How to File a Complaint with the Attorney General that Gets Results

Do you have a dispute with a company? Filing a complaint with your state's Attorney General's office can be an effective way to get satisfaction. However, you must make sure you file your complaint the correct way, or you may not get the results you want. Let's begin

Things You'll Need

• If you are filing a complaint online: A computer with Internet access.
• If you are filing a complaint the old fashioned way: A computer with a printer or a pen and paper.
• List of all contacts with the company you are complaining against.

Instructions

1. Before contacting the Attorney General's office, try your best to resolve your complaint with the company. Some companies are ethical and will try their best to resolve your problem. If you are calling a call center, ask for a supervisor or a manager. If the company is able to help you to your satisfaction, you're done! If they won't assist you despite your best efforts, proceed to Step 2.

2. Keep a log of all of your contacts with the company. If you talk with someone on the phone, make sure to get their name.

3. Begin filing your complaint to the Attorney General's office. If you are filing your complaint online, and you have an option to submit a copy to the company, make sure you say yes.

4. Finish filing your complaint with your state Attorney's office. Clearly state why you are complaining, what efforts you made to resolve the issue, and what the company's response was. To the best of your ability, give names of representatives you came in contact with and the dates of any mail and phone correspondence.

5. If you belive the company broke any laws, make sure to indicate that in your complaint as well. If your grievance is against a collection agency, they very commonly break laws, so it shouldn't take much effort to find out where they erred.

6. Within six weeks, you should get a response back from the Attorney General's office, and the company's response to your complaint. If the company was actually in error, they will almost always respond positively. If the issue still is not resolved to your satisfication, the Attorney General's office will tell you how to proceed.

Tips & Warnings

• In addition to filing a complaint with your Attorney General's Office, you should also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. The Federal Trade Commission will not respond to individual cases, but may take action against a company if enough people complain about the same thing.

• Always file a complaint with the Attorney General in YOUR state, even if the business you are complaining against is in another state.

• Make sure your complaint is relevant, and is truly something you believe the company did wrong. Filing a complaint against a collection agency who calls you after you told wrote them asking them to stop is appropriate. Filing a complaint against your apartment complex that they charged you a late fee when you were actually late is not appropriate.

Resources

• List of Attorney Generals in all 50 states
• The Federal Trade Commission