Welcome to the Department of Consumer Protection Complaint Center. The Complaint Center tracks, and attempts to resolve, disputes between consumers and businesses operating in Connecticut. Please take a few minutes to learn more about what we do and how you can help us help you. 

• Tips for Protecting Yourself
• Resources to Help You Resolve Your Dispute
• Can Consumer Protection Help?
• Complaint Forms

• Do Your Homework:  Before making a significant purchase or hiring a contractor:

• Research the business you will be dealing with. Ask for references and then contact them. If you are hiring a home improvement or new home construction contractor, visit other job sites they have worked on, if possible.
• Check that your contractor or licensed professional has an active license or registration. Don’t take their word for it. Even if they give you their license or registration number, you should make sure it is active.
• Read your contract before you sign and know your rights. Check out our Consumer Fact Sheet: About Consumer Contracts in Connecticut for things to watch out for in everyday consumer contracts. Our Consumer and Publication pages have additional resources to help you protect yourself.   

• Try To Resolve Your Dispute Yourself:  Most Connecticut businesses are legitimate companies that want satisfied, repeat customers. If you have a problem with a business, call or write them a letter – explain the problem, show them the backup documents if you can and ask for a fair resolution. If you can help yourself, that gives us more time to go after the companies engaged in patterns of fraud or abuse. Read on for tips and resources to help you resolve your dispute.

• Alert Us To Problems:  Although we cannot solve every problem, we do want to hear about them. From your information, we learn when a business has a pattern of acting badly or a new scam is moving into the State. Where we see a pattern of bad conduct, the law provides us with tools to go after the business, or we can alert the public to protect others from being victimized. Click here to see if your complaint is one we have authority to deal with and, if appropriate, to file a complaint.

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• Tips for Calling or Visiting the Business’ Customer Service Department

• Inform the business about the problem you have with their product or service as soon as possible. Be specific and focus on your problem. Avoid confusing the issues by telling them information not relevant to your complaint.

• Although you may be angry or feel cheated, when you talk to the business, be polite, patient, and keep your tone of voice calm and pleasant. Before you call, write down your discussion points so you stay on point and don’t let your anger take over.  If you start off by being hostile or threatening, the customer service representative is more likely to turn defensive, making a resolution less likely.

• Gather any documents, receipts, and guarantee or warranty information before you call or visit. If you cannot bring in the product, make sure to provide the brand name, model, serial number or any other information that will help identify the product. Take a picture if appropriate and bring it with you. If you are complaining about a service, describe what was promised and what was received and take a picture if possible. It is also helpful to know who sold you the product or who performed the service and the date the transaction or service took place.

• Before you begin to negotiate, figure out what needs to be done to resolve your problem. Be open to the business’ suggestions; they may offer an acceptable, new solution.

• Do not demand to speak with the manager immediately. Instead, see if the first person with whom you made contact can help you. If they cannot resolve your complaint, remain calm and then ask to speak with someone who can help you such as a manager. If the business with which you are dealing has a customer service desk, begin there.

• Inform the business what your needs are and have them offer suggestions for a resolution. Work together to find a solution that fits your needs.

• How to Write an Effective Letter to Customer Service

• Focus on the specific problem you have with the business’ product or service. Do not confuse the issue by venting your anger or telling them about other things that may have happened but that are not relevant to solving your problem.
• Gather any documents, receipts, and guarantee or warranty information relevant to your complaint before you write. Make sure to provide the brand name, model, serial number or any other information that will help identify the product. If you decide to send the company documents, be sure to make copies and keep the originals for your files. 
• This sample letter shows the format and type of information that will be helpful to a company in resolving your complaint.

• Consider Going to Small Claims Court

• If your claim is $5,000 or less ($10,000 for security deposit claims), you can bring suit in small claims court.
• You do not need a lawyer to file a claim in small claims court.
• A small claims court judgment can be used to access our home improvement, new home construction, itinerant vendor or real estate guaranty funds.
• Find more information about small claims proceedings from the Judicial Branch.

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Before sending us your complaint, please make sure it is one we can help with. 

• Some of the Complaints our Agency DOES Handle:
  • Home Improvement Contractor
  • New Home Construction
  • Professionals, Trades People or Contractors that should be licensed or registered with DCP.  Click here for a list of our license types.  (Note, lawyers and health care professionals are not licensed by us)
  • Real estate agents, brokers and appraisers
  • Frauds, scams, misrepresentations or misleading advertisements
  • Prescription errors
  • Gasoline and heating fuel issues.  Note, we do not set prices for these products.
  • Connecticut-based telemarketers and internet retailers