By Samantha Paul A car dealership adds an unexpected charge. A home improvement contractor disappears before finishing the work. A debt collector keeps contacting someone over an account they dispute. Massachusetts residents can bring concerns like these to the Attorney General’s Consumer Advocacy & Response Division, commonly called CARD.
The office offers more than a place to report potential violations: its consumer specialists can provide information, refer a complaint, and sometimes help the parties reach a practical resolution. Still, a complaint is not a lawsuit on the consumer’s behalf, and the state has specific rules about documents and follow-up submissions.
Who Is the Current Attorney General of Massachusetts?
As of October 15, 2026, Andrea Joy Campbell is the Attorney General of Massachusetts. She took office in January 2023 after serving on the Boston City Council, including a period as its president.
The Attorney General’s Office handles matters involving consumer protection, civil rights, public safety, economic fairness, and state legal interests. CARD is the frontline channel for many private business complaints, but the office is not a substitute for hiring an attorney to pursue a personal claim.
Massachusetts Attorney General Contact Numbers
Massachusetts offers a designated consumer hotline staffed during business hours, plus separate numbers for the Boston headquarters and regional offices.
Boston main office: (617) 727-2200 — the main statewide Attorney General office.
Consumer Hotline / CARD: (617) 727-8400 — weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., for filing questions and consumer guidance.
Worcester regional office: (508) 792-7600 — Central Massachusetts office.
Springfield regional office: (413) 784-1240 — Western Massachusetts office.
New Bedford regional office: (508) 990-9700 — Southeastern Massachusetts office.
Mass Relay: 711 — connect through the main number when relay services are needed.
The state’s central contact directory is https://www.mass.gov/lists/directory-of-contacts-at-the-attorney-generals-office. For business complaints, the specialized CARD channel is usually more direct than the main administrative line.
Massachusetts Attorney General Office Address
Main Boston office: Office of the Attorney General, 1 Ashburton Place, 20th Floor, Boston, MA 02108.
Consumer complaint mailing address: Office of the Attorney General, Consumer Advocacy & Response Division, One Ashburton Place, 18th Floor, Boston, MA 02108.
The walk-in/main-office floor and the consumer complaint mailing floor differ. Massachusetts publishes the 18th-floor address specifically for completed paper consumer complaints.
How to File a Complaint With the Massachusetts Attorney General
CARD accepts complaints about many business matters, including defective goods, car finance and repossession issues, debt collection, mortgage servicing, home improvement contracts, and certain utility problems.
Step 1: Use the state’s official consumer complaint page
Go to https://www.mass.gov/how-to/file-a-consumer-complaint. Select File a complaint online. This is the designated consumer complaint channel, not the general email or press contact page.
Step 2: Decide whether CARD is the right office
The Massachusetts website lists common consumer issues such as defective products, motor vehicle transactions, home contractors, debt collection, and mortgage servicing. The main office also provides separate channels for workplace, civil-rights, healthcare and other matters. Choose the specialized complaint route if your concern falls within one of those categories.
Step 3: Describe the transaction and what remedy you want
Explain the business name, relevant dates, amount paid, contract or advertised terms, what went wrong, and any efforts to obtain a correction. Use precise, factual language; include contact details so a consumer specialist can follow up. Save copies of invoices, messages and agreements for possible later requests.
Step 4: Submit online or use the official paper form
Online filing allows you to save or print a copy after submission. For a mailed complaint, print the state form and send it to CARD, One Ashburton Place, 18th Floor, Boston, MA 02108. You may call the hotline to request a form by mail or ask which process fits your issue.
Step 5: Do not send extra paperwork until requested
Massachusetts specifically instructs consumers not to send additional documentation until the office contacts them. If you have already complained about the same issue and need to update it, call (617) 727-8400 rather than submitting a duplicate complaint.
What Happens After You File a Complaint?
CARD reviews complaints and may answer a question, refer the matter to a local consumer program or another agency, or help the customer and business attempt a resolution. The state operates a network of Local Consumer Programs that can provide similar free consumer advocacy services. Filing also gives the Attorney General information about patterns affecting more than one customer.
The office states that complaints can take up to a month to appear in its publicly available consumer complaint database. Posting is not a finding that the allegations are true. CARD cannot promise a refund, legal representation, or a particular response time, and individual legal deadlines continue to apply.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Can I add documents after filing my complaint online?
Not immediately as a matter of routine. Massachusetts asks people not to send extra documents until staff contact them. Call the Consumer Hotline if you already filed and need to provide information.
Q. Are Massachusetts consumer complaints publicly visible?
Certain complaint data may appear in the Attorney General’s public database, generally with a delay. The office says appearance in that database does not establish that allegations were substantiated.
Q. Can I bring a complaint to a regional office?
The Attorney General says consumers may seek in-person assistance at office locations during published business hours. It recommends calling the consumer hotline before making a visit.
Q. Should I file a second complaint to correct the first?
No. Massachusetts explicitly tells consumers with an existing complaint to call (617) 727-8400 rather than start another filing about the same issue.
Amelia Anderson