FILE A COMPLAINT PDF Print E-mail

If you have a complaint regarding the purchase or solicitation of goods and services, for personal, family or household items and the transaction occurred in Summit County or involved a Summit County business; file your complaint with the Office of Consumer Affairs.

In order to begin the complaint process, your complaint must be in writing. Please print out, complete and submit our Complaint Form as follows:

  • Fill out the Complaint Form completely, including your daytime telephone number.
  • Include the completed Complaint Form and attach photocopies of all supporting documents.
  • Sign and date form. Mail, fax or email to:

Summit County Office of Consumer Affairs
175 South Main Street, Suite 209
Akron, Ohio 44308
Fax: (330) 643-2721 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Before You File Your Complaint:

  • We recommend you contact the business involved. Often a dispute can be resolved by talking to a person in a position of authority such as a manager or even the company president. In the case of disputed charges on your credit card bill, you must act quickly to preserve your right to challenge a charge. This means not only complaining to the business, but also notifying your credit card company in writing within 60 days of the initial billing. If you are still not satisfied after contacting the business, please file your complaint with our office.
  • If you have resolved the dispute, informing us of this fact and forwarding a statement of your experience, with documentation, might help us establish a pattern of unlawful business practices against the company in the future.
  • If you are represented by an attorney or if legal action has been taken, the office can not intercede or interfere in that process. Likewise, if another agency is already handling the matter.
  • We are not authorized to offer legal advice, provide legal representation, or pursue matters in court on behalf of individual complainants.
  • We cannot recommend one business or product over another.
  • We cannot handle complaints between private individuals where no business or merchant is involved.

What Happens When We Receive Your Complaint?

The Office of Consumer Affairs attempts to informally resolve disputes between consumers and businesses through complaint mediation. The mediation process begins when a consumer files a complaint in writing.

Upon receipt of a complaint, assigned staff will read it along with all accompanying documents. Should we require additional information, we will contact you. Once the review process has been completed, this process can take up to two weeks, staff will contact the business to inform him/her of the complaint and request a response to help the parties find a fair resolution that is acceptable to both.

If we determine your complaint should be handled by another agency, we will forward your complaint to the appropriate agency and tell you where we sent it with their contact information. Should we not receive a response from the business, we will evaluate the complaint to determine if additional efforts are needed, such as enforcement or investigation if the company has shown a pattern of similar violations.