Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today charged a finance company with violating the Texas Deceptive Practices Act by failing to deliver computers and related equipment to purchasers.
The customers, who were primarily people with poor credit ratings, had agreed to purchase computers through “Blue Hippo,” a company that advertises heavily on television, offering computers on payment terms.
According to the legal action taken by the state, Blue Hippo Funding, LLC and its sole shareholder Joseph K. Rensin of Maryland never registered to conduct business in Texas. Despite that, the company’s advertising, targeted Texans with poor credit who wanted computers, but whose limited financial resources led them to use the defendants’ “law-away plan.”
“According to customer complaints received by the Office of the Attorney General, the company failed to ship computers as they were contractually obligated to do, even though customers made the required number of consecutive layaway payments,” the AG’s Office said in announcing the legal action. “Complaints also indicate the defendants failed to ship, as promised, certain ‘free’ products, such as printers, software and televisions.”
Some customers repeatedly contacted the defendants by phone about Blue Hippo’s failure to deliver the partially purchased products. As a result, customers became frustrated, canceled their orders and requested that the defendants fully refund them. Instead of refunding customers’ installment payments, however, Blue Hippo referred customers to a clause in the layaway plan stating that cancellations would merely receive a “store credit.”
“After tiring of the defendants’ duplicity, customers grew so frustrated that they notified their banks to stop Blue Hippo’s automatic debit withdrawals from their checking accounts. However, Blue Hippo claimed that customers who stopped automatic withdrawals were subject to ‘default’ provisions in the ‘retail installment contract,’ which the defendants claimed allowed Blue Hippo to increase interest rates to 24 percent, or the highest interest rate allowable by law,” the AG’s Office noted. “Worse, the company maintained that the contract permitted it to continue withdrawing payments from customers’ accounts. As a result, the defendants essentially used the customers’ stop payment instructions as an excuse to increase interest rates and therefore simply ignored customers’ clear instructions to the contrary.”
The attorney general is seeking penalties against Blue Hippo of up to $20,000 per violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, as well as restitution to customers were financially harmed.
In 2001 I leased a credit card terminal from Northern Leasing Systems. They never sent anyone out to program it even after I contacted them. Frustrated with waiting, I just gave up and told them I wanted to cancel the contract and give back the equipment. I was told I couldn’t – I was obligated to a four-year contract. They continued billing me every month (even though I was not using their services). After they threatened to sue me, I ended up paying a total of $1,200 for a credit card terminal that never got taken out of the box.! To add insult to injury, I recently discovered they put a blemish on my credit report claiming I still owe them over $200.
I recently started another business and decided to use my terminal (with another credit card processing company) and was told by this other company that I couldn’t use the terminal because it was still under lease with Northern Leasing Systems.
It’s been almost SEVEN years since I signed that contract and this company still continues to give me grief. They are even holding my terminal hostage so I can’t use it anywhere else. I don’t understand why they are still in business? They should be shut down and prosecuted for fraud. I am urging other consumers – DON’T DO BUSINESS WITH THIS COMPANY!!!
Second-hand car dealers top list of consumer gripes
By · CommentsSecond-hand cars bought from independent dealers have provoked more complaints from consumers than any other goods or services four years in a row, statistics from Consumer Direct reveal.
The consumer advice line managed by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) received 50,790 calls and e-mails complaining about second-hand cars last year, 8 per cent more than 2008’s 47,026 complaints. Complaints mostly related to defective vehicles and services as well as potentially misleading selling.
The continuous high level of complaints about used cars prompted the OFT to launch a study into the second-hand motor market in May last year. The study is considering whether car buyers are being sufficiently and effectively protected from dodgy dealers. Full results are expected to be published in the spring.
After used-cars, problem televisions were the second most popular gripe, with Consumer Direct receiving 22,184 complaints, an increase of 9 per cent on 2008. This was closely followed by complaints about mobile phone service agreements.
Out of the top ten most complained about goods and services, laptops saw the biggest increase on 2008 – of 42 per cent.
In total Consumer Direct recorded 1.5 million calls and e-mails in 2009, the majority of which criticised traders.
David Fisher, director of Consumer Direct,said: “While total complaint levels dropped slightly in 2009, complaints about some goods such as laptops and TVs rose significantly. In some cases this may reflect growing sales for particular products rather than a higher percentage of faulty goods or services.”
My biggest complaint is the left-brainers think differently.They think everything is done a certain way,at a certain time,blah ! No creativity Writing left to right and not being able to see what I just wrote causes a problem.Also the reels on fishing poles wind backwards when I hold them upside down,to make it lefty friendly .Right-handed silverware makes me crazy,when the handles curve left poking my hand.Righties just don’t understand.We would have good penmanship if the situation were reversed,say writing from right to left,or if a freaking door nob actually opened on the correct side for once,or a light switch actually was there when you reached around a wall to flip it on.If this isn’t discrimination what is ? One day we will rise up,just to make things right-,er …LEFT, so you can see what it’s like to live in a bizzaro world where everything in everyday life is just a little out of kilter,just enough to drive drive you CRAZY !!!
