Last year, more complaints were filed against auto dealers, auto-repair companies, and siding contractors than any other types of businesses, the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) announced Thursday.
 
Those findings were included in a BBB-released list of the 10 industries that received the most complaints in 2012.
 
Complaints against auto dealers spanned those who sell both used and new cars, the organization said. Complaints against used-car dealers typically involved consumer claims that cars purchased weren’t in the condition promised, while issues with new-car dealers mostly surrounded sales of previously owned vehicles or problems with service or repairs.
 
Five separate categories within the construction industry also made the just-released list of the top 10 industries by complaints, which includes those that consumers filed about businesses in both Minnesota and North Dakota. Here’s a look at the list:
 
1. Auto dealers—used cars
2. Auto dealers—new cars
3. Auto repair and service
4. Siding contractors
5. General contractors
6. Roofing contractors
7. Banks
8. Construction and remodeling services
9. Window installation and service
10. Property management
 
BBB spokesman Dan Hendrickson said that the 2012 list was similar to the 2011 list, which also included auto dealers, auto-repair companies, and companies within the construction industry, although there were some slight shifts in rankings. For example, new-car dealers topped the 2011 list and banks ranked ninth. Meanwhile, property management is new to the 2012 list and took the place of TV and satellite companies, which appeared on the list in 2011.
 
The regional BBB handled slightly more than 24,200 complaints in 2012, on par with the previous year, and said that it resolved about 90 percent of them. The organization added that it resolved 92 percent of the complaints for used-car dealers and 98 percent of the complaints received about those selling new cars.
 
Dana Badgerow, president and CEO of the local BBB, said in a statement that complaint levels have remained steady for the past three years, adding that consumers are encouraged to visit the organization’s website to find reputable companies prior to making purchases.