Author Topic: Screw the little guy (Read 1622 times)

Rolex · « **Reply #15 on:** March 20, 2005, 02:16:49 AM »

I know you won't understand this now because you're hopping mad, but there are a few big lessons you can learn from this. I hope you think later about how to not put yourself in this position again.

Your position is an outstanding example of the coming risks to the American economy. $1,700 wipes a family out (that has been financing what they believe to be a middle-class existance on high interest loans) and has to borrow to eat until the next paycheck arrives.

Siaf__csf · « **Reply #16 on:** March 20, 2005, 02:48:14 AM »

Some of the card deals are pretty deceptive. For example American express offered a card to me for something like 3% interest (with big bold letters.) It spouted how profitable it would be to change all my credit to them for a cheap interest.

The catch was that after the first year, the interest would have skyrocketed to about 20%. Currently I pay 11.5% for the small credit I have with the debit card.

No thanks I said.

OIO · « **Reply #17 on:** March 20, 2005, 09:47:22 AM »

Dago: Ive worked for many big corporations as a costumer service rep...

your $50 wont come back to you for at least 4 to 6 WEEKS. Thats because most big companies dont process refunds until they process their monthly cash flow.... then they have to send a request for the refund to some other dept. which takes a week or so to get to your 'number'...once they approve it they send it to whoever is in charge of sending the refund checks out..then 3-4 days in the mail.

Gun: I know what happened to your payment. Someone in data processing put someone else's bill in your account #. Happens all the time in sears (i know, thats my sister's job IN sears..catching those mistakes in her dept).

Just call in on monday, dont even bother talking to the guy in the phone because the only thing he'll be able to do is 'escalate' the issue through half a dozen people in the call center which wont have a clue how to get it done and they can only send a form to the dept that researchs the issue.

So just tell the guy you need to speak with a supervisor right off the bat. The supervisor should not only put in the escalation form but should be able to e-mail it directly to that dept, bypassing a lot of beaurocratic bullcrap.

and get his name and badge #.. any future call you have, talk with him directly.

rabbidrabbit · « **Reply #18 on:** March 20, 2005, 09:52:08 AM »

I can one up you.

Last Christmas I picked up a new washing machine for my wife at Sears. While I was checking out the guy says, hey, you can save another 10 percent and have no interest or payments for 6 months. I normally only carry one card for the cash kickback but for 130 bucks and 6 months float till payback I figured why not?

well... they never sent me the card or a bill but I did get a "pleasant" phone call from a collections agency demanding I pay my bills. Come to find out, they never sent the card or bill and did not provide the 6 months free like the contract I signed said. Having enough of that crap, I closed the card and did a balance transfer to my other citibank card. 2 days later my card gets declined and I call to find out that Citibank did not only the $1040 balance transfer for the washing machine, they decided to toss in a $9769 tip as well.

So yet another call and Citibank tells me that despite it being their error and them both being Citibank cards they won't do a balance transfer back and I have to request a credit refund from Sears. I'm still waiting on the check from Sears/Citibank so I can send it back to Citibank. Oh ya.. I had to call both Sears and Citibank twice each so far to get rid of false charges they toss on there for their errors.

capt. apathy · « **Reply #19 on:** March 20, 2005, 10:18:31 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by MrCoffee
You know sears has a life time warranty on all its tools. Thats how long they last.

yep, maybe 10 or 15 years ago they did. a good, solid, "if we made it and you give as a broken one we'll give you a new one", lifetime guarantee.

now they estimate the life expectancy of their tools and pro-rate the replacement value by the percentage of it's expected lifetime. then you simply pay them for the time you had the tool and it wasn't broke, and they give you a new one. providing of course, that you have the receipt for that socket set you bought 12 years ago.

I sued to be willing to pay a bit extra for a company who would stand behind their product. now it's either, buy the cheaper tool that will get this job done today, or pay the extra money and buy snap-on (or other top brand depending on the type of tool).

why pay more for craftsman if they are gonna give you a wal-mart type hassle when it breaks? (oh ya, they seem to break more often now that they don't actually guarantee them any more too. but I won't head down that rant today)

I used to be a regular sears customer but haven't been to one in about 2 years. lately their just wal-mart in a mall (2 of my least favorite places to be)

Gunslinger · « **Reply #20 on:** March 20, 2005, 10:47:53 AM »

I actually use more bargin bin tools than anything. They are low quality and will eventually wear out.....BUT I definatly get my $4 worth of use out of them.

I raided the bargin bin at our exchange yesturday got me: Tin snips, Nut drivers (metric & SAE) and a small mini socket set to put in my wife's car for minor repairs.

