We have quite a few stories now about Best Buy responding favorably to EECBs, which goes to show that if you can find a way to reach the company's executives—and you write a good EECB—your odds of having your problem favorably resolved improves considerably.

Here's Alicia's story:

I just wanted to thank you for running such a helpful website. A Best Buy employee recently damaged my car loading a TV into the back of it. My bumper suffered from several deep gouges due to the large staples holding the box together being scraped across it. Upon noticing the damage when I got home, I immediately called the store. The employee insisted that "no manager would ever be available to discuss the issue" with me, and insisted on transferring me to their "consumer relations" line only to be put on hold indefinitely. Rinse, repeat. Of course, this lead to a dead end.

I've been an avid reader of The Consumerist for some time, and immediately consulted the site for e-mail addresses to send an EECB out to (I've included the letter at the end of this e-mail). I used many of the tips listed on how to write a letter that will receive a response. Sure enough, the next day I received an e-mail from an executive office representative letting me know that their insurance company would be contacting me shortly. Within a few hours an insurance representative called me, took my information, and got the ball rolling. After submitting an estimate, I had a check for the full amount of the estimate in my hands less than a week later.

I can't thank you enough for having information readily available to help consumers fight back against endless streams of unhelpful processes. Please feel free to publish my story if you believe it would be helpful to other readers.

Sincerely,
Alicia

Happy to help, Alicia! Here are some of those links for other readers:

"How To Launch An Executive Email Carpet Bomb"
"Email Addresses For Best Buy Execs"

Below is the EECB Alicia wrote. Here are some things that are great about it:

• It's to-the-point; although you shouldn't feel the need to be too formal, an EECB is not the place for jokiness or overtly conversational writing styles.
• The structure of the email is easy to follow. If you're having trouble writing a clear EECB, try following her 4-paragraph structure:
  1. this is the shopping event I'm writing about;
  2. this is the accident that happened, and how it was not resolved;
  3. this is why I'm a customer worth keeping (a difficult concept to convey without sounding entitled, and Alicia nails the tone perfectly); and
  4. here is what I want you to do to rectify the situation.
• Emotions, insults, and grand statements against corporations/the decline of American values/humanity in general are kept out of the email.

Hello,

My name is Alicia. On the evening of September 5, 2008, my boyfriend
and I decided to take advantage of your 3-year no interest offer on
new HDTVs at store #204 in Austin, Texas. We selected a 46" Samsung,
which was sent to the front of the store to be loaded into my car.

A helpful employee loaded it into the back of my 2008 Honda Fit.
Unfortunately, in this process my car bumper was damaged. Paint was
scraped off, and several gouges were left. As soon as we noticed the
damage, we called the store we had just purchased the TV from, and
asked to speak to a supervisor. We were transferred to Consumer
Relations line instead. After speaking to a representative named
Renee about the issue, we were put on hold so that she could "process
some information." We waited approximately 30 minutes on hold before
giving up and hanging up. We then called store #204 back, and asked
again to speak to a supervisor, and were again transferred to Consumer
Relations and placed on hold for an extended period of time and again
not helped. We were told by the staff member answering the phone at
the store that there were no other options on whom we could speak to,
thus I am e-mailing you in attempts to receive some kind of resolution
to this issue.

We have been loyal Best Buy customers for upwards of six years. We
have easily spent at least $20,000 between us in that time. Needless
to say, we are very disappointed in the lack of customer service we
have received in this matter.

We would like to remain Best Buy customers, and would like to give
your office the chance to provide the superior customer service we
have received in the past. I am asking that a representative assess
and arrange for repair of damages to my bumper. I have included
several pictures of the damage.

I look forward to hearing from you in regards to this matter.

Thank you for your time,
Alicia

One of the best ways you can approach a company to resolve a problem is as a partner in the business transaction—that is, you are not a victim or (worse still) an opponent, but rather someone who has done business with them and plans to do business again in the future, provided you two can iron out some kink that has recently gotten in the way.

Not everyone has the great hand Alicia had to play, because that "$20k customer" detail she throws out there at the end is pretty steep, but even so we think Alicia's letter is a good example of how to approach a company on equal footing. Even if you're not a big spender with a company, there are other ways you remain valuable to them, including word of mouth and long term repeat business.

RELATED
"How To Launch An Executive Email Carpet Bomb"
"Email Addresses For Best Buy Execs"

The problem with a permanent stop payment is that it places the responsibility on the bank to watch out for that specific check forever, or until their bank policies determine the check has expired. No, we don't think it should cost a consumer over $5 a month to ask the bank to catch the check, but is anyone really surprised that the fee would be set at a level that generates a profit?

Unfortunately—and this is what concerned Jennifer too—experienced scammers may also be aware of the six month window. Attorney Mary Beth Guard tells Bankrate:

"Say you wrote a check for a vacation scam. The scammers know you'll put a stop-payment on it, but they also know that unless there's a special agreement with your bank the order will be valid for only six months. They may wait until after six months to cash the check. If your checkbook is stolen it may be best to close the account and open a new one."

Which brings us to your other option. Jennifer says that she in fact "advised [my] fiance to close the account." We agree, but not because his current bank is behaving any worse than other banks. Depending on the amount of the check and your bank's check expiration policies, it may actually be a more cost effective solution.

Before you place a stop payment:

1. Determine the details of your bank's check expiration policy (or if it even has one);
2. Find out the stop payment fee;
3. Estimate the relative cost (in overall trouble as well as fees) of relocating your checking account to another bank, or in switching your account to a new number at the same bank.

Once you can figure out how many six month renewals it will take to block the check until it expires, you'll know the true cost of blocking that check, and you can determine whether getting a new account will be the cheaper choice.

You should also know that an oral stop payment order only lasts 14 days—you'll need to go into the bank and place a written order for the 6 month policy to kick in.

"Stopping a check payment is expensive" [Bankrate.com]
(Photo: Getty)

Brent called Cash4Gold and immediately and asked for his stuff back. They made a new offer on the phone: $178!

