Action: Unwanted club memberships

I ordered a product called Chitosol over the phone from Beacon Marketing Co. but had to return it since I was unaware that it was unsafe if taken with certain medications and conditions. I ordered the product on Nov. 27 and returned it to the company on Dec. 4. It was received by the company the following day. I still have not received a $59.95 credit for this on my Visa.

As angry as I am about this, I am beside myself due to the fact that Beacon gave out my charge account number to LawLine and Promenade, and I got charged $96 and $97 for two things I did not order. The only other company that could possibly have done this is a large hotel/resort chain, but I strongly suspect the folks selling Chitosol, as they asked me all sorts of questions concerning how they could help me, all of which I declined.

If you can resolve this for me, I shall be very grateful. I don't want this to happen to anyone else. Anita Higel

Response: In a letter to Action, Debra Bissonnette, senior customer service manager of Beacon Marketing Services in Portland, Maine, said the company's records show that you called on Nov. 27 and placed an order for a product called Chitosol, and the price of $69.90 was charged to your Visa. DMI, which is part of Beacon Marketing, offers other products to customers when they are on the line, she said. Best Buy USA, a discount buying service, and LawPhone, a legal consultation service, are this type of product.

Bissonnette said, "The sales representative may have misunderstood whether or not Ms. Higel wanted to take advantage of the Best Buy USA and LawPhone offers or may have mistakenly added these items to Ms. Higel's order." DMI has contacted both membership companies and verified that your accounts were canceled and refunds issued.

Bissonnette apologized for the miscommunication. DMI representatives would not have knowingly placed an order when the customer relayed that the product was not wanted, she said. She also said that a refund of $59.90 has been issued to your Visa account for the returned product.

We note that Bissonnette's letter refers to Best Buy USA and LawPhone, whereas your statement reflects charges from Promenade, a discount buying service, and LawLine, a legal consultation/referral service. We have been unable to confirm that Best Buy USA and Promenade, and LawPhone and LawLine are the same services, but Bissonnette's statement that DMI has canceled the memberships for you would indicate that they are. It is not uncommon for the same plan to be marketed under a wide variety of names.

Here's a quick reminder of what to do upon discovering unrecognized charges on your credit card statement. The first step is to contact the merchant to try to resolve the issue. In your case, toll-free phone numbers were included on your statement along with the charges from Promenade and LawLine.

Next, write to your credit card issuer to dispute the charge or inform it that you have contacted the merchant and been promised a credit. Do so within 60 days of the statement date on which the charge first appears. Make sure you send your letter to the customer service department and not the bill paying address.

Finally, if you feel that you have been victimized, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission by writing to Consumer Response Center, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington D.C. 20580; or by calling its toll-free number, (877) 382-4357. Complaints may also be filed online at the FTC's Web site, http://www.ftc.gov. The FTC does not get involved in resolving individual complaints, but it does look for patterns of possible law violations, and information from consumers is vital to its law enforcement efforts.

Correction

Under the Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996, veterans who have no service-related disability rating but who earn less than $9,034 if single, $12,186 with one dependent, $13,772 with two dependents, etc., receive all VA-prescribed medications without charge. Veterans with no service-related disability rating but whose annual income is higher than the thresholds listed above must pay $2 for each 30-day supply of VA-prescribed medication. Incorrect threshold amounts were supplied by the VA for a column that ran Dec. 17.

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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, (727) 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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