taking a stand for oneself.

... and grabbing them by the whatzits

06.28.05

In addition to getting being taken off of the 602-973-9535 call list by directly contacting Turn-Key Solutions, I contacted the Chicago Tribune to let them know about my displeasure with their telemarketer of choice:

From: pixiemartin
Sent: Monday, June 27, 2005 6:47 PM
To: Consumer Services, CTC
Subject: telemarketing

Does your company employ Turn-Key Solutions in Phoenix, AZ, to telemarket your services to potential customers?
I ask, because I would swear that the man I spoke to on the phone offered me a subscription to your paper, and then wouldn't take no for an answer until I hung up.
I also ask because twice now since I told them I wasn't interested, I've had them call me and not leave a message. You know, in addition to the 9 other times they've called me in the last 3 months, 6 of those in the last week alone.
If you do employ their services, you might want to reconsider, because they're rude, harassing, and have numerous complaints against them for violating the Do Not Call list.
pixiemartin

They responded with:

"Dear pixiemartin,
"Thank you for contacting the Chicago Tribune on the Internet.
"The Chicago Tribune’s intention is to provide our customers with the best quality of customer service. Your satisfaction is our first priority, and we apologize for any inconvenience we have caused you. Please reply to this e-mail with the phone number this individual used you contact you and we can have this removed.
"If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact us.
"Thank you and have a great day!
"Sincerely,
"Hope Carter
Interactive Services Representative
Chicago Tribune
1-800-TRIBUNE ex 6349
Consumerservices@tribune.com"

and I replied with:

The number I have been called from 14 times in the last three months is 602-973-9535. My phone number is 773-xxx-xxxx..
I called one of their corporate numbers listed in the phone directory, and was told that I would be removed from their database within 24 hours.
I mostly brought this to your attention, because this particular number representing Turn-Key has been bandied about on the internet as being a nuisance. You might want to visit this site to see just what a few people have said about this company's business practices.
pixiemartin

Don't mess with the damned pixie, or she goes above your head and complains to someone about you.

Tweak, at work, was contacted recently by Marshall Field's collections department about a delinquent bill from November, for almost $300. Now, he worked for Field's from 1996 - 1999, and was required to use their credit card to receive his discount, but then cancelled his account with them when he left their employ in '99. (Much like I did with Younkers and Carsons.)

Apparently, someone boo-boo'd somewhere, and a charge was made using his old credit card number, which reactivated and reopened the account. The charge was made from Lansing, Michigan on 11/24/04. The largest problem with this is that Tweak was at work in Chicago, Illinois, the entire day, and can prove it. And also, that someone keying in the wrong account number shouldn't be able to use a cancelled account number. It should have registered as not being a usable number, and the person should have been asked for another form of tender, and/or the associate making the sale should have been directed to contact Credit Account Services immediately.

So, Tweak called them a couple of times, was passed around from person to person the entire time, and was ultimately told that he was responsible for the charges. Obviously, he's disputing that, which is exactly what he should do, and he wrote a letter to the Credit Billing Disputes department of Field's, explaining his problem. He also filed a police report and did all the stuff that their Credit Card Fraud department had instructed him to do.

And some time has passed without anything being done on Field's end of things.

Now he's totally freaking out because this event is currently negatively reflecting upon his financial credibility. Having an extremely-past-due balance with missed payments on a credit report isn't so attractive when you're trying to refinance your condo.

I read the letter he wrote, and I told him he should word it more strongly. Instead of saying that it was inconveniencing him, he should say that if this is how they treat their customers, past and present, he couldn't in good faith continue to shop at any of their stores, and would recommend the same to everyone he knows. And that if this wasn't resolved promptly in a manner that pleased him, he would be contacting the Better Business Bureau, the Attorney General's office, and whichever State Representative would be most interested in one of their constituents being unjustly penalized by a corporate error.

Grab them by the whatzits and get their full attention. I told him to put the smack down on Field's. Give them the whammy. Shake 'em up. Make 'em whimper at his heels. Show them who's boss.

But, he decided to leave it as he wrote it, so he'll just have to see what happens. He just wants the problem resolved and for them to acknowledge their mistake and apologize -- an apology which he might be waiting a very long time to hear.

I think they'd snap to attention faster if he was more menacing, but he's really just a big girl at heart, and doesn't have the stomach for that sort of thing*.
..........
*Strangely, I don't have the stomach for most anything, but I am more than able to threaten, cajole, and menace companies that piss me off. Maybe it's because I'm a smaller girl.