Vertrue distancing itself from loyalty marketing?

Last week we looked at Webloyalty's steps to address the flood of consumer complaints that helped trigger a Senate Commerce Committee investigation in May. This week we'll look at Vertrue, subpoenaed by the committee in late July when it didn't comply with Sen. Jay Rockefeller's (D-W. Va.) request for internal documents.

First thing a consumer needs to know about Vertrue are the names of its various loyalty and other marketing programs, in case you have a mystery credit card charge you're trying to track down. Good luck! You'll be dealing with Vertrue's Adaptive Marketing subsidiary. Frankly, you might want to consider grinding your credit card through the laundry a few times, then reporting it lost to get rid of recurring charges. Sure, your credit rating may take a hit, but that may be better than enduring the frustration of trying to get these charges removed. And it probably beats your chances of getting through to somebody at Vertrue's corporate Web site.