File a Complaint

FILE A COMPLAINT

Before you file a complaint regarding a telemarketing call, please read about the types of calls exempt from the Do Not Call law.

Calls from or on behalf of political organizations or candidates, charities and telephone surveyors are allowed.
Calls from companies with which you have an existing business relationship (collection agencies, credit card companies, Internet service providers, etc.) are allowed.
Additionally, a company may call you for 18 months after you make a purchase or three months after you submit an inquiry or application.
Calls from companies you have given permission to call are allowed.

You may file a complaint with the PUC online or by phoning 1-800-332-1782. You must know either the name or the phone number of the telemarketer that called you. You must also provide the date the telemarketer called and your registered phone number.

After receiving a complaint from a South Dakota consumer, the PUC will research the complaint. After completing its research, the PUC will contact you with the results and will discuss any further action that may be taken. If the telemarketer appears to be in violation of South Dakota law, the matter may be brought before the PUC for enforcement action. A telemarketer can be fined up to $5,000 for each occurrence.

You may also file a complaint online with the FTC. If you file a complaint with the FTC, the complaint will be entered into the Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies worldwide.

You may also file a complaint with the FCC by email, or by telephone at: 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or

1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) TTY, or mail. Your complaint should include: name, address, and telephone number where you can be reached during the business day; the telephone number involved with the complaint; and as much specific information as possible, including the identity of the telemarketer or company contacting you, the date on which you put your number on the National Do Not Call Registry or made a company-specific do-not-call request, and the date(s) of any subsequent telemarketing call(s) from that telemarketer or company. If mailing a complaint, send it to: Federal Communications Commission, Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division, 445 12th St. SW, Washington, DC 20554.

While the FTC and FCC do not resolve individual consumer problems, your complaint will help the federal agencies investigate the telemarketer and could lead to law enforcement action.

Regarding personal information: The only personal identifying information that will be shared with telemarketers is the phone number you register. Your email address will be stored separately and securely. It will not be accessible by others outside the FTC once the FTC sends a reply message to you. Law enforcement officials may access the phone numbers as part of investigations.

If your phone number is removed from the National Do Not Call Registry, it will be available to the FTC and law enforcement officials for two years from the date of removal. Your phone number may be removed from the registry if it is disconnected, or you asked for it to be deleted. The PUC will use telephone information provided by consumers to investigate complaints.