DirecTV, Dish Network, Qwest, and a handful of other companies are among the top 10 businesses that upset local consumers so much in the last year they took the time to complain to the Colorado Attorney General's office. The worst offender, judged by number of complaints, is the National Energy Rebate Fund, which received nearly twice as many calls as the second most problematic company, Real Talk Network.

Overall, protests were up 37 percent in 2010, climbing 117 percent from 2008, when there were 2,969 complaints. Several factors prompted the increase, including online filing and problem companies like NERF, which offered rebates that proved difficult to cash in. The company received 621 complaints despite a $4.4 million default judgment by Suthers' office that put NERF out of business (Colorado Springs Gazette).