File a Complaint

What You Need to Know Before You File a Complaint

• Complaints and supporting materials become public records when they are submitted to the Attorney General’s office. This means that under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, some of your materials may be disclosed to anyone who asks for them.
• Your complaint may be sent to the business you are complaining about, and it may be sent to other governmental agencies for their review.
• Some complaints may become the subject of civil or criminal cases and may be disclosed as part of a court proceeding.
• Any information that you give to us will not be sold, rented, or leased.
• We do not return documents, so make copies of everything that you submit and do NOT submit any original documents.
• Do not send sensitive personal information, like your social security number or credit card information, unless it is necessary for the investigation of your complaint.
• If you believe that you must submit sensitive information, then please send the complaint and any attachments by mail and include your name or Attorney General file number if you have one. Never send sensitive personal information in an email.
• Not all consumer complaints are handled by the Attorney General. By law, many other state and federal agencies assist consumers. Consult the Complaint Directory to find the agency or division that can best help you.

How We Process Your Complaint

When we receive your online complaint, you will be taken to a confirmation screen with your assigned Attorney General file number. The Consumer Protection Division receives thousands of consumer complaints, so it may take a few weeks until your complaint is fully processed.

The Attorney General’s office helps consumers by informally mediating complaints. In many cases, this assistance will help you resolve your problem. However, if our mediation is not successful, the Attorney General cannot act as a private attorney on your behalf.

Our mediation process includes a letter from our Consumer Protection Division to the business or individual identified in your complaint. A copy of your complaint and submitted materials will be included with a request for a response.

We will contact you in writing after we have received a reply. If we do not hear back from the business or individual identified in your complaint within 30 days, we will recontact them regarding your complaint.

In some cases, we may be unable to get any cooperation from the business or individual. If they refuse to respond, we will confirm this to you in writing. You may then want to consider filing suit in Small Claims Court or consulting with a private attorney to review your legal options.