Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 22, 1993                   TAG: 9312220022
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

A LESSON IN READING FINE PRINT: FORM NOT JUST CONTEST ENTRY

Telecom is part of Matrix, based in Honolulu, Hawaii. It finds new customers through the giveaways it conducts in 49 states at shows like the one held a few weeks ago at the Roanoke Civic Center.

The fine print on the "Official Matrix Form" included the requisite consumer information that said by signing the card, the signer designated Matrix as his or her long-distance provider.

Or, as Matrix spokesman Bob Shubreck explained: "The card is a registered letter of agency."

However, the fine print, which is being enlarged for later promotions, also said the agreement could be cancelled at any time, and Shubreck assures this is true.

Here is what will happen to the information on the "free drawing" form. The forms first go to a processing site in Texas. The forms go into a hopper for a drawing - a trip to Hawaii - and a "welcoming letter" is sent to the customer explaining the rules of acceptance or cancellation.

You have 14 days to decide if you don't want to switch your long-distance service to this Sprint-related company.

You can cancel the Millenium offer by returning a postcard or by calling an 800 number on the correspondence.

Even if you cancel the long-distance service, you are still eligible to win the drawing.

Your odds of winning the trip are one in 50,000.

Results of a survey conducted by the Consumer Federation of America and the American Association of Retired Persons were released Tuesday, and there were few surprises.

The survey, based on interviews with 1,021 people, reinforces the point that consumer educators need to do a better job of getting information to the people who want and need it.

For example:

Young people desire more information about new cars; older people want to know more about nursing homes.

Lower-income people need facts about insurance and long-distance telephone services; higher-income consumers care more about what's what with air fares.

Parents who haven't learned to play computer games might need to - just to know what their children are enjoying.

The issue of ratings for video games will be debated at a retail-supplier gathering next year, but conspicuous toy stores are reacting to at least one game by taking it from the shelves.

This week, Kay-Bee Toy Stores joined other retailers in pulling the Night Trap video game from its shelves.

The game features hooded killers who use a neck-drilling device to drain blood from scantily-clad sorority sisters. The challenge for the game player is to rescue the young women.

Kay-Bee said it stopped ordering the game in June and late last week stores were notified to take the game off their shelves.

Toys `R' Us also decided last week to stop selling Night Trap.

Offers selling long-distance telephone service are coming at consumers from all sides. Among the companies soliciting in the Roanoke area recently is Vartec, which is part of Telephone Electronics Corp.

Bruce Boretsky, vice president of marketing for Vartec, said his company is one of about 300 long-distance providers.

Vartec is about 4 years old and offers users the option of subscribing or merely accessing the company by dialing a code.

The code tells the local phone company to route each phone call through Vartec's digital switch. Vartec, in turn, gets the local company to bill the user for the call.