Household money · Consumer help
A consumer problem in New York starts with the money trail.
Stop the loss, preserve the record, and ask for one clear fix. Then use the payment dispute, complaint office, identity recovery plan, or court that can actually handle that part of the problem.
The ordinary consumer problem
Stop the loss, save the record, then choose the office
Usually, the fastest consumer response is to stop any new payment, save the contract and transaction record, and ask the business for one specific fix in writing. A complaint can bring mediation or enforcement attention, but it does not automatically refund money or preserve a card, court, or notice deadline.
- Active scam
-
Contact the bank, card issuer, payment app, wire company, gift-card issuer, or delivery service immediately.
Ask whether it can stop, recall, reverse, freeze, or trace the payment. Do this before waiting for a regulator to answer. Cryptocurrency is usually not reversible, but the sending platform should still receive a prompt fraud report.
FTC steps after paying a scammer -> - Credit-card clock
-
Call promptly and send a written billing-error notice within 60 calendar days after the statement showing the charge.
Use the billing-dispute address on the statement, which may differ from the payment address. Keep a copy and pay the undisputed part on time. Defective goods or service-quality disputes can use a different process, so describe the problem precisely.
CFPB credit-card dispute instructions -> - Debit and bank clock
-
Report an unauthorized debit immediately; lost-card and statement deadlines can change the consumer's possible loss.
Reporting a lost or stolen card or access code within two business days generally limits liability to no more than $50. At the latest, report an unauthorized statement transaction within 60 days after the statement was sent.
CFPB unauthorized-debit rules -> - General complaint
-
New York's Division of Consumer Protection can try voluntary mediation after the consumer first contacts the business.
DCP cannot force an adjustment and will not handle a complaint already in a lawsuit. The Attorney General also accepts consumer reports and routes specialized categories such as housing, health, employment, finance, and technology through separate forms.
New York consumer complaint form -> - Money and insurance
-
A New York-regulated bank, lender, mortgage, insurer, student loan, or debt collector usually belongs with DFS.
Complain to the company first and keep its response. DFS can review the conduct of businesses it regulates, but it does not act as a private lawyer or guarantee payment.
DFS consumer complaint portal -> - Utility account
-
A regulated electric, gas, steam, landline, cable, or certain water complaint usually belongs with Public Service.
Give the utility a chance to fix the issue first. If residential service is about to be shut off or already is off, use the Department of Public Service emergency hotline instead of waiting on the online form.
Public Service complaint route -> - Inside New York City
-
A complaint about a business serving NYC can go to the city Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
DCWP accepts complaints online, by mail, or by fax and uses mediation. Upload copies of receipts, contracts, ads, messages, and the written request made to the business; keep the originals.
NYC DCWP consumer complaint -> - Identity theft
-
Use IdentityTheft.gov for an FTC report and recovery plan, then freeze the credit file at all three bureaus.
The FTC report supports disputes with businesses and credit bureaus. A freeze is free and lasts until lifted; Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion must each receive a separate freeze request.
FTC identity-theft recovery plan -> - Small claims
-
Small claims seeks money only: up to $10,000 in NYC, $5,000 in City or District Court, or $3,000 in Town or Village Court.
The defendant, location, and court type control where to file. A claim cannot be split to fit a limit, and small claims cannot order a business to perform work. Claims against government and some other defendants can have much shorter notice rules.
New York Courts small-claims guide ->
Ordinary example
A $900 online order never arrives
The buyer saves the order, promised ship date, tracking, card statement, and messages; asks the seller in writing for a full refund; and calls the card issuer. Because the charge first appeared 20 days ago, the buyer also sends the written billing-error notice now. If the seller still refuses, the record is ready for DCP and, if needed, the correct small-claims court.
What changes the answer
Facts that change the answer
- How the money moved
- Credit, debit, check, cash, wire, payment app, gift card, and cryptocurrency have different recovery tools and clocks.
- Who is regulated
- Utilities, banks, insurers, licensed professionals, vehicles, housing, health care, and local contractors can belong with a specialist rather than the general complaint office.
- The remedy and deadline
- A refund, corrected bill, stopped payment, identity repair, money judgment, injunction, or government claim may require a different route; filing one complaint may not pause another deadline.
Do this next
Next steps
- Send one clear demand Name the transaction, problem, amount, requested fix, and response date, then keep proof it was sent.
- Choose the complaint owner Use the state or NYC general form when it fits, then switch to DFS, Public Service, DMV, or another specialist when that office regulates the business.
- Prepare the court file Confirm the defendant's legal name, address, money amount, court limit, venue, and any special notice deadline before filing.
The useful order
-
Stop any new loss first.
Cancel a recurring charge, lock or replace a card, change a compromised password, contact the payment company, or ask a carrier to intercept a package as the facts require. Use a phone number or website you find independently, not the contact information in a suspicious message.
-
Build one short transaction record.
Save the ad, listing, contract, estimate, receipt, payment proof, statement, promised date, warranty, photos, tracking, names, and messages. Write a one-paragraph timeline with the amount paid, what was promised, what happened, and the result you want.
