Welcome to the eHawaiiGov portal to the Business and Licensee Complaints Database of the State of Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) and Regulated Industries Complaints Office (RICO) of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA). You must read through this document and agree to its terms before you proceed to the search.

Content
1. Purpose
2. What information is available?
3. What Information is not included?
4. Search Instructions
5. Caveat
6. How to file a complaint
7. Disclaimer

1. Purpose of the Search

This web site is designed to help you obtain basic information about complaints filed regarding companies that do business in Hawaii.

2. What information is available through the web site?

The web site provides access to selected complaints that were filed with or initiated by OCP or RICO.

The information contained in this web site DOES NOT comprise all information from official OCP and RICO records available to the public.

Except for cases in which legal action was taken, cases are generally on record for a period of at least five years from the year of the final outcome before they are purged from the database*. Legal Actions that were filed by RICO or OCP before 1986 may not be reflected in this site.

Complaints are sorted by COMPANY or PROPER NAME and DOING BUSINESS AS(DBA). Because some businesses operate under trade names, through their officers or directors, or as unregistered sole proprietorships, users of the web site are encouraged to cross check the name of the business against listings in the Business Registration web site (www.ehawaiigov.org/DCCA/biz-name) to determine the correct name of the business. No information about the complaining party is included on this web site.

*For RICO cases, this means that a case with an outcome during calendar year 2001 would be purged at the end of 2006. For OCP cases, five years from the year closed. OCP warning letters are listed for a period of ten years.

3. What information is not included on the web site?

The web site does not include information about cases that are pending with OCP or RICO, except to note that a complaint has been filed against a company or individual and is pending. Although information about pending cases and legal actions is limited, users with questions may call 587-3295.

This database does not include complaints filed with other divisions in the DCCA nor does it include complaints filed with other State Departments. In many instances, several agencies or State departments may have jurisdiction over a particular business.

4. Instructions on conducting your search

For specific instructions on how to conduct the name search, please click on instructions.

5. Caveat

The fact that a business or person may or may not be included in the database is not an indication that the business or person is authorized to do business in the state, that it holds the necessary license and prerequisites (for example: insurance) to engage in a particular business or profession, or that it holds a General Excise Tax license. Similarly, the fact that a business or person does not have complaints or is not included in the database is not necessarily an indication that the company is engaged in sound business practices.

The complaints database is designed to serve as a neutral repository about complaints filed with OCP or RICO. Users should judge a business' complaints history primarily on the outcome of the complaints and not on the number of complaints or on the fact that a complaint was filed.

6. How To File a Complaint

To file a complaint about a particular business, obtain a complaint form by calling 586-2653 or by going to the Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) and Regulated Industries Complaints Office (RICO) of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA), or by writing to the Consumer Resource Center, 235 South Beretania Street, 9th Floor, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813.

7. Disclaimer

The information on this web site is provided by the State of Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) as a public service and is intended to be used solely as reference material. No posted information is intended to constitute legal or professional advice. The records available through this web site are NOT official records. Assessing the accuracy and reliability of information contained in the web site is the user's responsibility.

The information contained in this web site DOES NOT comprise all information from official DCCA records available to the public.

All information provided by the DCCA through this web site is provided on an "as is" basis and DCCA makes no warranties, express or implied, including Warranty of Merchantability and Fitness for a Particular Purpose, and makes no guarantees as to the accuracy of the information accessed, the timeliness of the delivery of the transactions, delivery to the correct party, preservation of privacy and security of users. No one shall be entitled to claim detrimental reliance on any views or information, whether provided by or accessed through this web site, or to claim any duty on the part of DCCA to update posted information or to protect the interests of those accessing this web site. In no event shall the DCCA, its divisions, employees or other parties be liable for damages of any nature whatsoever, arising from the use of or inability to use this website. The DCCA uses reasonable efforts to provide accurate, complete and current information on this website; it does not, however, represent the information to be so. By accessing this web site, the user agrees that the DCCA, its divisions, employees and other parties involved in creating, maintaining, or delivering the information contained therein shall be immune from any liability and damages arising from inaccuracies or incompleteness in the data provided.

This database is designed to be updated every 30 minutes, barring unforeseen circumstances that prevent or delay data entry. Therefore, the data may be subject to a 24-hour delay. Additional delays, however, may occur.

This web site may provide links to servers maintained by other organizations. The DCCA provides no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy or source of any information found on such servers or the contents of any file or data downloaded from such third-party sites. Links to other sites or from other sites to this web site do not constitute an endorsement by DCCA or the State of Hawaii. These links are provided for convenience only.

Unless expressly provided to the contrary, communications through this web site by email or other means shall not constitute filing with, or providing notice to the DCCA or to any of its divisions, agencies, employees, agents or representatives.

Because this web site is dependent upon limited funding, it is possible that heightened usage may result in difficulty accessing the site, data processing errors, less frequent updates, and delays in responding to technical support and usage questions.

By continuing, you are indicating that you have read, understand and agree to all the statements set forth in this Disclaimer.

I have read and agree to the terms of the above disclaimer and wish to proceed to the Complaint History Search.

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