If you are scammed, defrauded or otherwise taken advantage of by a business, where are you going to turn?
Residents in 11 New Jersey counties can enlist help from their local county consumer protection office.
But in the past decade or so, six county offices have shut down their consumer protection divisions, and four others never had one, officials said.
Those consumers have to go to the state’s Division of Consumer Affairs, which falls under the Attorney General’s office.
The state agency has many responsibilities, including overseeing state boards, keeping tabs on charities, tracking down Lemon Law violators and monitoring games of chance, among other things.
Here’s what to expect if you need help.
THE STATE
The state’s Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) is the primary investigative section that handles consumer complaints, enforcing the Consumer Fraud Act and its regulations, the agency said. Its cases are civil in nature. When a criminal investigation is warranted, it refers complaints to other units of the Attorney General’s office or local law enforcement.
It received 18,084 complaints in 2022. More than 2,000 of those were referred back to county consumer protection offices, the agency said.
There are several outcomes for complaints, spokesman Rob Rowan said.
If a complaint reveals a violation of consumer protection laws and regulations, the agency may issue a notice or warning letter that could result in penalties. Some end up in court.
“Not every violation results in a penalty or enforcement action,” he said.
Some complaints might also be resolved through informal mediation or through alternative dispute resolution, he said, while others may be closed for administrative reasons, such as those that were anonymous or if it determines there was no violation.
In 2022, 137 matters were resolved through a settlement or a final order on default.
“Any given settlement or other final resolution often encompasses more than one complaint, so the number of resolutions cited is lower than the number of complaints they covered,” he said.
In 2022, approximately 39 complaints were directly referred to county prosecutor’s offices, local police departments, the State Police or other authorities that handle criminal matters, he said.
Asked how many investigators, support staff and other employees work directly on consumer complaints that come to the state, the agency said it does not comment on personnel matters.
You can file a complaint with the state online or by calling (973) 504-6200.
THE COUNTIES
Rather than complain on the state level, some consumers can turn to their county’s consumer affairs office.
Each of the state’s 21 counties has a Weights and Measures division, which is responsible for testing and inspecting a wide range of devices, from supermarket and jewelry store scales to carnival games, fuel meters and length-cutting devices such as those used at home improvement or fabric stores.
They typically don’t take on consumer complaints unless they deal with such devices. That’s where the consumer protection offices, where they exist, come in.
Atlantic County
Atlantic County closed its consumer affairs office in April 2011.
In a statement at the time, the county said consumer complaints would be directed to the state offices, saving the county more than $146,000 per year.
Dennis Levinson, the current county executive who also served at the time, said the decision was based on several factors, “most important being that the number of complaints and inquiries no longer support the cost of continued operation.”
Bergen County
Bergen County added the consumer affairs responsibilities of Passaic County to its department in December 2015.
“We have a shared services agreement with Passaic wherein we give them 25% of all of the fines we bring in from investigations in Passaic County,” Bergen spokesman Derek Sands said.
Bergen’s 2022 budget had nearly $1 million allocated for salaries for its consumer protection and weights and measures units combined.
He said in 2022, there were 758 complaints from Bergen and 250 from Passaic.
The county website lists seven investigators, a director, an office manager, two administrative assistants and a coordinator for education and outreach as part of the department.
Burlington County
Burlington County closed its consumer affairs division in December 2014.
The office was created in the late 1970s, spokesman Dave Levinsky said.
“The late Renee Borstad became director of the fledgling department in 1978 and she was credited with its success throughout her 35 years in charge of the department and its investigators,” he said.
She retired in 2013 and was not replaced.
“It was determined that the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs possessed the experienced staff to investigate the county’s consumer complaints and that a local office duplicated that service,” Levinsky said.
Camden County
Camden County closed its consumer affairs division in April 2011.
It forwards complaints that are not related to weights and measures to the state’s office, spokesman Dan Keashen said.
Cape May County
Cape May County’s consumer affairs office has a director, one full-time and one part-time employee. They handled 106 consumer complaints in 2022, spokeswoman Diane Wieland said.
In 2022, $163,368 was allocated for salaries and wages, and the “operating budget” was $4,635, she said.
Wieland called the consumer affairs office “an integral service” to “protect our residents and visitors from scams and other consumer issues that cannot be handled without assistance.
“This is especially important for the protection of our aging population who often get caught up in phone, internet, and contract issues,” she said, noting that 28% of the county’s full-time residents are 65 or older, and more than 10 million visitors come to the county each year.
Cumberland County
Cumberland County runs its consumer protection office along with its weights and measures department, said Michael Donato, the director of the county consumer affairs division.
Its budget had $253,000 listed for salaries and $15,335 for “other expenses” in 2022.
That year, the county received 98 complaints and year-to-date, it had 19 cases.
“The Board of Commissioners believes this function is best handled at a local level as opposed to relying on employees of the State of New Jersey to provide such services on behalf of county residents,” Donato said. “Some of these complaints could be time sensitive and by handling at the local level, we are generally able to speak with the complainant within a day or two of receiving the complaint.”
In all, the unit has a director, three weights and measures investigators and one support staff.