Can you imagine? They covered their smell a little by suggesting that they could manipulate the numbers on their end so that it would look as though he sent in more than he had....suggesting that they were doing HIM a favor by upping his offer to this new, more attractive number.

The two things to remember if you send in your gold to Cash4Gold:

1. Get your gold appraised first so you know what's fair, and reject any unreasonably low offer over the phone so that they have the option of making a counter offer;
2. Do not use their "FAST CASH" option, which offers a direct deposit into your bank account, but forces you to accept their first offer. You will almost certainly be paid a fraction of what your gold is worth.

"Cash4Gold Will Offer One-Third of the Actual Value for your Gold " [Cockeyed.com] (Thanks to Michael!)

Sean writes:

Iron Man was released [this week] on DVD and Blu-Ray and there is much ire in the Blu-Ray community regarding the BD-Live aspects of the disc. When the disc is first booted the disc loads some information from the internet and begins an auto download. This load is taking anywhere from 2 minutes to over 45 minutes.

Last night I struggled for over an hour and half trying to get the disc to play, but all I could get was an "Iron Man" heart on my screen that did nothing but flash. I finally consulted the internet and found some advice on a few forums stating that I needed to change the BD-Live function of my player from Auto to Confirm; then to reload the disc and not allow the BD-Live functionality.

There is no warning on the disc that this initial load could take 30+ minutes to load. And what does this time intensive application do? It loads an interactive quiz that viewers may take during the movie. This should be something that is offered after watching the movie for the first time from the menu, not during initial start up.

I wonder how many consumers are taking the discs back to the retailer thinking the disc is broken or defective, only to get home and see the same thing again.

A post on Consumerist could go a long way towards educating the public on another "wonderful" marketing idea.

Done! Change the BD-Live setting on your player from Auto to Confirm so you're not forced to deal with future auto-connect Blu-ray "features."

This past weekend, I went to Bloomingdales with a gift card that I received two years ago. The salesperson told me it had "expired." I was furious. How could a gift card "expire" after such a short time? How could they take "my" money?

I searched Bloomingdales.com, and learned that gift cards purchased after Feb. 2008 never expire.

That didn't comfort me. Then I sent an email to Customer Service. Lo and behold: they replied with a phone number to call to "restore" the balance in my expired card:

1-866-593-2540

A minute and one phone call later, I have the full $109 back on my card.

It's interesting how no one at the store was willing or able to give me this information — and how there's no directions about it on Bloomingdales.com.

It's instructive to see how Michal is handling the situation, though. He's set up a free blog at Blogspot, and posted scans of receipts and bills, transcripts of online chats, a timeline of what's happened so far, and his email to Rick Germano (SVP of Customer Operations) and the subsequent auto-generated response that was sent back. For anyone who has a problem with Comcast that they can't seem to get resolved, this is a great guide to all the ways you can attempt to communicate with the company.

As new information comes in, he posts it. As of Monday, Comcast's Twitter-monitoring team is on the case. We'll be checking Michal's blog in the coming days to see whether they can succeed where everyone else has failed.

Consumer Complaint (Thanks to Erica!)
(Photo: Getty)

So what exactly is the problem? After 12 online (and phone) disputes to Equifax and 14 calls (and faxes) to the Direct Loan Servicing Center, each party seems to blame the other.

David is fed up with being given the runaround. He's drafted a very clear letter and faxed it not only to Equifax and the Direct Loan Servicing Center, but also:

• U.S. Department of Education Federal Studen Aid Ombudsman
• Nationwide Consumer Rights
• National Association of Consumer Advocates
• The Consumerist

Here's the letter, which we're printing in part to publicize Equifax's negligence but also as a guide for others who face a similar problem:

My name is [redacted] and I write this letter to each representative at once so that the issues of the past two years can be remedied and that the buck can, hopefully, stop being passed in regards to the gross errors on my credit report. I am not some typical, ranting customer who has an axe to grind, but rather someone who has had his Federal Student Loan credit falsely reported since July of 2006.

Just so we are all on the same page, I have filed 12 disputes online with Equifax and have called both Equifax and the Direct Loan Servicing Center 14 times (all documented) since July of 2006.

The issue is that my Federal Student Loan balance of $28,455 is being reported twice on my Equifax credit report. The initial account was opened in 09/2000 and then later consolidated in 07/06. However, rather than the balance for the 09/00 account being reduced to $0.00 and the status appearing as “consolidated”, the balance remained. The $28,455 balance also appears, as expected, on the 07/06 account.

Again, the issue is simply that my pre-consolidation account from 09/00 still has a balance of $28,455 as does my post-consolidation account from 07/06. This appears on my Equifax credit report as though I have a total balance owed to the Direct Loan Servicing Center of $56,910 between two accounts.

The Direct Loan Servicing Center has repeatedly verified that I only have one account with a balance, the 07/06 account, and that my only debt to them is $28,455. This was done by Brian Cornia at DL on 05/08/08 and previously by Stephanie (of Team 2) on 01/29/08.

So what exactly is the problem? After 12 online (and phone) disputes to Equifax and 14 calls (and faxes) to the Direct Loan Servicing Center, each party seems to blame the other. Direct Loans claims repeatedly that they are sending the correct information to Equifax, however, as seen in my credit report (below) from 24/Sep/2008, this is still not the case (this full credit report will also be faxed in full, this can be seen on pages 4 and 5).

It may very well be that Direct Loan Servicing Center is dropping the ball on this, but we feel it's ultimately Equifax's responsibility to ensure the accuracy of the data that it collects, places a value on, and then sells for profit to other companies. By misreporting David's credit history and failing to fix it for 26 months now, they're doing persistent damage to his credit history, and not providing a very reliable service to their own customers either.

(Photo: The Shining)

In the course of searching for a new place to live in Minneapolis, I found a great condo right in the area I was looking for, renting for $900/mo for a 1 bedroom which included electricity, gas, water, sewer, garbage, cable, and high speed internet! Sound too good to be true? You bet...it was a scam.

