File a Complaint | Washington State Washington State Office of the Attorney General Attorney General Nick Brown ADA Accessibility Other Languages Search Home News Toggle submenu Media Contacts News Releases RSS News Feed Social Media Email Updates Bluesky Facebook Instagram LinkedIn X.com YouTube Office Information Toggle submenu About Nick Brown Mission, Vision & Values Contact Us Office Divisions Office Locations Annual Reports Budget History Washington's Attorneys General - Past and Present Roles of the Office Task Forces FAQs Procurements & Contracts Technology Privacy Notice Rulemaking Activity Tribal Consent & Consultation Policy Serve The People Toggle submenu Economic Justice & Consumer Protection Safeguarding Consumers Antitrust/Unfair Trade Practices Medicaid Fraud Control Lemon Law Protecting Ratepayers - Public Counsel Protecting Youth Protecting Seniors Social Justice & Civil Rights Civil Rights Division Environmental Protection Division Hanford Litigation Hate Crimes & Bias Incidents Hotline Veteran and Military Resources Campaign Finance Law Enforcement Criminal Justice & Public Safety Washington State Tribal Warrants Act Crime & Safety Criminal Justice Sexually Violent Predators Homicide Investigation Tracking System (HITS) Financial Crimes Unit Firearms Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) Initiatives Toggle submenu Federal Litigation Tracker Open Government Wing Luke Civil Rights Division Environmental Justice Human Trafficking Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Combating Dark Money/Campaign Finance Unit Opioid Settlements Student Loans/Debt Adjustment and Collection Immigration Services Fraud Vulnerable Adult Abuse Robocall and Telemarketing Scams Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Resources Toggle submenu Know Your Rights Consumer Scam Alerts File a Complaint Executive Ethics Board Sign up for Newsletter Emails Avoiding Unconstitutional Taking Publications & Reports Student Loan Survival Guide Civil Rights Resource Guide Open Government Resource Manual Data Breach Resources Keep Washington Working Act FAQ for Law Enforcement WA Voting Rights Act Preclearance State Agency Healthcare Reporting Portal AG Opinions Toggle submenu Opinions by Year Opinions by Topic Opinion Requests Employment Toggle submenu Experience Excellence Attorneys & Law Clerks General Employment Opportunities Exempt Positions WA Management Service Internship Opportunities Diversity Office Locations Recruitment Inquiries Breadcrumb Home Serve The People Safeguarding Consumers File a Complaint File a Complaint We offer an informal complaint resolution service to Washington state residents, and to consumers with complaints about businesses located in Washington state. Through this process, we contact businesses to determine their response to consumer complaints. If a business refuses to respond or to make an adjustment, we cannot compel them to do so. We inform consumers of alternatives if our complaint resolution service is not successful. The Attorney General's Office is authorized to bring legal action only in the name of the State of Washington, and is prohibited from serving as an attorney for individual consumers. We are further prohibited from giving advice, rendering opinions or interpretations, or conducting research on behalf of individuals or businesses. Each month our office receives more than 2,000 emails asking for help or information. We have found that many of the constituent inquiries fall into the same categories. In some cases, these inquiries can more efficiently be handled by the agency that specializes in the area of the complaint. In order to help serve you in a more timely manner, we have provided answers to the most asked questions in each of these categories in Help by Topic. en Español Online By Mail Call with questions The complaint process Online General Consumer Complaint Form Una Forma en Español Robocall Complaint Form Pregnancy Accommodations Formulario de Quejas Sobre Ajustes Laborales Durante el Embarazo Fair Chance Act Jobs Formulario de Quejas Sobre Oportunidades Justas de Empleo Manufactured Housing Complaint Form Medicaid Fraud Control Unit Complaint Form By Mail Download a PDF file or call to request a form by mail. General Consumer Complaint (PDF) Una Forma en Español (PDF) Manufactured Housing Complaint Form (PDF) Una Forma en Español (PDF) Lemon Law Cars/Trucks (PDF) Lemon Law Motor Homes (PDF) Then send to: Seattle 800 5th Ave. Suite 2000 Seattle, WA. 98104-3188 Call with Questions Our call centers are open M-F 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 1.800.551.4636 (in Washington only) 206.464.6684 1.800.833.6388 (Washington State Relay Service for the hearing impaired) Complaint Process We will evaluate your complaint and notify you of your complaint number and provide you with our contact information. If you have new information to provide throughout the process, please include your complaint number on your communication with us to assist us in locating your complaint. If your complaint is within our area of responsibility: We will send a copy of your complaint, and any supporting documents, to the business and ask for a response. We request that the business respond to your complaint within 30 days. If we do not get a response in that timeframe, we will contact the business again. In many cases the business will respond with a satisfactory solution that we will forward on to you, and the complaint will be closed. If the business does not respond, or does not respond with a satisfactory solution, we will notify you and your complaint will be closed. Closed complaints can and do sometimes lead to open investigations