A recent study conducted by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA), the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators (NACAA) and the North American Consumer Protection Investigators (NACPI) showed that auto-related complaints once again topped the list of consumer complaints in 2009.

Below is the article as it appeared on The Palm Beach Post website.

Auto-related woes top list nationally for consumer complaints

By Susan Salisbury
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Updated: 7:22 p.m. Tuesday, July 27, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Vehicle-related complaints such as misleading advertising in sales of new and used cars continued to be the nation’s top consumer issue in 2009, and the number of consumer complaints overall has risen in the continued tough economy, a national survey released today found.

The fastest-growing complaint was bogus offers to help consumers save their homes from foreclosure, with credit and debt-related disputes ranking second after auto-related problems.

"It’s clear from the nation’s economic woes that both consumers and consumer agencies were hit hard last year," said Susan Grant, director of consumer protection, Consumer Federation of America. "Consumers who are desperately trying to fend off collection agencies or save their homes from foreclosure are prey to scammers who offer to help them and then take their money and run."

The CFA conducted the survey along with the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators and the North American Consumer Protection Investigators. A total of 33 local and state agencies in 18 states responded, with more than half reporting the number of complaints last year rose over 2008. The average increase was 23 percent. Inadequate staffing and budget cuts was the biggest challenge that many agencies faced.

To read the entire article, visit The Palm Beach Post website at http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/auto-related-woes-top-list-nationally-for-consumer-826250.html.