Come See the Rougher Side of Sears

Diana Mey got a phone call from Sears, Roebuck & Co. wanting to know if she wanted to buy siding for her house. She said no. She kept saying no to them over a 16-month period as the retailer called again and again. According to federal law, a telemarketer must stop calling when asked, but she says they would not stop. Mey recorded some of the calls — legal in her home state of West Virginia — as evidence, then filed a $5,000 lawsuit against the company for their continual illegal calls. Rather than apologize or pay, Sears filed a $10,000 countersuit charging wiretapping over the recordings. After Mey got a lawyer involved, Sears dropped the suit and settled for an undisclosed amount. (AP) ...“No” — what companies are allowed to say but lawyerless customers are not.