and civil enforcement. As a matter of longstanding policy, the AGO does not comment on ongoing investigations, including confirming or denying them. What if the business does NOT cooperate? If the business disagrees with your information or they believe you are not legally entitled to an adjustment, this office cannot compel a firm to resolve a complaint. In such a case, we will inform you of your options. The main option in such disputes is to bring a legal action, such as in Small Claims Court. If the amount claimed by you is over the limit handled by Small Claims Court, a private lawsuit may be necessary. The state Consumer Protection Act provides a remedy for individuals who have been harmed by unfair or deceptive business practices. If you are successful in such a suit you may also recover the costs of bringing suit, including your attorney’s fees. When does the AGO bring a lawsuit? Whether or not your individual complaint is resolved to your satisfaction, the basic information on your problem will be retained along with all other complaint information we receive. This information helps us to identify patterns of illegal activity which require enforcement action by the Attorney General’s Office. When such a pattern occurs, we may take more formal action which can include meeting with the firm and their attorney to attempt to resolve the issues. If this fails to resolve our concerns, we may file a lawsuit. Typically, when we file legal action, we may ask that consumers harmed by the practice be compensated, and we may ask that the court order the defendant to pay a civil penalty. One criterion we use in selecting cases for legal action is the extent to which the activity harms the public as a whole. Another consideration is how likely our action will be in discouraging unfair practices in the future. Third Level Menu - Right Side Consumer Issues A-Z Acting & Modeling Scams Antitrust/Unfair Methods of Competition Cancellation Rights Cars Charities Check Scams Contractors Credit & Debt Data Breach Resource Center Data Privacy Hub Dealing with Death Disputes Foreclosure & Mortgage Assistance Health Clubs Hospital Bills and Charity Care Immigration Services Junk Mail Landlord-Tenant Medicaid Fraud Online Auctions Out of Business Patents - Bad Faith Enforcement Prescription Drug Prices Public Records Pyramid Schemes Refunds and Exchanges Senior Fraud Settlements / Consumer Refunds Small Claims Court Spam Student Loans Sweepstakes Telemarketing Fraud Toxics in Products Wire Transfer Scams Worker Rights Business Resources Cy Pres File a Complaint Lemon Law Manufactured Housing Dispute Resolution Scam Alerts Tobacco Roles of the Office en Espanol Chinese (simplified) Chinese (traditional) Top Complaints Not Handled by the AGO Debt Counseling: Call 211 Residential Landlord-Tenant: Call 211 SPAM: Visit the Federal Trade Commission's website or email them at [email protected] Email Scams - Advance fee and counterfeit check scams: If you suffered a financial loss you can file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov Legal Services Referral: For civil legal in King County, call 211 News Media Contacts News Releases RSS News Feed Social Media Email Updates Bluesky Facebook Instagram LinkedIn X.com YouTube Office Information About Nick Brown Mission, Vision & Values Contact Us Office Divisions Office Locations Annual Reports Budget History Washington's Attorneys General - Past and Present Roles of the Office Task Forces FAQs Procurements & Contracts Technology Privacy Notice Rulemaking Activity Tribal Consent & Consultation Policy Serve The People Economic Justice & Consumer Protection Safeguarding Consumers Antitrust/Unfair Trade Practices Medicaid Fraud Control Lemon Law Protecting Ratepayers - Public Counsel Protecting Youth Protecting Seniors Social Justice & Civil Rights Civil Rights Division Environmental Protection Division Hanford Litigation Hate Crimes & Bias Incidents Hotline Veteran and Military Resources Campaign Finance Law Enforcement Criminal Justice & Public Safety Washington State Tribal Warrants Act Crime & Safety Criminal Justice Sexually Violent Predators Homicide Investigation Tracking System (HITS) Financial Crimes Unit Firearms Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) Initiatives Federal Litigation Tracker Open Government Wing Luke Civil Rights Division Environmental Justice Human Trafficking Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Combating Dark Money/Campaign Finance Unit Opioid Settlements Student Loans/Debt Adjustment and Collection Immigration Services Fraud Vulnerable Adult Abuse Robocall and Telemarketing Scams Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People Resources Know Your Rights Consumer Scam Alerts File a Complaint Executive Ethics Board Sign up for Newsletter Emails Avoiding Unconstitutional Taking Publications & Reports Student Loan Survival Guide Civil Rights Resource Guide Open Government Resource Manual Data Breach Resources Keep Washington Working Act FAQ for Law Enforcement WA Voting Rights Act Preclearance State Agency Healthcare Reporting Portal AG Opinions Opinions by Year Opinions by Topic Opinion Requests Employment Experience Excellence Attorneys & Law Clerks General Employment Opportunities Exempt Positions WA Management Service Internship Opportunities Diversity Office Locations Recruitment Inquiries Footer Menu Contact Us Privacy Notice Accessibility Policy Employee Resources Rulemaking Activity Access Washington Contact Webmaster 1125 Washington St SE • PO Box 40100 • Olympia, WA 98504 • 360-753-6200 OFFICE HOURS: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Monday - Friday Closed Weekends & State Holidays