Now I'm in contact with the scammer. I've reported her to Craigslist (where I found the original post) and to fraudwatchinternational.com. However, all I have right now is her email. I would greatly love some expert advice on a) how to get more info from her without giving her mine (so I can report more than just an email address), and / or b) how to severely mess with what she's trying to do.

For now, I am just playing dumb to keep her talking to me, but I'm running out of ideas. Any suggestions?

We would report her to the FTC and the Internet Crime Complaint Center as well, and then wash our hands of the affair. You could also contact the blog "Here be dragons," which keeps a list of apartment scammers specific to Craigslist. (We looked for your scammer's email address there and didn't find it—maybe you can request that the site add it.)

If you're really into scamming the scammer, you could check out the tips on 419eater.com for how to string a scammer along without divulging any personal information, or visit scamwarners.com for more information on combatting online scams. But seriously, unless you enjoy scam baiting for sport and don't mind the associated risks (as our reader humphrmi points out, your email can be traced if you're not careful), just report the scammer to the sites above and put it behind you.

If you're looking for an apartment, rent.com lists some warning signs of potential rental scams. Watch out for:

• "too good to be true" offers;
• required payment through a wire transfer service (e.g. Western Union) or an online escrow service;
• a landlord in a distant location;
• pressure to complete the transaction asap;
• unusual circumstances that "explain" why the apartment is so cheap, or why it can't be viewed prior to renting;
• a landlord who can't or won't meet with you in person or speak to you over the phone.

#1:

Thank you for your interest. I have available the apartment located at 2800 W 44th St, Minneapolis, MN 55410, with 1 bedroom, 1 living room and 1 bathroom, square ft. 911-933. Because I moved with my job in United Kingdom, London, i need money to pay the rent here which is very expensive and that is the reason i want to rent the apt at this low price and to find a good person for it fast. I can rent you the apt for maximum 5 years this is the period i have contract here but i can rent it for a low period too. I`m the owner of the apt and it's exactly like in the PICS. The rent for 1 month is $900 including all utilities (water, electricity, Internet, cable, parking, air conditioning, fireplace, dishwasher, garbage disposal, microwave, refrigerator). You can move in the apt in the same day when you receive the keys. The only problem is that I`m the only person who has the keys but I hope that we will find a compromise.

Thank you for your interest and wait news from you.

#2:

Thank you for your reply. Like I have inform you before, the price you shall pay for one month of rent will be $900.00 US, with no extra taxes to pay. The money I want to receive it monthly to my bank account, I hope will be no problem for you to wire the money to my bank account. The apartment is ready for you, you will need only to receive the keys and the contract to check it, and see if you like it. Obviously we need a way to complete this deal that will allow us to make sure we receive what we are after. I have found a way for us to complete the deal safely and fast, and in this way you will receive the Keys in less than 2 days, if you move fast as well. The solution is provided by a company called TNT which is similar to FedEx, DHL or UPS, which will handle the payment and delivery of the Keys. I have found a procedure that will allow you to pay for the rent of the apt only after you will receive the keys and rental contract, through this way you will see it and decide if you will stay in the apt or not before I receive my payment.

(Photo: Getty)

Today I ordered 4 utilities without giving my SSN to any of them, and the last 1 of the 4 was AT&T. I asked nicely to not give it. When the CSR ask for my SSN I said "gosh, I really don' t like giving out my SSN, is there a way I can get your product (the specific gas, electricity, tele. service) without giving my SSN." The gas and electricity will do a deposit - spread out over 4 months and after 9 months of consecutive payments I get my deposit back. When I asked AT&T I got the following "We need it in case you don't pay and we need to find you, and you need it to give your SSN to get any utility." I countered with 'I've just got water, electricity and gas TODAY without giving my SSN.' The CSR relented and then asked for my birth date. I got a local service land line from AT&T without giving my SSN.

The takeaway: if you're willing to leave a security deposit, some companies may accept that instead of your SSN. And it never hurts to ask—if the CSR won't budge, you might try calling back at another time to see if you find someone who's more willing work with you.

(Thanks to Jess!)
(Photo: Beige Alert)

Here's an overview of Cory's experience with Quality Van Lines:

• The company raised the fee by 50% on the day of the move;
• Cory was charged for special packing supplies that weren't provided;
• two of the movers were guys hired that morning off the street;
• the agent who worked with the couple to set up the move stopped returning calls, then went on vacation;
• the van was late to Chapel Hill by 5 days;
• the van's driver smashed into Cory's car and damaged it;
• the items arrived badly packed and damaged.

We think one thing Cory should do is post his story online, especially since he's already written a 1400-word account of what happened. [Update: we've posted Cory's full story below] The best way to warn others about a bad company is to publicize the experience. Along these same lines, Tim Walker of MovingScams.com lists a half dozen organizations and websites to contact (including his) to get the word out.

MovingScam.com also has some must-read advice on how to find a reputable moving company. First on their list: skip the online search and look for local companies the old fashioned way (i.e., via phonebook and recommendations), because "while there are some reputable moving companies that have web sites, nearly all of the victims that contact us found their moving company on the Internet."

Your next step is to pick up your phone book, or call your local real estate agents and find at least three moving companies that have offices in your area. Try to find moving companies that have been in business at least ten years, and do not hire a moving broker. Current consumer protection laws related to the movement of household goods only apply to Motor Carriers and not to Household Goods Brokers.

Set up appointments for them to come to your house and do an in-home estimate in the order of your least favorite to your most favorite company. If they won't come to your house to do an in-home estimate, hang up and find another company.

This summer, we decided to move from the Albany, NY area to Chapel Hill, NC with Quality Van Lines from Clifton, NJ. Below is a sort of timeline of our move, and the issues we had while dealing with Quality. I will do my best to keep it succinct.

