The following categories are offered to help you determine which state or federal agency is best suited to help you with your particular consumer complaint. Complaints about:
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Complaints about Virginia Business
If you have a complaint about a business, such as an automobile repair facility, a charitable organization that solicits funds from the public, a health spa, or a retail merchant, you should contact the Office of Consumer Affairs ("OCA") in the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs. If you would like to file a complaint or determine if any complaints have been filed against a particular company, you may:
- call OCA toll-free at 1-800-552-9963, if you're outside Richmond.
- call OCA at 786-2042 if you are locally in the Richmond area.
- write to Office of Consumer Affairs, PO Box 1163, Richmond, Virginia 23218; or fax 1-804-225-2666.
- click here: OCA’s Counseling, Intake and Referral web page where you may read more about OCA's activities and obtain the OCA complaint form.
- click here: OCA Complaint Form to download the OCA complaint form directly from this site now. Instructions on where to send it are included.
This Office does not have the legal authority or the staff to investigate routine consumer problems. If the OCA has reason to believe a pattern or practice of deception, or other wrongdoing, in violation of any of our consumer protection statutes is occurring, it has authority to investigate and to refer its findings to this Office and to other governmental offices for an appropriate enforcement action.
Complaints about general businesses that do NOT operate in Virginia
You should contact the Attorney General’s Office in the state where the Company’s headquarters are located for information about where to file a complaint in that state. To quickly locate the web site of another Attorney General, simply log on to the National Association of Attorneys General web site by clicking here: National Association of Attorneys General web site. Choose the state you wish and then click on the underlined name of the Attorney General to go directly to the web site for that Attorney General’s Office.
Complaints involving slamming (having your long distance service switched without your knowledge or consent) or an interstate long distance carrier or a wireless company
You should contact the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC"). The FCC is the regulatory agency that has jurisdiction over interstate and wireless carriers. The address to send your complaint to the FCC is: Common Carrier Bureau, Consumer Protection Division, Federal Communications Commission, 2025 M Street, NW, Room 6202, Washington, DC 20554. For your information, you can also file complaints against long-distance telephone service providers with the FCC via the Internet at http://www.fcc.gov/ccb/enforce.
Complaints about a state-chartered financial institution, a public utility or an insurance company or a securities/investment issue:
You should contact the Virginia State Corporation Commission ("SCC"). The SCC is the state regulatory agency that has jurisdiction over state-chartered financial institutions, public utilities, insurance companies and securities, broker-dealers, broker-dealer agents, investment advisers and their representatives operating in Virginia. Contact information for the SCC:
Street Address: State Corporation Commission
Tyler Building
1300 E. Main St.
Richmond, Virginia 23219Mailing Address: State Corporation Commission
P.O. Box 1197
Richmond, Virginia 23218Phone: (Richmond area) 804-371-9967
Toll free (Virginia only) 1-800-552-7945
TDD Phone: 804-371-9206The SCC is divided into specialized units that work together to carry out the Commission's responsibilities. The link to the various SCC divisions is:
Complaints about a national bank
You should contact the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ("OCC"). National banks can usually be identified because they have the words "national" or "national association" in their titles or the letters N.A. or NT&SA following their titles. The OCC is an agency of the United States Department of the Treasury that charters, regulates, and supervises over 2,500 national banks to ensure a safe, sound and competitive national banking system that supports the citizens, communities and economy of the United States. If you have a problem with a national bank, it is best to try to resolve a complaint directly with your bank before involving an outside agency. If you are unable to do so or are uncertain about whether your complaint falls under the OCC’s jurisdiction, the OCC Customer Assistance Group can help you. The OCC Customer Assistance Group was created to answer questions, offer guidance, and assist consumers in resolving complaints about national banks. You can reach one of the OCC's customer assistance specialists by telephoning 1-800-613-6743, toll-free (business days 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. CST) or by writing to: Customer Assistance Group, 1301 McKinney Street, Suite 3710, Houston, TX 77010. To learn more about how the OCC may be of assistance to you, visit their web site which is: http://www.occ.treas.gov/. Clicking on the Customer Assistance icon will instruct you how to file a complaint.
If you have additional questions about where to file a consumer complaint, you are welcome to email us at Consumer@oag.state.va.us or call the Attorney General’s office toll-free by dialing 1-800-451-1525, or, if outside the state or if in the Richmond area, by dialing (804) 786-2116. You also can obtain the same information by contacting the Office of Consumer Affairs toll-free in Virginia by dialing 1-800-552-9963 or, if outside the state or in the Richmond area, by dialing (804) 786-2042.