Many of you have called to say that you couldn't get through to the state's Do Not Call line. Why? So many of us don't want those telemarketers getting our phone numbers again that we jammed the Do Not Call line in Harrisburg.

After I wrote a column reminding you that the Do Not Call lists come with expiration dates, we didn't waste any time trying to sign up again. The attorney general's office is asking us to wait until this summer to renew.

Pennsylvania is revamping its Web site. In the meantime, you will not get dumped from the state's Do Not Call list and you can still sign up with the national Do Not Call list, which gives you the same protection. That number is 1-888-382-1222.

This summer, we can double our protection by signing up with the state.

Q: I think I have been ripped off by a computer company named Blue Hippo. I answered an ad that promised a brand new computer to anyone with $99, a driver's license and a job. You don't have to have great credit because it's a partial prepayment plan.

I was starting my own business. I had maxed my credit card out, so this sounded perfect for me. I knew it was going to cost about $1,800. The company would take $40 a week out of my bank account, but in the end, I'd get a computer, speakers, a printer, even a flat screen TV. I was supposed to get my new computer after six weeks of payments. It's been 17 weeks and I'm still fighting to get my computer. Can you help?

JANET SCHMITT
South Park

A: You did pretty well on your own, Janet. It took some fighting on your part, lots of phone calls and e-mails, but you finally got a computer last week, just not the kind of computer you expected. It was larger and less streamlined than you imagined. What went wrong?

These days, Janet, checking out a company before you do business with it is easy. If you go to www.google.com, type in the name of the company and the words ripoff, fraud, cheated or bad business, chances are you will find lots of unhappy customers if that company is one with a history of problems.

You can also go to www.bbb.org, type in the name of the business and find out if there have been problems in the past. If you don't have a computer, you can go to your library or call a friend who has one. These searches take less than a minute and can save you thousands of dollars and hours of aggravation.

That little bit of research would have told you volumes about the kinds of problems customers of Blue Hippo are experiencing.

The Better Business Bureau of Greater Maryland, where it appears that Blue Hippo is incorporated, says Blue Hippo has an "unsatisfactory record due to more than 1,300 complaints in the past 36 months." In West Virginia and Illinois, state attorneys general are suing Blue Hippo.

Among the allegations are "using deceptive marketing and sales tactics," failing to "disclose in its advertisements the sale price for the items" and targeting vulnerable consumers and leading those consumers "to believe they were buying affordable electronics when, in fact, they were paying as much as three times the actual price."

Although Blue Hippo is fighting the charges, it's easy to see why there are problems. You waited 17 weeks, instead of the promised six weeks, and spent close to $800 to get what you could easily have bought at a local retail store for $400 or $500.

If you had put that $99 plus $40 a week into your own savings account, you would have had enough money to pay cash for a computer in about seven weeks.

According to the fine print, customers are not entitled to the rest of their orders, the flat screen TV, the printer and the $700 worth of software, until they have paid off the entire $1,700 or $1,800. Not a very good deal.

Because the computer was not delivered on time, you should have the right to be notified by the company of the delay and given the opportunity to decide whether to wait or cancel with a full refund.

If you've had a problem with this company, be sure to report it to the Pennsylvania attorney general's office, Bureau of Consumer Protection, at www.attorneygeneral.gov or 1-800-441-2555.

Although Blue Hippo does not appear to be a big problem for consumers in Pennsylvania yet, its commercials are running on television and its ads are showing up in local publications, so be aware. Read the fine print and be sure you know the terms and conditions before you sign up.