Brancel said in 1997 that the Division of Trade and Consumer Protection received 1,330 written complaints from unhappy consumers with telecommunications problems. Telecommunications jumped from sixth place to first place in the Division's annual top ten list of consumer complaints. Recent cramming complaints cite unexpected bills from psychic hotlines, sex lines, voice mail answering services, and website services. It's not unusual to get several calls a week from telecommunications businesses offering new services or cheaper services, and that can be confusing for anyone. The cooperative inter-agency consumer education effort was undertaken because state telephone customers are barraged by solicitations from telephone companies daily and many do not know if they are getting a good deal.
Telecommunications is the number one area of consumer complaints in Wisconsin.
The agencies are concerned that without an effective educational effort, the problems faced by Wisconsin consumers will only increase as consumers are bombarded with new service options. Since that time the agency has mediated consumer complaints, designed customer friendly procedures to resolve customer complaints more quickly, and worked with consumer groups and utilities in a proactive way to protect consumers and to provide them with unbiased and accurate information. The DOJ has become increasingly concerned as well about the proliferation of telecommunications related complaints. In August 1996, Attorney General James Doyle petitioned the Public Service Commission in an effort to ensure that consumers have access to clear, accurate, and useful information about telecommunications services. As an outgrowth of this effort, a comprehensive consumer education program was developed.