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                            COMPLAINING FOR RESULTS

          To complain successfully, you must be patient, persistent
          and organized. Credit card companies will try to tire you
          out and discourage you because that's how they prefer to
          settle complaints. Stick to your guns. If you believe you're
          right, don't back down and don't be daunted by their
          delaying and discouraging tactics.



                   THE GOLDEN RULES OF SUCCESSFUL COMPLAINING


                         Keep the information about your complaint in
                          its own file folder or envelope.

                         Always complain in writing. But, if you must
                          complain verbally, take ample notes (dates,
                          times and names).

                         Don't complain emotionally; make your
                          complaint letter businesslike and matter of
                          fact.

                         Always send your letters certified mail,
                          return receipt requested. The cost is $1 per
                          service, which is a total of $2 per mailing
                          plus postage.

                         Never send original copies of bills,
                          receipts, etc. Always send photocopies.

                         Don't comply with repetitive requests.
                          Simply respond that you have already sent
                          the information being requested.

                         Complain early. The sooner you complain the
                          better. Don't be put on the defensive by
                          having to answer the question "Why have you
                          waited so long to bring this to our
                          attention?"

                         Use the credit card company's arrogance to
                          your benefit. If your complaint is being
                          ignored, use that to your advantage. Learn
                          when the credit card company's silence is an
                          admission of guilt that you can use in your
                          favor. Don't take the attitude of "They're
                          not responding, now what do I do?"

                         Complain often. If you are being ignored,
                          complain to as many agencies as you can.
                          Demand their attention. Complain to the
                          State Attorney General, The Better Business
                          Bureau, anybody who will listen. Always send
                          the credit card company a copy of the
                          complaint letter. That'll get their
                          attention.

                         Be persistent. Don't allow yourself to be
                          "worn down."



          When your complaints to the merchant account holder and the
          credit card issuer have failed to produce results, you can
          complain to a number of agencies. Many states have consumer
          protection agencies set up for this purpose. You may choose
          to complain to those located in your state, the state where
          the credit card company or merchant is located, or both.

          Some other agencies you may want to consider are the Better
          Business Bureau or the State Attorney General's Office.
          These agencies, as well as agencies such as those mentioned
          above, are listed in the front section of your telephone
          directory. These numbers also are readily available from
          directory assistance.

          The following pages contain alphabetical listings of state
          and federal agencies that deal with various types of credit
          card holder's complaints.



                             STATE-BY-STATE LISTING
                             OF THE OFFICES OF THE
                             STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL


          ALABAMA
          Office of the Attorney General
          11 South Union Street
          Montgomery, AL 36130
          [phone]


          ARIZONA
          Office of the Attorney General
          1275 West Washington
          Phoenix, AR 85007
          [phone]


          CALIFORNIA
          Office of the Attorney General
          1515 "K" Street Law Library
          Sacramento, CA 95814
          [phone]


          CONNECTICUT
          Office of the Attorney General
          55 Elm Street
          Hartford, CT 06016
          [phone]


          FLORIDA
          Office of the Attorney General
          The Capitol
          Tallahassee, FL 32399
          [phone]


          HAWAII
          Office of the Attorney General
          State Capitol
          Honolulu, HI 96813
          [phone]


          ALASKA
          Office of the Attorney General
          Department of Law
          P.O. Box K
          Juneau, AL 99811
          [phone]


          ARKANSAS
          Office of the Attorney General
          323 Center #200
          Little Rock, AR 72201
          [phone]


          COLORADO
          Office of the Attorney General
          1525 Sherman Street
          Third Floor
          Denver, CO 80203
          [phone]


          DELAWARE
          Office of the Attorney General
          820 North French Street
          Wilmington, DE 19801
          [phone]


          GEORGIA
          Office of the Attorney General
          132 State Judicial Building
          Atlanta, GA 30334
          [phone]


          IDAHO
          Office of the Attorney General
          State Capitol
          Boise, ID 83720
          [phone]


          ILLINOIS
          Office of the Attorney General
          300 South Second Street
          Springfield, IL 62706
          (2170 782-1090


          IOWA
          Office of the Attorney General
          Hoover State Office Building
          Des Moines, IA 50391
          [phone]


          KENTUCKY
          Office of the Attorney General
          State Capitol
          Room 115
          Frankfort, KY 40601
          [phone]


          MAINE
          Office of the Attorney General
          State House Station #6
          Augusta, ME 04333
          [phone]


          MASSACHUSETTS
          Office of the Attorney General
          One Ashburton Place
          Boston, MA 02108
          [phone]


