Tired of harassing calls and emails? As readers know, I often find myself on the pointed stick of frustration and aggravation, and that's when I begin my search for new strategies that yell (among other things) "HALT!" While I tend to go further than most folks to address the problem, I urge each of you to adopt the following bits of advice:
Don't be afraid to post your concerns. In this day and age, social media is a giant source of both good and bad critiques.
With multi-quabillions of noses pressed to a screen daily, it behooves consumers to make use of social media's oomph. While I urge everyone to compliment positive customer service, take it a step further and post directly to companies' social media pages, their online user communities and/or the Better Business Bureau for prompt attention to your consumer issues. It's one thing to complain to the manager about that proverbial fly in your soup but quite another to post on Yelp, for example, how revolted you felt to observe the little sucker swimming around and probably swallowing your soup d'jour.
Reach an actual human. How utterly exasperating it is to scroll through several clicks on the keyboard each with its own automated message, stay on hold for fifteen or more minutes, only to be discontinued. The very best way to quickly locate customer service phone numbers, live chat links, email addresses and help desk contact info for thousands of companies is with the highly-rated GetHuman app for iOS and Android. (Too, check gethuman.com.) Enter your phone number and GetHuman will call you back when you're first in the customer service queue, as well as let you skip the long wait on hold, know exactly what to say, get reminders when it's time to follow up, and many more benefits. No more endless waits or robotic messages!
Spot (and stop) phishing emails. Don't just check the sender's name but, rather, the originating email address. Even if it appears on the up-and-up, check thoroughly or risk being scammed.
Verify embedded URLs before clicking Hover your cursor over the link or click the drop-down arrow that appears as you hover.
Forward phishing emails to the company being spoofed. (See companies' customer support web pages for guidance in how to make your report.) Along this same line, report scam messages to your email provider. Search "Report phishing to [provider name]" for directions.
And, for the umpteenth time, never ever reply with sensitive information, including bank account, username, password, Social Security number or credit card number. Legitimate companies don't ask for this via email or even phone calls.
Stop spam text messages. It used to be that mobile phone users didn't have to worry about spam calls or texts; those days are over, unfortunately. Because this type of scam has become more prevalent, major phone companies nowadays, according to reports, have been able to stop these unwanted texts. AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon or Sprint subscribers can report spam text messages to your carrier; simply copy the original message and forward it to 7726 (SPAM), gratis.
Don't purchase an extended warranty for most products. Frankly, I'm of two minds about this piece of advice. I've discovered – at least for yours truly – some extended warranties are a good thing, for example a car. If you're like me in my little, ole, schoolteacher mode who drives a car for a decade with fewer than 50,000 miles, you're more than likely going to need something major repaired at some point. I learned this lesson two autos ago after my regular warranty expired at year eight, as did my air conditioner and transmission. Consequently, I ended up purchasing an extended warranty just to buy these two expensive parts; they ended up costing me more in the long run than if I had paid for one before the regular warranty ran out. We all should be aware that most credit card issuers offer extended product warranties to their cardholders (though how many of us purchase a new vehicle with a credit card?). Many have no annual fee and others charge less than $60. Some cards will double an original warranty up to one year, while others will extend it up to two. Typically, neither will exclude a claim based on wear and tear or the fact that an item was refurbished. Examples of cards providing this protection include CapitalOne Venture (doubles up to one year) and Citi Thank You Premier (doubles up to two years).
Many gift cards don't expire but some can be turned over as unclaimed property. As of January 1, 2008, no gift certificate/card issued by a single merchant or affiliated group of merchants (i.e., a group of stores owned by a single corporate entity) can expire. Firstly, there are some federal laws which apply across the board. Gift cards may not expire before five years after the date they were purchased. Similarly, a reloadable gift card's funds are valid for five years from the date it was reloaded. Federal law also stipulates that fees must be disclosed either on the card itself or associated packaging, that post-sale fees can't be imposed until the card has been inactive for more than one year, and that only one post-sale fee per month is permitted.
On a state-by-state basis, the biggest differences consumers face are the rules governing fees, the rules on whether balances return to the state if unclaimed, the rules on whether cards can be reclaimed for cash, and the rules on whether a legal definition separates gift cards and gift certificates. For example, gift card amounts that must return to the state mandates after two years of inactivity for Tennessee and after five in Georgia.
Be wise and pay with a credit card. Debit cards, checks or cash don't provide the same consumer protections as a credit card. Should quality, delivery or service fall short, your credit card issuer can investigate on your behalf and, as necessary, work to get you a charge-back. If utilizing the other payment sources, don't expect anything back but a slap in the face.
Contact Ellen Phillips at consumerwatch@timesfreepress.com