

Governor Kathy Hochul announced today the New York State Division of Consumer Protection assisted 21,855 New Yorkers with a variety of consumer protection matters in 2021, resulting in a record $2,918,025 being returned to consumers’ wallets. The announcement comes on the final day of National Consumer Protection Week.
“When bad actors try to rip off New Yorkers, our Division of Consumer Protection has your back," Governor Hochul said. "I'm proud that New York State has helped tens of thousands of consumers recover nearly $3 million of their hard-earned money. Working together, we'll make sure all New Yorkers are protected from scams and deceptive practices."
The New York State Division of Consumer Protection, a division of the Department of State, works to educate New Yorkers about consumer protection issues and recover money from common unfair and deceptive practices. In 2021, nearly $3 million was recovered for 21,855 New Yorkers with consumer complaints; the top five areas for complaints relate to errors in delivery, insufficient refunds, defective products, online scams, and COVID cancellations. In response, the Division of Consumer Protection is unveiling important tips across these five categories so consumers are armed with the tools to stay safe.
Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez said, “Each and every day, the Division of Consumer Protection is hard at work helping New York’s consumers better understand their rights and representing their interests. As part of the National Consumer Protection Week, we are highlighting that the most common complaints facing consumers in today’s digital world and providing helpful tips to protect their personal information and hard-earned money.”
Senator Kevin Thomas said, “New York State is a national leader in protecting consumers from unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices, and holding companies that break the law accountable. During National Consumer Protection Week, we are making sure all New Yorkers have the resources they need to protect themselves from fraud and make smart financial decisions. I thank Governor Hochul for her ongoing efforts to protect and empower the over 19 million consumers who call New York State home.”
Assemblymember Nily Rozic said, “New York consumers have faced unprecedented issues during the past few years — from price gouging and price hikes to fraud and identity theft. As Chair of the New York State Assembly Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection I’m hard at work fighting for our consumers and ensuring they have the protections and assistance necessary.”
This announcement follows Governor Hochul’s announcement from March 7, which announced the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles helped New Yorkers recover over $1.65M million in goods and services from faulty or fraudulent auto dealers and repair shops.
Top Five Categories of Consumer Complaints in 2021 and Tips to Protect Consumers:
For example, a consumer in Queens County ordered five articles of clothing from an online retailer, but only one item arrived. The consumer contacted the retailer and was told the other items were shipped separately, but the consumer never received any additional shipments. The consumer tried contacting the retailer again, but the company was unresponsive. DCP reached out to the company on behalf of the consumer and arranged for a full refund for the four items not received.
Consumers should:
For example, a consumer in Rockland County purchased a sofa from a furniture store. Upon delivery, the consumer saw that the sofa was defective, and the consumer contacted the store immediately. The store picked up the defective sofa but didn’t refund the consumer in full. DCP contacted the company and through mediation was able to arrange for a full refund to be issued.
Consumers should:
For example, a consumer in Kings County purchased a convection microwave, but once it was installed, the convection bake feature didn’t work. The company sent a service technician to the consumer’s home four times in effort to repair the microwave, but the problem was never fixed. Through DCP’s mediation process, the consumer was provided a full refund of the value of the microwave.
Consumers should:
For example, a consumer in New York County noticed they were being billed by their internet provider for the rental of a Wi-Fi router. However, the consumer wasn’t using a provider-issued router. DCP contacted the company, and the consumer was refunded for all nine months of erroneous charges.
Consumers should:
For example, a consumer in St. Lawrence County booked airline tickets through an online travel site. The trip was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline was offering a full refund to affected travelers, but the online travel site from where the tickets were purchased refused to issue the refund. DCP reached out to the travel site and was able to arrange for the consumer to receive a full refund.
Consumers should:
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) leads several public events during NCPW that promote consumer protection awareness. All events are free to join and can be found at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/national-consumer-protection-week.
The New York State Division of Consumer Protection’s mission is to assist, protect, educate, and represent consumers in an ever-changing economy. The Division of Consumer Protection works hard to assist individuals aggrieved in the marketplace through its complaint mediation efforts, along with educating the public on marketplace scams, and advocating consumers’ interest before legislative and regulatory bodies. Consumers can file a complaint with the Division of Consumer Protection at https://dos.ny.gov/file-consumer-complaint.
For more consumer protection information, call the DCP Helpline at 800-697-1220, Monday through Friday, 8:30am-4:30pm, or visit www.dos.ny.gov/consumer-protection. For regular consumer protection tips and recall information, follow DCP via Twitter at @NYSConsumer or Facebook at www.facebook.com/nysconsumer.
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