Mountain out of a molehill?

Lucy · 08-02-2007, 09:36 AM

Throwing this out for suggestions/opinions. Rather long so please bear with me.

I use the shop at home channels quite often, never have had a problem until now.

I use my debit card for purchases, this card was lost so I was issued a new one.

On some products there is the option to use value pays/easy pays which are spread out over say 2-3 months, I do this at times.

One shopping channel I am having a problem with. One of my value pays was declined because of the lost card. I hadn't received my new card yet but when it did come I went to the website and put in my new billing info and contacted customer service to let them know to run the payment through, $25.00. The same day I received a letter from the shopping channel saying that my value pay had been declined and that I had 20 days to bring the account current or the account would be sent to an outside collection agency. This was this past Saturday, 7-28.

Monday, 7-30, customer service contacts me and says I need to contact their credit dept, because they can't handle value pays. I contact the credit dept and they refer me to a place called National Enterprise System so I can make my payment or as they called it reauthorization. This day I get a letter from this National Enterprise System saying they are a ca and this account has been placed for collection. Their address is the same as the letter from the shopping channel I had received but they show the shopping channel as their client and it shows the date of referral as 6/30/2007. The letter I received from the shopping channel is dated July 23 and the letter from Nat'l Enterprise System is dated July 25. That sure ain't 20 days so they lied about that.

This morning I check my bank balance and I show that this National Enterprise System charged me $5.00 to reauthorize the payment I made. I was not informed that there would be a charge either by the credit dept or the Nat'l Enter System.

I want to call the shopping channel and talk to someone in their legal dept. I don't see this happening because I tried 3 times to get a name and address of someone that I could voice a complaint to regarding the 20 day thing and they just gave me an address to their customer service dept.

I believe they have been deceptive and wonder though if I am making a mountain out of a molehill.

Should I just start at the address they gave and go from there. I want them to know that they are deceptive in their practices

Thanks

hannah · 08-02-2007, 09:49 AM

As I have always admired your signature, start with a letter CMRRR, of course. PM me the shopping channel name and I will look for their corporate counsel's name and contact information.

Here's a good smiley for you...

Lucy · 08-03-2007, 09:11 AM

Thanks to Hannah, I now have the address for their corporate counsel. I believe I will start with a letter to customer relations and cc to the corporate counsel.

After doing some calling yesterday I found out that National Enterprise Systems is part of the shopping channel but they are a ca. When writing my letter should I even mention that I know this?

I want them to know that I was charged a fee for paying and that I wasn't told a fee would apply and I want that fee back. I also want them to know that in one letter I am told I have 20 days to bring the acct current but within 2 days time I get a collection letter. I don't want to go into a whole spiel but I want them to know that what they have done is deceptive.

Ideas on what to say?