On June 14, I returned three pairs of hose to Silkies Hosiery. I never ordered this hosiery, never signed a contract, never called anyone, never wished to enter its sweepstakes, so how dare this company create an account in my name and send unsolicited merchandise along with an invoice for $13.96 stamped "please pay promptly"? This is not right. This marketing strategy is an invasion of my time and my resources and has to stop. I would appreciate your looking into this matter. Beth Tarnowski
Response: Dolly Rymarczuk, customer service representative for Silkies Hosiery/HCI Direct in Philadelphia, thanks you for returning the hose and said your account has been canceled. The hose was sent in conjunction with the company's offer to participate in its "no obligation to buy" hosiery program. The initial offer was for a free pair of pantyhose, followed by a three-pair shipment on approval unless the customer instructed otherwise. Rymarczuk said the company regrets any misunderstanding and hopes you consider the matter satisfactorily resolved.
She sent us a copy of the offer to which you responded, signed "Thanks . . . Beth T," just above your printed name and address. Perhaps you forgot you responded. We will send you a copy to jog your memory. If, after receiving it, you determine that it is not your signature, we suggest you contact the postal inspector in case someone intercepted your mail and responded to the offer without your knowledge.
Caddy has defective sensor
I purchased a new Cadillac from a dealer in Texas in 1995. I had various problems with the car and took it to the Texas dealer, then a Florida dealer, as well as several other certified shops. But I never complained to Cadillac until my most recent problem. This is the first Cadillac I have owned, and one of the selling features was a state-of-the-art computerized system and a computerized self-adjusting suspension system.
In April, I started receiving a message on my computer monitor every time I started the engine telling me "service ride control." I took the car to a GM dealer. My service consultant and the other service managers checked it for two days and told me that the struts were okay but that a defective sensor in the left front strut was sending a "service ride control" signal to the computer.
The service consultant checked with Cadillac and learned that a Cadillac bulletin addresses this problem. It states that if this problem arises, the electronic computerized self-adjusting struts should be replaced with ordinary nonelectronic, noncomputerized, non-self-adjusting struts and a relay wired around the defective sensor to avoid the "service ride control."
The total cost of doing so would be $2,000. I was told that the defective sensor is an integral part of the strut and there are no equivalent replacement struts for my car. If I followed the Cadillac bulletin and paid $2,000 to replace the struts that are functioning okay except for the defective sensor, I would no longer have the state-of-the-art computerized self-adjusting suspension system that Cadillac sold me. I would, in effect, have a different car, an inferior car.
I paid the GM dealership for the diagnosis and left with my car. I called Cadillac to complain and was told by the representative that he could do nothing for me. I also wrote a letter May 9 to the address he gave me.
On May 22, I received a call from a lady who said she was calling for the general manager of Cadillac. She said our Cadillac is eight years old; the company cannot be expected to stock parts forever. When I told her that the dealers I had consulted had said that the sensor had never been available as a part for this particular car, she said she wanted to make a deal with me. I asked her to put it in writing. She said that no offer would be put in writing but that she would send me a certificate for $1,000 that would be good for a short period toward the purchase of a new Cadillac. I told her that this was an insult, and the conversation was terminated.
Can you do anything for us? Your help would be appreciated. Arthur Sloan
Response: Marissa Byrum, executive assistant with GM Cadillac in Detroit, Mich., said she tried to call you three times at the beginning of August, but her calls were never returned. Cadillac values its customers and doesn't want to lose even one, she said. However, the struts do not need to be replaced. The sensor is simply malfunctioning and needs to be disconnected.
She said no manufacturer should be expected to stock parts for all makes and models forever. She also asked that you call her at (313) 667-7153 so she can further discuss this and clarify Cadillac's position because it is the company's policy to discuss complaints only with the customer.
- Action solves problems and gets answers for you. If you have a question, or your own attempts to resolve a consumer complaint have failed, write Times Action, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or call your Action number, (727) 893-8171, or, outside of Pinellas, toll-free 1-800-333-7505, ext. 8171, to leave a recorded request.
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