One consumer matter the Northwestern District Attorney’s Consumer Protection Unit worked on last year involved a local man who purchased a new vacuum cleaner that did not work.

He complained to the manufacturer, who promised to replace the machine. After several months passed with no new machine, this individual turned to our office for help. He filed a consumer complaint (more on how to do that later in this column). We reached out to the company, and they sent him a new vacuum cleaner.

That was one of the consumer complaints I was reminded of recently when I reviewed the complaints our unit handled last year. This seemed a timely effort in part because this year marks 50 years of collaboration around consumer protection efforts between the Northwestern DA and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.

Much of the work we do is helping consumers with billing disputes or problems with an item or service they purchased. In most cases, the consumer has tried to resolve the issue on their own without success. Our job is to facilitate communication between the consumer and the business to reach a satisfactory outcome. In 2023, we helped consumers save or recover more than $137,000.

No. 1: Retail purchases

So what are the most common complaints we handle? Complaints about retail purchases (online and traditional brick-and-mortar shops) topped the list. Consumers reported problems with purchases of appliances, clothing, household products and RVs and campers. Some complaints involved home or appliance warranties and health club memberships.

Other problems reported were defective products, online orders that never arrived, items not up to the consumer’s standards and consumers being billed for subscriptions or recurring shipments of products without their consent. In these cases, we reach out to the company to try to get the defective product repaired, replaced or returned for a refund.

No. 2: Auto sales, repairs

The second most-common consumer complaint our office handled involved auto sales and repairs. For example, one consumer purchased a used car whose backup camera stopped working during the warranty period. Because the shop was booked up, the customer could not make an appointment for service until the warranty had expired — and was then told the repair would not be covered. We negotiated and helped the customer get the part repaired free of charge.

Other complaints were about a new or used car that breaks down or has a mechanical problem shortly after delivery. When vehicles are under warranty, we work between the consumer and the dealer to get it repaired. In some cases, the dealer agrees to repurchase the car and refund the customer.

Auto repair disputes are common, and in those cases, we try to work between the two parties to come to a reasonable solution. We also handle complaints involving auto parts and vehicle repossessions.

No. 3: The trades

Rounding out our top three complaints list are those involving the trades, professionals licensed by the commonwealth such as plumbers, electricians and home improvement contractors.

Most commonly, these complaints take the form of home improvement jobs in which services were paid for but not completed or disputes over workmanship. In one case, we helped a consumer who had a roof replaced and within a few years some of the shingles were lifting. The contractor agreed to return to her home and fix the shingles at no cost.

Other frequent complaints involve telephone, internet providers and cable and satellite companies, with consumers unhappy about billing and equipment issues. Often consumers say they get frustrated when trying to reach out to customer service to resolve the problem or get a billing error fixed. In these cases, our involvement can help by escalating the matter to the appropriate department to assist in resolving the problem.

Our unit also handles complaints from tenants who are having a problem with their apartment, utilities and solar billing issues, financial services such as credit card billing disputes and travel-related problems.

Getting help from our consumer advocates starts by filling out a consumer complaint form electronically through the Attorney General’s webpage https://www.mass.gov/how-to/file-a-consumer-complaint or by filling out a paper form if you contacting our office.

In future columns, I’ll share information about what you should know before you make a purchase; what to think about when signing up for a service; and what your rights are if something goes wrong. If you have a topic or question you’d like explored on this page, feel free to reach out via this link on our website (https://www.northwesternda.org/contact-info/webforms/send-us-note). If appropriate, I’ll try to address it.

A word about our collaboration with the AG’s office. Annually our unit applies for a grant from the AG’s office to provide consumer assistance, information, and education not only to residents in Franklin and Hampshire counties, but also 17 communities in northwestern Worcester County. I’m happy to say that our most recent grant application for $102,000 was approved June 24.

It’s not only funding we receive from the Attorney General’s Office. They review all complaints submitted from consumers across the state to then send along to local consumer programs like ours so that we can help consumers. And they offer us training, resources and guidance on current and trending consumers face.

In the meantime, if you have a consumer question or complaint, reach out to us in Greenfield at 413-774-3186 or in Northampton at 413-586-9225. Our website, https://www.northwesternda.org/consumer-protection-unit contains consumer resources as well as a link to Massachusetts Attorney General’s electronic consumer complaint form.

Anita Wilson is director of the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office Consumer Protection Unit, which is a Local Consumer Program working in cooperation with the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General.