Before the move

We first received a quote from Quality on approximately June 23, 2008. My girlfriend Ali worked with Alan, who asked her for a list of all of the items we planned on moving. She gave him that list, and he came up with a quote for around 530 cubic feet. Later, on July 28, he provided us with a revised quote for 526 cubic feet ($1628), based on some items that we had decided not to bring with us. Based on this price, and the estimate Alan gave of a 4 day wait between pick-up and drop-off, we decided to book our move with Quality.

Moving day

The movers showed up at the planned time on July 31, and went into our apartment to look at our things. Almost immediately, the foreman told us that there was no chance that our things would only take up 530 cubic feet, and that he could not understand where that estimate came from. We asked if the fact that we had more boxes than we had anticipated could account for such a difference, and he said no. He said that the un-boxed furniture alone (which had all been cataloged in the quote) would take up much more room than we were quoted.

As the movers started bringing our things down to the truck, the foreman took us aside and apologized for two of his helpers (who were not speaking any English). He told us that they did not actually work for the company, and that he had recruited them "off the street" earlier that morning. In addition, we noticed that the promised mattress bags, furniture blankets, and TV crates were not being used. None of our wood furniture received blankets, and the mattresses were simply wrapped in lightweight plastic. The flatscreen TVs were wrapped inside boxes that had to be modified on the spot in order to hold their contents; there was no protective packing material or special-fitting box used on either TV (we had been charged $70 for 'TV Crates').

Once the things were all in the truck, we were told that the total came to 800 cubic feet, which was 52% more space (and money) than we had been quoted. We paid a large chunk of the balance, as well as a $200 tip, and were told our things would be handled as carefully and as quickly as possible.

Waiting for our things to arrive

Once the movers left with our things, we left the Albany area for the long drive down to Carrboro, NC. On Saturday, August 2, Ali gave Alan a call to check in with him and see how the delivery was progressing. She reminded him that he had estimated an August 4 delivery, and he replied that he had never told her that (a flat lie). She asked him what we could reasonably expect, and he basically dodged the question, saying that he would need until Monday to give us an update. So, we called Quality again on Monday and spoke with Alan; he told us that he needed to contact the warehouse, and he would call us back "in 10 minutes". Approximately 90 minutes later, after not receiving any call back, we called again. Alan told us that he had no information for us, and could not tell us when we could expect delivery.

On Tuesday morning (August 5), I called Quality again and asked to speak with Alan's supervisor, as he had been misleading and unhelpful. I ultimately ended up speaking with Moe, who told me that I could expect our things to arrive possibly later that day, but "guaranteed" by Wednesday. After waiting around in an empty apartment and receiving no deilvery or update on Tuesday night, I called again on Wednesday. At this point I was told that, unbeknownst to me, Moe would be out of the office for the rest of the week, and that the drivers would contact us.

That, of course, did not happen. We called the driver directly on Thursday, and he gave us a story about the truck needing repair, and being set back by a day. So, we spoke to Alan. After very rudely telling us that we basically had no reason to complain, he made some calls and told us that the truck was going to arrive in our area late Thursday night. We told him that, no matter how late it showed up, we wanted our things that night; more importantly, we told him that we expected the drivers to contact us directly if that expectation would change. After waiting up (again, in an empty apartment) until well after 1 am, it was clear that our things would not be arriving. We never received a phone call from anybody telling us the plan had changed.

On Friday morning I called the driver directly, and he gave another story about the courier losing the keys. I asked him specifically why he had not called to notify us when that happened, and he did not have an answer. He told us that he expected to arrive that day, but that it would be later in the night. Finally, after several calls trying to verify our correct address (which we had correctly given to several different people), the truck arrived around 8 pm on Friday night (8 days after pick-up, and 5 days after the originally estimated drop-off date).

Delivery

When the moving van arrived, the driver and his assistant were trying to determine the best way to park the truck. Ali suggested that she and I both move our cars to a different lot to give them room, and they agreed. However, before I was able to start my car, the driver had decided to back into his planned spot without waiting for me. While maneuvering his truck, he backed directly into the rear end of my car, causing several thousand dollars worth of damage. After the police were called and a report was filed (and he damaged my car again trying to move the truck), the movers finally opened the truck.

When we looked into the truck, it looked as though everything had been haphazardly thrown into the truck, without any consideration of which items were fragile. As they began removing items, it was clear that this was the case; many of our items were visibly damaged in the gathering darkness, and many of the boxes marked "fragile" were badly beat up (as were their contents). We initiated the claim service, and they replied to us saying that the 60 cents per pound of insurance we had entitled us to a total of $288.

While waiting for the claim service to respond, Moe had personally told me several times that he was aware of problems extending beyond damaged property, and that he wanted to "make it right" with us. However, once we received word of the claim amount, I contacted him and he refused to offer more than $55 on top of the property claim. That is $55 (out of $2400) for the total lack of respect and professionalism, not to mention the broken promises and inconvenience of having a damaged car.

Please keep in mind that this is just a summary; there were several calls which I did not catalog here. We were consistently treated rudely and in an exceedingly unprofessional manner. The lack of communication and follow-through was truly astounding. We expect a more substantial refund in light of all these problems; we think it would be more than fair to pay, in full, the original amount quoted, meaning we would not be charged for the extra cubic footage in light of all of this aggravation. However, Moe has refused to even consider this.

Any suggestions for what we should do would be welcome. Should we pursue small claims court? I doubt that would help, since most all of the promises that were broken were merely verbal. What about reporting the two "off-the-street" workers to the department of labor or INS? Please, we want to be treated fairly, but short of that, we want to punish Quality Van Lines for this horrible experience.

"How to Find a Reputable Moving Company" [MovingScam.com]
"How to File Complaints Against Your Mover" [MovingScam.com]
(Photo: Getty)

Some of Harris' suggestions:

• Paste fringe onto old picture frames
• Glue wooden spoons to spraypainted canvas
• Hang scraps of wrapping paper on the wall

Here's another one:

Pick up old vinyl records from the thrift shop - particularly bad or scratchy ones because we don't want to ruin the good ones. For the sake of musical history, I recommend using old Lawrence Welk albums. Spray these in bright colors and attach them to the wall as instant graphic elements.

