Author: Chris Morran

Mike was having trouble getting Verizon to actually show up and install his FiOS. He wasted two Saturdays and a Sunday waiting and fruitlessly calling Verizon customer service. But after a nice e-mail to the CEO, Mike says his FiOS was installed immediately.

In a concise but detailed e-mail, Mike wrote CEO Ivan Seidenberg ([email protected]) and copied Consumerist, his local Better Business Bureau and the FCC.

The next morning, he received a call from Verizon Executive Customer Service, who had competent technicians at his home within 24 hours.

And though he was glad to have the problem resolved, Mike still wanted some resolution on all the time and energy spent trying to get some help:

After the first bill was generated, I again contacted executive customer service and voila, they adjusted my bill and gave me most of what I had originally wanted: 1 month worth of charges deducted from my bill (although I believe I’m still paying the taxes and fees on that service).

The moral of the story? EECBs work, even if it only gets through to one person. And executive customer service does get the job done once you get through to them.

Isn’t it nice to hear a happy ending on occasion?

Over at Zug.com, Bayan Rabbani shares all the details — good, bad, and ugly — of the 24 consecutive hours he spent wandering around — making friends, eating food, getting a manicure — in a Super Walmart in Texas “with absolutely no regard for my hygiene or sanity.”

Bayan began his Jack Bauer-like experiment at midnight on a Wednesday, not exactly peak hours at the W.

“I was literally two minutes in, and already panicking,” he recalls. “Look at the desolation of this aisle — what the hell was I going to do in the store for 24 hours? I was certain that come 2:00 or 3:00 a.m., I would bail.”

At some point in the evening, Bayan claims to have blacked out, only to wake up with his face down on the table of Walmart’s McDonald’s just before 7 a.m.

To keep himself amused, he made suggestive remarks to an elderly woman in the produce aisle and attempted to convince a shopper that Redbox uses the color red because it’s owned by communists.

After his manicure, Bayan headed over to the bank where he opened a bank account he’ll never use. Then it was on to distract himself with the Wii, some energy drinks and more McDonald’s.

It wasn’t until almost 22 hours into his adventure that he caught the eye of store management and was called to the front of the store.

“When I told them my mission, they just laughed and told me not to get into trouble,” he writes.

Looking back now with the hindsight of several weeks, Bayan waxes poetic:

I’m not exaggerating at all when I say that Walmart really started to feel like home. I know it had been only 24 hours, but I couldn’t imagine not being there. I finally understand those prisoners who have been imprisoned for decades. It really is difficult to leave a place that you have become familiar with. I’m still jittery.

The Walmart Experiment: 24 Hours Locked Inside a Super Walmart [Zug.com]

Consumerist reader David recently made the switch from Comcast internet to Verizon DSL because he figured if he was going to get slow web access, he might as well pay less for it. David also works for a company that will reimburse him for a portion of his internet cost, so long as he provides them with a copy of his bill. One catch — Verizon doesn’t seem to want to show him his bill.

Here’s David to explain his story:

Unfortunately, Verizon refuses to send me paper bills. I’ve been at this for about 3 months now. Apparently I can see my bill if I go online, but… what I end up seeing is the ‘bill’ for the placeholder phone number they give me to run my DSL (I don’t have a landline, just cellphone). That ‘placeholder’ phone number is not charged of course, so the bill is $0.00.

That is the only bill I can see online.

I’ve been on the phone with them for hours (just recently two phone calls of 49min and 13min). I keep getting bounced around from billing department to web support department back to billing department.

Each time the rep assures me they’ve placed a ticket in, and each time I have to go through all the same information.

David has had similar bad luck with the online chat support, which just keeps leading him through the same steps and then offering to open up a ticket.

Below are copies of the useless “bill” for $0.00 he keeps being directed to, along with a copy of bank documentation that Verizon has been deducting money from his account for service.

In terms of getting reimbursed by his company, we suggest showing them the same copy of the bank statement and explaining the situation.

So many things can go wrong on prom night — ill-fitting tuxes, zits, wilted flowers, your date running off with someone else — but a group of high school students in Oklahoma had their evening spoiled in a way that is all too indicative of the times we live in: They watched as the limo they’d rented was repossessed.

