Attorney General's News Release

December 30, 2004

"Slamming" and "cramming" top list of consumer complaints to Missouri Attorney General's Office

Jefferson City, Mo. — For the second year in a row, unauthorized charges to phone bills and switching long-distance providers without the consumer's consent topped the list of consumer complaints in Missouri, Attorney General Jay Nixon said today.

The most frequent complaint coming into Nixon's office involved telephone services, specifically the practices known as "cramming"--adding services to a customer's phone bill without their consent-- and "slamming," where long distance service providers are switched without permission. Slamming and cramming complaints accounted for 1,898 of the total as of Dec. 30.

Home repair fraud, with 1,595 complaints, and travel scams, at 1,355, also continued to be major areas of concern for consumers.

"Aggressive enforcement of the No Call law has resulted in a precipitous decline in telemarketing fraud, yet there are still those who will always try to find a way to make a dishonest buck," Nixon says. "Missourians should feel empowered to contact my office any time they feel like someone is trying to pull one of these scams."

Consumers can contact the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General's Office through the toll-free hotline at 1-800-392-8222, or they can download a complaint form.

The complete top 10 list of consumer complaints to Nixon's office for 2004 are:

1. Telephone slamming, cramming, billing: 1,898
2. Home repair and remodeling: 1,595
3. Travel scams and time shares: 1,355
4. Unsolicited faxes: 1,148
5. Financing: 1,025
6. Auto repair: 925
7. Credit: 906
8. Auto sales: 889
9. Debt collectors: 636
10. Sweepstakes and lotteries: 592

Compare past lists of top 10 complaints.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

All media inquiries should be directed to Press Secretary John Fougere.

E-mail      Phone: 573-751-8844         Fax: 573-751-5818