Do Not Call and Sellers of Travel Top List of Consumer Complaints for November 2012
~ Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Releases November Status Report~
For Information, Contact:
Erin Gillespie
Press Secretary
(850) 617-7737
Erin.Gillespie@FreshFromFlorida.com
December 7, 2012
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam announced today the top three calls received in November through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ 1-800-HELP-FLA consumer hotline: Solicitation of Contributions, Motor Vehicle Repair and Landlord/Tenant. In total, more than 12,200 complaints were filed by consumers in November and the department received 21,284 calls and 606 emails for consumer assistance and information.
In the last month, the department has responded to many consumer concerns and taken action against several individuals or businesses operating outside of Florida law. During the month of November 2012, the department:
- Registered 3,857 businesses (both initial or renewal business registrations)
- Received 12,219 complaints. The top three areas of consumers complaints include:
- Do Not Call
- Sellers of Travel
- Telemarketing
- Initiated 156 investigations (148 administrative and 8 criminal)
- Arrested 8 individuals in violation of state law
- Recovered $277,119 on behalf of Florida consumers
- Added 6,802 numbers (3,594 individuals) to Florida’s Do Not Call List as of November 2012. These numbers will be effective January 1, 2013. Currently, there are 408,581 numbers and 224,852 subscribers 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. In addition, the department has responsibility for regulating various business industries operating in Florida.
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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