The teens and the limo’s driver had just stepped out of the vehicle when someone else suddenly hopped in and drove off. “Our limo is getting carjacked,” one of the prom-goers said as he watched the stretch speed away.

According to the owner of the limo, the car should not have been repossessed at all. He claims to have sorted out his issues with the bank, but he says the bank didn’t pass that info on to the repo men.

The owner says he intends to make up for the incident with a partial refund or a free future rental.

Maybe for their 5 year reunion?

Prom-Goers Watch Repo Man Drive Away In Their Limo [CBS4 Denver]
Thanks to Jed for the tip!

Less than one week after our lab coat-wearing brethren at Consumer Reports issued a “Don’t Buy” rating on the 2010 Lexus GX 460 SUV because of potential rollover issues, Toyota has announced a voluntary recall of approximately 9,400 GX 460s worldwide.

CR initially issued the “Don’t Buy: Safety Risk” designation after testing on the vehicle demonstrated a real possibility for a rollover incident. The recall will update the electronic stability control software on the vehicle.

Says a Lexus VP of some sort, “From the moment we heard about this issue, Lexus and our dealers acted quickly to resolve the situation. Our dealers will now personally reach out to customers to set up appointments to make this modification.”

The software update will be in the hands of the Lexus dealers by the end of April; GX owners will be notified by mail beginning early May. Toyota estimates that updating the software should only take about an hour.

In the interim, Lexus is offering a courtesy vehicle to concerned GX 460 owners.

For more information, owners can contact Lexus Customer Satisfaction at 1-800-255-3987.

Recall: Lexus to update 2010 GX 460 stability control software [Consumer Reports]

The pilot of a JetBlue flight heading from Portland, Maine, to JFK Airport in NYC on Saturday night says that a yet-unexplained green laser penetrated the window of the plane’s cockpit as he prepared to land.

It was around 7:45 p.m. on Saturday when the pilot says he noticed a bright green beam coming through the window. He claims it was so bright he had to use a sun visor to block it out.

The pilot says the light appeared to be coming from along the beaches near JFK and that it seemed like the laser was being pointed at the plane. He was able to land the flight without problem and the incident is being investigated by Port Authority Police.

Laser beam penetrates cockpit, pilot says [WABC]

We at Consumerist have always warned of the downside to buying gift cards, but we never thought to tell you not to buy gift cards with stolen credit cards and then use those gift cards to buy $80,000 worth of electronics at Target. Because that’s exactly what a pair of gentlemen stand accused of doing at Target stores in Long Island.

Police in Nassau County, NY, arrested two men from Brooklyn on Friday, claiming that the alleged crooks first used stolen or fraudulent credit cards to purchase vast sums of Target gift cards at stores in the the NYC metro area. The gift cards were later converted into $80K worth of Target merchandise.

The men had been pulling the caper off for around five months when they were nabbed at the Target in Valley Stream, NY.

When arrested, police say the duo was in possession of several fake credit cards. They’ve been charged with grand larceny, possession of a forged instrument and scheme to defraud. One of the suspects was also charged it ID theft.

Cops: NYC Men Ripped Off Target in 80K Gift Card Scam [Long Island Press]

For anyone who ever thought that shopping at Walmart could make you sick… Here’s the photographic evidence you’ve been waiting for.

Consumerist reader James sent in this receipt after a diabetic co-worker went to Walmart to pick up his insulin at the pharmacy. And while one insulin purchase shows up correctly, the second merely says “Diabetes.”

We don’t usually buy our diseases retail, so we’re unsure if $24.88 is a good price.

Maybe James’ co-worker might want to double check that second insulin bottle… ya know, just in case.

In spite of its recent moves to remain competitive, video rental dinosaur Blockbuster continues to lose ground to newer services like Netflix and Redbox. And a new report from analyst Michael Pachter with Wedbush Morgan Securities makes the scenario look even more bleak.

“Blockbuster is losing customers to Netflix and Redbox at an unprecedented rate, driving continued upside to Netflix’s financial performance,” Pachter wrote in a note to clients over the weekend.

He added that Blockbuster’s recent exclusivity deals with studios like Warner Bros. and Fox won’t be enough to stem the tide toward ultimate doom. “It had similar arrangements in place throughout its decline,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, he predicts significant increases in subscribers this year for Netflix. According to his math, the video delivery service should add around 4 million new users by the end of 2010.

