The Consumer Complaints Blog

Beware Optimum customers in New York City area:

Warning to customers. Optimum offers initial promotions for one or two year subscriptions, but does not notify when contract is ending. Financial profits must be huge because of rate disparities equaling $48.98 for one month. Imagine if you don’t open the bill until payment time. It gets better!!! When I called for failure to receive notification of the promotion, I was told that I had received a computer- generated letter. When I asked for a copy of said letter with my name, address and date, I was told this was impossible because (guess?) it was computer-generated. When complaining up the complainant totem pole for months, I was bleed with promises that I would receive said letter. Today, after I called Optimum’s Corporate Directory Customer Service Department two weeks ago, Optimum finally admitted a letter was never sent.

Bravo, Optimum, take a bow. Legal, but not very consumer-friendly!!!!!!

Disclaimer
This article was submitted by one of our readers. Penciltrick cannot make any claims as to its authenticity but the article was accepted on a good faith belief that it is an accurate and truthful account of the events listed.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Consumer Watchdog Alert!

JPMorgan Chase Bank Targets Customers with Deceptive Advertising Campaign

“Chase Quick Deposit” Ads Tout “Free” Product While Hiding Fees in Excess of $1000

A $500 Early Termination Fee Awaits Unsuspecting Customers

New York, June 17, 2010 – Customers of JPMorgan Chase Bank are being alerted to a deceptive new advertising campaign for Chase Quick Deposit which could cost unsuspecting customers in excess of $1000. On June 10, 2010, JPMorgan Chase mass marketed emails to customers in a number of states, including California, which advertised Chase Quick Deposit, a new service that allows checking account holders to scan and deposit checks into their accounts from home or office. The advertisement promises a “free” scanner provided by Chase and a $50 bonus after customers make their first deposit. Customers are given the option to “Redeem Bonus” or “Enroll Now.” The ad makes no mention of any fees in the body of the copy. When customers click “Redeem Bonus” or “Enroll Now,” they are taken to another page where they are asked to click a button to enroll. There is no mention of any fees on this submission page either.

JPMorgan Chase Bank fails to transparently inform its customers that anyone enrolling in Chase Quick Deposit agrees to a fee of $50 per month and a mandatory two-year contract, for a total required commitment of $1200. Any customer who discontinues the service prior to the termination of the two-year contract is charged a mandatory cancellation fee of $500.

Two Chase Bank representatives, online supervisor Gloria Lawson and online unit manager Carrie Ayers, stated that customers are given 30 days to opt out of the contract after enrolling, yet neither of the representatives would provide any documentation of the purported 30-day policy, nor is it mentioned in Chase advertisements. Furthermore, by the time most customers are charged their first monthly fee – not prior to July 31, 2010 according to Chase – the purported 30-day trial will have expired anyway and customers will be locked into the 2-year contract.

JPMorgan Chase Bank has added a carefully placed note mentioning the fees and contractual requirements in fine print outside the viewing area, well below the Quick Deposit advertisement, the page footer and the two footnotes.

An example of the Chase Quick Deposit advertisement can be found at the following link on Chase’s website:

https://www.chase.com/ccp/index.jsp?pg_name=ccpmapp/shared/marketing/page/QD_Q210_P4&ID=0000010842

Anyone targeted by JPMorgan Chase’s Quick Deposit advertisement is urged to report JPMorgan Chase to the following:

Federal Trade Commission
Consumer Response Center
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
1-877-FTC-HELP

Comptroller of the Currency
Customer Assistance Group
1301 McKinney Street, Suite 3450
Houston, TX 77010
1-800-613-6743

Disclaimer
This article was submitted by one of our readers. Penciltrick cannot make any claims as to its authenticity but the article was accepted on a good faith belief that it is an accurate and truthful account of the events listed.

The Consumer Complaints Blog is dedicated to providing an outlet for those who have been duped by businesses and organizations. However, as part of our commitment to you, the consumer, we have begun compiling information about how not to get duped in the first place.

Our first post in this section is for anyone out there interested in buying a Persian rug. Sure, you may still fall victim to dishonest business practices, but remembering these points will help reduce the chances of becoming a victim in the first place.

(We talked to professionals in their industry to get these tips.)

1. Don’t be fooled by inflated prices. Chances are, that massively discounted sales price hasn’t actually been massively discounted – the “sale” price listed is most likely the fairest price or the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. Rug stores are infamous for advertising “going out of business” sales. Avoid the hype!
2. Check the exact origin of the carpet, since this makes a real difference in quality and craftmanship. For example, the designs may be of Iranian origin but the carpet was made somewhere else.
3. Related to tip #2, this is particularly true for silk carpets of Persian origin. There is a huge difference between Persian silk and non Persian silk.
4. Thicker isn’t always better. In most cases, the better carpet is actually thinner, not thicker.
5. In general, finer rugs are those with smaller knots and more sophisticated weaves. Beware: an intricate design does not make a carpet finer. Don’t look at the design – look at the weave.