State consumer protection offices and state attorneys general

What this actually is

Every state, DC and the territories has a consumer protection office, usually inside the state attorney general’s office, handling complaints against businesses and investigating scams and fraud. These are the people with subpoena power in your state, and unlike the federal agencies they will often mediate an individual dispute with a local business. Use them for landlords, contractors, car dealers, debt collectors and any business physically in your state. USA.gov keeps the directory of all of them, which saves you guessing the URL.

Who qualifies, and what trips people up

Open to residents; no cost. They enforce state consumer law, so what they can do varies by state — some have strong mediation programmes, some primarily gather complaints for enforcement. Many states also license contractors and debt collectors, so the same office can tell you whether the business is licensed at all, which is frequently the fastest answer.