Blockbuster Losing Customers at ‘Unprecedented’ Rate, Analyst Says [Home Media Magazine]

Because 8 million recalled vehicles worldwide was apparently not enough for Toyota, the car giant has gone and recalled 600,000 of their Sienna minivans because of possible rust damage to the cable holding the spare tire.

The recall covers two-wheel drive Siennas, model years 1998 to 2010, that were sold or are currently registered in 20 states and the District of Columbia.

From a statement on the Toyota site:

This condition may appear on certain 1998 through 2010 model year Siennas that have been operated in cold climate areas with high road salt use. Continued prolonged exposure to road salts may cause excessive corrosion of the carrier cable in some of these vehicles. In the worst case, the carrier cable may fail and the spare tire could become separated from the vehicle, a road hazard for following vehicles that increases the likelihood of a crash.

Toyota is currently working to develop a remedy for this condition. Until this remedy is developed, customers will receive an interim notice instructing them to bring their vehicle to a dealership for a preliminary inspection.

For now, the recall is limited to vehicles sold or currently registered in:
Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Toyota to Begin Voluntary Safety Recall on Certain 1998-2010 Model Year Siennas to Address Potential Corrosion on Spare Tire Cable [Toyota statement]

What does it take to get yourself barred, not just from your local after-work watering hole, but from every bar in your entire country? There’s a 20-year-old woman in England who can answer that question, having just become the first person to ever be legally banned from buying or drinking booze anywhere in the UK.

The woman has been issued a two-year ban that prevents her from even stepping foot inside of any pub or bar in her home country. She is also not allowed to purchase alcohol, carry it in an open container or drink in public.

The ban comes after the woman had already been convicted in various intoxicated incidents. She had been issued, and subsequently ignored, bans at pubs, bars and clubs in her local municipality, so the ban has been expanded nationally.

She must also attend “alcohol-misuse” classes, which if completed without incident could halve the term of the ban to a single year.

If she violates the order, the woman could face a fine of approximately $3850.

Woman becomes first person banned from EVERY pub and club in the country [Daily Mail]

Four months after Apple said no to an iPhone app from Pulitzer-winning political cartoonist Mark Fiore, the computer company is feeling the blowback from negative publicity and has asked him to resubmit his application.

In its decision to deny the original app application, Apple said Fiore’s work violated their rules against mocking public figures.

Of course, what good is a political cartoonist who makes fun of non-public figures?

That’s the question that many have asked since hearing the news that Fiore’s app had been denied by Apple. And after enough complaints were lodged, Apple says they’re open to reconsidering the app.

“It seems like you need to raise a stink to get something political approved,” Fiore said about his reversal of fortune. “That’s what makes me a little upset, if you are someone people haven’t heard of and have an amazing satire app, you won’t get this through.”

Fiore also points out that other cartoonists — namely Daryl Cagle and Tom Richmond — have had similar experiences with Apple, but haven’t received the attention he has. “I feel a little bit guilty because it feels like I am getting preferential treatment,” he explained.

In addition to the content issue, one problem facing Fiore is that his cartoons are created in Flash, which Apple has not installed on any of their iPhone/iPod/iPad devices.

Bad PR Forces Apple to Reconsider Banning Prize-Winning Satirist [Wired]

While most sellers on eBay are busy talking up the historic and/or kitsch value of the moldy t-shirts and sun-damaged movie posters they salvaged from their parents’ crawlspace, Consumerist reader Daniel has pointed us in the direction of one item where the seller has decided to be honest about the product, for better or worse.

In his description for a semi-battered copy of the bestselling 1968 astrology tome, Sun Signs by Linda Goodman, the seller lays out what you’d be buying, warts and all:

This is a wonderful book. If you enjoy talking to Flying Spaghetti Monsters before you drift off to sleep, then this book is for you.
There is no dust sleeve included with this 549 page book made exclusively from the Scrotal fur of a Unicorn.
This book belonged to my mother in the 1970’s.
There is a pencil scribble on the last blank page. I’m pretty sure I did that. At 4 years old, I think I was trying to spell “bullsh1t.”
Cut me some slack, it ended up kinda sh1tty looking, but I knew that what I was writing was true to my 4 yr. old heart.
Anyhoo, this completely bogus piece of crap astrological book from 1968 is up for auction.
If this hunk of sh1t sells, I will donate 1/2 of the proceeds to the charity of your choice!

