Curtis Arnold
US Citizens for Fair Credit Card Terms, Inc.

It is not always best to pay in cash. Putting a purchase on a credit card may help you if a service dispute arises, because the Fair Credit Billing Act allows consumers to dispute card-billing problems.

This includes items that arrive damaged… items that are never delivered… overbilling… double billing… and phantom or fraudulent charges.

For the quickest, fairest resolution when you dispute a credit card charge…

GET DETAILS IN WRITING

Insist on getting documentation from the merchant if an item is going to be delivered to you… or promises are made about an item’s condition or quality.

Ask for written confirmation at the time of purchase stating when the item will be delivered… when the services will be provided… what services will be provided (in detail)… and what condition any items purchased will be in.

Save your receipts. These could help resolve your claim. True, your card statement should document the transaction, but receipts often include additional details, such as the formal name and contact information for the company, that can make all the difference in a dispute.

COMPLAIN TO THE MERCHANT

Your credit card issuer will not investigate your disputed charge unless you can show that you already have made a “good faith effort” to work out the problem with the merchant.

If possible, make a face-to-face visit and take any defective merchandise back to the store from which you bought it. If you talk in person or on the telephone, keep a detailed record of each conversation that includes times, dates, names and any promises made to you… or explanations of why your request for a refund is being denied.

CONTACT THE CARD ISSUER NEXT

Call the customer service number on the back of your credit card, and tell the phone rep that you wish to dispute a charge.

Explain that you already tried to get the merchant to resolve the problem and that you want payment withheld if it hasn’t been made already.

By law, card issuers are required to investigate only disputes of $50 or more and only those that took place within the buyer’s home state or 100 miles of his/her home — but in practice, especially in the case of outright fraud, card issuers rarely invoke the distance requirement and sometimes they try to resolve disputes on charges that are below $50 as well.

If you buy online or by phone: That purchase is considered to have been made at home.

Card issuers often let customers file disputes over the phone — particularly when the dispute involves unauthorized use of a credit card — but in some cases, you will be sent a form and asked to file your claim in writing.

(Many card issuers also let customers file claims online. Ask the phone rep how to do this.) Disputes typically must be filed within 60 days of receiving the bill.

Exception: There is no time limit for filing disputes over unauthorized use of a credit card.

The issuer must respond to your claim within 90 days or two billing cycles, whichever comes first. Until the matter is resolved, you won’t have to pay the amount in dispute — and you won’t accrue any interest. However, if your claim ends up being denied, the issuer can charge you interest going back to the date you filed the claim.

If you’re unhappy with the dispute’s outcome, your best bet is to file a complaint with your state attorney general, the Better Business Bureau and/or the Federal Trade Commission.

Personal interviewed Curtis Arnold, founder and CEO of US Citizens for Fair Credit Card Terms, Inc., based in Little Rock, Arkansas. The company educates consumers about credit cards, and its Web site, CardRatings.com, features consumer reviews of credit cards. Arnold is author of How You Can Profit from Credit Cards (FT Press).

So we aren’t heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy.

Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think.

Good grief, look how smart I am!

Must be where the term ‘Smart Ass’came from!

William Van Tassel, PhD
American Automobile Association

Tragically, runaway vehicles have been in the news in recent months, as a series of crashes caused by stuck accelerator pedals has led to several deaths in the US and to the recall of millions of vehicles.

Runaway vehicles are relatively rare, but they are possible with any vehicle make and model. They may occur because parts fail or wear out, especially if vehicles are not properly maintained.

If you find yourself behind the wheel of a runaway car, you must act quickly and wisely to avoid a crash. The two most common reactions are to immediately slam on the brakes or repeatedly pump the brakes, but these measures could be ineffective or even detrimental.

The proper response to a runaway vehicle depends on why the vehicle has gone out of control.

UNINTENDED ACCELERATION

Your foot is off the accelerator, yet your speed continues to climb. You hear the engine working harder and feel pushed back into your seat.

1. Shift into neutral. This is easy to accomplish with a manual transmission, but it might be a little tricky with certain automatic transmissions. All automatic transmissions allow drivers to shift from drive to neutral while moving (and you don’t need to depress the brake as you do this). But some automatic transmission shift mechanisms have “gates,” or grooves in the gearshift box designed to help drivers access special transmission modes, such as upshifting and downshifting. Unfortunately, these gates can make it more challenging to locate neutral in an emergency. If your vehicle has an automatic transmission, practice shifting into neutral with the car parked and running so that you’ll be familiar with how it feels in an emergency.

Shifting to neutral disengages the engine from the transmission, preventing further acceleration, but does not slow the engine itself. Even with the car in neutral, you likely will continue to hear the engine revving.

