Reader Mike asks:

We purchased 2 46′ Magnavox hdtv’s on Dec 9th, 2007. At the time of purchase, Sears was offering a 0% interest for 24 months.

We have been being billed for interest for the past few months and I have been unable to resolve this.

The department manager “max” said it was an error entering the promotion in and he would take care of it. Nothing was done however. I talked with the executive customer support people this morning, so we’ll see.

Any suggestions? I am a teacher, and my wife stays at home with our kids. These tv’s were Christmas presents for our parents, and I cannot afford the interest that is being unfairly charged.

Ordinarily, we’d suggest that you try to escalate your complaint with an EECB (executive email carpet bomb), but since it’s Sears we’re talking about here there’s probably no point. We suggest that you gather all of your paperwork together and file a small claims lawsuit against Sears for the interest that you’ve been wrongly charged. We believe that this will get the fastest response. It sounds scary, but suing big corporations in small claims court can be fun and easy.

If small claims court isn’t your thing, or you feel it isn’t worth the (modest) court costs, you can also report them to the BBB and your state’s attorney general. Sometimes that does get Sears’ attention. Not often, but sometimes.

Anyone else have any suggestions? We’d love to hear about tactics that work with Sears, if you know any.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.