          MINNESOTA
          Office of the Attorney General
          102 State Capitol
          St. Paul, MN 55155
          [phone]


          INDIANA
          Office of the Attorney General
          219 State House
          Indianapolis, IN 46204
          [phone]


          KANSAS
          Office of the Attorney General
          Judicial Center
          Topeka, KS 66612
          [phone]


          LOUISIANA
          Office of the Attorney General
          Department of Justice
          P.O. Box 94005
          Baton Rouge, LA 70804
          [phone]


          MARYLAND
          Office of the Attorney General
          Seven North Calvert Street
          Baltimore, MD 21202
          [phone]


          MICHIGAN
          Office of the Attorney General
          525 West Ottawa
          Law Building
          Lansing, MI 48913
          [phone]


          MISSISSIPPI
          Office of the Attorney General
          Gartin Building, 5th Floor
          Jackson, MS 39201
          [phone]


          MISSOURI
          Office of the Attorney General
          P.O. Box 899
          Jefferson City, MO 65102
          [phone]


          NEBRASKA
          Office of the Attorney General
          State Capitol, Room 2115
          Carson City, NV 68509
          [phone]


          NEW HAMPSHIRE
          Office of the Attorney General
          208 State House Annex
          235 Capitol Street
          Concord, NH 03301
          [phone]


          NEW MEXICO
          Office of the Attorney General
          Bataan Memorial Building
          P.O. Box 1508
          Santa Fe, NM 87501
          [phone]


          NORTH CAROLINA
          Office of the Attorney General
          Department of Justice
          Two East Morgan Street
          Raleigh, NC 27601
          [phone]


          OHIO
          Office of the Attorney General
          30 East Broad Street, 17th Floor
          Columbus, OH 43266
          [phone]


          MONTANA
          Office of the Attorney General
          215 North Sanders Street
          Helena, MT 59620
          [phone]


          NEVADA
          Office of the Attorney General
          Capitol Complex
          P.O. Box 94906
          Lincoln, NE 68509
          [phone]


          NEW JERSEY
          Office of the Attorney General
          Department of Law and Public Safety
          Justice Hughes Complex, CN080
          Trenton, NJ 08625
          [phone]


          NEW YORK
          Office of the Attorney General
          Department of Law
          State Capitol
          Albany, NY 12224
          [phone]


          NORTH DAKOTA
          Office of the Attorney General
          State Capitol, 1st Floor
          600 East Boulevard
          Bismark, ND 58505
          [phone]


          OKLAHOMA
          Office of the Attorney General
          112 State Capitol
          Oklahoma City, OK 73105
          [phone]


          OREGON
          Office of the Attorney General
          Department of Justice
          100 State Office Building
          Salem, OR 97310
          [phone]


          RHODE ISLAND
          Office of the Attorney General
          72 Pine Street
          Providence, RI 02903
          [phone]


          SOUTH DAKOTA
          Office of the Attorney General
          State Capitol, 1st Floor
          Pierre, SD 57501
          [phone]


          TEXAS
          Office of the Attorney General
          Capitol Station, Box 12548
          Austin, TX 78711
          [phone]


          VERMONT
          Office of the Attorney General
          Pavilion Office Building
          109 State Street
          Montpelier, VT 05602
          [phone]


          WASHINGTON
          Office of the Attorney General
          Highway Licenses Building
          M/S: PB-71
          Olympia, WA 98504
          [phone]


          PENNSYLVANIA
          Office of the Attorney General
          Strawberry Square, 16th Floor
          Harrisburg, PA 17120
          [phone]


          SOUTH CAROLINA
          Office of the Attorney General
          Dennis Building
          P.O. Box 11549
          Columbia, SC 29211
          [phone]


          TENNESSEE
          Office of the Attorney General
          450 James Robertson Parkway
          Nashville, TN 37219
          [phone]


          UTAH
          Office of the Attorney General
          236 State Capitol
          Salt Lake City, UT 84114
          [phone]


          VIRGINIA
          Office of the Attorney General
          101 North Eighth Street, 5th Floor
          Richmond, VA 23219
          [phone]


          WEST VIRGINIA
          Office of the Attorney General
          State Capitol Complex
          Building One, Room E-26
          Charleston, WV 25305
          [phone]


          WISCONSIN
          Office of the Attorney General
          114 East State Capitol
          P.O. Box 7857
          Madison, WI 53707
          [phone]


          WYOMING
          Office of the Attorney General
          State Capitol
          Cheyenne, WY 82002
          [phone]




          The following is a alphabetical listing of federal regulatory agencies

                Comptroller of the Currency, Deputy Comptroller for
                Customer and Community Programs, 490 L'Enfant Plaza,
                S.W., Washington, D.C. 20219, [phone].

