While the number of lawsuits alleging violations of various consumer protection statutes may be on the way down, the number of complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau continue to rise, according to data released yesterday by WebRecon.
The number of complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau during the first 11 months of 2018 is 7.3% higher than the same period of last year, and the number of complaints filed with the CFPB is 7.8% higher.
The number of lawsuits alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act was down 7.9% for the month of November, compared with October, and is down 6.8% on a year-over-year basis.
The number of lawsuits alleging violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act was down 16.2% in November, compared with a month earlier, and is down 12.6% for the first 11 months of 2018, compared with last year.
The number of lawsuits alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act was 7.3% higher in November than October and is up 4.1% for the year.
Consumers filed complaints about 502 collection agencies with the BBB and 745 different agencies with the CFPB.
Attempts to collect on a debt not owed was the most frequently cited complaint that consumers filed with the CFPB about collection agencies, more than doubling the next category — written notification about a debt.
