Wisconsin

Wisconsin Department of Agriculture
Trade and Consumer Protection
2811 Agriculture Dr.
P.O. Box 8911
Madison, WI 53708-8911
Consumer Protection Hotline: (800) 422-7128
E-mail: DATCPHotline@Wisconsin.gov
http://datcp.wi.gov/Consumer

To file a complaint online, click here.

Wisconsin’s Laws

Here’s a snapshot of Wisconsin’s laws regarding deceptive advertising:

Wisconsin Code§ 100.18: Makes it unlawful to use advertisements that contain untrue, deceptive, or misleading statements.
Possible Penalties

Some of the penalties that fraudulent or deceptive advertisers may suffer in Wisconsin include:

• Injunction (Wisconsin Code § 100.18(11)(a));

• The amount of the consumer’s Pecuniary loss (Wisconsin Code § 100.18(11)(b));

• The cost of reasonable attorney’s fees of the person suing, if that person wins the lawsuit  (Wisconsin Code § 100.18(11)(b));

• Twice the amount of pecuniary loss, if the advertiser violated an injunction (Wisconsin Code § 100.18(11)(b));

• Between $50 and $200 for each violation of the law against deceptive advertising (Wisconsin Code § 100.26(4));

• Between $100 and $10,000 for each violation of an injunction (Wisconsin Code § 100.26(6)).

Small Claims Court in Wisconsin

If you’re not trying to recover big bucks, but rather just trying to recoup the money you spent on a product or service after being duped by a false ad, then you might consider filing a lawsuit in Small Claims Court.

For general info about filing a lawsuit in Small Claims Court, click here.

For info on how to file a Small Claims lawsuit in Wisconsin, click here.

Researching Consumer Complaints

To obtain copies of complaints consumers have filed against a business, you can send a Freedom of Information request to:

State of Wisconsin
Department of Justice/ Attorney General
17 W. Main St.
P.O. Box 7857
Madison, WI 53707-7857
Att: Public Records Custodian

A sample Freedom of Information request can be found here.

**Please note that this page is informational only and does not take the place of legal advice.  Please also note that the above summary is meant to provide a brief look at the laws in Wisconsin, and not a comprehensive list.**