                       Use this agency to complain about a national
                       bank. This type of bank will have the word
                       "national" or the letters "N.A." (National
                       Association) in their name titles.


                Department of Transportation, Office of Community and
                Consumer Affairs, Washington, D.C. 20590, (202)
                755-2220.

                       Use this agency to complain about a credit card
                       issued by an airline.


                Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Office
                of Consumer Compliance Programs, 550 17th Street,
                N.W., Washington, D.C. 20429. From Washington, D.C.
                call [phone]. From elsewhere call (800)
                424-5488.

                       Use this agency to complain about state banks
                       that do not belong to the federal reserve
                       system.


                Federal Home Loan Bank Board, Division of Consumer and
                Civil Rights, Office of Examination and Supervision,
                1700 G Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20551, (202)
                452-3946.

                       Use this agency to complain about Savings and
                       Loan Associations.


                Federal Reserve Board, Division of Consumer and
                Community Affairs, 20th and C Streets, N.W.,
                Washington, D.C. 20580, [phone].

                       Use this agency to complain about banks that
                       belong to the Federal Reserve System. Any bank
                       that DOES NOT have "N.A." or "National" in
                       their name is game for this agency.


                Federal Trade Commission, Division of Credit
                Practices, Washington, D.C. 20580, [phone].

                       Use this agency to complain about retail credit
                       card accounts such as J.C. Penney, SEARS, IBM
                       Credit, etc. This agency is also the place to
                       complain about Travel & Expenses cards such as
                       American Express or Carte Blanche.



                   REGIONAL FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION OFFICES


          ATLANTA
          (AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA)
          Federal Trade Commission
          1718 Peachtree St. N.W.
          Room 1000
          Atlanta, GA 30367
          [phone]


          CHICAGO
          (IL, IN, IA, KY, MN, MO, WI)
          Federal Trade Commission
          55 East Monroe Street
          Suite 1437
          Chicago, IL 60603
          [phone]


          BOSTON
          (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT)
          Federal Trade Commission
          150 Causeway Street
          Room 1301
          Boston, MA 02114
          [phone]


          CLEVELAND
          (DE, MD, MI, OH, PA, WV)
          Federal Trade Commission
          Mall Building, Suite 500
          118 St. Clair Avenue
          Cleveland, OH 44114
          [phone]


          DALLAS
          (AK, LA, NM, OK, TX)
          Federal Trade Commission
          8303 Elmbrook Drive
          Dallas, TX 75247
          [phone]


          LOS ANGELES
          (AZ, Southern CA)
          Federal Trade Commission
          11000 Wilshire Boulevard
          Los Angeles, CA 90024
          [phone]


          SAN FRANCISCO
          (Northern CA, Hawaii, NV)
          Federal Trade Commission
          450 Golden Gate Avenue
          Room 12470
          San Francisco, CA 94102
          [phone]


          DENVER
          (CO, KS, MT, NE, ND, SD, UT, WY)
          Federal Trade Commission
          1405 Curtiss Street
          Suite 2900
          Denver, CO 80202
          [phone]


          NEW YORK
          (NJ, NY)
          Federal Trade Commission
          Federal Building
          Room 2243-EB
          26 Federal Plaza
          New York, NY 10278
          [phone]


          SEATTLE
          (AL, ID, OR, WA)
          Federal Trade Commission
          Federal Building, 28th Floor
          915 Second Avenue
          Seattle, WA 98174
          [phone]




                National Credit Union Administration, Office of
                Consumer Affairs, 1776 G Street N.W., Washington, D.C.
                20456, [phone].

                       Use this address to complain about a credit
                       union.


                United States Postal Inspector, Postal Fraud Division,
                consult your local post office for the name and
                address of the postal inspector for your area.

                       Use the postal inspector when you encounter a
                       problem with a vendor who sent you an
                       advertisement through the mail.

                       The Direct Mail/Marketing Association (DMMA),
                       Consumer Relations Department, 6 East 43d
                       Street, New York, NY 10017.

                             The DMMA is a private trade organization
                             that will investigate consumers'
                             complaints about mail order and direct
                             mail marketing companies.



          When complaining to a federal agency, start at the top. Your
          complaint will generally be referred to the appropriate
          office quicker than if you start at a local or branch
          office.


                   * * * End of COMPLAINING FOR RESULTS * * *