What's On Your Mind? Chase, Merchant Contests, ER Solutions, Ancestry.com

Pamela, of Santa Barbara, Calif., is unhappy with her bank and it has nothing to do with a fee. A customer of Chase, she turned to that bank first when she wanted to refinance her mortgage.

“I asked to refinance my home loan,” Pamela told ConsumerAffairs.com. “I have excellent credit and have never made a late payment. I also have savings and checking accounts with Chase. I feel that 6.375 percent is way too high, especially when they pay me practically nothing on my savings account.”

There was a time when 6.375 percent sounded pretty low, but we agree – it seems a bit excessive by today's standards, especially if Pamela's credit is as good as she says it is. Our advice is to seek out a locally owned bank in Santa Barbara and see if she can get a better deal there.

Illegal contest

Veronica, of Ontario, Calif., was in her local shopping mall last month when she saw posters for a Halloween photo contest from a local photography store offering a $500 cash prize. On closer inspection, Veronica says, she noticed that you had to purchase at least $50 worth of pictures to win.

“I heard this was against the law and just wanted to be sure as all other contests I see clearly say 'no purchase necessary to enter,' Veronica said.

Veronica is correct. Requiring a purchase in order to win a prize is the same as operating a lottery, which is against the law. Veronica wanted to know where to file a complaint. We suggest she start with the San Bernardino County District Attorney.

Wrong account

Life is complicated enough without having to deal with a debt collector over a debt you don't think you owe. Sometimes if can seem like you are talking to a brick wall.

“I received a statement from ER Solutions, Inc. concerning a Regions Bank debt on an account that I have never owned,” Christopher, of Boone, N.C., told ConsumerAffairs.com. “I have tried calling ER Solutions but they have hung up on me three times when I try to communicate that the account is not mine. I did have a Regions credit card which has been paid in full. ER Solutions calls and harasses my parents even though they have my correct contact information.”

If Christopher still has one of his old Regions Bank card statements, he should call customer service just to make sure there is not an outstanding balance on the account he doesn't know about. If there isn't, he should ask for a letter or documentation to that effect. Next, he should look up ER Solutions online, get their corporate address, and send the CEO a certified letter containing the documentation. He should mention that the calls to his parents violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Here today, gone tomorrow

There's an old expression, “you get what you pay for.” Consumers should probably keep that in mind when they sign up for free trials.

“I got my 14 day trial of Ancestry.com, knowing I would more than likely go over and be charged, so no problem there,” said Hannah, of Huntsville, Tex. “I began spending hours searching for my ancestors, and got all the way back to the 1700's! I decided I didn't want to keep getting charged because there wasn't a whole lot to get after digging that deep, so I cancelled. Little did I know when I cancelled, all of my hard work would be erased. NOT A HAPPY CUSTOMER!”

Ancestry.com might respond that Hannah wasn't actually a customer, she was trying out the service for free. Hannah can check, but that's probably listed somewhere in the terms and conditions.