Pandemic drives record-setting surge in consumer complaints to Colorado AG

Colorado consumers filed a record-setting 12,130 complaints with the Colorado attorney general's office in 2020, new data shows.

Driving the news: The pandemic spurred the 24% increase from 2019. It also changed the nature of the complaints.

• The No. 1 complaint involved obtaining refunds from airlines after canceled trips. It replaced robocalls at top of the list.
• Problems with retail sales — from service to delivery issues — more than doubled to land in the third spot.

Flashback: In 2020, the attorney general's office reached settlements with Denver-based Nationwide Medical Supply Inc. and a hand sanitizer company for misleading consumers.

What they're saying: "We were prepared for scammers to prey on consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we acted quickly to warn Coloradans of frauds as we detected them," Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement.

What to watch: Nine out of 10 complaints involving air travel targeted Denver-based Frontier Airlines.

• The Biden administration is reviewing the Frontier complaints after Weiser sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg asking for an investigation.

This story first appeared in the Axios Denver newsletter, designed to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news unfolding in their own backyard.

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