Chapter 11. Disputes and Complaints

Insufficient funds from friend

Susan Hood

Dear Susan,

I’m sure this was an oversight, but the check you gave me to pay for your portion of our group lunch at the Water Café has been returned to me by the bank for insufficient funds in your account.

The check was in the amount of $24.50, and the bank added a service charge of $15.

I would appreciate it if you would write a new check or give me the cash to cover the total of $39.50.

Sincerely,

Laura Burns

Response about insufficient funds

Dear Laura,

I hope you will forgive me about the check; I am not in the habit of bouncing checks.

I forgot to record the check (and a few others) in my register when I got home, and we didn’t make a deposit until a few days later.

Enclosed is a new check in the amount of $39.50 to cover the check plus the service fee.

Again, my apologies.

Sincerely,

Susan Hood

Informing relative of default notice

Ron Gibbons

Rolling Meadow

Dear Ron,

I have just been notified by the Bank of Rolling Meadow that you are in default on your personal loan. As cosigner on the loan, they are demanding I pay off the note in full within thirty days.

Six months ago, when you asked me to guarantee the loan I agreed to do so with great reluctance.

At the time I told you it would be a substantial burden to your aunt and me if you could not make the payments. You assured me that your employment situation was changing for the better and you had no doubts you would be able to make the payments for the duration of the loan.

I am hoping that you are in a position to honor your obligation to the bank and to your family.

Please contact the bank immediately and inform me of the outcome.

Sincerely,

Ralph

Asking repayment of loan

Dear Bob,

Four months ago when you asked for a short-term loan we were happy to help; the purpose of the loan was to help you pay expenses until you started your new job.

Even though it was not the best time for us to be dipping into our savings, we wanted to help you out.

The agreement called for repayment after three months. I am quite concerned that we have not received any money from you and that you have not responded to our phone calls.

I am asking that you honor the term of the loan. I very much want to keep this all on a friendly basis, but I am not prepared to write off that amount of money.

I would like to hear from you within the next week.

Sincerely,

Paul

Asking detailed descriptions in bill

Rolling Meadow Health Clinic

Rolling Meadow

Attn. Accounts Payable

In regards to account 234093-6SJ7

Dear accounts payable department,

I am writing on behalf of my father, Henry Walters. Under power of attorney I manage my father’s finances and pay his bills.

Your most recent statement in the amount of $694.09 did not include enough detail about services provided.

Before I pay the bill, I want to make certain that all charges are appropriate. And I need to check with Medicare and with my father’s supplemental health care insurance company to see if any reimbursement is available.

Please send me a detailed description of each charge on this and all future statements.

Sincerely,

Shirley Davis

Asking caretaker for itemized bills

Dear Sam,

First of all, I want you to know how grateful we are to have someone like you available to help my father in keeping his house in good repair. He needs the help, and he could not live there alone without having someone to call to take care of all of the routine and emergency situations that come up with an older home.

I do, though, have one request to make. I have been taking over the management of his finances, including paying all of his bills.

The statements you have sent my father show only an amount due; they do not indicate the particular service performed and make no distinction between repairs and capital improvements.

I am in no way doubting your honesty. But for legal and tax purposes, I am asking that all billing be as detailed as possible. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call me. And I expect that I will be calling you in coming months to go over some of the work you have done in recent years so that we can calculate a cost basis in the event we sell the house.

Sincerely,

Peter Lyons

Disputing legal bill

Stephen Giger, Esq

Giger, Giger & Giger

Dear Mr. Giger,

I recently retained your law firm to represent me in filing for state assistance for my father who now lives in a nursing home in Florida.

At our initial meeting, you told us that you offered a set fee for elder care services of this sort, $1,200 plus any required state or local court fees. That was the basis of our agreement, and it was also an element of the contract we signed with your law firm.

We were pleased with the work you and your associate Wendy Fuller did on behalf of my father. We accomplished all we had hoped for, and his finances are now set.

However, I was upset to receive a bill from your firm today totaling $3,200. Instead of the set fee of $1,200, we were billed for thirty-two hours of legal work at $100 per hour.

Without questioning whether the two filings actually required nearly a full week’s work, I am asking that you redraw the invoice to represent the agreed-upon set fee.

Sincerely,

Barbara Moss

Objecting to service overcharge

James Steele, manager

ABC Towing Company

Rolling Meadow

Dear Mr. Steele,

We used your service Friday night to bring our vehicle from downtown to the Last Gas Garage after we found it would not start. When we called for the towing service we asked the dispatcher the cost and were told it would be $50 plus $1 per mile.

When we arrived at the garage, the driver presented a bill for $50 plus $6 in mileage and an additional $50 after-hours fee.

We were quite displeased at the extra charge, but the driver would not release the car without payment.

I have checked with the town attorney and he informs me that your franchise for towing does not include the right to add a late-night fee. Before I pursue this with the town, I would ask an immediate refund of the $50 surcharge.

