Your Top 20 consumer gripes? The folks over at the attorney general’s office have toted up the 25,000-plus consumer complaints they received in 2008 — and, drum roll, please! –last year’s list was topped by phone companies.  The Office of the Attorney General, along with the Office of Secretary of State and a few other agencies, is being increasingly vigilant in warning against unscrupulous charities and corporations.

AG Rob McKenna, who has an entire Consumer Protection Division devoted to dealing with complaints, has recovered millions of dollars. McKenna says the same handful of industries, unfortunately, generate most of the citizen gripes. The latest list includes phone companies, retailers, collection agsencies and auto sales. Their Top 20 list  of consumer complaint categories today is in conjunction with National Consumer Protection Week.