Warning: Some news reports have suggested turning the key in the ignition of a runaway vehicle to the “off” position if finding neutral proves difficult.

(Note that this is not an option in vehicles equipped with keyless start/stop systems.)Do this only as a last resort and only after several attempts to shift into neutral have failed.

Turning the ignition off will rob most vehicles of their power steering and much of their braking power.

Under no circumstances should you ever remove the key from the ignition while the vehicle is in motion, because this locks the steering wheel.

2. Step on the brake pedal as hard as you can. Do this while you are putting the car into neutral — or as soon as you can after putting the car into neutral.

Put all of your weight into it, and keep your weight on the brake. The braking systems of modern vehicles depend on a vacuum created by the engine to generate much of their stopping power.

This vacuum largely disappears when the accelerator is stuck and the engine is revving, which means extra force may be required from the driver.

Do not pump the brakes. Pumping will not enable you to build up the vacuum you need to slow the car.

3. If the first two steps bring no signs of slowing the vehicle, try to work your toe under the accelerator pedal and lift it up.

4. If you are unable to stop the car after trying the first three steps and are faced with a dangerous situation (such as heavy traffic or a busy intersection), gently guide the side of your vehicle up against a guardrail or other barrier that runs along the side of the road.

The friction should slow down your vehicle. Your car will sustain considerable damage, but that’s better than plowing headlong into something at full speed.

Many people ask about using the parking brake (once commonly known as the emergency brake).

It is not recommended in this situation, because this brake is weaker and more difficult to control than a standard braking system.

5. No matter what method stopped your vehicle, do not attempt to drive it afterward. Turn off the ignition, then call a tow truck.

BRAKE FAILURE

You step on the brakes, but your vehicle does not slow or slows less rapidly than usual… and the resistance of the brake pedal feels either much harder or softer than normal under your foot.

Brake failure typically is caused by either a hydraulic fluid leak in the brake line or by badly worn brake pads.

(If your vehicle has been recalled because of brake failure problems, check to see whether brake failure instructions have been issued for your specific vehicle.)

1. Tap the brakes a few times. In the case of brake failure, tapping the brake pedal could build up any hydraulic pressure that remains in the vehicle’s hydraulic line, increasing the brakes’ stopping power.

Even drivers with vehicles that have antilock brakes should tap a few times.

2. Engage the parking brake as slowly and gently as circumstances permit. If tapping the brakes does not bring the vehicle to a halt, the parking brake is your best bet.

Engaging this brake slowly reduces the odds that the vehicle will go into a difficult-to-control skid.

If you don’t engage your parking brake often, practice reaching for it while the car is parked so that you can familiarize yourself with its position.

3. If it appears that you won’t be able to stop before colliding with another car or running off the road in a curve, gently guide the side of your car up against a guardrail or other barrier that runs along the side of the roadway.

4. Attempt to coast to a stop on the shoulder or some other safe spot. Then call a tow truck.

TIRE BLOW-OUT

You feel a jolt and hear a loud noise … and instantly your vehicle becomes difficult to handle. This often indicates that a tire has blown out.

1. Grip the steering wheel firmly with both hands. It usually will take some effort to keep your car in its lane.

2. Lift your foot off the gas. Resist the urge to brake unless you are in a situation where you absolutely must stop quickly.

If a tire has blown out, braking is likely to make your vehicle very difficult to control. It could even put the vehicle into a dangerous skid.

3. Gently apply the brakes only when you think you have the vehicle largely back under control, when there is no longer a sensation of skidding or zigzagging.

4. Guide the vehicle onto the shoulder or some other safe spot, then change the tire or call for help.

HEADLIGHT FAILURE

You’re driving at night when suddenly everything goes dark. Headlight failure could be caused by an electrical problem or simply a burned-out bulb.

1. Turn on your high beams. The high beams usually are on a different circuit than the regular headlights and may work even when the regular ones fail.

2. Turn on your parking and/or hazard lights (which are on a different circuit than the headlights in most vehicles).

If the high beams don’t work, the parking and hazard lights can provide at least enough illumination for you to see the road immediately ahead and to help other drivers see you.

3. Slow your vehicle and come to a stop in a safe spot, such as the shoulder, as soon as possible. Turn on your hazard lights (if they are not already on), then turn off the ignition and call for help.

Personal interviewed William Van Tassel, PhD, manager of driver training operations at AAA’s national office in Heathrow, Florida. http://www.AAA.com.

He is a member of the Transportation Research Board’s Committee on Operative Regulation and Education and a sports car racer with the Sports Car Club of America.

Here is my only religious commentary:

‘God…a being whose only definition is that he is beyond man’s power to conceive.’ – Ayn Rand

Caio for now, Luv, Zen Lill