Elsewhere, she suggests hanging a curtain in place of your headboard, draping sheets over old furniture, and decoupaging, which is a craft technique that you really should need a license to attempt.

Harris seems aware that her ideas are not exactly mainstream:

Don't worry about the design being ugly. Remember all of the abominably ugly design ideas we have fallen for in the past (think flocked velvet wallpaper, cottage cheese ceilings, and avocado green appliances) just because someone with confidence and an accent told us it was “Fabulous, Dahling!” Your abominibly ugly idea just might be the next “in” thing!

So there you have it: if you want to save money but convince your friends that you've gone off your meds permanently, try out some of these decorating ideas. Now excuse us—we have to go finish this toaster cozy we're making out of hamburger meat trays and used shoelaces.

"Cheap Decor Ideas for Your Living Room" [About.com: Budget Decorating]
"Easy Furniture Makeovers - No Hammer Required!" [About.com: Budget Decorating]
(Photo: Getty)

First the bad news: no, there's no "Do Not Fax" list. However, you you can still file a complaint with the FCC if you're being faxed without permission.

You might also check out JunkFax.org, an advocacy site that's filled with resources to fight junk faxers. JunkFax.org will ask you to provide an email address for some services—they say they want to be able to contact you when there's legislative news in your state—but even if you don't participate in their general cause you can find a lot of useful information, including a lengthy step-by-step process to fight back.

They also suggest you turn to your phone service provider for help:

The foolproof way to actually find out who they are is to call the phone company and have them put a "call trap" on your line (see Investigation tools for more information). Then file a small claims case against "john doe" and fill out a small claims subpoena either to the sheriff or the phone company so they will tell you who is calling you. Then use Abika to find out who they really are if the phone company data didn't reveal that. Then contact them. If they don't stop, sue them.

Finally, if you're willing to spend money rather than time to fight junk faxers, you can invest in equipment or services to filter them out.

I recommend suing telemarketers. I just beat one in Santa Monica Small Claims. And they sent their New York corporate counsel! (They're a huge international company.)

Anyway, I couldn't have done it without the help of a guy in Sacramento—a total stranger who went out of his way to advise me. His name's André-Tascha Lammé, and I found him through his site, KillTheCalls.com

He started it after he was getting 30 calls a day from mortgage brokers. He doesn't do this for a living or anything. Like me, he was just pissed off that they were using his phone and eating his time.

killthecalls.com

P.S. If it's an out-of-state company and you're in California, they have to have an "agent for service of process" on file with the Secretary of State. You look that agent up on the SOS's website and then just have the court serve them certified mail for $15. To sue them in L.A. and maybe in California, you have to have that in-state address—they can't be sued at an out-state one. But legally, if they're doing biz in the state, they must have the AFSOP.

Before all of you start contacting Mr. Lammé directly, you should check out his website, which has a lot of advice on how to successfully take a telemarketer to small claims court.

(Photo: Getty)

Hello. Love the site. Been reading it for years. I have been working at AT&T for a while now. While I have been working at AT&T I have always kept an eye out for ways that can save people money. i have found a way around the connection fee for new connections or transfer orders.

When you set up service set up Internet only, also known as stand alone fast access (STAFA) dsl. There is no fee for connecting StAFA dsl,but there is for hooking up phone service at the new location. Once your order has completed and your dsl is up and running, call us and then order your phone service. Since your dsl is connected we already have the connection needed for a phone line. Wwe flip a switch and your phone normally works by midnight. No connection charges are applied to the new phone connect or dsl if you order it this way.

Depending on what state you are in you can save between 40 - 46 dollars. I dont know if this works nationwide but I know it does for customers in the Southeast region (AL, FL, GA, MS, LA, KY, TN, NC, SC).

So will this work? Let us know in the comments if you try it out.

(Photo: qthrul)

1. You can't have everything you want.
2. Financial institutions are not your friends.
3. Nobody is going to teach you personal finance.
4. You are your own worst enemy.
5. You need to stop watching TV.
6. Personal finance is easy.

What? Personal finance is easy? Yep:

You already know what you need to be successful in personal finances. All you need to do to get your personal finances in order is spend less than you make. It's a concept that even a child can comprehend. Unfortunately, knowing and implementing it are two separate issues.

Much like people wanting to lose weight know that that they need to consume less calories than they use, actually doing it is a lot harder than merely realizing it. Yes, implementing the knowledge is more difficult than simply having it and will require some effort on your part, but that's not an excuse to claim that it's too difficult because the reality is that it is not.

The interesting thing about #3—that nobody is going to teach you personal finance—is that in a related article Strain writes, "Don't spend time learning how to invest." He explains:

When you are first starting to improve your finances, don't make learning how to invest a priority. Instead, put your investing on autopilot and follow the advice of Warren Buffett: "The best way to own common stocks is through an index fund."

Once you've mastered your finances and have saved a nice nest egg, then you'll have time to research individual stockts. Until then, your time will be much better spent on improving your finances through other means.

"Six Awful Truths About Personal Finance" [TheStreet.com]
"7 Counterintuitive Ways to Improve Finances" [TheStreet.com]
(Photo: Getty)

Hello!

Today, I got a nice little email reminder from my bank that I had a new bill from Citicard! This was very surprising to me, as I had just paid off my balance last month. So, I log in to my online bill pay and sure enough, there is a new bill from Citicard for $12.39! Hmmm.... I wondered what that could be for, as I had cut up my card months ago, and I knew I had just paid off the balance. So, naturally, I logged into my online account with Citicard and took a closer look. And to my sheer amazement, I found I was indeed charged a $12.39 finance charge on my account. "Did they not get my payment!?!?", I wondered. So I look a little closer, and pull up my latest statement, and this is what I found!

