Colonial Printing Co., Inc. is a small, family-owned printing business in Maryland. For more than the past two years, we've encountered a problem with our '800' phone service which is directly linked with the TRU-GREEN/CHEMLAWN company.

Colonial receives a substantial amount of '800' calls to our national '800' phone number. Throughout the year, we get an enormous amount of erroneous calls which are directed to Tru-Green, but end up at Colonial. During the spring, summer and fall months, we may get as many as 20 calls a day which are wrong. These erroneous calls are meant to be directed to the Grand Haven, Michigan Tru-Green office. However, according to ALL callers asked, the phone number listed on the Grand Haven invoice is 1-800-536-6296, which is Colonial's number. After much investigation, we've discovered that the Tru-Green number is 1-800-536-5296. Evidently, the type on the Tru-Green invoice is so small, a great majority of their callers cannot read it.

I've spoken with the regional vic-president of Tru-Green, Bill Housbeck, who was incredibly arrogant and unprofessional on the telephone. His answer to the problem is for Colonial to change our '800' number. I was outraged by his blatant disregard for the problem, and his lack of cooperation in finding a solution, so I proceeded to call the corporate offices in Memphis, TN, desiring to speak with the presidnet, Mr. Dave Slot. I was directed to speak with Susan Jones, the national customer relations manager, who also said that nothing could be done and that she didn't understand why this was such a problem. I reminded her that not only is an expense incurred (which she flatly refused to even consider reimbursing), but that the time it takes my employees to explain the problem and forward these calls on to the appropriate number, plus the fact that these erroneous calls 'tie up' one of my two available business lines, IS a problem that Tru-Green needs to address. Irregardless, her response was that it was my problem.

I contacted MCI (my long distance carrier) who advised that my only option through MCI is to put a tailored call coverage block on my line to block certain area codes (those near Grand Haven) from reaching our '800' number. Besides a substantial monthly cost, this feature would essentially eliminate any potential calls from future Colonial customers just because of their geographical location in Michigan.

I've written to the Michigan attorney general who stated that no statutory violaton of state law has occurred, and therefore can do nothing for me. I am extremely frustrated and bothered again now that Spring has arrived at the 'Tru-Green' calls are coming in droves on my '800' line. Anything you can do or suggest would be most gratiously received.