ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 1, 1996 TAG: 9605010020
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: MARKETPLACE
SOURCE: MEGAN SCHNABEL
You've already won! Call now! Offer ends soon!
Such "special deal" offers come in the mail and over the phone. Many sound too good to be true; four vacations for $200 just can't be for real, can it?
Others are more believable - discount buying clubs, for instance, or certificates to have your car washed.
Even if an offer sounds legitimate, it pays to make some inquiries before you buy. A deal may be legal, but that doesn't mean it's a good buy.
A Roanoke woman asked about a certificate she had received in the mail a week or two ago. The official-looking "certificate of authorization" said she would receive a "World Class Vacation Package" offer. When she called the 800 number, the telemarketer described a dream vacation: A four-day, three-night cruise aboard a "fantasy ship," plus several days in a luxury hotel in Orlando, Fla. And if she bought that package, she'd get bonus trips to Nassau and Cancun.
All she had to do, he said, was put down a $249 deposit per person, and then pay the remaining $209 when she booked the trip. He asked three times for her credit card number and told her she had better decide quickly because the tour packages were going fast.
Vacation certificates may tempt you with terrific offers, but they often fall short of delivering the packages promised, said Mary Lou Hamlin, Richmond-based director of travel and branch operations for the American Automobile Association's Virginia club.
For example, the buyer may discover she has to provide her own transportation to the resort, or pay outrageous port fees, or book the trip within a restrictive time period. What appeared to be a fabulous multiday package deal actually is greatly overpriced when all the costs are considered.
Many Roanoke-area residents have received postcards labeled "Pick-Up Notice" recently. The cards actually are advertising for Consumer Choice Inc., a buying club with a showroom on Williamson Road.
The club, which has been in business nine years, sells "everything from ink pens to automobiles" at wholesale and distributor prices, said Stan Morgan, the company's vice president.
Anyone who comes in for a 45-minute showroom tour is guaranteed a prize; what you get depends on the claim number printed on your postcard. The gifts range from Apple computers - not many of those are given out each year, he said - to watches and time-share vacations. You're under no obligation to join the club if you take the tour, he said.
Buying clubs are legal, but they may not always be your most economical option. Depending on the membership fee, you might have to buy a lot of merchandise to actually save any money. Morgan wouldn't say how much it costs to join Consumer Choice - that's something you find out only if you received a postcard and take the tour - but he did say the company offers a "$3,000 guarantee'': If you don't save the entire membership cost by the time you spend $3,000 in the club, the company will pay the difference.
He said Consumer Choice members get good deals on merchandise with high retail markups: cars, jewelry, home furnishings. The retail market for low-end appliances and electronics, on the other hand, is so competitive that wholesale prices aren't always much less than what conventional stores charge.
It pays to shop around before joining a buying club. Ordinary discount stores often sell items for less than clubs do, and they don't require you to pay a fee to shop there. The only way to be sure you're getting a deal is to do some comparison shopping before you join. Also, remember that you may have to pay freight or other charges when you buy through a club.
The Better Business Bureau of Western Virginia in Roanoke hasn't received a response to its requests for standard background information from the company, so its report is incomplete. But Consumer Choice does have an unsatisfactory business performance record, according to the BBB report. The firm doesn't meet the bureau's standards of business practice, the report says; specifically, BBB files show a record of unanswered complaints and a failure to settle customer disputes.
Morgan said they "don't worry" about the BBB report.
Good thing it rained yesterday, because consumers who bought car wash certificates from VIP Customer Service may have to wait a while longer for their washes.
The Roanoke company, which early this year sold $20 car wash certificates over the phone, drew news media attention last month after clients and former employees complained to the Better Business Bureau and Roanoke police about canceled appointments, undelivered certificates and still-dirty cars.
The business was sold March 15 to Jennifer Farmer, who renamed it Professional Car Care Services and said she would honor all certificates sold by VIP. She warned it would take several months to catch up to the company's 300-car backlog.
But now Professional Car Care's offices on Williamson Road are empty and the telephone number has been, according to the phone company's recording, "temporarily disconnected." The Better Business Bureau sent Farmer a new-business questionnaire, which was returned by the post office with no forwarding address.
Neither Farmer nor former owner Stephanie Prince could be located, and Prince's Blacksburg attorney, Heather Mitchell Brodie, did not return repeated phone calls seeking information about the business.
Roanoke police say it's unlikely they'll be able to prove that Farmer or the former owners intentionally deceived customers, so no criminal action can be brought against the car wash crew. So, customers who bought certificates and haven't received car washes should call the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services - (804)786-2042 - and speak with a complaint counselor.
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