLA consumer
hotline to file a complaint, to find information about businesses and
professionals, and to learn how to protect themselves from fraud and
scams.”
In addition to complaints filed, the department’s
consumer assistance center responded to about 200,000 calls, more than
5,000 emails and nearly 9,500 online chats this year from consumers
requesting information. |