Harry Gross: Credit-card statements worth checking

Dear Harry:

Last month, I ordered some clothing from a company that I have dealt with for several years. The stuff came and so did a bill which included shipping charges of $8. When my credit card bill arrived, there was a proper charge for the clothing and shipping. But, on the same day there was an $83 charge by a company called

free shipping.com.

I never heard of them, so I called to find out what was going on. They insisted that I had signed up with them for a year so I would not have to pay for shipping on anything I bought on the Internet. Never happened! I asked for a credit, which the clerk said she could give me after I paid for one month's charge of $7. Now, this is not a large amount of money, but it's enough to help pay for the hike in gasoline costs. When I asked to speak with a supervisor, she hung up. I called again, and another clerk did the same thing when I asked for her supervisor. Three cheers for Chase, which credited my account after confirming my story. So tell your readers to review their monthly credit-card statements for phony charges.

What Harry says: You just did, and very well. I'm very careful with my credit-card statements. Over the years, I have never found an error in addition, but there have been several cases of double charging for the same bill. These could be innocent errors, or fraud. An extra minute or two reviewing the statement each month will pay off for everyone.

Write Harry Gross c/o the Daily News, 400 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19130. Harry urges all his readers to give blood - contact the American Red Cross at 800-Red Cross.