-
Ask the business for a specific fix in writing.
Use the legal business name and order, account, or contract number. Ask for a refund, corrected bill, completed repair, replacement, cancellation, or other clear result by a reasonable date. Keep proof that the demand reached the business.
-
Protect the payment deadline at the same time.
A merchant conversation does not pause a credit-card or bank deadline. Call the issuer promptly and follow its written process. For a credit-card billing error, send the written notice within 60 days after the statement showing the charge. Report an unauthorized debit immediately because the two-business-day and 60-day rules can affect liability.
-
Send the complaint to the office that owns the business.
Use the Division of Consumer Protection for general statewide marketplace mediation, or NYC's DCWP for a business serving the city. Use DFS for a New York-regulated bank, lender, insurer, mortgage, student loan, or debt collector. Use Public Service for regulated utility billing or service. Auto dealers, repair shops, and inspection stations use DMV's complaint route.
-
Treat identity theft as a recovery job.
Use IdentityTheft.gov for an FTC report and personal recovery plan. Freeze the credit file with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion separately, review all three reports, close or dispute false accounts, and keep the letters and report numbers. A fraud alert and a freeze are different tools.
-
Use court only after the defendant and remedy are clear.
Small claims can award money but cannot force a repair or other action. Confirm the business's legal name, service address, amount, correct court, and filing location. Check a contract's arbitration clause and any short notice rule before assuming a complaint extended the deadline.
A complaint and a refund are different jobs
A complaint gives an agency a record and may bring mediation, referral, or enforcement attention. It may help, but it does not promise a refund and may not stop a card, bank, warranty, arbitration, court, or government-notice deadline. Protect the direct money route first, then file the complaint with the same clean timeline and copies.
The business type chooses the office
A general store, online seller, or household-service dispute can start with the Division of Consumer Protection or the Attorney General. In New York City, DCWP takes complaints about businesses serving city consumers and uses mediation. Banks, insurers, lenders, debt collectors, mortgages, and student loans usually belong with DFS. Electric, gas, steam, landline, cable, and certain water complaints belong with Public Service after the utility has a chance to fix the issue. A local licensed contractor or home-improvement problem may also need the county, city, or town licensing office shown in the place directory.
A vehicle-repair complaint has a short clock
DMV regulates New York auto dealers, repair shops, and inspection stations. Try the manager first and keep the work order, estimate, authorization, invoice, payment proof, and messages. For a repair-shop incident, DMV says it cannot accept the complaint after 90 days or 3,000 miles from the repair, whichever comes first. Lemon Law claims use the Attorney General's separate route.
Small claims works best with a collectible defendant
The receipt name may be a brand rather than the legal company. Check the contract, invoice, payment record, corporate record, and address before filing. Bring the timeline, demand, proof of delivery, photos, witnesses, and a simple total. Winning a judgment and collecting it are separate steps, so a correct defendant name and useful account or asset information matter from the beginning.
Official sources
Official sources for disputes, complaints, and court
New York Porch helps separate the tasks. The bank, card issuer, regulator, complaint office, police, or court controls its own deadline and remedy.
- Data used
- Consumer and court routes checked for July 2026
- Last reviewed
- July 14, 2026
- New York Division of Consumer Protection: File a complaint - Business-contact requirement, voluntary mediation, limits, online form, and helpline.
- New York Attorney General: Complaint categories - Direct forms for consumer, housing, health, employment, finance, technology, and other issues.
- NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection: File a complaint - NYC consumer complaints, document requirements, mediation, and online, mail, or fax filing.
- New York Department of Financial Services: Consumer complaint portal - Insurance, banking, lending, mortgage, student-loan, debt-collection, and other financial complaints.
- New York Department of Public Service: File a complaint - Regulated utility complaints, imminent-shutoff hotline, records, and escalation process.
- New York DMV: Report a problem with a regulated business - Dealer, inspection-station, and repair-shop complaints, including the repair deadline.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Credit-card billing disputes - Prompt notice, the 60-day written deadline, dispute address, and issuer response.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Unauthorized bank and debit transactions - Two-business-day and 60-day reporting rules and investigation basics.
- Federal Trade Commission: What to do after a scam - Immediate recovery attempts by payment method and fraud-reporting routes.
- IdentityTheft.gov: Report identity theft and build a recovery plan - FTC identity-theft report, recovery steps, letters, and account tracking.
- Federal Trade Commission: Credit freezes and fraud alerts - Free freezes at all three bureaus and the separate fraud-alert option.
- New York Courts: Small claims - Money-only remedy, court limits, filing location, and court guides.
Use this carefully: This guide is practical information, not legal advice or a promise of recovery. Contract terms, payment protections, limitation periods, notice rules, regulator authority, and court procedure can change. Preserve the shortest current deadline even while another complaint is pending.
Page feedback
Send a page note
Send a note about this page. The page address will be included automatically.
Page feedback
Send a note
This is for fixing the site: wrong details, unclear wording, broken links, outdated information, or useful local context.