Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 13, 1995 TAG: 9503140014
SECTION: MONEY PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MAG POFF
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Q: I was in London in June 1993 and purchased some items at Harrod's. I used my Visa card to pay for them. There was a delay in shipping because of a special order and then there was a delay in shipping because of a name change in the company from which the materials came. I still have not received the order more than a year and a half later, and I cannot get a response from Harrod's.
A. Fran Stephanz, executive director of the Better Business Bureau of Roanoke, said a credit bureau in New York is unlikely to be able to help you. Nor is anyone else, especially if you sent a check.
She said the result of a mail order varies almost completely with the integrity of the company with which you are dealing.
If the company is a good one, she said, it will acknowledge and take care of your complaints.
If the company lacks integrity, there is very little you can do to compel some action from a distance.
Stephanz suggested that you contact the BBB in Roanoke to check on the company because BBBs all over the country maintain lists of problem firms.
Anyone considering a mail order to an unknown company might do the same before sending off a check.
On the other hand, Stephanz said, Harrod's enjoys a worldwide reputation for integrity. She said it is hard to believe that Harrod's would ignore an order.
She advised you to write again because an earlier letter may have been lost. Or the order might have been lost in the mail.
If you cannot get a response, she said, try contacting the British Embassy or Consulate in Washington, D.C., and explain the situation thoroughly. She said the British are interested in maintaining the reputation of the country's leading merchants.
It does not matter any longer that you placed the order on a credit card.
Stephanz said the law gives you only 60 days to dispute the charge with a credit-card company, although you may want to enter a dispute anyway to see what will happen.
This must be done in writing in accordance with the information printed on the reverse of your statement.
People should not let long lengths of time elapse before disputing a charge made to a bank card.
How to control credit cards
Q: I'm interested in paying off some credit cards. My thoughts are to get a major credit card at a lower interest rate. I'm not sure if that's wise or if my application will be accepted or how to go about it.
I need to get control of credit cards. I see myself destroying them hopefully and in some way paying them off at a lower interest rate. All of my cards are at very high interest rates.
A: You sound as if your financial situation is already out of control, especially if you have reason to think that your application for a new credit card will be rejected.
All you can do is apply for a new card with a lower rate and see what happens. You have nothing to lose. Remember, however, that initial low "teaser" rates may last for only a short period of time. And interest rates in general are headed upward.
Virginia Garretson, president of Consumer Credit Counseling in Roanoke, said you may need help budgeting and paying off your creditors more than you need a new credit card. Her agency can help you with budgeting if you are overextended.
Transferring your debts to a card with a lower rate is not a bad idea if you know in advance that you will destroy the other cards and never use them again, she said.
Too often, Garretson said, people who transfer their debts wind up using their old cards or charge accounts as soon as they see something they want.
She said a credit card was not meant to be treated as a consolidation loan or a bank loan. Those are two other courses open to you if you are determined to pay off your debts and to stop charging.
by CNB