File a Complaint with a Public Agency or Non-profit Organization

Filing a complaint with a public agency or non-profit organization may help you resolve your problem. This section lists federal, state and local government offices and non-profit organizations that provide assistance to individual consumers. Each listing provides details on how to contact the agency, what types of complaints they handle, and a link to its website, when available.  Limits on the services provided by an agency or organization are noted where possible.


Maryland Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
Office of the Attorney General
200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 576-6550
Complaint hotline: (410) 528-8662
(toll-free): 1-888-743-0023
http://www.oag.state.md.us/Consumer/index.htm  

Comments: Complaints can be made to the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney

General’s Office. The Consumer Protection Division will disclose information to consumers concerning previous complaints against a business. Generally, the Consumer Protection Division can handle complaints about goods or services purchased for personal, household, family or agricultural uses. The Office of the Attorney General has branch offices in Western Maryland, Southern Maryland and on the Eastern Shore. Contact information for branch offices is available at http://www.oag.state.md.us/Consumer/offices.htm.  


Howard County Office of Consumer Affairs
6751 Colonial Gateway Drive
Columbia MD 21046
(410) 313-6420
http://www.co.ho.md.us/ca/cs_consumeraffairs.htm

 
Montgomery County Division of Consumer Affairs
100 Maryland Avenue, Suite 330
Rockville , MD 20850
Attn: New Complaint Department
(240) 777-3636
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/ocptmpl.asp?url=/content/ocp/index.asp

Comments: Both Howard and Montgomery County have Consumer Affairs Divisions which accept and try to resolve complaints from county residents or from any consumers who have complaints about businesses in their jurisdictions. They will provide information about local businesses.


Other Options for General Consumer Complaints

1). Federal Trade Commission
CRC-240
Washington , D.C. 20580
Toll-free 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357)
http://www.ftc.gov  - Choose "File a Complaint" from the buttons on the top line.

Comments: Consumers can also make complaints to the Federal Trade Commission if they feel their problem could be relevant to a national problem. The FTC does not work to resolve individual consumer complaints, but uses complaints as part of their ongoing fraud investigations.


2). Better Business Bureaus
Montgomery, Prince Georges, Charles, Calvert, Saint Mary’s counties are all served by the Washington D.C. BBB.
Better Business Bureau
1411 K Street, N.W. Suite 1000
Washington , DC 20005
Phone (202) 393-8000
Fax (202) 393-1198

All other Maryland counties are in the Baltimore/Greater Maryland BBB district.

Better Business Bureau
2100 Huntingdon Avenue
Baltimore MD 21211-3215
Phone:(410) 347-3992
Fax:(410) 347-3936
http://greatermd.bbb.org/

Comments: The BBB will serve consumers with complaints about misleading advertising or improper selling practices, unfulfilled contracts or non-delivery of goods or services, and unsatisfactory service, credit or billing. The BBB works to mediate in disputes and will not "take-sides."


3). Maryland Department of Agriculture
Weights and Measures Section
50 Harry S. Truman Parkway
Annapolis, MD 21401
Attn: Marketing, Animal Industries, and Consumer Services
410-841-5700
Comments: The Weights and Measures Section of the Department of Agriculture can help if your complaint has to do with being short-changed or short-weighted. The Weights and Measures Section inspects and tests devices which are used in buying/selling commodities like food and gasoline. The Section will investigate consumer complaints.