A consumer emailed me, asking what she could do to get her driveway fixed. (I didn’t know you could “break” a driveway!) It turns out the driveway was a “heated driveway.” The contractor promised she would no longer need to shovel snow or chip away ice. That sounds pretty good right about now; flip a switch and voila, no snow or ice!

From research I’ve done, a series of pipes are laid. Connected to a separate water heater, concrete is poured and the surface finished like any other driveway. Sounds pretty nifty. For a very short time it worked as advertised. Then it (pardon the expression) froze up.

The homeowner called the contractor — no answer. After repeated calls, the consumer found that the number had been disconnected. Turns out, the contractor moved to Arizona with no forwarding information — no phone, no address. Needless to say, the “warranty” on the new driveway would be difficult to enforce.

The consumer was left with a written estimate (remember, estimates are NOT contracts), a canceled check and a broken, frozen, snow- and ice-covered driveway. I’m doing all I can to help. Fortunately, the consumer has a very sharp and savvy son who has come to her aid. This one may take awhile.

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A BIG ‘SORRY’: Beginning the New Year, I want to apologize to those who have contacted me and that I have not been able to help. I try my utmost to answer every call and email. I know for a fact I am not 100 percent successful in that endeavor. During the period of the Experian Leak Disclosure, I knew I missed some cries for help.

As my readers know, I provide this service to our community on a volunteer basis. I am not paid, and have no assistance from any staff, save my good and faithful proofreader, my wife Bobbi. I keep minimal notes, no files, and all emails and voice messages are erased as soon as practical, otherwise the paperwork and filing would consume almost all of my time. I’ll try to do better during our second year together — I promise.

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PRESS ‘2’ TO BE ANNOYED: I know you never get the dreaded robo calls I often write about. Who am I kidding? A lady called me last week asking what she could do to stop these annoying calls. She and her husband returned from a weekend away, and found 31 robo calls on their answering machine, many from the same number. As we talked, it became clear why. Whenever she received a call in the past, she listened to the entire recorded call. At the end of the message, it went something like this: “if you are interested in purchasing xyz, please press “1”, if you’d like to be permanently removed from our calling list, please press “2”. By pressing “2” the consumer signals the robo calling machine that this number IS a live consumer, and to place this number at the top of the calling list and increase the frequency of calls. Not only that, in the world of robo calling, the lists of “live” numbers is extremely valuable and often sold to other companies using the robo call technology. This consumer consistently pressed “2”. She’s now on the “We’ve Got A Live One” list. My advice to her, get a new number assigned by the phone company. My advice to you — NEVER PRESS “2”!

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SUGAR AND SPICE: My advice — when you want a merchant to correct a problem, be insistent, but always be polite. I don’t know about you, but when a person is nasty to me, it doesn’t exactly make me want to help them.

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YOU BE THE JUDGE: When preparing to make a complaint to a merchant, think about what evidence a judge would ask for. Make a list, a logical prioritized list of your evidence. Things like a WRITTEN contract, letters, texts or email you’ve sent and received from the merchants. It’s surprising how many consumers don’t think about things like this. It’s no wonder that many disorganized consumers aren’t usually successful in resolving complaints. I asked one consumer to specify what the merchant did wrong. Her response was, “Well, he’s a used car salesman.” The consumer went on to explain that she hadn’t read the contract she signed and hadn’t adequately test-driven the vehicle she was intending to purchase. I was not able to help her.

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WHO’S IN CHARGE: When you need assistance with a problem, be sure you’re talking to the correct person. I can’t tell you how many times a consumer has called with a problem, and when asked who they talked to at the company in question, their response is “some guy” or “the secretary.” Always be polite and organized and ask who is “in charge” of the department, division or company. Who has the decision-making authority? That’s the person you need to talk with. Did you notice I said “talk WITH,” not “talk TO”? It’s important. Good communication helps in getting things resolved. Remember the old adage — you have two ears and one mouth. Use them in that proportion.

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QUICK TIP: There are few things more irritating that getting stuck in a company’s phone tree or being on hold for hours. There is a great app called GetHuman that you can download to your smartphone. I can tell you, from personal experience, it usually works. It gives you a number to call, the sequence of buttons to push, and an estimated hold time. I use it often and more than not, it works.

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REMEMBER BILL BROOKS: “He’s On Your Side”

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I have many more tips and interesting cases that I’m working on. Call me at (208) 699-0506, or email me at BillBrooksAdvocate@gmail.com or fax me at (866) 362-9266. You can follow me at www.billbrooksconsumeradvocate.com. I am available to speak about consumerism to schools, and local and civic groups. Bill Brooks is a consumer advocate and the Broker and Owner of Bill Brooks Real Estate in Coeur d’Alene.