Fearless Consumer


Mulch madness: Trashy debris sparks suit Published on Mar 16th, 2006 0 comments Heard the one about the termite-infested Lousiana mulch? According to one alarmist email, trees ravaged by Katrina "were turned into mulch and the state is trying to get rid of tons and tons"...
Off FCC complaint gets fast response Published on Mar 9th, 2006 0 comments "Cingular is not meeting my needs," Winston Barham informed the Federal Communications Commission, "and I wish to be released from my contract." Barham got his wish– not because he...
Open-door policy: High tech gizmo traps pup Published on Mar 2nd, 2006 0 comments Pity poor Lucy the beagle: Last June her owners– I mean, of course, her parents– spent $250 on an electric pet door, and things were looking great: All Lucy had to do was get near...
Post the policy: Facts make returns easy Published on Feb 16th, 2006 0 comments Which is likelier to be fraught with consumer angst: buying a used car or buying a pair of earrings? Okay, okay– buying a used car. But after doing the research for this week's column, I can...
Buyers' remorse: Fine print has important info Published on Feb 2nd, 2006 0 comments "You should have handed us 'Stupid' T-shirts when we walked out the door." That's what Jennifer Hopkins claims she told Brown Toyota's used-car manager, Steve Simmons, when she and her husband...
Check the check: Learn to scam scammers Published on Jan 26th, 2006 0 comments Beware of email bearing gifts– or, more precisely, those swearing on a stack o' Bibles that you've won a sweepstakes. That's the word from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in...
Collect call: Kick credit complaints 'upstairs' Published on Jan 12th, 2006 0 comments Dealing with a collection agency is never pleasant– but dealing with one when it's not your debt they're determined to collect can be downright devilish. That's what Cindy Walker learned...
Rug redux: Purcell blames customer's recall Published on Dec 8th, 2005 0 comments "I didn't screw the old bird": That's how Mason Purcell sums up her dispute with 84-year-old Carol Lawson over the terms of a rug sale. A curious way to describe a customer, perhaps, but since...
Lethal cleaning: Towee balks at $700 fee Published on Nov 24th, 2005 0 comments What's the difference between having a wreck in Albemarle County and having a wreck in the City? Answer: If you're in the County and you need a tow, the police can call Lethal Wrecker. In the City,...
Seared: Customer bolts after appliance snafu Published on Nov 17th, 2005 0 comments "It appears that no one at Sears, including the general manager, cares about customer relations. I have a few more months to pay off the charge for the appliances, and when I do I will return my...
No cheers: Slow refund leaves sour taste Published on Nov 10th, 2005 0 comments Before Rita Salsini, with her husband and three daughters, moved to Charlottesville last April, she scoured the Internet to get acquainted with their new home. After checking out neighborhoods,...
Cold shoulder: Sears fridge heads south Published on Nov 3rd, 2005 0 comments "While I don't want to appear to be a whiner or complainer," Bob Garland began his email, "I feel compelled to relate an unbelievably bad customer service experience with the Charlottesville Sears...
No love above: Barclay Place works it out Published on Oct 27th, 2005 0 comments "Come home to Barclay Place," its website urges, a "peaceful retreat" where one can "appreciate the residential-like seclusion in prestigious Albemarle County." While the English majors among us...
That sucks: No warranty on vac crack Published on Oct 20th, 2005 0 comments Scot Walk calls his foray into the world of used vacuums "a cautionary tale," and he's right– but perhaps not for the reason he cites. Walk ascribes his difficulties to the store, Vac & Sew...
Gutter snipes: What if the helmet leaks? Published on Oct 13th, 2005 0 comments Gutter Helmet's promise– "Never clean your gutters again!"– was mighty appealing to Rey Berry. "Since leaves and debris are a four-times-a-year cleaning problem at my house," he explained...
Finger foods: Wilted service at White Orchid Published on Oct 6th, 2005 0 comments A recent Dish column about White Orchid, the new Vietnamese restaurant on West Main Street ["Paris transplant," September 8], chronicled its romantic roots: The owners, Duyen Nguyen and Leonard...
Burned up: Wolf can't work <I>sans</I> caps Published on Sep 29th, 2005 0 comments Ron Martin Appliance has been through some turbulent times, beginning with the death of founder Ron in 2003, followed by the growing– or, rather, the shrinking– pains that ensued after...
Mishandled: Suitcase skips Sorrento Published on Sep 22nd, 2005 0 comments Sarah Kirchner is a world-class optimist: Even though her luggage got lost the last time she went abroad, she refused to let that stop her from entrusting her precious cargo, once again, to the...
Straight flush: The septic system that wasn't Published on Sep 15th, 2005 0 comments Talk about a rude surprise: When sewage backed up in the crawl space of their house last April, Caley Clark and Steve Oberhauser called a local company to pump the septic tank. Except... it turns out...
Court report: Tales of two wrecker companies Published on Sep 8th, 2005 0 comments Noted towing company owner George Morris savored a rare victory in Albemarle County Circuit Court last week when he was found not guilty of assault. I say "rare" because Morris, who owns Lethal...
Framed: Talking bedroom set-up blues Published on Aug 25th, 2005 0 comments If you wanted to chisel a set of Consumer Commandments on a tablet of stone but only had room for two, I would suggest making "communicate clearly" the first and "don't get towed" the second. Lack of...
All wet: Rec class refund swamped Published on Aug 11th, 2005 0 comments As the subject line for an email, "aquatic nightmare" might be expected to include a shark, a riptide, or the catastrophic failure of diving gear. Instead– as I learned to my disappointment...
Treat or retreat: Tackling termites every year Published on Jul 28th, 2005 0 comments What's wrong with this joke? A termite walks into a bar in Alaska, sits down next to another termite, and says, "Is the bar tender here?" "The other termite replies, "I don't know– I haven't...
A real downer: Case of the missing pillows Published on Jul 21st, 2005 0 comments When Katie Phillips-Jones talks about her "honeymoon of a lifetime," she isn't referring to the last night of her wedding trip. The events of that night– or, more precisely, the six weeks it...
Chaos theory: Customers boil over appliance mix-ups Published on Jul 14th, 2005 0 comments When two readers have the same problem with the same business at the same time, I've learned that the situation is probably more complex than most consumer disputes. That proved to be the case with...
Left behind: When the dumpster <I>is</I> the trash Published on Jul 7th, 2005 0 comments Here's a challenge I'll bet the home-makeover shows have yet to tackle: how to incorporate a loaded, smelly Dumpster into a front-yard design and make it seem like a pleasing part of the landscape....
Moldering claim: New roof comes too late Published on Jun 30th, 2005 0 comments "I have gone down the drain," Mildred Crenshaw says. Crenshaw, at 75, claims she has a house she can't live in and an apartment she can't afford, at $800 a month, to stay in much longer. Her biggest...
Morris settles: Lethal to pay back towees Published on Jun 23rd, 2005 0 comments It's a rare man who agrees to pay for ads that invite people to sue him– but then, George Morris has never been one to follow the crowd. Take his many turns in this column, for instance; I've...
Casey's jonesin': For an easy 911 escape Published on Jun 16th, 2005 0 comments Talk about a really bad place to have a blowout: while approaching the summit of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. Now, this isn't just any bridge; at its peak, it soars 188 feet above the Delaware River...
THE FEARLESS CONSUMER- Mail call: Cingular's singular pricing plan Published on Jun 9th, 2005 0 comments When Julia Blodgett heard that Cingular was rated worst for customer service among cell-phone companies in 2004, she wasn't surprised. She'd devoted a good chunk of time and energy to a billing...