A South Florida artist says a company charged him thousands for a service he never received. After months of frustration and no answers, he turned to Help Me Howard with Brandon Beyer. Steven Shaffer says he’s always been creative. Steven Shaffer: “I’ve always been artistic through high school and stuff. After COVID-19 hit, we were stuck in the house, so I started bringing back some of my old hobbies.” From tie-dye shirts to dream catchers and bracelets to even handmade art, he decided to turn his passion into a small business. Steven Shaffer: “Macramé. Pot hangers, stuff like that.” He and his husband set out to sell art at farmers’ markets across South Florida. But to sell his work, Steven needed a way to accept credit cards. Steven Shaffer: “So we just started looking on the internet to find a provider for merchant services for payment methods.” They signed up with a company that promised to send a point-of-sale device, but with just days to go before their first event, it still hadn’t arrived. Steven Shaffer: “So I reached out to the company asking them if they could provide a tracking number because they told me they had sent it, and they couldn’t provide a number.” Time was running out, so Steven called a different brand. They overnighted a working device. He never heard from the original company again. But a year later, he noticed something strange. Steven Shaffer: “I noticed that there were deductions coming out of my husband’s bank account monthly, and I didn’t know what they were for.” They’d been charging him the whole time. He says that while caring for his husband, who battles dementia, he simply missed the charges on his account. Steven Shaffer: “It was close to $4,000.” When he finally got someone on the phone, a representative agreed with the mistake but only offered a small refund. Steven Shaffer: “They did send me a check for three hundred and something dollars.” Howard, can a company charge you for a service they never provided? Howard Finkelstein: “No, you cannot be charged for a service of a machine you never received. It’s a breach of contract, plain and simple, and he is entitled to get all of their money back.” We reached out as well. They told us they’d send Steven a check for the money they owed him. Within a few days, he had it. Steven Shaffer: “It just goes to show you that if someone is out there taking advantage of you or doing you wrong, don’t just let that stuff go. Reach out to Help Me Howard because he gets things done.” Now Steven can get back to what he loves: creating art. Steven Shaffer: “I’ve just been creative all my life making things, and it just feels good when people appreciate that.” Keep an eye on those credit card statements. Steven’s charges, for a service he wasn’t even getting, added up quickly. Got a problem? Need a hand? Below is how to find us. It’s Help Me Howard. I’m Brandon Beyer, 7News. CONTACT HELP ME HOWARDEmail: [email protected]: Brandon Beyer at [email protected]: 305-953-WSVNBroward: 954-761-WSVN ...read more read less