Quote

I know you won't understand this now because you're hopping mad, but there are a few big lessons you can learn from this. I hope you think later about how to not put yourself in this position again.

Your position is an outstanding example of the coming risks to the American economy. $1,700 wipes a family out (that has been financing what they believe to be a middle-class existance on high interest loans) and has to borrow to eat until the next paycheck arrives.

Rolex,

Two years ago at this time my Debt to income ratio was a wopping 95%. I barley had enough to get by. Then, I read this Dave Ramsey book and started taking an active effort to pay down my debt. I am proud to say that the ratio TODAY is at 45%. I plan on getting this down 30% by this time next year.

For the first time I'm making EXTRA payments on loans. With this transfer I'm now able to pay off the same amount but at 3.9%. It will take me less than a year to pay this off.

Yes in the past I've lived beyond my means but I've seen the error of my ways and I'm closer than I've ever been to being Debt Free.

Utill this. Anyone have any experience with small claims court. I plan on taking sears to court to pay my overdraft fees if they refuse to.

myelo · « **Reply #21 on:** March 20, 2005, 11:00:49 AM »

Make sure you also sue them for your time.

Gunslinger · « **Reply #22 on:** March 20, 2005, 11:23:39 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by myelo
Make sure you also sue them for your time.

Could you cut and paste....requires registration.

DieAz · « **Reply #23 on:** March 20, 2005, 01:24:47 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by myelo
Make sure you also sue them for your time.

and also the cost of court, lawyer fees, etc. when I said for the cost of their mistake, I mean everything.

Gunslinger · « **Reply #24 on:** March 20, 2005, 02:00:51 PM »

I still cant get that article to come up.

BUT

Leave it to the golden state of California to have a VERY helpfull website on how to sue somone.

http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp/smallclaims/

Their bill is allready up to $50 + $75 in overdraft fees I've allready been charged, for the direct deposit advance I had to get to cover bills I had allready written checks for.

pugg666 · « **Reply #25 on:** March 20, 2005, 02:56:24 PM »

Quote

and also the cost of court, lawyer fees, etc. when I said for the cost of their mistake, I mean everything.

Gun, don't forget to add interest to the damages list on that litle loan you *cough* gave them

Get every cent out of them that you are due.

Gunslinger · « **Reply #26 on:** March 20, 2005, 04:49:49 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by pugg666
Gun, don't forget to add interest to the damages list on that litle loan you *cough* gave them

Get every cent out of them that you are due.

I figure the person I talk to on monday I will not blow up on them. I will calmly as possible explain the situation and share with them my reasonable expectations.

Have $1698.68 put back in my bank account in 2 business days.
+$125 for damages.
+$10 for the check fee.

after that I will charge them 22.65% inerest (the exact same amount they charged me) and there will be an additional $50 finance fee.

If I have to take them to court you can double all those numbers.

wrag · « **Reply #27 on:** March 20, 2005, 05:00:00 PM »

Think CitiBank just recently took over the credit department of Sears.

Thinkin i've heard allot of un-nice stuff about citibank?

Gunslinger · « **Reply #28 on:** March 20, 2005, 05:12:21 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by wrag
Think CitiBank just recently took over the credit department of Sears.

Thinkin i've heard allot of un-nice stuff about citibank?

that's actually who the check was made out to. I called them last night actually to try and get a lean put on sears' account. It didn't work of course.

myelo · « **Reply #29 on:** March 20, 2005, 05:49:59 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Gunslinger
Could you cut and paste....requires registration.

Sorry. Basically lawyer Joseph Williams called Sears because his washing machine was broken, and the service department said it would send someone to fix it between 8 a.m. and noon on a Friday. So, on the appointed day, Williams waited at home. About 11:15, he called to find out the repairman's whereabouts. That's when he was told that service crews were in a meeting that morning, and they hadn't even reached their first appointment yet.

"I said, 'You mean I have been waiting for three hours and nobody has even started?' They weren't even apologetic about it," Williams said. "They said, 'Yeah, that's right.'"

He canceled the service call and warned that he would sue.

A Sears representative said the company holds meetings between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. every other Friday and service crews go out only after that. The Sears representative added that even though the service department knows of the meetings, it still tells customers to wait at home during hours the crew is unavailable.

In his lawsuit, Williams asked for $1,000 to make up for four potentially billable hours he lost while at home. Baltimore County District Judge Robert J. Steinberg lopped off $999 of that, saying Williams hadn't proved he lost wages. Besides the $1, Sears must pay the $20 court fee, according to court documents.

What the judge was upset about is that Sears knew that they weren't going to get there for at least two hours and yet demanded Williams be there for two hours.

While Williams can pursue other legal action, it's unlikely. "We made our point," he said.