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How to file a consumer complaint with DACO

Last reviewed: August 14, 2026 — VerifiedDACO

In short

If a store will not refund you, will not honour a warranty, or sold you something defective — a fridge, a washing machine, a used car, badly done work — the agency is DACO. The Department of Consumer Affairs handles consumer complaints against merchants, and offers three filing routes: through its online services, which require creating an account; on paper, downloading the relevant form and delivering it in person at one of its six offices; or by phone, calling the main line 787-722-7555. What surprises people is that there is no single form: DACO has one per subject — construction, contracting of works and services, parking, vehicle licence, motor vehicles and condominium law — and bringing the wrong one wastes the trip.

External link

Go to the official site

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www.daco.pr.gov

What is it?

DACO is the agency that handles disputes between consumers and merchants. Its own description is that it helps consumers and businesses better understand their rights and duties. Besides receiving complaints, it holds administrative hearings and mediation, issues licences — condominium managing agent, assistant manager, discount market operator and registered mechanic — and runs a Weights and Measures Laboratory. A filed complaint is handled as a case: DACO publishes separate phone extensions for enquiries, complaint status, administrative hearings and mediation, licences and litigation.

Who can do it?

Any consumer with a dispute against a merchant. To use the online services you need a registered account in DACO’s systems; if you do not have one, DACO states it can be created. To file on paper no account is needed: you download the form, complete it and deliver it in person at an office. DACO also takes complaints by phone on its main line.

Requirements

Documents you need

Cost

Check the current cost with the official agency.

Step by step

  1. Step 1: Identify what your complaint is about

    This is the step people skip. DACO publishes different forms by subject: construction; contracting of works and services; parking; vehicle licence; motor vehicles; and condominium law. If your case is a condominium, that one has its own guide here. Pick the subject before downloading anything.

  2. Step 2: Decide whether to go online or on paper

    DACO recommends its online services as the easiest, safest and most convenient route, at serviciosenlinea.daco.pr.gov, but they require a registered account. If you prefer paper, you download the form, complete it and deliver it in person at one of the offices. And if you want neither, DACO also takes complaints by phone on its main line.

  3. Step 3: Download the form from the site that works

    Watch out for this: on DACO’s own page, two of the buttons have their labels swapped — the one saying “Construction Complaint Form” points at the leasing file and vice versa — and those links return an error. The copies that do open live on docs.pr.gov, with the correct names. Open the PDF and confirm the title on the first line before filling it in.

  4. Step 4: Fill in both parties, not just yours

    The form asks for your full details as complainant and the respondent’s in the same detail: name, physical address, postal address, phones, fax and email. There is room for a second and third respondent, which is what you need when more than one company is involved. And it asks for a brief description of the facts and of the remedy you are requesting: write what you want to happen, not only what happened.

  5. Step 5: Deliver it at whichever office suits you

    DACO has six: San Juan and Central Offices, at Centro Gubernamental Minillas, Ave. De Diego Stop 18, 7th floor; Arecibo, at #101 Calle Gonzalo Marín; Caguas, at the Centro Gubernamental, first floor, office 103; Mayagüez, at 50 Calle Nenadich, Suite W. 307; Santa Isabel, at the Centro de Gobierno, Calle Celis Aguilera, first floor; and the Weights and Measures Laboratory, at 1045 Calle Federico Costa, Urb. Tres Monjitas, Hato Rey.

  6. Step 6: Keep the number and use the right extension

    The form has a complaint number box filled in by DACO. Write it down: to ask about status, the line is 787-722-7555 and the Complaint Status extension in San Juan is 14009. Calling the general switchboard and asking for “information” is the slow route.

Where to do it

Online at serviciosenlinea.daco.pr.gov, with a registered account; on paper, in person at one of DACO’s six offices; or by phone on the main line 787-722-7555. Offices: San Juan and Central Offices, Centro Gubernamental Minillas, Ave. De Diego Stop 18, 7th floor (ext. 14049; enquiries 14004-14008, complaint status 14009, administrative hearings and mediation 14022, licences 14007, litigation 14005); Arecibo, #101 Calle Gonzalo Marín (ext. 14700); Caguas, Centro Gubernamental, 1st floor, office 103 (status 14502-14512, enquiries 14506, licences 14510, litigation 14501); Mayagüez, 50 Calle Nenadich Suite W. 307, (787) 832-3320 or (787) 833-0935; Santa Isabel, Centro de Gobierno, Calle Celis Aguilera, 1st floor (ext. 14579); and the Weights and Measures Laboratory, 1045 Calle Federico Costa, Urb. Tres Monjitas, Hato Rey (ext. 14664).

How long it takes

Check the current processing time with the official agency.

What to do if something goes wrong

If the form link gives you an error, it is not your connection: two of the buttons on DACO’s page point at files that are no longer there, and their labels are also swapped with each other. Use the docs.pr.gov copies and check the title inside the PDF. If your problem is with the condominium — a meeting, a special assessment, the façade, the Board of Directors — that is the condominium form and it has its own guide here. If the problem is with electricity or water, DACO is not the agency: LUMA and AAA have their own processes. If you are 67 or older, the forms mark the date of birth with an asterisk and DACO links a benefits section under Act 147-2019; this guide does not describe those benefits because the page does not detail them, so ask when you file. This guide also states no cost or duration for a complaint, because DACO does not publish either on these pages. PRFácil does not file complaints, does not represent consumers and gives no legal advice.

Common mistakes

  • Looking for a single form when DACO has one per subject.
  • Downloading from the page buttons, two of which point at the wrong file and also error out.
  • Filling in only your details and leaving the merchant respondent’s incomplete.
  • Describing the facts without saying what remedy you want, which is what the form asks.
  • Calling the general switchboard instead of the Complaint Status extension, 14009 in San Juan.
  • Taking an electricity or water problem to DACO, which belongs to LUMA or AAA.

Frequently asked questions

Can I file without going to an office?

Yes. DACO offers online services at serviciosenlinea.daco.pr.gov, which it describes as the easiest, safest and most convenient route, and which require a registered account. It also takes complaints by phone on its main line, 787-722-7555.

Which form applies to me?

It depends on the subject. DACO publishes forms for construction, contracting of works and services, parking, vehicle licence, motor vehicles and condominium law. Open the PDF and confirm the title before filling it in, because two of the page’s links have swapped labels.

How much does filing cost?

DACO does not publish a filing fee on its services pages or on the forms, which is why this guide gives no figure. Ask when you file.

Official sources

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

Last verified

August 14, 2026

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