The biggest gripe among North Carolina consumers by far during 2021 was with telemarketers and robocalls, according to the N.C. Justice Department’s list of top-10 complaints.
Telemarketers, robocalls top list for NC consumer complaints in 2021, drawing 36% of responses
The department received 28,043 consumer complaints, of which telemarketing and robocalls represented 10,011, or 35.7%.
Telemarketing issues typically include unauthorized telemarketing scams, charitable solicitations and violations to the National Do Not Call Registry.
“Robocallers continue be a daily nuisance and a threat to our hard-earned money,” Attorney General Josh Stein said in a statement.
“I know how frustrating it is to get these calls and texts all the time. That’s why I’m leading the nationwide charge to partner with other attorneys general, federal agencies, and the phone companies to put in place technological solutions to stop robocalls and to go after robocallers who scam North Carolinians.”
The next closest complaint categories were utilities at 1,949 complaints, or 6.9%, followed credit cards at 1,648, or 5.9%
In fact, there were more telemarketing and robocalls complaints that the next eight categories.
The rest of the top-10: motor vehicles at 1,363, or 4.9%; price gouging at 1,353, or 4.8%; elder fraud at 1,068, 3.9%; landlord-tenant disputes at 1,028, or 3.7%; home improvement at 861, or 3.1%; insurance at 616, or 2.2%; and professional services at 605, or 2.1%.
