Before hiring a business or making a purchase, you should thoroughly research the business or product retailer to avoid potential issues.
Check the history of the business with the
Ohio Attorney General’s Office and the
Better Business Bureau. You can also search for any
previous lawsuits filed by the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section.
Use the company or owner’s name to conduct a general search online. Read reviews to learn about other consumers’ experiences, both good and bad. Check reviews on multiple websites to ensure credibility. Ask the company or the contractor to provide references from previous customers and check those references.
Once you’ve done your research and decided on a business, be sure ot keep any contracts or other paperwork. If at some point in the process you find yourself at odds with the business, first contact the business directly. Consider writing the business a letter explaining your concern and how the business could satisfactorily resolve the problem. Give the business a deadline. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has a
sample complaint letter that you can customize.
If that fails to resolve the complaint, you can consider disputing the charge if you paid by credit or debit card. While you may start the dispute through a call to your credit card company or bank, the FTC has
more information as well as a sample dispute letter that you can customize
If you still need help, call the Ohio Attorney General’s Help Center at 800-282-0515 or file a complaint on the Attorney General’s
website. We are here to help.
Your complaint may be placed in our informal dispute-resolution process. In 2024, the section received more than 24,000 complaints, with complaint specialists working one-on-one with consumers and businesses, often arriving at mutually agreeable resolutions.
Be sure to include as much information as possible, including the name and location of the business, your own contact information, a description of the problem, and what you would view as a reasonable resolution. Typically, a specialist will attempt to resolve the dispute by working with you and the business, beginning with a letter to the business asking for a response. From there, the specialist will try to broker a resolution that satisfies both parties.
In some instances, another agency is better suited to address your concerns, and you may be directed to contact that organization. For example, insurance complaints generally should be filed with the
Ohio Department of Insurance, complaints about investments with the
Ohio Department of Commerce, and complaints about public utilities with the
Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.
Complaints that provide details about a potential scam or deceptive sales practices can be an important source of information, especially if there is a consistent pattern of bad behavior described by multiple consumers in a string of complaints. The Attorney General may investigate further and possibly take legal action.
Consumers who suspect a scam or an unfair business practice should contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at www.OhioProtects.org or 800-282-0515.