Nothing can make you feel the size of a pea quicker than getting ripped off, suckered or treated like you don’t matter by someone who makes their living at “customer service.”
To add insult to injury, try getting answers from people who haven’t lived up to their end of the bargain and then never call back. Whether they’re paving your driveway, remodeling your home, or repairing your car… it can be infuriating!
I’ve been there more times than I’d like to admit. And that’s what drives me to do consumer stories.
It all started a couple of years ago – with an idea for a news story: let’s buy a couple recycled computer hard drives and find out if there is any information on them. Off we went to the computer store to purchase used (and supposedly erased) hard drives. Once back at the station, it only took minutes to realize we’d stumbled across the hard drive of a federal credit union complete with customer names, addresses, telephone numbers, bank account numbers, and account balances! What we discovered proved an uncomfortable point: our private financial information is truly vulnerable. So still basking in the glory of a good story… my ego was quickly and substantially downgraded.
A week after that story aired, a letter came in the mail, from Sharper Image, thanking me for my purchase of a $300 dollar fan. I nearly fell over. I didn’t order a fan but when I called my bank and asked about it, sure enough!... my DEBIT card had been charged that amount! I was racking my brain, how could someone have stolen my check card number? Then it hit me… like a wall of humiliating bricks, I had fallen for a phishing scam. I’d received an e-mail from what looked like my Internet Service Provider, asking for me to update my account information, to include my credit card number (which was my debit card – hello! Mistake #1).
Well, the $300 fan was mailed to an address in Arizona. I called the postal inspector who was willing to stop the package. But when I called the police in Arizona, I spoke to a sergeant who refused to help! I was furious. I remember he said, “Miss, we don’t investigate thefts like this if losses are under $25,000!” I asked the sergeant if he wouldn’t mind transferring me to the police for the poor people! Needless to say the conversation didn’t go so well after that.
The good news is my bank took care of the problem immediately. While the thieves were never caught, at least I got my money back. And considering the damage most identity thieves do, I got off relatively light.
About that same time, I became a full time investigative consumer reporter and discovered a real passion for advocating for viewers and readers rights. People who get the same run around I experienced. It’s amazing how quickly answers come when it’s a TV station calling! There is nothing better than using the power of TV and the Internet to do some good in our communities and to help consumers who have tried everything else and still can’t get their problem solved.
Whether your salary is $20,000 or $500,000, no one wants to be ripped off! Consumers should be in control. It’s our money that’s being wasted and stolen. And wouldn’t it be a nice change of pace, that while you’re spending your hard-earned cash, you’re treated with a little respect?
So it is with great excitement that we launch WCNC’s Consumer Connection. It is our promise to bring you the latest consumer news, ways to save money, expose new scams to guard against, and help solve problems when you’ve hit a roadblock you just can’t plow through. It’s a mission. It’s a purpose. It’s all about you.
I remember when a viewer called me about a phone bill she received from AT&T. She was charged only a couple of dollars. No biggie… except she wasn’t even an AT&T customer. The kicker is when she called AT&T to complain, they pitched her on becoming a customer. She couldn’t get answers. So she called me. Through telling that one story, we found out this was happening to hundreds of thousands of customers nationwide. AT&T ended up paying back millions of dollars to NON-customers across the country. And it all started with one phone call. That’s the power of putting consumers in control.
I hope you’ll join me on this journey: to watch your back and help you protect your wallet! Here’s what you can expect: a Consumer Connection every day on the air at 5:15 p.m. and 6:15 a.m. Online you’ll find even more stories, plus up to the minute alerts about faulty toys, recalled food, and other problem products. We are also bringing you a Consumer Action Center. There, you’ll find extensive resources on how to prevent a problem, how to check out a company before you do business with them, and how to complain if you’ve already run into trouble. We believe having that information at your finger tips puts you back in the driver’s seat.
In the coming weeks, you’ll see stories about one of the most insidious scams around, and a report on how to complain to get financial results. We’ll put new products to the test to see if their claims really measure up and tell you about new ways to save big money. You’ll also see your own consumer story… problems that just aren’t getting the attention they needed until Consumer Connection becomes involved. You can get started by telling me what the problem, tip, or concern is. Send me an email – I read every one. Consumerconnection@wcnc.com
Anna, I also love fighting for consumer rights. It's a very rewarding feeling knowing you've helped someone who wasn't able to do it on their own. Good Luck!
i recieved a call today on my cell phone from *90541 stating that i won $100,000 shopping spree anywhere in the US. All I had to do is give my bank name/account number for $1.95 to handle shipping and handling. HE talked with an accent and there was no name of the company.. I just wanted to know if you could get the word out about the scam. I didn't but I wanted to get the word out