Now, even though it didn't exactly show what my "previous" balance was at the time this statement was generated, it does show that I made two payments in that billing period. One, which was a balance transfer that I decided to make, (thanks to a lovely post about saving money with lesser- or no-interest balance transfer cards that I saw a couple weeks back on Consumerist.com), and a smaller payment that was the difference in the balance on the card and the amount of the balance transfer payment. I also check the statement from the previous billing period, just to make sure that I had paid the correct amount.

The two amounts matched up, so I quickly snatched up the phone. I called up Citicard, and just held on the line without entering my account number or anything, ( I learned several calls ago, not to enter in my account number and I will eventually get a real person on the line,) and told the customer service lady what my problem was. She was very courteous and even though I had to be put on hold for about 3 minutes, she was able to see the error on Citicard's part and take off the finance charge with no hassle whatsoever.

Being an avid reader of Consumerist.com, I just felt it was worth the time to share this story with the rest of your readers, and to remind them to be vigilant in paying attention to all those little things. Had I not paid close attention to my accounts, I might just have sent another payment in. Thank you Consumerist.com!

Sincerely,
Thalen's Mom

(Photo: TheTruthAboutMortgage.com)

Here are the things Burley says you should never say:

• You're contacting a lawyer or going to sue;
• You're going to get the CSR fired;
• You're going to bankrupt the company;
• Any sort of cursing, sexual innuendo, or bigoted language;
• You're never shopping there again;
• You're going to contact the media;
• You're going to kill the CSR or anyone else.

As for what you should say:

• "What's your name?"
• [to yourself] "Be calm."
• "We..." (act as though you and the CSR are part of a team working to solve the problem)
• "My goal is..."
• "I'm not going away."
• "Escalate."
• "Thank you."

These general guidelines are worth remembering whenever you need to launch an Executive Email Carpet Bomb as well. Check out our guidelines on how to launch your own EECB, or review our collection of posts on EECBs that have worked for other readers.

"7 Things You Should Never Say to Customer Service" [AARP]
"Seven Things You Should Always Say to Customer Service" [AARP] (Thanks to George!)
(Photo: Getty)

The secret, apparently, is to make every third or fourth yes mean something entirely new through the magic of inflection—but you'll have to stay committed to it even when the telemarketer catches on, which may result in a self-inflicted insult.

"How to torment telemarketers with one word" [YouTube via Neatorama]

Last year, I worked for Walmart.com as an inbound frontline agent, and was promoted to a resolutions agent several months later...so I know my stuff. This is my advice to the person with the issues with walmart.com.

I used to work for one of the walmart.com call centers a few months ago and have heard stories like this way too many times, especially with the Nintendo Wii bundles. That is part of the reason that they have removed the number from their website and require customers to send in emails now, that a good bit of the agents that are in the US instead of the Philippines barely read...which explains the reply you received. That experience is why I don't even shop at walmart now.

In Walmart.com world, the charge "supposedly" does not clear until the order ships. Until then, it is placed as a hold on your account. If the item has not shipped by the date promised, it can be marked as "lost in transit", even though it really isn't lost, it can be placed in this category according to walmart.com policies told to us agents. Some company documents specify a time period of a week after the estimated arrival date to be considered lost in transit. Because of the price, a supervisor will have to mark the customers account so that they can be refunded. After this happens, the funds will take around a week to be credited (even though a supervisor will tell you 2-3 business days).

Another way to get refunded is to have your credit card/bank card issuer to contact walmart.com and verify that the order is technically "lost in transit". This will verify to the bank that this item is not going to be shipped. By doing this, the bank can then lift the hold. Walmart.com agents can also contact your bank to have the hold removed.

These are the only two ways that I know of that walmart.com will be able to refund the money. Mind you, I did work there until late last year, so some policies may have changed. I hope that you will be able to resolve this soon. I know how hard it is dealing with walmart.com.

Sincerely,
A former Walmart.com Call Center Resolutions Agent

In 2006 I received a pre-approved card from Capital One, I had used it once or twice and always payed my bill on time, In early spring of 2007 I had cut up the card as I did not want to use it anymore, and just wanted to pay it off. In Jan of 2008 I was no longer able to log in to the online bill payment section of the site, which was fine for the first month as I just sent a check in the mail to pay the bill.

I moved in Feb and called them to change my address, I had the lady on the line repeat it back to me to make sure it was correct and it took her 3 time to get it correct.

I had also asked her to fix my online account so I could pay my bill online once more and she transferred me to the online support. I asked the guy who I was talking to to fix the account and he said that he would un-freeze it. (I never bothered to ask why it was frozen in the first place). He told me to wait up to 24 hours for it to become unfrozen before I log in, I tried to log in later that week to pay my bill, and was still unable to.

As I was unable to pay my bill online I just waited for my statement and once again payed with a check, I payed with a check until May when I called to ask them to fix my account once again, and they claimed I had a bad check. But upon checking my bank statement It showed that the check went through.

In total I had talked to over 10 people during a three month period, and payed over 200 dollars to them. I requested a new card, which was never received.

This last week I had payed my bill 2 weeks before it was due, and payed more than the minimum amount. I checked on the account today and noticed that the payment went through and somehow I now have a past due payment, which I did not have before, and that I was -0 available credit, I don't see how this is possible seeing as I had been paying the minimum amount each month for a year, without using my card and had over 100 dollars available earlier that week and that it went down after paying my bill...

I have tried to fix this multiple times with no results... I am a young individual, and now I have horrible credit... Was just hoping you guys could help.

Perfect Credit, no more... Thanks Capital one

Okay, Joseph. We're not sure what your current balance is, or your current financial situation, but here's what we think you should do to fix this situation.

First, go over your story and document it in as much detail as possible—there's a lot of gaps in the above account. The months where your check cleared but they marked it late are particularly important. Also document to the best of your recollection every customer service call you made, what it was you requested on that call, and whether or not it was followed-up on the Capital One side. If you started using the account again after cutting up the card, or if you took cash advances, note it. Put all of this in a single document and make sure it's easy for you to reference while you're on the phone.

