Contact 6 helps consumers save $22,754 in March
MILWAUKEE - From missing orders to broken electronics and even airline miles, unhappy consumers write to Contact 6 every month.
Two co-workers thought their cases were too small to catch the attention of the FOX6 consumer segment. Two days after writing to Contact 6, they were promised refunds.
Before COVID-19, Freeway Flyer buses filled Wisconsin Avenue. For decades, the Freeway Flyers picked up suburban workers in park-and-ride lots and brought them to offices in downtown Milwaukee. Then came the pandemic and the transition to remote work.
"They canceled all of them, the Freeway Flyers," said Elaine May, a dedicated Flyer rider.
Sandy Rose and Elaine May
May and her colleague, Sandy Rose, rode the Freeway Flyer from Hales Corners to their jobs in the US Bank building for decades. When their route was finally canceled, they decided to pursue refunds for fares they’d prepaid on M-Cards.
"We just requested our money back, and they never really responded," said May. "Then Sandy said, ‘Why don’t we try Contact 6?’"
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May and Rose submitted online complaint forms with Contact 6 and its case manager wrote to the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) on their behalf.
"I don’t think the dust had settled when we got that email back [from MCTS] saying, ‘Just send in your card, and we’ll give you your refund,’" said May.
May’s $23 refund and Rose’s $20 refund are among the $22,754.20 that FOX6 viewers say Contact 6 helped them save in March.
The Contact 6 case manager helped one woman get a replacement computer for her grandson, after the one she bought him as a Christmas gift didn’t work. Contact 6 got another family a $700 refund for an auto part they’d ordered online that never arrived. The segment even helped one woman caught up in an airline meltdown over Christmas reclaim 25,000 points she can put toward another flight.
May and Rose told Contact 6 they’d been asking for refunds for about one year.
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"I knew it was a little, tiny amount of money, but it was the principle behind it," said Rose.
MCTS announced the elimination of the Freeway Flyers in November 2022 after previously suspending several routes.
In a press release, MCTS said, the "changes are due to a combination of several factors, including a projected 2025 transit funding gap and a COVID-19-induced transition to hybrid work schedules downtown which led to reduced ridership on Freeway Flyer routes."
In response to Contact 6, MCTS said, "We appreciate our Freeway Flyer riders, and they are welcome to email us at customerservice@MCTS.org about the cancelation of Freeway Flyer service, so we can help address their concerns."
Contact 6 helped to resolve 30 cases for unhappy consumers in March, with FOX6 viewers reporting savings between $15 and $3,500. Some of those resolutions involved $0 in savings but helped consumers put stressful experiences behind them.
To find out if Contact 6 may be able to help you, you are invited to fill out a complaint form.