Dear Claudienne

On May 30, 2019 I made contact with Chas E Ramson with regards to a foreign object found in a box of Foska Oats that I bought. Images as well as the supermarket receipt were sent to the company but I have not received a response. I again called their office and got two other e-mail addresses to which I wrote, with no response.

I sent the following e-mail to Ramson’s on May 30, 2019,

“Dear Sir / Madam,

For many years my family and I have been dedicated consumers of Foska Oats, enjoying every spoonful.

However, an unfortunate incident has occurred and though strongly encouraged to publicise it through the media, I preferred to make contact with you first, to allow for dialogue with regards to some form of compensation.

A 400g box of Foska Oats was bought on Tuesday, 28 May 2019 at a supermarket in Mandeville.

Expiry date stamped on the box: best before April 2020.

The box was opened night of Wednesday, 29 May, 2019.

Some oats were poured out in the process of being prepared. On wanting a greater quantity we tried to pour out more but to our surprise, the oats were clumped around what appeared to be either some sort of strings (like the fuzzy type pulled from a panty), or an array of spiderwebs.

Sick to the stomach, I repackaged the oats and my baby went to bed hungry, as this was supposed to be supper.

Not certain if the photos taken do justice but please find [the] attached two.

The box with the sachet of oats has been put aside for inspection.

We are writing with the hope of hearing from you very soon, as for us this is preferable to trying to gain your attention via a third party.

I also contacted the Consumer Affairs Commssion (CAC) and though I have called repeatedly and was assured that an officer has been assigned to the case, at the time of writing to you (June 28, 2019) I am yet to be contacted.

Is this really how important consumers rights are?

I am requesting the Jamaica Observer to reach out to them on my behalf and on behalf of all other consumers, who have had their rights ignored.

The box of oats sits there unused, and my money which could have bought something else is gone.

DW

Dear DW

Tell Claudienne contacted the CAC in regard to your allegations that they did not contact you.

On July 17, 2019 the following e-mail from the director of field operations at the CAC was received:

“Further to our telephone conversation yesterday regarding the captioned, please be advised of the following;

• The complaint was made to the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) by DW regarding ‘spiderweb’-like strings being found in her box of Foska Oats.

• Contact was made by the CAC with Chas E Ramson (distributor for the product in question), and the brand manager for Foska Oats, (MLS) responded. They promised to make contact with the complainant and assured that the matter would be referred to their Quality Control department.

• The CAC advised DW via e-mail that the product should be kept refrigerated in the interim to preserve its condition, as the company may need to conduct the requisite tests to determine what or how it was contaminated.

• DW was contacted via e-mail (also copied to the CAC) by Chas E Ramson’s MLS on Monday, July 8,2019. The complainant was assured by the representative for Foska Oats that the manufacture of their product was done to the highest standards, and that the warehouses are inspected and passed before product delivery to individual retailers. It was further stated that the warehouses were fumigated daily as one step towards pest control and quality control. The issue was also raised that they have no control over individual storage facilities at retail outlets, but often conduct random checks at these retail locations.

• The complainant was offered two replacement packs of the products while they conducted their investigations.

• The complainant responded to Chas E Ramson indicating that she was concerned about her rights as a consumer and was awaiting legal advice.”

Tell Claudienne has also been in communication with the advertising and marketing manager at Chas E Ramson’s and the following e-mail that you received from the company was sent to the column.

“Dear DW

We would like to apologise for the lengthy time it took in communicating with you; we have already taken steps to improve this response time.

We pride ourselves on producing a heart healthy and high-quality wholesome Jamaican product, so we are grateful that you have brought your experience to our attention. At our factory we ensure that all products leaving our facility meet our internal standards which surpass that required by the industry.

Unfortunately we do not have control over the products storage conditions as it moves further along the distribution chain, which is where we have determined the problem originated. I know our team has been speaking with you regarding replacing the product for you and investigating where in the trade you bought the product so that this does not reoccur, and we hope that you will continue to remain a loyal Foska Oats customer.

Feel free to contact us further should there be any other questions or even suggestions.”

The advertising and marketing manager told Tell Claudienne that they want to test the boxes of oats that you complained about but you have not returned them to the company. You have also not accepted the two replacement boxes of oats that they have offerred you.

It is a legal opinion that prior to taking legal action against the company, the products that are the subject of your complaint would need to be independently tested by a competent body such as the Bureau of Standards. You would then have to send Chas E Ramson a copy of the report.

Depending on the outcome of the tests you can then decide whether you should take legal action.

We wish you all the best.

CREDIT CARD INTEREST CHARGES

Dear Claudienne;

I was informed lately of a balance pending on an NCB credit card numbering 424 ******49. However, I had requested in writing that the balance be transferred to a new card that was issued and that they close the old card.

Although I had requested a customer service representative to transfer the balance from the old credit card to the new card, when I received the statement the balance had not been transferred and this resulted in my having to pay $1000 to cover the late posted transaction.

Recently the bank phoned me and it was only then I realised that they had not closed the old card.

NCB now wants to charge me interest, late and annual fees for a card that I had requested be closed.

I have requested the bank to waive all the fees and interest charges on the old card as I had requested in writing that they close it, and transfer the balance to the new card.

I would appreciate your assistance in this matter.

TK

Dear TK

Tell Claudienne has been in communication with NCB and note that the matter has been amicably settled.

We wish you all the best.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 876-936-9436 or write to: Tell Claudienne c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-421/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@jamaicaobserver.com. Please include a contact phone number.