Filing a Complaint

If you are not satisfied with a product or service or if you believe a business has wronged you, you can take action to protect your consumer rights.

Here are the steps you will need to follow:

1. Review your rights

Determine if you have a valid complaint under the Consumer Protection Act, 2002 (CPA). If you have questions about your rights you may contact the Consumer Protection Branch at 416-326-8800 or 1-800-889-9768; TTY: 416-229-6086 or 1-877-666-6545.

2. Write a complaint letter to the business

Consumers must always write a complaint letter to the business before the Ministry can get involved in a dispute. This is the Ministry’s policy. It may also effectively solve your problem.

  • The Ministry has a template letter you can customize and send to the business There is also a special Ministry notice you can attach to your letter. Remember to give businesses enough time to process your complaint (about three weeks)
  • In some cases, you may also be able to cancel certain contracts.

3. Submit your complaint

If writing to the business still does not resolve the issue, you may file a complaint against them with us. You cannot make a formal complaint by phone or e-mail. You must complete the Ministry’s complaint form. 

You can submit your complaint online or complete a complaint form and sent it by mail, fax or e-mail. You may also request that a complaint form be mailed to you. Include any supporting documentation, such as contracts, invoices, receipts or copies of correspondence between you and the supplier.

Ministry of Consumer Services
Consumer Protection Branch
5775 Yonge St. Suite 1500 Toronto, ON M7A 2E5
Fax: 416-326-8665 E-mail: consumer@ontario.ca

How the Ministry Helps

Once your complaint form and documents have been provided, we will:

  • Advise you about your rights under the CPA. If your complaint is not covered by the CPA, we will do our best to help you find an organization or government office that can assist you 
  • Provide you with tools, e.g., a notification of a consumer complaint letter, that can help you resolve the dispute
  • Keep a record of your complaint and monitor the business to track patterns in marketplace abuse. In certain cases, we may consider taking enforcement action against a supplier
  • Inform you about the Small Claims Court process and how to access legal advice through the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Law Society Referral Service. In some cases, complaints may be resolved through the Small Claims Court process
  • Add a business to our Consumer Beware List if they do not respond to the substance of a complaint
  • If your complaint meets certain criteria, e.g., the amount of money involved in the dispute is in excess of $500 or more, including tax, the Ministry will also contact the business on your behalf and try to mediate a solution.

If mediation is not successful, we may, in certain cases, initiate an investigation that may lead to charges and prosecution. If found guilty under the CPA, a business may be fined up to $50,000 (for an individual), $250,000 (for a corporation) or sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not more than two years less a day. An individual may be subject to a fine or a term of imprisonment or both. 

Other Resources

If your complaint or dispute does not fall under the scope of the CPA, but is related to one of the following business sectors, you may still be able to file a complaint. Select one of the sectors below to be directed to the proper authority. 

You can also contact the Better Business Bureau to use their mediation services or search their database for the compliance history of member companies.