Make sure you have a case before the next step—if it turns out you mailed payments later than you thought, or missed a month, or you charged up your balance again in the past 12 months and forgot to include that in your story, then accept responsibility. When you contact Capital One, it should be to request that they correct an error on their part that you have clearly documented—not to help bail you out of a mistake you made.

Call Capital One's executive customer service line and request assistance. (Try these numbers: 703-720-2500 and 800-548-4593.) Explain that you've been repeatedly locked out of your account, that your checks are clearing before the due date yet payments are being marked late, etc. Make it clear what you want to accomplish, for example:

• remove any incorrect late fees
• regain online access to your account
• receive a new card

If Capital One can't help you and you have proof that you're right and they're wrong, file a dispute with each credit reporting agency. Check out this post for advice on how to file disputes.

Another thing you should do if Capital One won't help you is close the account. You'll have to pay it off like an open credit card but won't have access to it anymore, and yes, it will impact your credit score. But if you can't trust Capital One to report your payments correctly and they refuse to help you correct the matter, you're better off avoiding them entirely and waiting for another credit offer to come along to build up credit. The ding from closing the account will be less damaging than repeated dings from billing errors, if they won't fix them.

Stay on top of your credit history and Capital One—remember to check your credit report every four months. It's free if you use annualcreditreport.com and request your free report from only one of the three agencies each time. Do not use freecreditreport.com!

And lastly, always pay more than the minimum on any credit card bill, even if it's just $5-10. You'll ultimately save more money in the long run by paying less interest, and some creditors may even report you as paying more than the minimum.

"A Primer for Young People Starting Their First Job" [New York Times]
(Photo: webg33k)

Trent at The Simple Dollar blog has a post about how to say no, especially to charitable requests. One of his readers describes the problem:

I am a sucker for girl scouts selling cookies. I am a sucker for salesman at stores. I am a sucker for my church when they need money for something. I am a sucker for friends and family who need to borrow money. I am a sucker for the Green Party or Green Peace when they call and ask for money all the time. I have heard it called “The Disease to Please” before and I just wanted you to know how much it affects me not only with a lot of stress and anxiety, but also financially.

The solution, advises Trent, is to pre-plan your charitable giving—then if someone isn't on your list, you can truthfully say it's beyond your control. And then slam the door on them.

He points out that while it may be hard for you to say no to people and organizations you agree with, if you pre-plan as he advises, then you have a very compelling reason to turn down the next request that wasn't on your list.

It takes practice, especially for tenderhearted people who aim to please, but by not saying no, you’re actually taking money out of the hands of the things you really care about. Saying yes to the salesman in the store means that you now have less money to spend on stuff you actually need - or on charities you actually care about. Saying yes to the person knocking on your door means you have less money to give to the people you actually care about who need it.

Every time you say “yes” outside of your plan, you let down something you care about even more. Once you really learn that, “no” becomes a much easier thing to say.

"The Sucker Factor: The Cost of Being Unable to Say No - And How to Get Out of It" [The Simple Dollar]
(Photo: Getty Images)

Food's getting too expensive, leaving us with two choices: lose our lead on per capita obesity, or find new ways to save money. We're not the type of nation to give up a first place position on anything, so that leaves us with saving money, and one way to do this is to make your own stuff. We know, it's crazy! Apparently early settlers somehow created their own Cheetos and Frappuccinos, but we're not going to get that primitive. Instead, here's a quick rundown of some interesting Do It Yourself tutorials we found that might give you some ideas on how to cut costs the next time you go grocery shopping.

Make Your Own Baby Food
The process is pretty easy—puree the food and strain it. This post suggests you spoon individual servings into an ice tray, then cover it with plastic wrap and freeze it. "Then, put the frozen blocks of food into a freezer bag." The author doesn't go on to mention thawing out the food, which leaves us with images of her babies sucking toothlessly on foodsicles, but we assume you're supposed to reheat the food when you're ready to use it.

Of course, if you need advice on how to make your own baby, you can head over to our sister site Fleshbot.

Make Your Own Instant Oatmeal
Trent at The Simple Dollar makes his own instant oatmeal packets. Instant oatmeal is a simple recipe, which means even the kitchen-phobic can accomplish this without ruining anything. Trent writes that the initial batch actually comes out to slightly more per serving than prepackaged, if you factor in the purchase of one-time supplies like reusable baggies and salt. Batch #2 is the same price as pre-packaged, and batch #3 is where the real savings kick in.

While this is a great idea, we think you can go one better and forego the plastic bags entirely, which drops the cost per serving immediately. Baggies are good if you have to eat your breakfast in the break room at work, but otherwise the "recipe" is so simple that you can assemble it on the spot each morning in less than 30 seconds. If you follow Trent's advice to grind up some of the oatmeal to make the final product thicker, simply grind up a predetermined amount and keep it in a plastic container.

Make Your Own Ice Cream and Sorbet
Real ice cream requires cooking a custard first, and you'll have to purchase eggs, heavy cream, and milk, which are exactly the sort of ingredients that are going up in price. Since the point is to save money, you're better off buying in-season fruit and trying your hand at sorbets.

This is maybe the funniest/laziest sorbet recipe we can find: freeze a can of fruit, then puree it in a blender with a little liquor. (We're going to try this over the weekend.)

If you're too lazy to puree and blend, go even simpler and just make ice pops.

Make Your Own Hot Dogs
Just kidding.

The Big Question: Is This Really Worth My Time?
If you're asking yourself that, there's a good chance you already know the answer: you probably feel your time is better suited doing something more productive and/or entertaining.

However, Trent the Oatmeal Guy writes that he made his instant oatmeal packets while talking on the phone with his mother. We've discovered family phone calls are the perfect time to multitask with housework and kitchen activities, especially if you have a hands-free headset.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Over the last 12-24 months, I've been annoyed with about 3-4 mailings a week from Chase for various add-on services and useless products. Already a customer of theirs, I did not appreciate this onslaught of advertising. Here's a quick opt-out website in which you can cancel all direct marketing letters from Chase... dnmoptions.chase.com.

