Contact 6 helps consumers save $77K in October

MILWAUKEE - An error made during a stressful moment resulted in Barbara Saliek-Shaffer getting a bill for $1,900.

The stressful night happened eight months before her husband’s death. Jay Shaffer suffered three seizures in a row. He was living in a memory care facility on hospice. 

Saliek-Shaffer says staff didn’t realize Shaffer was on hospice and called an ambulance.

While the ambulance was in transit, Saliek-Shaffer called the hospital and told them to send Shaffer back. She says seeking care at the hospital would have voided his hospice coverage.

Months later, Saliek-Shaffer’s son was visiting the memory care facility and found a bill for the ambulance ride.

"There’s hardly ever any mail there," said Saliek-Shaffer. "By the time that we got it, it was in collections. They had added over $400 to the charges for their fees."

Saliek-Shaffer tried negotiating with the collection agency. Then, she asked the memory care facility to cover the bill. She was considering filing a small claims case when she remembered Contact 6.

"I was looking at everything online, and I thought, "Oh my God, what an ordeal," said Saliek-Shaffer.

Contact 6 wrote to the memory care facility on Saliek-Shaffer’s behalf. Then, she got a call from its president. At first, she says the president defended the bill, saying they didn’t pay for transportation.

"When I brought up that would negate his hospice coverage, that clicked," said Saliek-Shaffer. "She say, "ok, how much is it? Send me a copy of the bill."

The $1,872 that Saliek-Shaffer says she saved are among the $76,862.24 that consumers say Contact 6 helped them save in October. 

Behind the scenes, the consumer segment’s associate producer helped a Franksville family get a $16,000 refund for an asphalt driveway that started cracking. Contact 6 helped a Milwaukee woman get a $300 refund for a warranty after her dog ate a couch cushion and the company failed to replace it. 

The consumer segment also helped a Jackson woman get a $25,000 claim approved for storm damage to her roof after the insurer denied it.

Patti Uttke in Oak Creek had a problem with her new stove.

"The very first time I turned it on, it was whistling," said Uttke.

Uttke said she’d been making calls and sending emails for months, trying to get a new part. Then, she filled out an online complaint form with Contact 6.

"Nothing seemed to be getting through to them," said Uttke. "As soon as (Contact 6) got involved, within days I got a call from the manufacturer saying they had a new stove for me."

Uttke also got a new three-year warranty, bringing her savings to about $4,600.

"I was elated," said Uttke. "If I hadn’t contacted Contact 6, I think I’d still be arguing with them today."

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Both Saliek-Shaffer and Uttke say the companies stepped up and did the right thing, once their concerns were elevated to the right person. That’s where Contact 6 can be very effective. 

To find out if the consumer segment may be able to help you, file a complaint form here.