Guns you want back, sales guys you don't
Pony Express on U.S. 95 recently closed without notice due to the failing health of the owner, who has now passed away. A number of consumers who had placed their guns on consignment with Pony Express have contacted me, wanting to know who had custody of their firearms. I was given the number of attorney Jeff Andrews in Hayden as the person to coordinate the return of the property. I called his office over a week ago. My call has not been returned. I was told a detective at the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office was working on this matter. I recommended a consumer call the detective. He did and reported the detective referred him back to attorney Andrews. This is the kind of circular referral that drives people nuts! Finally, I called the Coeur d'Alene Police Department's non-emergency number, (208) 769-2320). They said they'd be willing to take a police report from anyone unable to locate their firearm.
Given the nature and value of firearms, it is important for you to make a police report, not only to protect your property rights but also to protect you from legal complications and potential liability. Call the Coeur d'Alene Police Department, just to be safe.
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AT&T — Door Knocker Update: In a recent column regarding a third-party company, working on behalf of AT&T, the Coeur d'Alene Press published a response by the regional PR person at AT&T. In part, she said AT&T would look into the complaints that several consumers in the area had brought to my attention. Well? It's been over a week and I've heard only this non-statement from the AT&T rep: “Thank you for the information. We have addressed these concerns with the local relevant dealer.”
Yet the door-to-door salesman named Alex is still using high-pressure tactics, annoying and lying to consumers in our area. Apparently AT&T doesn't mind being associated with unethical sales people like this, as long as they keep signing up customers, regardless of the tactics used. In my opinion, that's reason enough for people to select Dish, Spectrum or some other provider for their TV viewing choices. Not AT&T-provided services. Note: Hulu has just come out with a new service — about $50 per month for many live TV viewing alternatives. Check it out. In fairness, all of the offerings have both strengths and weaknesses.
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Minor Annoyance Corner: Sometimes things don't rise to the level of fraud, but they just annoy the dickens out of me. A consumer called recently regarding the air machine at the Chevron gas station on Seltice by the intersection of Highway 41. He stopped in to fill a low tire with air, inserted his quarter, and pressed the button — no air! He went into the counter and was curtly told the station used a third party to install the air machine and hence no refund.
OK, the consumer lost 25 cents but the Chevron station lost a gas-buying customer forever. I bet the owner of that station would have refunded the quarter had she or he been behind the counter.
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Junk Mail Insurance Sales: A consumer called me about a “notice” she received in the mail. It identified her by name, as well as her property address. In very alarming terms, the letter advised to “call the toll-free number immediately” and to renew the insurance on her home that would cover her outstanding mortgage. Problem was her home had been paid off for almost 20 years! Don't be alarmed if you get one of these letters. Call me. We'll check it out together.
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VA Benefits Delayed — Not Denied: A consumer called me Tuesday morning to tell me about her situation. Her husband, who was a U.S. Marine Corps retiree, had passed away a few years ago. She had applied for what are called “Survivor Benefits” shortly after his passing. The Veterans Administration denied her claim. Recently, a knowledgeable insurance agent informed her the VA had recently revised its policy regarding veterans' Agent Orange-related illnesses and surviving spouse eligibility for ongoing monthly payments of benefits. She applied, and is now receiving about $1,200 per month for the rest of her life.
Lesson: If you've been turned down by the VA — apply again. One of the best places to get accurate information about VA benefits, and apply, is the Kootenai County VA Service Office in Post Falls. It is located at 120 E. Railroad Ave. The telephone number is (208) 446-1090.
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Cherry Picking at Verizon: Got a call from a consumer in the Hayden Rimrock area. It seems consumers in that area of our community were sold a service called JetPack for their Internet service. Problem is, starting in about January of this year, the service became slower and slower and at this point it is so slow and intermittent it is virtually unusable. I contacted Verizon and was told by a customer service representative that Verizon was concentrating on providing services to more densely populated areas, but if the “JetPack” subscribers wanted to end the service, Verizon would allow it. How nice. Internet service has become an essential service to many. Verizon doesn't seem to understand that or maybe they just don't care?
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I have many more interesting cases I'm working on as The CDA Press Consumer Guy. Call me at (208) 699-0506, email me at CDAPressConsumerGuy @gmail.com or fax me at (866) 362-9266. Also include your full name and a phone number. I am available to speak about consumerism to schools, and local and civic groups.
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Bill Brooks is the CDA Press Consumer Guy and an active Associate Real Estate Associate Broker for Tomlinson-Sotheby's International Realty in Coeur d'Alene.