If you have been cheated by deceptive or unfair trade practices related to the sale, lease, rental, or loan of consumer goods or services by a business operating in the five boroughs of New York City…
Or if you find a business violating City license requirements…
File a complaint with DCA!
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NOTE:
Save time by submitting your complaint to the correct agency. Read the agency Referral List for a brief list of businesses not regulated by DCA.
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To file a complaint with DCA, you can…
- Complete DCA's Online Complaint Form
- Print the File Your Complaint form in English or Spanish (in PDF) and fax OR mail the completed form to DCA. Use this form for complaints about a Home Improvement Contractor.
- If you have a complaint about the sale of illegal toy guns, complete DCA’s Toy Gun Sales Complaint Form
- Or you can call 311 (or 212-NEW YORK outside NYC), New York City's 24-hour Citizen Service Center, and say you would like to file a complaint with DCA. When you give complaint information to the operator, include your name and mailing address, and the name and type of business you are calling about. The operator will tell you if the matter falls within the jurisdiction of DCA. If so, a complaint form will be mailed to you.
Be sure you read the complaint form carefully. The form lists some materials related to your complaint that you must send to DCA when you file. If DCA can't get needed information, resolving your complaint could be delayed.
To provide DCA with documentation to back up your complaint, collect all materials requested on the form and fax (212-487-4482) OR mail the form and materials to: NYC Department of Consumer Affairs, Complaints, 42 Broadway, 9th floor, New York, NY 10004. Once all materials have been received, a DCA mediator will contact you.
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The mediation process
After conferring with you, the DCA mediator will send a copy of your complaint to the business named on the complaint form. If DCA gets no response from the business within one week, the DCA mediator will call the business to discuss the case. By law, the business has 20 days to respond to DCA's inquiry. If not, the mediator will conduct an investigation to determine the status of the business, and take appropriate steps. You will be informed of all progress.
If the business is licensed by DCA and it is necessary to hold an administrative hearing, the mediator will prepare the case and send you a letter to inform you that the case has been referred to the DCA Adjudication Division. When a hearing date is confirmed, you will receive a Notice of Hearing in the mail.
Hearings can result in successful judgments, bringing restitution to consumers.
Read DCA's Administrative Hearing Guide for detailed information on the hearing process.
