Help Me Hank: Limo Limbo

When it’s memory time in Marshfield, Todd and Denise know there's nothing as nostalgic as a photo album.

They snapped great shots of their son Anthony as an adorable toddler, on his first-grade first day and as the hippest of high schoolers. But soon to graduate, Anthony made it clear, he was not so happy about the parental paparazzi arriving at his senior prom.

Todd
"He was like, ‘No, don’t show up.’"

Still, Denise wanted her son to at least get to the dance in picture perfect style. She decided to get him a limo.

Denise
"I started making phone calls for him while he was at school."

She soon found a glamorous prom-mobile and used her debit card to put down a $200 deposit. But when Anthony came home from school, he informed mom his pals had already reserved a car, putting Denise in limo limbo.

She called the limo company to cancel.

Denise
"He said, as long as I cancelled it within 24 hours that there would be no problem at all, we would just not ever be charged period."

Anthony's prom night came and went and they did manage to get some pictures for the album of course, but more than a month later an unusual situation developed. Denise’s bank statement had a mysterious $200 charge from what looked like a video company.

Denise
"I thought it was a mistake."

Two hundred dollars for videos? Denise and Todd did some detective work and discovered that the video company was actually part of the limo place! The charges weren't for videos, but for that cancelled car.

Denise
"They were being deceitful, they charged us under a different name."

For months, the limo company avoided them, refused to return calls, put them on permanent hold.

Denise
"It was a very frustrating experience and very time consuming."

Finally, Denise complained to her credit union, but they said she'd missed their deadline to dispute the bill. So Denise was out $200 for a limo she'd canceled months before.

Denise
"This sounds like a job for Help Me Hank."

We explained to the bank that Denise had not authorized the withdrawal and hadn't called the bank because she figured the limo company would certainly give her a refund.

And soon after the disappearing dollars were back in Denises checking account and with the next scrapbook-worthy event being Anthony's freshman year at college in New York, that limo money's now earmarked for tuition.

Denise
"I didn’t want to lose the money because for us it's a lot of money."

Those dispute deadlines set by banks and credit card companies are strictly enforced, so if you have any question about your statement call your bank right away.

If you’re fighting a consumer battle, maybe I can help!