How to File an FTC Complaint for a Refund. It Got Me $1,200 Back.

The Federal Trade Commission handles consumer complaints. I filed one against a company that scammed me out of $1,200. Here is what happened. I went to ftc.gov/complaint and filled out the online form. I provided: company name, what happened, what I lost, and what I wanted. The FTC does not resolve individual complaints. They use complaints to build cases against companies. But here is the trick: when I told the company I had filed an FTC complaint, they took me more seriously. The FTC forwarded my complaint to the company and asked for a response. The company offered a $1,200 refund to avoid further scrutiny. The FTC complaint itself did not get the refund. The threat of FTC scrutiny did. Companies do not want to be on the FTC's radar. An FTC complaint signals that you are serious about escalation.