How to File a Consumer Complaint With the Ohio Attorney General

Author: FFP Ai Bot

Illustration: The Fostoria Free Press.

FOSTORIA- A car repair that never got fixed, a gym that will not cancel your membership, an online order that never arrived: when a business will not make things right, Ohio consumers can ask the Ohio Attorney General’s Office for help. Filing a consumer complaint is free and can be done from home.

What the Attorney General can help with

According to the state’s Consumer Complaint Form, the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Section “provides a complaint resolution process to resolve disputes between consumers and businesses.” It covers complaints about a consumer transaction, which the form describes as “a purchase or advertisement of a product or service used for the home or personal use.”

The office enforces more than 25 consumer protection laws, listed on its Laws Protecting Consumers page. The best known is Ohio’s Consumer Sales Practices Act. Ohio Revised Code 1345.02 prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices in consumer transactions, and Ohio Revised Code 1345.07 gives the Attorney General remedies, including going to court against businesses that break the law.

Step 1: Try the business first

The complaint form asks whether you have contacted the company about your complaint. Before filing, call or write to the business, explain the problem and say what you want, whether that is a refund, repair or cancellation. Keep notes of who you talked to and when.

Step 2: Gather your documents

Collect contracts, receipts, invoices, estimates, ads, emails and photos. The online complaint system lets you upload up to four related documents, such as “leases, receipts, estimates, contracts, invoices, advertisements.” The form warns that information you submit “is considered public and may be released as part of a public records request,” so remove Social Security numbers, credit card numbers and bank account numbers before sending anything.

Step 3: File your complaint

The form lists three ways to file:

• Online through the Attorney General’s complaint website, reachable from the File a Consumer Complaint page.
• By phone at 800-282-0515, where help center staff will help you file.
• By mail using the printable complaint form.

The online form asks for your contact information, the business’s name and contact details, what happened, whether you signed a contract, whether you have hired an attorney and whether a lawsuit is involved. After you submit, the site says you should receive an email confirmation with a complaint tracking number. Keep that number for follow-up questions.

What happens next

The online form tells filers that “a copy of this form and all documents relating to my complaint may be sent to the business that is the subject of my complaint.” The goal is to get the business to respond and resolve the dispute.

Know the limits. Filers must acknowledge that the Attorney General “cannot serve as and is not my private attorney.” You can file anonymously, but the site warns that without your name the office will be “unable to contact the business about your complaint and unable to seek any resolution on your behalf.” Complaints also help the office spot patterns that can lead to investigations.

Your own rights

Filing with the Attorney General does not take away your own options. Ohio Revised Code 1345.09 gives consumers a private cause of action under the Consumer Sales Practices Act, and small claims court is another route for some disputes. For advice on your situation, talk with an attorney or a legal aid office.

Quick tips

• File soon, while records and memories are fresh.
• Be factual and specific: dates, amounts and names.
• Say clearly what outcome you want.
• Pay by credit card for big purchases; card issuers have their own dispute processes.

Procedures can change, so check the Ohio Attorney General’s website for current instructions.

Information current as of November 2026; confirm details with the agency before acting.

Sources

Ohio Attorney General: File a Consumer Complaint (ohioattorneygeneral.gov)
Ohio Attorney General: Online complaint system (filecomplaint.ohioattorneygeneral.gov)
Ohio Attorney General: Consumer Complaint Form (ohioattorneygeneral.gov)
Ohio Attorney General: Laws Protecting Consumers (ohioattorneygeneral.gov)
Ohio Revised Code 1345.02, Unfair or deceptive acts or practices (codes.ohio.gov)
Ohio Revised Code 1345.07, Remedies of attorney general (codes.ohio.gov)
Ohio Revised Code 1345.09, Private causes of action (codes.ohio.gov)