Problem Solver: ProCaulk Phone Order

By Dianne Derby
Anchor
Published: September 16, 2008

Shopping for a product or service by phone can be a convenient way to get what you want but one upstate man says he’ll never do it again. He says when he ordered a caulking kit he saw in a television ad for ProCaulk he was charged 4 times what he expected to pay. Dianne Derby put an end to his troubles in this 7 On Your Side Problem Solver.

“I was going to use them in like this crack in the corner here on the molding and over here,“ said Charlie White as he showed us around his home in Inman.

Mr. White thought he found the perfect fix for the cracks and crevices that were creeping up in his home. He says he saw a special T.V. offer for ProCaulk. The cost…$19.95 plus shipping and handling.

“I was a little afraid to buy the tools from a television ad but I really wanted those tools,“ said White.

And when he made the phone call to place his order he punched in his credit card number to pay.

“But then it wasn’t finished,“ said White. “One sales pitch right after the other and it went on and on and on probably 10 or 15 minutes…terrible.“

Then White said the recording told him his card would be charged $103…four times as much as he expected. He says calling back the number he used to place the order was useless since he couldn’t talk to a person. When he couldn’t find the company’s phone number on the Internet he found 7 On Your Side. We forwarded his complaint to the company and less than a day later…

“We received a call from the company and their explanation was an order had been placed for four and that was what was wrong and that’s the reason it came out to $103,“ said White.

National Express spokesperson Dawn Bradley told us Mr. White pushed an incorrect number adding additional orders. But Mr. White says even if he did make a mistake finding a way to get it corrected was a huge hassle.
“We really need human beings on the other end of that line,“ said White.

If you order something by phone the FTC says you have the backing of the Fair Credit Billing Act when you use a credit card to pay. If you want to dispute a charge you should do the following:

—Write to the creditor to document the billing error at the address listed for billing inquiries on your monthly statement. Send your letter within 60 days of when the first bill that had the error was mailed to you. The creditor must acknowledge your complaint in writing within 30 days and resolve it within two billing cycles.
—If that doesn’t happen contact the FTC to file a complaint at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or click here to file a complaint online.