Michigan’s Attorney General investigates and sues over alleged consumer-protection violations, and the office also mediates consumer complaints. For investor-owned electric and natural-gas utilities, the Attorney General advocates for customers in cases before the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC); the MPSC, not the Attorney General, decides regulated rates and utility matters. The right route depends on whether your problem involves a business transaction or utility service.
Which state office handles your issue?
| Issue | State office or process |
|---|---|
| Potentially unfair or deceptive conduct by a business | Michigan Department of Attorney General consumer-protection staff |
| Rates or service from an investor-owned electric or natural-gas utility | MPSC regulation; the Attorney General may advocate for customers in a regulatory case |
| A complaint about a utility’s response or an outage-credit question | Contact the utility first, then use the MPSC complaint process if you remain dissatisfied |
Cooperative and municipal utilities may set rates through a cooperative board or city council rather than the MPSC, according to the Attorney General’s utility information. The regulator and complaint route can therefore depend on who owns or governs the provider.
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How the Attorney General enforces consumer-protection laws
What the Michigan Consumer Protection Act covers
The Michigan Consumer Protection Act (MCPA) applies to goods and services leased or purchased for personal, family, or household purposes. The Attorney General’s consumer-protection information describes the Act as prohibiting unfair or deceptive practices, including price gouging, failing to disclose facts material to a sale, and misrepresenting the source or geographic origin of goods or services.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe Department’s Corporate Oversight Division describes consumer protection as part of its civil enforcement work. It identifies deceptive business practices, usurious lending, and price gouging among the matters it addresses. The Attorney General says the MCPA authorizes the office to investigate and sue.
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Investigation, lawsuits, and the difference between allegations and findings
Enforcement may involve investigation and a civil lawsuit. A lawsuit’s allegations are not the same as a court’s final finding. For example, in a July 29, 2026 announcement, the Department described a preliminary injunction against Boss’s Pump & Well Service and its owner. The Department said its lawsuit alleged violations of the Public Health Code and MCPA, including unlicensed operation. The interim order barred specified pump-installation, well-drilling, or plumbing work while the complaint was being adjudicated; it was not a final determination of liability.
In a July 31, 2026 statement, the Attorney General said the Michigan Supreme Court reversed decisions in Smith v. Globe Life Insurance Co. and Liss v. Lewiston-Richards, Inc. The Department characterized the earlier decisions as limiting the MCPA’s application to some conduct by businesses licensed by state or federal agencies. That is the Attorney General’s description of the cases; the statement alone does not establish the precise holdings, procedural posture, or subsequent effects.
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Complaint mediation is not private legal representation
The Consumer Protection Division also offers informal complaint mediation. It sends the complaint and supporting materials to the business and asks for a response. If the business has not responded within 30 days, the office says it will contact the business again; it can also confirm if the business refuses to respond.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallMediation may prompt a response, but the Attorney General’s office does not become your private lawyer if it fails to resolve the dispute. The Department suggests that consumers may consider small claims court or consult a private attorney when mediation does not settle the matter.
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How the Attorney General works on utility issues
The MPSC regulates investor-owned electric and gas utilities
The MPSC regulates rates and services for investor-owned electric and natural-gas companies. The Attorney General’s utility role is to represent customer interests in regulatory cases: the office says it intervenes to advocate for affordable, reliable service and to challenge costs it considers unreasonable or imprudent. An intervention presents a position; it does not set the rate. The Commission makes the regulatory decision.
A filing is a request, not an approved rate
Rate-case figures need to be read as either amounts a company sought or amounts the Commission approved. The Department’s releases describe the following distinct proceedings and announcements:
| Utility and announcement | What was reported | Status described in that announcement |
|---|---|---|
| Consumers Energy, June 2, 2026 | Approximately $456 million in annual electric revenue increases sought; the filing sought a 9.8% residential rate increase | Company request, with the Attorney General announcing an intervention; not an approved increase |
| Consumers Energy, MPSC decision reported March 27, 2026 | The MPSC approved a $276.6 million electric rate increase. The Department said the company had initially sought 13%, while the Attorney General’s filed testimony argued for 3.5%. The Department said the approved increase was $160 million below the original request and would raise residential electric rates by 8.9%, effective May 1, 2026. | Approved in this specific proceeding, as reported by the Department; these figures do not describe the separate June 2026 filing |
| DTE, April 28, 2026 | Approximately $474.3 million in annual electric revenue increases sought; described as a 9.7% residential increase | Company request, with the Attorney General announcing an intervention; not an approved increase |
The amounts and characterizations in this table are from the Michigan Department of Attorney General’s accounts of the filings and decision. A requested amount should not be treated as the final bill impact; check the MPSC’s decision and current docket for the outcome of a proceeding.
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Reliability cases and proposed incentives
A February 28, 2025 Department release said the MPSC had adopted financial incentives and penalties tied to electric-service reliability improvements for DTE and Consumers Energy. At that time, each utility was directed to file a proposed financial mechanism in a separate docket by April 15, 2025, and standalone proceedings to review performance against new metrics were set to begin in October 2027. Those were schedules reported in the 2025 release, not confirmation of the dockets’ present status.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to take a consumer or utility complaint
For a business transaction
- Submit a complaint through the Michigan Attorney General’s consumer-protection complaint process, with a clear account of the transaction and the materials relevant to the dispute.
- Allow the office’s informal mediation process to seek a business response. The office says it will contact a business again if no response arrives within 30 days.
- If mediation does not resolve the issue, consider small claims court or advice from a private attorney; the mediation process is not legal representation.
For an outage-credit or utility-service dispute
- For a possible outage credit, contact your utility first. The Attorney General’s utility information says an adjustment may take one or two billing cycles.
- If you are still dissatisfied, file a complaint with the MPSC. The Attorney General’s office also offers a feedback or inquiry form and says it will send the information to the provider and request an update.
- If you are worried about paying your bill, consult the MPSC’s assistance information, including shut-off protection programs.
What the Department reports about complaints and utility savings
Consumer complaints and recoveries
In a March 3, 2026 release about 2025 complaint patterns, the Michigan Department of Attorney General reported receiving more than 12,000 written consumer complaints in 2025. The Department also reported $1.88 million recovered for Michigan consumers and businesses through complaint mediation recovery, settlements, and refunds during 2025.
Utility-customer savings figures
The Attorney General’s utility page reports the following savings figures. They are figures reported by the Department, not independently audited savings; the 2026 amount covers only the first two quarters, as shown on the page accessed for this article.
Quick Recap
| Period | Utility-customer savings reported by the Department |
|---|---|
| 2019 | $473 million |
| 2020 | $606 million |
| 2021 | $281 million |
| 2022 | $1 billion |
| 2023 | $668 million |
| 2024 | $438 million |
| 2025 | $528 million |
| First two quarters of 2026 | $550.7 million |
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