2003 Rank	2002 Rank	Type of Business	2003 Reports Requested	2002 Reports Requested	Annual Percent Change
1	2	Mortgage and Escrow Companies	1,037,426	656,973	+57.9%
2	1	Work-at-Home Promotions	990,919	778,728	+27.2%
3	3	Roofing and Guttering Contractors	912,384	618,262	+47.6%
4	5	Moving/Storage Companies	716,520	563,126	+27.2%
5	4	General Contractors	682,770	592,593	+15.2%
6	7	Home Remodeling Contractors	629,694	400,486	+57.2%
7	6	Automobile Dealers	542,683	468,180	+15.9%
8	8	Home Builders	493,336	391,679	+26.0%
9	9	Auto Repair Shops	386,341	319,427	+20.9%
10	15	Plumbing Contractors	315,642	232,176	+35.9%

  Mortgage and escrow companies surpassed last year's top ranked work-at-home promotions, with inquiries soaring to more than one million.  The mortgage business also recorded the greatest increase in report requests over the prior year, with inquiries increasing by 57.9 percent over 2002 inquiries. 
 
This increase in activity isn't surprising given the number of persons who bought new homes or refinanced existing mortgages in 2003.  It's gratifying to know that so many people checked with the BBB first, before selecting a mortgage lender.
 
Inquiries about home remodeling contractors also experienced a 57 percent increase, with report requests on such businesses increasing from 400,486 to 629,694. 
 
Work-at-home promotions ranked second in 2003, with 990,919 inquiries to BBBs.  Rounding out the top 3 most-asked-about businesses was roofing and guttering contractors, with 912,384 inquiries.
 
The types of businesses ranking fourth through nine did not vary much from the prior year, except for tenth-ranked plumbing contractors.  In 2002, that type of business ranked 15 with 232,176 reports requested.  Plumbing company inquiries grew to 315,642 in 2003, pushing the plumbing contractor category to the Top 10 list.
 
Although BBBs fielded more requests for reports on Internet services in 2003 than 2002  (275,397 in 2003 compared to 270,280 the prior year), the business category dropped off the Top 10 most-asked-about list.
 
Other noteworthy changes from the prior year perhaps were a reflection of the uncertain economy and unemployment rates in 2003.  Credit counseling and management services and credit-debt consolidation services, which ranked #25 and #18 respectively in 2002, both moved up significantly on the most-asked-about rankings.  In 2003, there were 294,901 requests for reports on credit counseling and management services, up 88.5 percent from the 156,459 reports requested in 2002, moving that type of business to #11 in ranking.  Another 292,218 reports were requested on credit-debt consolidation services, up 37 percent from the 212,875 requested in 2002, placing that business category #12 on the list of most-asked-about businesses in 2003.

 Top 10 List of Businesses Ranked by Consumer Complaints

2003  Rank	2002  Rank	Type of Business	2003 Complaints Processed	2002 Complaints Processed	Annual Percent Change
1	2	Automobile Dealers	23,729	21,499	+10.4%
2	1	Mobile and Cellular Telephones	18,323	21,534	-14.9%
3	3	Credit Card Offers and Plans	15,945	15,713	+1.5%
4	4	Internet Services	15,364	12,778	+20.2%
5	9	Credit Collection Agencies	13,347	10,024	+33.2%
6	17	Mortgage and Escrow Companies	12,779	7,038	+81.6%
7	5	Computer Sales	12,264	12,147	+1.0%
8	8	Home Furnishing Stores	11,537	10,480	+10.1%
9	6	Telephone Companies	11,197	11,770	- 4.9%
10	13	Banks	10,703	8,545	+25.3%

 
 The top three most-complained about businesses did not change much from 2002.  Automobile dealers moved from second place to first place, with a 10.4 percent increase in complaints.  Although the number of complaints against cell phones dropped by 14.5percent from 2002, the category continued to rank high in terms of complaints, placing the business second in number of complaints processed in 2003.  The number of cell phone complaints processed by U.S. BBBs in 2003 totaled 18,323, down from the 21,534 in 2002, but considerably more than the 5,928 complaints processed in 2001.
 
Credit card companies stayed at #3 and Internet services remained at #4 in terms of complaints processed.
 
Credit collection agencies jumped from #9 to #5, with complaints increasing 33 percent to 13,347.   Mortgage and escrow company complaints also surged, pushing that business category from #17 in 2002, to #6 in 2003.  Complaints against mortgage companies increased 82 percent from 7,038 to 12,779.
 
It is not surprising when there is sudden growth in volume of business in a particular industry, as there has been with new mortgage and refinance loans, for there to be a commensurate increase in complaints.
 
Telephone companies, in general, improved their complaint ranking over the prior year.  In 2003, phone companies generated 11,197 complaints, down 5 percent from the 11,770 complaints processed by BBBs in 2002.  So too did mail order and catalog business and the cable and satellite TV industries, which dropped off the Top 10 list to rank #15 and #17 respectively in 2003.  Complaints about mail order and catalog businesses dropped from 10,884 in 2002 to 8,427 in 2003, a decrease of 23 percent.  Cable and satellite TV complaints fell to 8,132 complaints in 2003, a 13 percent decrease from the 9,354 complaints processed in 2002.