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Dr. Phil asks UCAN's Michael Shames for advice

Posted March 5th, 2008

UCAN In the Media

Michael Shames with Obnoxious red "As Seen on Tv" burst

Bad customer service

BY DIANE BELL

UNION-TRIBUNE COLUMNIST

February 28, 2008

Last week's Union-Tribune article about a frustrated Vista man greeting a tardy TV repairman with a rifle came as no surprise to utility watchdog Michael Shames. He recently appeared on “Dr. Phil” when the TV psychologist interviewed disgruntled customer Mona Shaw. Shaw, a 75-year-old grandmother, gained notoriety, along with some admirers, after she visited a cable provider in Virginia last summer and smashed their equipment with a hammer because they ignored her complaints.

It isn't necessary to resort to violence, said Shames, head of the San Diego-based Utility Consumers' Action Network. UCAN's Fraud Squad Consumer Helpline prides itself on resolving customers' complaints “without the use of dangerous weapons or power tools.”

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