Q: When we opened our credit card bill today, we noticed a $9.99 charge from something called Complete Home. They said that we authorized the monthly charge by enrolling in their "discount" program through a purchase that we made from ShoeBuy.com. Supposedly, we were given a free 30-day trial, after which we would be charged. We did not authorize this charge, nor did we receive the membership package.

This is the second such incident that we've encountered this month. We were also billed $10 for several months by WLI Shopper Discount. How do they get away with this?

BOB SHOEMAKER
Murrysville

A: According to the Better Business Bureau, those companies are related, Bob. Both fall under the Trilegent Corp. umbrella, along with about 50 other companies. Many, if not all, of these piggyback on other companies.

You buy something from one company and usually, at the end of the transaction, these so-called membership clubs claim that you agreed to join a discount membership club. Judging from complaints to the Better Business Bureau, many shoppers say they did not.

You are charged until you catch the mistake. The charges usually fly under the radar, $9.99 here, $19.99 there.

The bottom line on this one is clear. Check those credit card charges.

Q: I am a Columbia Gas customer and received a letter from IGS Energy. I was offered the chance to join the gas choice program for 75.9 cents (per 100 cubic feet) through June and then 99.9 cents through October. We get so many offers for so many different things, it is confusing. Is this something that you think I should consider?

EILEEN PIET
Scott

A: If you haven't signed up for the gas choice program yet, this isn't the time to jump in, Ellen. Remember, this is just my opinion. The choice is yours.

To understand why this might not be the best deal for you, you need to know the natural gas price cycles. By law, Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania Inc. sets its rates every three months.

When Columbia sets its prices in January, you can expect the highest prices of the year. On April 1, when Columbia sets its prices for spring, they are generally lower than they were in January. The new rates set on July 1 tend to remain lower. On Oct. 1, prices tend to rise in anticipation of winter.

In light of that cycle, look again at your offer. Although 75.9 cents is indeed a tad lower than the price Columbia Gas is offering you now, it probably won't be lower by the time you go through the ever-so-slow switching program. You would be lucky to get switched to the new price by April 1, which is when you can expect Columbia's price to go down for spring.

That is a problem I had with at least one gas choice company that used to call and solicit customers on the phone. The representatives would call in March or early April and tell you to look at how much you were paying for gas and then offer you a lower price.

The price you would see on your gas bill was the high winter price. The price the gas choice company was offering was a lower spring price, but not lower than the spring price your own company would start charging on April 1. You generally don't see those low prices until you get your June bill, so you don't realize you switched to a higher price.

If you are not willing to watch prices and baby-sit those offered by the company you select, you are probably better off sticking with your regulated utility company. If you pick a gas choice company and forget about it, you could end up paying a lot more.

What is encouraging is to see a natural gas supplier soliciting new players in the natural gas choice game. That could mean lower prices in the future, but after last year, who knows?