Check out the item listing for yourself [eBay]

A new study in the American Journal of Public Health states that several of the biggest U.S. health insurers are heavily invested in fast food companies, to the tune of $2 billion. This news has caused some to ask whether or not the insurance companies’ vested interest in the growth of fast food stands in direct contrast to their interest in having healthy policy holders.

Among the companies named in the study is Prudential Financial Inc., which has a total of $355.5 million invested in a selection of fast food giants that includes McDonald’s, Burger King, Jack-in-the-Box and Yum! Brands.

Northwestern Mutual has an even bigger fast food portfolio, with $422.2 million tied up in fast food stock — $318.1 million of that invested in McDonald’s.

Says the Harvard doc who authored the study:

There’s a ton of irony in it… In order to generate profits, they will invest in any area they need to … to make money, even if what they invest in, in this case fast food, is an industry that is known to cause people to get sick and to die early.

What do you think?

Health Insurers’ Fast Food Holdings Raise Flag [CBS News]

Long gone is the era of the all-powerful travel agent, in whom you could trust to get you the best deal on your travel plans and to make sure nothing huge was overlooked. Now we’re almost all booking our own flights, and the manifold options for booking can cause even the most fastidious among us to make a mistake. That’s why the good people at USA Today put together this list of the 10 most common travel booking mistakes.

1. Booking too soon
“For standard vacations and weekend getaways, however, booking way in advance (e.g., three months or more) or before you’ve done your research may not get you the best price… It’s a good rule of thumb to start pricing vacations six to eight weeks before your travel dates to get the best sense of what you should expect to pay for your trip.”

2. Booking too late
“Capacity cuts and belt-tightening across the industry have greatly reduced last-minute pricing inventory (at least for airfares)… Holding out for a lower price may result in the exact opposite—reduced inventory leading to high prices and extremely limited availability.”

3. Not comparison shopping
“This may be the single most important rule when booking travel, and one that will serve you well regardless of what you’re looking to buy: Comparing prices across a variety of providers is the best way to ensure you’re getting a good price for your trip.”

4. Ignoring seasonality
“A destination’s peak travel period will result in the highest demand and prices. If you’re planning to travel during this busy time, book well in advance for the best prices and availability… Conversely, knowing when the off-peak and shoulder seasons occur is just as important, particularly if you’re planning a lot of outdoor activities.”

5. Not reading reviews
“Nowadays reviews are plentiful — you can find hotel reviews on sites such as TripAdvisor, Yahoo, and major OTAs (Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity). Before making a reservation, cross reference hotel ratings from your favorite guidebooks against online user reviews to get a good sense of what a property is really like.”

6. Not reading the fine print
“If something looks too good to be true, it probably is. Break out the magnifying glass and comb over the teeny-tiny text at the bottom of that seemingly great deal. From there, you can determine caveats, regulations, and the actual cost, including taxes, fees, and any ‘hidden’ charges that can drive up the total price.”

7. Not understanding the difference between direct and non-stop flights
“Non-stop flights get you from your departure city to your arrival city seamlessly, with no stops or breaks during service… A direct flight may include a few stops along the way to drop off and pick up passengers… A non-stop flight tends to cost a bit more for the convenience of the faster flight and the possibility of flying a less-than-full plane without the chance to pick up additional paying customers along the way.”

8. Booking a too-tight connection
“Avoid booking connections that are less than an hour, particularly if you know your connecting airport is large and has terminals spread out, or if you’re flying different legs on separate carriers that may not share gate areas and/or terminals.”

9. Not taking fees into account
“The proliferation of fees in recent years has made doing your pre-booking legwork more important than ever. Whether it’s extra charges for checked baggage, overweight baggage, in-flight entertainment, flying with a pet, or even carry-on bags, fees today can greatly inflate the cost of your ticket.”

10. Ignoring follow-up e-mails/alerts after booking
“The days of getting a phone call from your airline to notify you of changes or cancellations are long over; in many cases, email updates are the only form of communication. Ignore them at your peril.”