Essex County
Essex County budgeted more than $373,000 to cover salaries for four weights and measures employees and for one who covered consumer affairs in 2022. Another $33,500 is for “other expenses.”
It handled 124 complaints in 2022 and got back more than $368,500 of restitution, which includes cash refunds, or provided products or services, county data shows.
Year-to-date, it has taken in another 34 complaints, data shows.
Gloucester County
Gloucester County eliminated its consumer protection office in July 2020.
County Commissioner Jim Jefferson said the county office was “reverted” to the state’s division at that time.
Yet the county’s 2022 budget has a line item of more than $80,000 for salaries and more than $5,000 for “other expenses.”
“We use the funding for salary/wages, vehicles, equipment for our Weights and Measures Program,” Jefferson said. “We also continue to inform the public regarding any Consumer Protection issue/`scams’ via county newsletters, press releases, or social media.”
Hudson County
Hudson County has had a consumer protection division for more than 30 years, spokesman James Kennelly said.
The division is part of the Hudson County Law Department and includes an attorney, a chief of division/lead investigator and two consumer counselors/deputy investigators, he said.
Kennelly said in 2021, it carried out more than 60 investigations — both inside and outside of the county — into allegations against Ideal Auto Protect LLC, an extended car warranty company. The company agreed to reimbursements worth $65,613.19, he said.
“Our rationale for maintaining an independent division relates to the nature of our population in Hudson County,” Kennelly said. “We have historically been the first home to new immigrants, we are home to a significant number of senior residents who do not speak English as their primary language, and some of our municipalities include concentrated communities of economically struggling residents. All would be considered higher risk when it comes both to exploitation by unscrupulous businesses or simply scammers looking to make a buck.”
Hunterdon County
Hunterdon County closed its consumer protection office in December 2014.
Officials did not respond to requests for more information.
Mercer County
Mercer County’s 2022 budget allotted $512,455 for salaries for its consumer affairs department and another $19,625 for “other expenses.”
Employees include a division chief who handles both consumer affairs and weights of measures, a senior investigator and two support staff, including one who is bi-lingual, spokeswoman Julie Willmot said.
It received 212 complaints in 2022 and recovered $108,000 for complainants, she said.
Willmont said because the office has relationships with local businesses, complaints are often resolved with “immediate action, thus making the consumer whole and resulting in refunds, monetary value or the completion of render services.”
“By having someone on their side at the county level, consumers in need of assistance have a direct line to an advocate, and we are happy to help,” she said.
Middlesex County
Middlesex County’s Office of Consumer Affairs received 425 complaints in 2022, agency director Elsie Foster said.
The county budgeted $270,000 for salaries and wages in 2022, with $1,500 earmarked for “other expenses.”
It has three investigators, Foster said, noting that it partners with the state office “due to the overwhelming amount of consumer complaints received each year, which is only increasing due to the economy.”
Monmouth County
Monmouth County’s consumer affairs division has seven employees including a director, four full-time investigators, one part-time investigator and a clerk, said county commissioner Lillian Burry.
The county’s 2022 budget lists $284,096 for salaries and nearly $5,000 for “other expenses.”
That year, the division received 453 complaints from consumers.
Morris County
Morris County does not have a consumer affairs office.
Officials said it refers complaints that are not related to weights and measures to the state.
Ocean County
The 2022 Ocean County budget allots nearly $900,000 for salaries for its consumer affairs department, which also includes weights and measures and the county’s energy bureau. It also has an additional $4,750 for “other expenses.”
Consumer Affairs has five investigators and clerical staff that is shared with other units, said director Edward McBride.
It received 450 formal written complaints in 2022, he said.
“Ocean County has the largest population of senior citizens in the state. Our commissioners are committed to providing the best protection and personalized services to the seniors and all of our residents,” he said, noting that the county “provides services that could not be practically met in the timeline and with as much attention” as the state offices.
Passaic County
Passaic County closed its consumer affairs division in December 2016 and now operates with Bergen County.
Officials did not respond to inquiries about the arrangement, but it was addressed on its website.
“Bergen County and Passaic County entered into a shared services agreement at the start of 2017,” it said. “Since that time Bergen County handles all the Consumer Affairs complaints for Passaic County in an effort to save the taxpayers money.”
Salem County
Salem County does not have a consumer affairs office. Officials did not respond to requests for comment.
Somerset County
In 2013, Somerset County closed its consumer affairs office, instead referring complaints to the state agency, a spokesman said.
Sussex County
Sussex County does not have a consumer affairs office. Officials did not respond to requests for comment.
Union County
Union County’s consumer affairs office falls under its Public Safety unit and is combined with weights and measures, so it does not have a dedicated line item in the budget, spokeswoman Kelly Martins said.
“There are approximately two employees under Consumer Affairs and four employees under Weights & Measures,” she said.
It received 237 complaints in 2022 and closed 247 that same year, including some that started in previous years, Martins said.
Warren County
Warren County does not have a consumer affairs office.
“As far as I can tell, Warren County had a consumer affairs desk more than 30 years ago,” said spokesman Art Charlton. “It last appeared in the printed county directory in 1991. Since then, any issues would be forwarded to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs.
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Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KPMueller.
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