WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 1999 -- Big-ticket items like car sales and service and home improvement remain the most frequent source of consumer complaints to state and local consumer agencies, according to an annual study.

Fifty consumer agencies nationwide are polled each year to determine the top 10 consumer concerns -- and auto sales, auto repair and home improvement have been the top three every year since 1994, according to the National Association of Consumer Agency Administrations (NACAA) and the Consumer Federation of America (CFA).

In order, the top 10 are:

1.  Auto sales
2.  Auto repair
3.  Home improvement
4.  Household goods  
5.  Credit and lending
6.  Mail order
7.  Auto leasing
7.  Landlord-tenant (tie)
9.  Utilities
10. Travel/tourism

Auto leasing returned to the top 10 list in 1999, with consumers complaining of inflated prices, failure to provide required disclosures and difficulty terminating leases.

Aggressive credit card marketing, payable loans, car pawns and debt collection practices were growing problems, as were complaints about Internet rip-offs.

The consumer agencies recommend that states toughen restrictions on car dealers, requiring at least a 30-day warranty on used cars.  They also called for licensing auto repair shops.

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