(WFRV) – After receiving thousands of complaints from Wisconsin consumers, even more than 2024’s over 11,000, officials with Wisconsin DATCP released the data, tallying what Wisconsinites complained about the most in 2025.
Over the course of 2025, officials with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) say they received thousands of consumer complaints, including one that has ranked among the top ten for the first time.
“Last year’s top ten complaint categories represent some of the most common issues Wisconsin consumers struggled with – issues that anyone could encounter in daily life,” said DATCP Secretary Randy Romanski. “No matter how common the problem, if consumers are facing a disagreement with a business that they have been unable to resolve, DATCP is here to help.”
For the most part, except for an increase in complaints in most of the top categories, the top ten have remained largely unchanged since 2004. But the one thing they all have in common? The DATCP is responsible for enforcing consumer protection regulations and can assist with all of them.
For example, the DATCP reached a $450,000 settlement with a telecommunications provider to resolve allegations that they had misrepresented the monthly price of its internet services.
Below is the DATCP’s full list of the top ten written consumer complaints filed in Wisconsin during 2025:
(# = Rank in 2024 / 2024 number of complaints)
1. Landlord-Tenant Issues: 2,620 complaints (#1 / 2,525)
Landlord-Tenant has remained the number one complaint since 2022. Last year, the Consumer Protection Hotline received 5,220 phone calls about this issue, thousands more than any other category. Common issues included failure to maintain the premises, security deposit returns, eviction, unauthorized entry, mold, infestation, inadequate disclosures, and unsatisfactory service.
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2. Telemarketing: 1,283 complaints (#2 / 1,513)
Commonly reported issues in this category included phishing and spoofing, imposter scams, robocalls, harassment, and violations of the Do Not Call Registry.
3. Home Improvement: 641 complaints (#3 / 664)
Commonly reported home improvement issues concerned quality of work, charges for services/repairs that were not performed, delays in performance, failure to provide services and materials, failure to honor warranties, deceptive and misleading representations, and failure to disclose lien rights.
4. Telecommunications: 633 complaints (#5 / 527)
This category saw an increase in complaints and rose from fifth place in 2024 to fourth place. Consumers reported issues about billing disputes, customer dissatisfaction, cancellation denials, service disconnections/terminations, deceptive and misleading representations, agreed-upon terms not being followed, and refund and adjustment policies.
5. Identity Theft: 468 complaints (#4 / 618)
Many of these reports involved takeovers of online accounts like social media profiles or financial accounts, with additional issues including fraud, data breaches, and compromised identification documents.
6. Medical Services: 456 complaints (#6 / 439)
The top issue in this category was medical billing disputes. Others included misleading representations and unsatisfactory service.
7. Motor Vehicle Repair: 445 complaints (#7 / 341)
Complaints in this category increased significantly in 2025 compared to the previous year – by more than 100 complaints – with top issues including unsatisfactory quality of work, damage and loss of property, failure to honor agreements or perform work, performance delays, untrue or misleading advertisements, charges above estimates, charges for work not performed, and unauthorized service.
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8. Motor Vehicle Sales: 380 complaints (#8 / 297)
The most common issues cited in these complaints were inadequate disclosures, prize notice mailers, and untrue, deceptive, and misleading representations. DATCP’s primary responsibility in this category is advertising and marketing, and the agency works closely with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to protect new and used vehicle buyers.
9. Travel: 219 complaints (#9 / 244)
The travel category covers a wide range of issues such as airlines, hotels and lodging, auto rentals, and travel service bundles, with common consumer complaints including billing disputes, refund and adjustment policies, charges above estimates, failure to provide services, failure to return deposits, and unsatisfactory service.
10. Major Appliances: 158 complaints (Not Ranked / NA)
DATCP’s number ten consumer complaint category of 2025 is new to the top ten list. Top issues in this category included defective products, billing disputes, refund/adjustment policies, failure to honor agreements, and untrue, deceptive, and misleading representations. A number of these complaints were filed after one relevant business closed on short notice, leaving many of its customers with questions and concerns.
*The Wisconsin DATCP has provided each category’s description.*
Last year’s #10 was Motor Vehicle Accessories with 141 complaints.
DATCP officials also touched on some noteworthy complaints that did not make the top ten, including ‘Entertainment and Recreation’ (147), ‘Extended Warranties’ (107), ‘Computers and Computer Equipment’ (103), ‘Motor Vehicle Accessories/Parts’ (101), ‘Gas Pump Accuracy’ (101), ‘Timeshares and Resellers’ (95), and ‘Manufactured Housing and Housing Communities’ (90).
Consumers can request assistance with their issues by filing an online complaint on DATCP’s Consumer Protection webpage, or contacting DATCP’s Consumer Protection Hotline at (800) 422-7128 or DATCPHotline@wisconsin.gov.
