Retail continues to generate the most complaints from Bermuda consumers, with refunds and returns comprising 23 percent of objections for 2009.Case investigations by Consumer Affairs are dominated by the car industry: 64 percent of complaints involve repairs.The agency also reported debt collection as the top grievance in the financial sector, attributed mainly to “tough economic times”.The latest figures emerged in the Consumer Affairs annual report for 2009.It shows that retail, trades, automotive and cycles were the top four complaint-generating industries.Telecommunications and financial services were each responsible for six percent of complaints.For finances, the report says: “Not surprisingly, debt collection topped the list of complaints in this industry.“Consumers who overextended themselves financially during tough economic times had difficulty paying their bills.”As a result, more of the Island’s consumers lodged complaints against debt collection agencies.Consumer Affairs dealt with 619 complaints during the year, of which 571 were resolved up from 589 reported for 2008 when 454 resolved.Its number of ongoing investigations, however, dropped by 47 percent; just two cases resulted in pending court actions, down from four in 2008.Consumer Affairs, which operates within the Ministry of Culture and Social Rehabilitation’s Department of Human Affairs, also reported a great increase in “cross-Ministry involvement” in its investigations: 71 cases a 73 percent increase over the year before.The agency functioned with a staff of three in 2009. It was without an education officer until the appointment of Honey Adams in December. One enforcement officer position remains vacant.Retail received 124 complaints, with 29 of them caused by refund and return policies.Bermuda Chamber of Commerce retail division chair Kristi Grayston said: “The most important lesson consumers can take from this is that they have to pay attention to a store’s returns policy before making a purchase.”Few retailers offer cash refunds, and Ms Grayston said lost credit slips were a major source of problems.“We see a lot of problems with people losing their credits. It’s not the responsibility of the retailer to keep track of credits.”She praised Consumer Affairs for working closely with Bermuda’s business community.The agency’s report concludes that the next priority is to boost its education initiatives, and to help businesses adhere to “better practices and higher standards of customer service delivery”.Useful websites: www.gov.bm, www.bermudacommerce.com