1. Use their form to generate 17 ready-to-mail requests to different direct mail companies. DoNotMail will take the data you enter and create a PDF document with all 17 letters ready to print and send. If you don't want to enter your personal info into a random site, you can use fake data and then download the PDF document for a reference to create your own letters.

2. Contact Opt-Out Prescreen online or at 1-888-567-8688 (888-5-OPT-OUT) from your home telephone .

3. Email your removal request to Abacus Direct at optout@abacus-us.com

3. Remove your name from ADVO Inc. by calling 1-888-241-6760 or completing the form at www.advo.com/consumersupport.html

4. Fill out the form on the Direct Marketing Association's website at www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing

5. Email your removal request to Publishers Clearinghouse at privacychoices@pchmail.com

6. Get off Val-Pak's list by filing out the form at http://www.coxtarget.com/mailsuppression/s/DisplayMailSuppressionForm

7. To remove yourself from Acxiom's list, you must request a mail-in opt-out form by calling 1-877-774-2094.

8. DoNotMail.com notes, "Catalogs may stop coming when your other removal requests are processed, but you can always call the catalog company."

"Stop getting junk mail" [DoNotMail.org]
"Phone numbers and websites to opt out of junk mail" [DoNotMail.org]
(Photo: Joe Shlabotnik)

Here are tips 1-9, from the "Numbers to Call" section:

1. "Read The Consumerist."
Done.

2. "Go to the collections department."
This is a department companies will actually devote resources to, so your odds of reaching a live person can jump dramatically.

3. "Search EDGAR."

4. "Find important numbers through Whois.net."

5. "Call the number for new service."
As with the collections, companies have a strong incentive to provide efficient customer service to possible new customers, so pretend to be one.

6. "Find the right number."
VOIP-News writes, "If you find a specialized number, you're more likely to get through quickly." We agree only if it's truly a special, not-revealed-to-the-public number—otherwise you risk falling back into the company's automated system and miss your chance to game it.

7. "Call the retentions department."
See #2 and #5 above.

8. "Do a Web search for the company."
"Hit your favorite search engine and enter the company's name, plus terms such as 'president,' 'investor relations' or 'executive service.'" You should also try similar searches on Consumerist for past contact info posts.

9. "Find disgruntled customers."
"Again, search engines can help you locate numbers if you enter phrases such as 'I hate company X' or 'company X sucks.'"

(Thanks to Andy!)

"PBX Hell: 50-Plus Hacks and Tips to Get to a Real Person at Any Corporation in 10 Seconds or Less" [VOIP-News]
(Photo: Getty)

Hi Consumerist,

I've been reading your website for quite a while and need some help for my brother. He went to Bay Ridge Nissan in Brooklyn, NY to lease a Nissan Pathfinder. He negotiated the deal to 311 a month and 1200 out of pocket costs. When I went with him to the dealership on Wednesday to pick up the car and sign the paperwork, the numbers were all changed. They added a bunch of fees, including a mysterious prep fee. After much negotiating, we decided not to buy the vehicle. My brother had left a $500 deposit earlier, and they said he would get it back.

Today, the salesman called and begged him to come take the car. After he said no, the salesman said he's not getting his deposit back. The salesman also intercepts any phone calls to the manager and says we must only speak to his manager and his manager will be in tomorrow. He said we'd be surprised at what he can make up to keep the deposit. I'm wondering what to do to get the deposit back.

Your other recourse is to take the dealership to small claims court, where you stand a good chance of getting back your money.

Whatever you decide to do, you should also report the dealership to the New York Attorney General's office via their complaint form, and while you're there read up on their advice and warnings for car buyers in New York.

"How To Kick A Scammy Car Dealer In The Nuts"
"Suing Big Companies In Small Claims Court Is Fun And Easy"
"How To Take Your Case To Small Claims Court"
"Consumer Issues" [NYSOAG ]

RELATED
Tips
"Dealerships Rip You Off With The "Four-Square," Here's How To Beat It"
"13 Step Method For Buying A Car While Controlling The Sale And The Price"
"Buying A Car: Always Up The Ante"
"The Art of The Buy: Hide Your Time Wisely"

Scams
"Reader Falls Victim To Spot Delivery Dealership Scam"
"Car Dealership Bilks Old Man and Steals $2000 With His ATM Card"

Now might be a good time to remind people that they can opt-out of pre-screened offers of credit. In light of the HSBC debacle I've been victim of, I checked out my credit report yesterday. I was amazed at how often the major credit card companies (AMEX, Capital One, Bank of America, etc...) access my credit history in order pre-screen me for promotional purposes. Consumers can opt-out at: www.optoutprescreen.com

OptOutPrescreen.com

RELATED
"HOWTO: Stop the Direct Marketers"

Here are some sample tips:

• The one way you can really succeed in the world of haggling is to research prices beforehand. Go from store to store and compare prices, go online; check out auctions and whole seller prices - know what you are dealing with. This information is extremely essential as it does give you a firm backing.


• Before you start to haggle, set a price for yourself - if this price is exceeded in the haggle battle, simply say 'thank-you' and walk away. Most of the times the vendor will come after you and agree on your price.


• Keep your cool at all times. The second you become angry, you are no longer haggling but are arguing.


• Point out any imperfections in the product - it will get you a lower price.


• When the vendor quotes a high price, look at him in astonishment. For the most part he may feel that he has scared you and will back down on the price.

howtohaggle.com

Section 1: "I've been wronged! What do I do next?"
Section 2: The Consumerist Corporate Executive Directory
Section 3: Success Stories

 
SECTION 1: "I'VE BEEN WRONGED! WHAT DO I DO NEXT?"
It's broken. It's been disconnected. It was charged eight times to your credit card. It never arrived. Whatever the problem is, here's the Consumerist plan of attack.

Step 1: Get things ready