The 10 most common travel booking mistakes [USA Today]

While we in the U.S. have become accustomed to getting things before the rest of the world, that doesn’t seem to hold true for Toyota recalls. Documents show that the car maker issued a recall for their Venza vehicle in December, but decided to wait six weeks to make the same decision stateside.

Toyota opted for the Canadian Venza recall after determining that the floor mats could slip forward and trap the accelerator. However, the company told NHTSA at the time that it wasn’t recalling Venzas in the U.S. because they claimed those vehicles were not imported with the all-weather floor mats.

But then on Jan. 27, Toyota went ahead with a U.S. recall anyway. Though they maintain their stance that the Canadian mats are different from the ones in the U.S. model, Toyota admits that both mats could slip forward and trap the gas pedal.

According to Toyota the mats used in the Canadian model are made by a company in Tennessee. The L.A. Times says the car maker declined to identify the manufacturer of the mats in the U.S. model.

NHTSA, as always, is taking it seriously:

NHTSA continues to investigate the timeliness of Toyota’s pedal entrapment recall… We will continue to hold Toyota accountable for violations we find.

In other Toyota news, the car company has until Monday to respond to the record-setting $16.375 million penalty NHTSA slapped on them earlier this month.

Toyota delayed Venza recall in U.S. for six weeks, records show [L.A. Times]

Postmaster General John Potter appeared before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to make his case for scrapping service on Saturdays, and what he had to say about the USPS wasn’t exactly rainbows and sunshine.

“Today, we stand on the brink of financial insolvency,” he admitted to the committee. “The way Americans communicate has changed dramatically and we’ve got to change with it.”

With fewer and few people using the Postal Service these days, the USPS lost $3.8 billion last year and stands to lose more than that in 2010.

In addition to putting an end to Saturday deliveries, the Postmaster has suggested cutting back on payments to the pension plan. An inspector general report shows that the USPS has been required to overfund the pension by $75 billion, as well as having to prepay billions into a fund that covers health benefits for retired USPS employees.

“Over the past three years, the Postal Service has paid $15.4 billion to Treasury to prefund future retiree health benefits. During that same time, the Postal Service borrowed more than $8 billion from Treasury so that it could make those payments,” says Ruth Goldway, chair of the Postal Regulatory Commission. “Borrowing by the Postal Service to make the payments does not make sense.”

For some reason, USPS is the only federal agency required to make these pre-payments, and only Congress can eliminate the requirements. Additionally, by law USPS can only borrow from the U.S. Treasury to make these payments.

However, Postmaster Potter believes that even if the entire $75 billion in over-payments were to be returned, the decrease in the amount of mail would still ultimately require the cut to Saturday service.

He added that, with thousands of employees set to retire this decade, cuts to staffing at USPS could be done through attrition rather than layoffs.

Goldway chided the Postmaster for being short-sighted and pessimistic, saying “the Postal Service should reposition its goals to meet the needs of an evolving society” instead of ringing the death knell because people send e-mail instead of letters.

Potter countered by saying that USPS is attempting to find new revenue streams, but doing so is going to require investment.

But his suggestion of placing post offices in non-government places of business was given the smack-down by Goldway, who challenged, “Ask the small towns of America if they think government business should be conducted in Walmarts.”

Saturday Mail: to deliver or not to deliver [Philly.com]

While most of their competitors are at least paying lip service to the idea of using cage-free eggs in their food, the board of directors for McDonald’s telling shareholders to vote against a proposal that would require McD’s to use at least 5% cage-free eggs in its U.S. restaurants.

In a statement, here’s how the board explained their decision:

As we have examined this issue over the years, we have deter­mined that there is no agreement in the global scientific com­munity about how to balance the advantages and disadvantages of laying hen housing systems.

McDonald’s says it believes the current “battery cages” used by most of their egg providers, which provide each hen with 72 sq. inches with space, are sufficiently humane.

This is in stark contrast to McDonald’s European operations, which have committed to using 100% cage-free eggs by the end of the year. Of course, that may have something to do with the European Union’s passing of a law that will outlaw the use of battery cages beginning in 2012.