Thank you.

Mark Kelsey

Asking removal of late fee from credit card bill

Transvisacard

Whiteshoe, WI

In regards to card 555-567-3929-2039

Dear Customer Service,

I have used a Transvisacard for more than a decade and have never been late with a payment.

I recently returned from a two-week trip to Europe to find a bill that had arrived while I was away. I immediately paid the outstanding balance. I now find that I have been assessed a late fee in the amount of $35 plus interest.

According to the terms of the card agreement, I am supposed to receive 15 days in which to make payment. Your bill arrived within the two-week period I was away, and therefore I must assume that it was delayed in the mail.

I am asking that you remove the late fee and all interest charges.

I would like to continue using my Transvisacard, but I expect this accommodation as a longtime customer.

Sincerely,

Tessa Stevens

Objecting to bill for photo proofs

Rolling Meadow Photographic Services

Rolling Meadow

Gentlemen,

I recently brought my two children to a photo session at the elementary school. The photographer, Glen, was very professional and took many pictures of both children.

Before I came to the sitting I checked with the school to make certain there was no charge for the session. In addition, the paperwork I signed at the school stated that we could choose any photo from the proofs and would only be billed for packages we would choose to order.

We decided not to order any pictures, notifying your studio through the school.

In today’s mail I received a bill for $50 for the photo sitting and the proofs.

I would like to believe this was an error and not a deliberate attempt to bilk customers. I will not be paying the bill, and I have also notified the school and asked them to advise parents that they are not responsible for any charges other than for packages they order.

Sincerely,

Terry McGuire

Asking refund for class cancellation

Kathy Bradley, Director

Rolling Meadow Community School

Rolling Meadow

Dear Ms. Bradley,

In September I signed up for a six-week exercise class at Rolling Meadow Community School.

One class was canceled because of bad weather and two classes were not held because of the illness of the instructor.

I just received a notice that registration is beginning for the spring session, offering a prorated credit for the missed classes in the fall.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend classes in the spring because of other commitments. Therefore, I am asking for a refund of half the course fee I paid in September.

Sincerely,

Wendy Taylor

Asking for scholarship payment

Mark DeMarco

DeMarco’s Fitness Center

Dear Mr. DeMarco,

I am writing to request once again that I be paid the college scholarship you awarded me through the Rolling Meadow Business Council this past June.

As I told you in my previous letter, I was very proud to be awarded $1,000 toward my college education; your company received a good amount of publicity in our community.

However, it has now been four months and I have not received payment.

I really don’t want to cause trouble, but I have decided that if I do not receive the promised scholarship money within two weeks I will notify the business council and the local newspaper. I think that will result in the sort of publicity you do not want to see in town.

Sincerely,

Patrick Early

Complaint about tutor

Katherine Dean

Tutoring Express

Dear Ms. Dean,

As you know, we have asked your agency to provide a tutor to help my daughter Nancy in algebra.

We’re sorry to say that though Greg Falcone is a very well-mannered young man, he does not seem to be adequately prepared to be a tutor. We provided him with copies of Nancy’s course curriculum and encouraged him to get in touch with her teacher, but he has shown no indication that he understands Nancy’s needs.

At this time we would like to ask that you contact us to discuss a replacement for Greg. If this is not possible, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can make arrangements with other tutors.

Thank you,

Kelly Ernst

Complaint about discrepancy in hourly wages paid

Douglas Worth

Rolling Meadow

Dear Mr. Worth,

Two weeks ago you engaged me to tutor your daughter Tara.

We agreed that I would meet her on Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m. in the middle school library to go over her homework assignments and assist her with prealgebra and other math concepts.

The arrangement called for a rate of $30 per hour for ninety minutes of instruction. I received a check from you today and it was for just $30; the proper amount should have been $45.

I have spent a considerable amount of my own time preparing for this job, including conferring with Tara’s math teacher to understand the lesson plans.

I hope this is nothing more than an error in calculation. If there is any problem with the agreement, please let me know as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Joan Parker

Asking removal of name from mailing list

Rainy Days Gutter Repair

Rolling Meadow

Please remove my name from your postal and e-mail lists. I do not want to receive any solicitations in any form from your company or from any other company with which you do business.

Mary Jones

18 Circle Road

Rolling Meadow

Thank you.

Seeking removal from marketing list

Rolling Meadow Travel Agency

Rolling Meadow

To Whom It May Concern,

I recently made an inquiry to your agency about a special offer on a cruise to Alaska. I specifically asked for information about that one trip.

Since then I have been inundated with phone calls, mailings, and other solicitations from your company about everything from travel insurance to trips to Egypt. Many of these calls come from unrelated companies that must have received our number from your agency.

Please immediately remove my name and telephone number from your records.

We will be making our decision within the next few weeks. I will choose a travel agency that understands our desire not to be badgered by salespeople.

Sincerely,

Amy Greenwood