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Action: Review your bills for wrong charges

Q: I recently received products from ITV I didn't order. I was placed on auto-ship and ITV is charging my credit card for $124.80.

By Suzanne Palmer, Times Staff Writer
Published February 11, 2008

Q: I recently received products from ITV I didn't order. I was placed on auto-ship and ITV is charging my credit card for $124.80.

I don't know how ITV got my name, address or credit card information. The company left a toll-free number on my answering machine, but it doesn't work. I'd appreciate it if you could put a stop to these orders and help me get a refund.

Shirley Prince

A: Catherine Ratliffe, vice president of customer service for ITV, sent a stock reply stating, "We have been in contact with this customer and the issue has been resolved."

The copy of a letter you received from ITV sheds a little more light on the situation.

Ratliffe said ITV has a phone recording of your order, which it reviewed. "You called in to us," she said, "and placed this order and agreed to auto-shipment of these items, supplying us with your name, address, phone, e-mail and credit card information."

You apparently returned the items without phoning the company for a return authorization number, which slowed down ITV's ability to trace them.

Ratliffe said you had disputed the charges with your credit card company and received a refund by the time Action became involved.

You confirmed you'd received your refund.

When two sides of a complaint are so vastly different, I am intrigued. Was there someone else in your home who might have placed the order? Could someone have done so as a prank?

If you suspect either might be true, I urge you to check your credit card and bank statements carefully for charges you don't recognize. You might even want to get a copy of your credit report, just to make sure no new accounts have been opened in your name.

Q: For about two months, I've been trying to get a $30 referral rebate from Juno.com.

I referred my parents to the service, which they subscribed to, and they filled out the information for me to get the rebate. I've called four times, but representatives keep telling me to e-mail its referral and support department.

If I don't get this rebate, my folks and I will cancel our service.

Rana Pazelli

A: There won't be any need for that, says Scott Matulis, vice president of corporate communications for Juno's parent company, United Online.

He said the company's first check obviously didn't make it to your mailbox. He sent another on Jan. 18 that you should have received. Juno contacted you with its apologies, Matulis said.

Q: I believe Sun Toyota in Holiday is producing misleading advertising when it says, "We finance everyone!"

I visited the dealership in late May or early June last year. I wanted to buy a used car. After two hours of test-driving vehicles, I found the one that would fit my needs and budget and went into the sales office to initiate the paperwork for financing.

I advised the salesman that I had a child support payment showing delinquent on my credit report, but I had disputed it. He said he spoke to the credit manager at Sun Toyota's main location and was told to go ahead and process the loan.

I had waited about 30 or 45 minutes when the financing manager came out and rudely said my only option was a cash purchase.

The financing manager said my FICO score was high enough, but the delinquent child support payment was the reason to turn down my request.

I told him the salesman had okayed this through Sun Toyota's main office but his only response was, "There's nothing I can do for you." The salesman was nowhere to be found.

Sun Toyota's advertisement to finance anyone contains no disclaimers, no conditions, no asterisks, no fine print.

I feel I've been discriminated against. I hope the company will make proper compensation or accommodations to bring this matter to good standing.

I was left with no avenue to proceed to purchase a car from Sun Toyota.

John Gombocs

A: Sun Toyota stands behind its advertising. It does finance everyone, says consumer relations manager Lori-Ann Lynde, but they have to be willing to meet certain terms.

The factors considered in a financing offer are credit score, whether there is negative equity on a trade-in vehicle and the ability to put a down payment on the car. The amount of the down payment is commensurate with each individual's credit rating; it could be as little as 10 percent of the price or as much as 50 percent.

A customer just has to ask to learn the conditions of the financing offer. Lynde could not speak to your specific complaint. Credit applications aren't kept on file because of privacy laws, she said, so yours isn't there for her to review. But she points out that you didn't ask to speak with her or general manager Joe Reth. You didn't phone the dealership or visit to discuss your concerns since that day nine months ago. Sun Toyota hadn't heard from you until it received Action's correspondence.

"We're in the business of selling cars," Lynde said. "We're going to do whatever we can to get a customer financed."

If you're still in the market for a car, Lynde invited you back to Sun Toyota to explore your options.

Action solves problems and gets answers for you. Write Times Action, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or call, (727) 893-8171, or, outside of Pinellas, toll-free 1-800-333-7505, ext. 8171, to leave a recorded request. Complaints can be accepted only by mail. Send only photocopies of personal documents. Names of letter writers will not be omitted except in unusual circumstances. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

[Last modified February 8, 2008, 20:51:18]