Retail tops consumer complaints

Canceled flights, rental housing issues, debt collectors among other grievances

ALBANY — Price gouging, flight cancellations and predatory debt collectors were among the top consumer complaints received by the state attorney general’s office last year.

Complaints related to retail sales, including online purchases, defective products and poor customer service, led the top 10 consumer grievances, with more than 5,200 filed with the office in 2022.

“My office receives thousands of consumer complaints every year, and we take each one seriously to stop fraudsters from hurting New Yorkers,” Attorney General Letitia James said in a news release. “From predatory debt collection to price gouging, scammers tried to take advantage of consumers for personal gain, and we took appropriate action to stop it.”

The office logged more than 3,000 complaints related to rent security deposits, evictions and tenant harassment allegations. Debt collection and credit agencies — in a category that also includes loan scams and identity theft — brought more than 2,800 complaints.

Other areas that received a high number of consumer complaints included COVID -19 testing facilities, alarm companies, auto sales, internet services, and wireless and residential phone service providers. Underhanded home repair contractors, solar panel installers, airlines and high gasoline prices rounded out the list.

The attorney general’s office said they also have seen an uptick in foreclosure lawsuits being filed on “zombie second mortgages,” usually when a homeowner has not made a payment or received information about a mortgage for years.

“Under New York law, mortgage companies generally can only collect on the last six years of missed mortgage payments; seeking to collect beyond that may be illegal,” the office said.

The attorney general’s office cautioned that auto dealers cannot mandate the purchase of add-on products, such as insurance or service contracts, which are not required to purchase a vehicle or to obtain financing for the purchase of a vehicle.

There have been increasing problems with airlines, including many carriers “booking flights they do not have the personnel to operate, which has caused cancellations, delays and forced consumers to incur additional travel costs.”

“If your flight gets canceled or delayed, federal law entitles you to a full cash refund, regardless of the reason,” the attorney general’s office said. “You are also entitled to a refund if an airline makes a significant schedule change and/or significantly delays a flight and you choose not to travel.”