McDonald’s Board Opposes Cage-Free Eggs for U.S. [NY Times]

Forget that boring Fortune 500 list, with its Walmarts, oil companies and lack of vampires. The better list was released this week by Forbes, the one that not only includes vampires, but puts a bloodsucker squarely on top of the list.

In its annual ranking of the wealthiest fictional characters, Forbes calculated that Carlisle Cullen — the father of the vampiric Cullen clan from the Twilight novels and movies — is the most well-heeled character in the world with an estimated fortune of over $34 billion.

Forbes… explain yourself:

Immortal vampire and small-town doctor has quietly amassed a fortune over the centuries. In 1670 received generous handout from Italian friends; put savings in bank, reaped billions in compound interest. Made shrewd long-term investments in steel, gold, oil, thanks to prescience of daughter turned financial advisor Alice; saw recessions coming, invested early in Wal-Mart. Earned doctor’s salary for 340 years without paying for groceries, health care expenses. Avoids sunshine and public displays of wealth but owns several valuable properties, including yacht, private island, collection of Renaissance art.

Everyone’s favorite feathered billionaire Scrooge McDuck’s $33.5 billion — mostly in gold coins — was enough to put him in the #2 slot, while Richie Rich continues to creep us out in the third position with $11.5 billion.

Tony “Iron Man” Stark is only at #4 with $8.8 billion, though that may change depending on how well his sequel does this summer. And good ol’ Jed Clampett keeps sipping that Texas Tea to the tune of $7.2 billion and the final spot in the top five.

Here is the entire Forbes Fictional 15:
1. Carlisle Cullen (Twilight): $34.1 billion
2. Scrooge McDuck: $33.5 billion
3. Richie Rich: $11.5 billion
4. Tony Stark (Iron Man): $8.8 billion
5. Jed Clampett (Beverly Hillbillies): $7.2 billion
6. Adrian “Ozymandias” Veidt (Watchmen): $7 billion
7. Bruce Wayne (Batman): $6.5 billion
8. The Tooth Fairy (she’s real): $3.9 billion
9. Thurston Howell, III (Gilligan’s Island): $2.1 billion
10. Sir Tophamm Hatt (Thomas the Tank Engine): $2 billion
11. Artemis Fowl II : $1.9 billion
12. C. Montgomery Burns (The Simpsons): $1.3 billion
13. Chuck Bass (Gossip Girl): $1.1 billion
14. Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby): $1 billion
15. Lucille Bluth (Arrested Development): $950 million

The Forbes Fictional 15 [Forbes]

Consumerist reader Chris wrote in because Bank of America somehow decided that the best way to get money from his father’s business was to simply take it from his parents’ joint bank account.

As Chris tells the story:

My dad owns a small business. A few years ago Bank of America called and offered him a line of credit and he took their offer. Last year my dad’s business wasn’t doing so good and the company fell behind on the line of credit. At the same time both of my parents were also doing their personal banking through Bank of America. So without consent, Bank of America removed the past due balance on the line of credit from my parents’ joint bank account.

Since then he’s been in an endless phone battle trying to get this money put back. They keep passing him around and every department says it’s not their responsibility. The most recent person he talked to said that he would have to file a lawsuit just to get a copy of his file.

Chris says that his father’s business is incorporated and there were never any promissory notes signed with Bank of America. So even though both accounts were at the same bank, BofA had no right to take the money out of the joint account.

As in most situations where consumers believe their bank is at fault, we suggest the following:
• Contact the bank, not just the branch, with a formal complaint. You can do this in writing, or by email. Keep a copy of this complaint for your records.
• Figure out which agency regulates your bank by calling or using FDIC’s Bank Find.
• Write a formal complaint letter to the bank’s regulatory agency. Follow the FTC’s instructions for writing a complaint.

This document also has the correct contact information for the various regulatory agencies. Keep a copy of this complaint for your records.

According to the FDIC, “The regulatory agencies will be able to help resolve the complaint if the financial institution has violated a banking law or regulation. They may not be able to help where the consumer is not satisfied with an institution’s policy or practices, even though no law or regulation was violated. Additionally, the regulatory agencies do not resolve factual or most contractual disputes.”

By filing a complaint, the regulating agency will investigate whether the bank actually violated any banking regulations.

If you are considering pursuing legal action, here is a site with some very helpful information about filing a suit in small claims court.