I’m the only left handed one in my whole family and they all act like I’m weird when I write with my paper sideways and all of that other left handed stuff. I’ve told them time and again that being left handed is hard and that we lefties should qualify as disabled or something. I mean, they dont’ make anything for us, so why can’t we have the good parking spots?! lol
I’d say that my biggest complaints are three ring binders, notebooks, doors, the weird looks we get for using our left hands, and even the fact that the old can openers (the ones you have to twist yourself) are made for right handed people.
AT&T has filed a class action settlement in a New Jersey U.S. District Court regarding customer complaints about the company’s flat-rate early termination fees (ETFs). Although the document is dated Sept. 15. 2009, those involved in the lawsuit were notified Jan. 26.
The carrier has offered $16 million in cash, plus $2 million in “non-cash benefits” as a settlement to those who submit a claim by June 14.
“The Settlement Class includes all current or former customers of AT&T Mobility or its predecessor in the U.S. who paid or were charged a flat-rate ETF at some time during the period January 1, 1998 through November 4, 2009; and/or who have or had a contract for service with AT&T Mobility that included a flat-rate ETF…” a document posted to a site not run by AT&T states
The move follows government criticism of Verizon Wireless’ ETF, which the carrier announced on Nov. 5 would double, to $350, for certain subscribers who cancel their contracts early.
“Changing your wireless provider shouldn’t break the bank,” said Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar in a Dec. 3 statement. “Forcing consumers to pay outrageous fees bearing little to no relation to the cost of their handset devices is anti-consumer and anti-competitive.”
That day, Klobuchar, with three other senators, introduced a new piece of legislation, the Cell Phone Early Termination Fee, Transparency and Fairness Act, which would prevent carriers from charging ETFs higher than the discount that the carriers offer to consumers for entering into multiyear contracts.
The FCC legislation would additionally prorate ETFs, enabling customers who remained in their contracts longer to pay less. In this vein, the AT&T settlement offers repayment reflective of the amount of time left on a contract when an ETF was applied.
“The Court has not decided whether the claims in the lawsuit have any merit. However, if you are a member of the Settlement Class, you have a choice to make now,” states the settlement document.
At the urging of its new ombudsman, the City of Toronto plans to do a better job of telling citizens how to complain about problems they encounter with the city’s 50,000-person-strong bureaucracy.
In one of her first moves, ombudsman Fiona Crean asked all civic departments to forward copies of their processes for handling complaints from the public.
That was last December. She’s still waiting.
“We received good procedures from some, mediocre from others and none from yet others,” Crean told reporters Thursday. “Less than half the areas submitted processes or posted them on their website. Openness and accessibility was a problem even for those who had good procedures.”
Citizens must first seek redress from the relevant civic department before approaching the ombudsman’s office, on Elizabeth St. near city hall, but people often say the municipal public service just isn’t responsive to them, she said.
“I can’t tell you how many people said, `I never heard back from the city.’”
“So we’ll take the steps that are necessary to make sure that people have a well-understood point of access to approach the city with concerns they might have about a service, or a time frame in which a service was delivered. It’s completely reasonable.”
In 2009, the office received 1,057 inquiries and complaints and processed and closed 958 of them, or just over 90 per cent, she said.
As it began operations, the ombudsman’s office first focused on individual complaints. In 2010, Crean wants to turn her attention to solving systemic problems.
The first order of business is ensuring the government develops procedures to handle complaints and publicizes them.
People have been able to pursue complaints by speaking to a supervisor or, if that doesn’t get results, speaking to the division’s general manager, he said.
“There always has been a way to make your concerns known. What we’re doing now is formalizing that, making sure it’s documented and available publicly on websites and that the city communicates it more clearly.
“The goal, of course, is to deal with concerns people have as quickly as possible without the need to make a formal complaint.”
Ideally, municipal services should be provided in a way that doesn’t attract complaints, he added.
Google phone brings in more complaints than sales
By · CommentsThe gadget that was hailed before it debuted as Google’s long-awaited answer to Apple’s uber-popular iPhone has seen disappointing sales. Google sold just 20,000 Nexus Ones worldwide in the first week after it launched.
In addition, the new smart phone is drawing numerous complaints from users _ and so is Google, for not doing a better job of providing them with customer support.
Google’s not commenting on initial sales of the Nexus One, which costs $179 if you sign up for a two-year contract with T-Mobile or $529 without a contract. But company officials, including Andy Rubin, who heads up Google’s smart phone efforts as its vice president of engineering, have acknowledged that the company needs to improve its customer service.
