ADT Alarm Co., Columbia House Records, Progressive Insurance Co. - trouble with cancellations

# 5 for May 5, 2003

Complaints.com received the following on May 4, 2003:

From: Email User

RE: ADT Alarm Co., Columbia House Records, Progressive Insurance Co. - trouble with cancellations

I just discovered something I didn't know of while speaking with some friends at work. We were discussing how businesses have ripped us off legally when I told them my story. Here it is: When we lived at the old house, we paid ADT Alarm Company by monthly automatic bank debit. When we moved, I called ADT Alarm Company several times to cancel, but they continued to draft their fee each month. I finally had to pay the bank $25.00 to stop all payments to ADT Alarm Company. When we ordered ONE music CD from Columbia House Records, we paid over the telephone using our debit card. For several months after that, Columbia House Records continued to draft money and send us some CDs we never ordered! I finally had to pay the bank $25.00 to stop all payments to Columbia House Records. When we acquired automobile insurance for our cars from Progressive Insurance Company, we paid it over the telephone by debit card. We were told that all of the future payments would be billed by US mail, and we'd have to mail them a check. The very next month, Progressive Insurance Company debited our account again. Calling Progressive Insurance yielded no results, as they promised to stop debiting our account but continued to do so. I finally had to pay the bank $25.00 to stop all payments to Progressive Insurance Company. Can you believe this happens quite often? Well, my pals at work told me how they handle this. A check-cashing business called The Money Box provides a service. They will issue you a "prepaid" credit card. For $9.95 a year (19