Guides / WI
How to file a complaint against a business in Wisconsin
Wisconsin consumers have four separate channels, and they do different jobs. The state regulator applies legal pressure, the BBB forces a public answer, federal agencies build the record, and public reviews reach the next customer. Use more than one.
1. The Wisconsin Dept. of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
Your state's consumer-protection office takes complaints against businesses operating in Wisconsin. It will not act as your personal lawyer, but complaints are logged, patterns against a single business trigger investigations, and the filing itself often produces a refund offer.
Open the WI consumer complaint pageHave ready: the business's legal name and address, dates, amounts, invoice numbers and copies of your correspondence.
2. The Better Business Bureau
The BBB gives the business a deadline to answer in public, and its profiles rank highly when someone searches the company name. Read the step-by-step BBB guide before you file.
3. Federal regulators
- FTC — reportfraud.ftc.gov for deceptive or unfair business practices.
- CFPB for banks, lenders, credit reporting and debt collection.
4. Public reviews
Regulators are slow and mostly invisible. A factual public review is what the next Wisconsin customer actually sees.