“We want people to have a positive experience,” said Carolyn Penner, a company spokeswoman. “We will continue to address any of the issues as quickly as possible.” The biggest complaint among users is access to the 3G high-speed data network offered by T-Mobile, Google’s only domestic carrier partner so far for the Nexus One. Customers started posting complaints about spotty 3G coverage on Google’s support forum Jan. 6, the day after the Nexus One went on sale. Several said they were unable to get 3G service in areas where either T-Mobile’s maps indicated they should or where they could get such service with previous phones.
“I’m at the point where I’m about to send this thing back,” read one post on the forum. “It ruins the whole experience if I can’t ever stay on 3G for more than a few seconds.” Penner said the 3G connection problem was affecting a “small” number of Nexus One users, but she declined to say how many or what proportion of them. Google doesn’t have a solution for the problem yet, she said.
But other complaints focused on the lack of service Google was providing for it. Google is attempting to pioneer a new way of selling smart phones; unlike the iPhone or other devices, which can be purchased in stores and directly from wireless service providers, the Nexus One is only available through Google’s Web site.
Earthquakes have a way of crumbling complaints
By · CommentsSuddenly, I have no complaints. Or perhaps I should put it another way — I have complaints, but I’m tamping them down and putting them aside.
Not only am I keeping my mouth shut, I’m silencing the inward voice that whines its wishes inside my brain.
Complaints come so easily to me. For example, if I think back to yesterday, I recall complaining about being cold and tired. I actually voiced those complaints to other people. But because I was cold and tired, I stayed inside for the day and hardly spoke to anyone. I reserved my whining for myself and wished for things I didn’t have — a tidier house, Chinese take-away for supper.
But my complaints fell silent on Wednesday as I watched news reports of Haiti, where people no longer have houses to tidy, or restaurants to order food from, or beds to sleep in, or blankets to keep them warm.
When they complain that they are cold, tired, hungry and thirsty, they are voicing reality. Their voices call out in need, not complaint.
I cannot fathom the destruction of Haiti from this week’s earthquake.
I look at the photos of smashed buildings and dead bodies covered in sheets, but I cannot comprehend just how horrific it must be on the small Caribbean island that shares the Atlantic Ocean with us and is part of what we call The Americas.
And yet this disaster seems closer to home than others that have rocked our world in the last decade. There is good reason for this, not only because we are trans-Atlantic neighbours, but because Haiti is only a friendship or family member away for so many Canadians.
It makes me give away my need to complain. I simply can’t complain when I think about Haiti.
If I’m thirsty, I have a half a dozen options to quench my thirst, including clean tap water. If I’m cold, I simply turn up the thermostat or, if I’m worried about the heating bill, add another blanket to my bed. If I’m tired, I can sit myself down in a chair, or lie down in a bed. If I’m hungry, I take food out of the freezer, or pick up the phone and order a Chinese combination plate, pick up.
Today, millions of Haitians have none of the options I’ve just listed. Thousands no longer even have life. I cannot comprehend the magnitude of this. But I can respond. I can stop complaining. And I can give money.
At least 2,000 bodies lay in the street. Most of them were in a makeshift outdoor graveyard, where bodies were stacked on top of one other. An additional 1,000 bodies lay stacked inside the hospital’s morgue. Some of the bodies had been brought there by relatives, and others had died at the hospital.
Johnson & Johnson files Tylenol consumer complaints late
By · CommentsLegal news for New York product liability attorneys— McNeil Consumer Healthcare’s agency filed consumer complaints a year later.
New York, NY (NewYorkInjuryNews.com) –The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) www.fda.gov has announced that McNeil Consumer Healthcare’s Johnson & Johnson unit should have taken action to recall Tylenol and other over-the-counter products after filed complaints of a strange smell of the product, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The FDA’s office of compliance sent the company a letter informing them of the violation of agency reporting rules and manufacturing practice rules. Consumers had been complaining about a mildew, moldy smell coming from the products in September 2008, and the agency did not begin a full investigation into the problem or report the complaints to the FDA until September 2009.
Friday, January 15, 2009, McNeil Consumer Healthcare expanded the recall to more than just Tylenol, but also recalled several other products such as Benadryl, Motrin, St. Joseph’s Aspirin. There were also complaints of musty-smelling Rolaids. There were consumer reports of nausea and temporal stomach issues due to use of the medication.
Investigations revealed that the moldy smell was linked to traces of a chemical that is applied to wood pallets used to ship the products. The company first recalled the Tylenol products in November 2009, simultaneously; the FDA was inspecting one of the agency’s plant in Puerto Rico. The FDA reported that, with the expanded recall, there were 50 million bottles recalled. It was noted that in 2009, Tylenol made up about $1 million in sales across the country. A report released by company, which stated that it failed to test if the Tylenol was contaminated, even after numerous consumer complaints.