Action: Carpet steam-cleaner piled on the charges

I responded to a flier from a company to steam-clean my carpets for $35 for five rooms. My bill lists all sorts of other charges: deep scrub cleaning, precondition, sani and Teflon stainshield. Why? He did it all in one operation?

I felt very intimidated by this man. He talked nonstop and said he liked to argue with customers. He told me about a lady who didn't want her carpet sanitized. He told her that she needed to have that done and that if they had to come back another day to do it, he could guarantee it would cost her more money. "Well, she did call back, and they charged her some more money," he said.

Why did he tell me this? To scare me? I was standing there with the bill in my hand, and I didn't think I had a choice, so I gave him my credit card. I just wanted him to leave. If you can do anything, I'll be very grateful. Ruth Kieffer

Response: Unfortunately, we can't help you. However, we can give you tips for preventing something similar from happening in the future.

Your story sounds sadly familiar. We have warned readers in the past about cleaning companies that advertise professional carpet cleaning for an incredibly low price. Though there are legitimate businesses that perform the services they advertise, in some cases, such as yours, once the carpet cleaner shows up, the charges start to skyrocket as fees are added. Did the man tell you he was going to add on the high-priced services? The time to address what work will be performed is before it is begun.

But before you even let someone in your door, it's always a good idea to check a company's complaint history by calling your consumer protection department, if your area has one, and the Better Business Bureau. We note that the company's flier did not give a physical address. This can be a red flag. In addition, you said you signed the work order/contract before the charges were added up. In case you didn't read the fine print underneath it, your signature indicated that you were satisfied with the work.

We were not surprised that you felt intimidated into paying the bill. Your experience highlights another potential problem with inviting an unknown business into your home. Once there, it can be very difficult to get the salesperson to go. We hear countless stories about consumers caving in and buying the product or paying the bill just to get them to leave. You do have the option of calling the police. If you fear for your safety, leave your home and call the police.

To help your fellow consumers in the future, you can always file a complaint against this company with the Better Business Bureau at toll-free 1-877-535-5609. Based on where you live, you may also call Pasco County Consumer Affairs at (727) 847-8110. Keep in mind that state and federal consumer protection agencies are not always able to intervene in individual disputes. However, they do look for patterns of complaint, which aid future law enforcement efforts.

Persistence pays off

I purchased a cellular phone on Sunday, Sept. 29, from WirelessRetail/MobileGateway at a Kmart store in north St. Petersburg. I went back to the store the next day to return the phone. The contract gave me three days to do so. It turns out the MobileGateway phone booth isn't staffed Monday through Thursday, so I got a note from Kmart staff affirming that I attempted to return the phone within the three-day period.

I returned to the store the next Friday, Oct. 4, to get a credit for the full amount of $125.14. The salesman refused to honor my request and sent me to Verizon in downtown St. Petersburg.

The woman at Verizon checked to see if the phone had been activated. It had not. She said there was no reason the phone could not be returned. She called MobileGateway and was told it does not get involved in individual associate sales. She sent me back to MobileGateway, where my salesman deferred to his supervisor, declaring he would get fired if he took the phone back. His supervisor also refused to honor my request although he did refund the charger that cost $17. Willie Bland

Response: John Kosir, quality assurance supervisor with WirelessRetail in Scottsdale, Ariz., said that you have been contacted by Mike Heasley, southeast regional manager, and arrangements have been made for you to return the phone for a full refund.

- Action solves problems and gets answers for you. If you have a question, or your attempts to resolve a consumer complaint have failed, write: Times Action, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or call your Action number, 893-8171, or, outside of Pinellas, (800) 333-7505, ext. 8171, to leave a recorded request for Action. Names will not be omitted except in unusual circumstances. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

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