NEWS

IndyStar Call for Action open today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Effort will help Lawrence North High School Band Boosters.

Tim Evans
tim.evans@indystar.com

Do you need help with a consumer problem?

The IndyStar Call for Action hotline is open for calls from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at (317) 444-6800.

Volunteers closed cases Tuesday that resulted in callers recovering or saving more than $1,100.

They may be able to help you, too, and the assistance is free.

Earlier

Strike up the band.

IndyStar Call for Action provides free help with consumer disputes. Call (317) 444-6800 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.

It’s time to celebrate another round of “wins” for Hoosiers who've turned to IndyStar Call for Action team for help.

Thanks to efforts of one of our volunteers, the Lawrence North High School Band Boosters finally got paid for work that band members and their families did for a local event promoter way back in 2012.

“Hallelujah!” said Lisa Poole, a former band booster official who reached out to IndyStar Call for Action last month for help in collecting the long-overdue debt.

Some in the group had already written off the loss and just wanted to move on with their work supporting the band. But not Poole, who was the group’s fundraising VP when it made the deal to handle ticket sales and staff the gates for the 2012 Rib America festival at Military Park.

The group had provided the same service for the three-day celebration of food and music for several years without any problems getting paid, Poole said. But heavy rains turned the 2012 event into a mud fest and financial loser. A week later, the $6,800 check the promoter gave the boosters bounced.

Over the next year, the promoter did make two $1,500 payments, Poole said, but that still left a balance due of $3,800. It was money the band had counted on to cover expenses, including instrument repairs and scholarships for students who needed help with costs not covered by the school.

Finally, in November of 2014, the promoter promised to pay up — and not just the $3,882 due, but $5,000 to make up for the delays — if the group could wait until May 2015.

But like many of the past promises, Poole said, that deadline came and went without a check.

When Poole’s successor reached out to the promoter again in June, the response was dire: The promoter would not consider a payment plan. In fact, he would not be making any additional payments. Period. End of story.

Poole said the group had few options left. The amount of money it was owed probably didn’t justify incurring the costs of going to court. The boosters also didn’t have a formal contract, which could have been a problem in a legal fight.

So Poole reached out to the IndyStar Call for Action by clicking the online link on the IndyStar homepage (it's under "Quick Links" on the left-hand side of the page — or you can call the hotline at (317) 444-6800 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday).

Bill, one of our 30 volunteers, took Poole’s complaint and contacted the promoter.

He was told the corporation that put on the event was now defunct, but the promoter admitted he did feel a moral obligation to make good on at least some of the debt. He offered to give the boosters $2,000.

Bill relayed that offer to Poole, who passed it on to the current leaders of the group. It wasn’t the full amount due, but they agreed to accept the $2,000 and close the book on the long ordeal.

That wasn't the volunteers' only success for callers last week.

Sharon Smith of Indianapolis got $60 to replace a wheel cover that was lost or stolen when her car was towed.

The Indianapolis woman turned to IndyStar Call for Action after several unsuccessful attempts to contact the towing company official she was told could handle her complaint.

“All it took was one call from Call for Action,” Smith said, “and (the company) promptly got in touch with me and resolved my claim.”

In the other case, it was advice from a volunteer that helped a man settle a dispute with a heating contractor — and get a $143 check. The man called the hotline looking for help after a technician doing a $44 inspection special told the man he needed a $3,000 furnace replacement.

When the customer sought a second opinion, he was told he only needed a new furnace filter. But that service call cost him another $99.

The man wanted the company he hired to do the initial inspection to reimburse him for the second opinion, since the technician had misdiagnosed his problem. Lucy, the volunteer helping the disgruntled customer, urged him to call the company owner and explain his concern. He did, and the owner apologized. He also refunded both his company’s inspection fee and the $99 the client paid for the second opinion.

Not all of the complaints our volunteers take result in financial settlements. Many of our calls end up with referrals or a nudge to get the ball rolling toward resolutions. Examples from last week included connecting a woman having trouble getting authorization for surgery with a patient advocate from her insurance provider, and directing an elderly woman with tax problems to a legal assistance program.

It's still too early to tell if their issues will be resolved, but at least they're now moving in the right direction.

Free legal help

One thing our volunteers can't do is give legal advice. But if that's what you need, you're in luck.

The Indianapolis Bar Association will have attorneys standing by from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday to provide free guidance to help you solve "a nagging issue or get direction on what to do next."

The help is available by calling (317) 269-2000.

The licensed Indiana attorneys volunteering for this project will be available to answer questions on topics ranging from divorce and child support to landlord-tenant disputes, bankruptcy, personal injury and more.

If you can't call Tuesday, you'll have more chances throughout the year. The Legal Line project will continue the second Tuesday of each month through November.

Those with complex legal issues or anyone seeking representation can also contact the IndyBar’s Lawyer Referral Service at (317) 269-2222 or go to indylawyerfinder.com.

Call IndyStar consumer advocate Tim Evans at (317) 444-6204. Follow him on Twitter: @starwatchtim.