Today’s Sound Off is about debt consolidation:

Dear Heloise: My husband and I recently received a call from a company that claimed they could help us reduce our debt, and they sounded legitimate. They said that they were able to talk to the companies and hospitals to whom we owed money and get them to reduce our bills. Then they could lump everything together into one monthly payment, which we would then send to them, and they would disperse the funds to our creditors.

It all sounded logical, and we talked it over for a few days. Our son came home from college one weekend, and we told him about the offer. He told us to do nothing and then went to work investigating the company. This was an unsolicited contact, and it made him suspicious.

So, he went to the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker and found out that these people never follow through on their promises. There had been a number of complaints. (You only have to type in “BBB Scam Tracker” to find which businesses are listed in your area.)

We kept getting emails from them telling us to act immediately. They were pressuring us daily to sign up, and this was a sign to us that something was wrong.

We finally called a reputable company who told us that they could help us, and they did. They warned us about unsolicited calls from people who make promises of helping us. They’re usually scammers. This is just a word to the wise. — Jason and Meghan, in Charleston, West Virginia

ONLINE SHOPPING

Dear Readers: Since January of this year, we here at Heloise Central have received a number of letters and emails from readers who have been victims of online scams. It usually starts with an online sale that seems too good to pass up. If you’re like most people today, you love a great sale, especially with the cost of living going up.

The unfortunate part of a great sale is that scammers use it to capture your credit or debit card information. Instead of getting the items that you wanted at a terrific price, they use your card numbers to drain your bank account or charge up a huge bill for goods and services.

Then there are people who seem to offer a discount on designer items, such as purses, clothing, cosmetics or just about anything else, but end up sending you a knock-off. It’s always a low-quality item. The beautiful leather purse that you wanted turns out to be plastic and very poorly made.

It’s best to shop at places you know so that the items you get sent are exactly what you wanted. Avoid places that advertise “no returns or refunds.” — Heloise

REUSING CLAY POTS

Got clay pots that are looking old and worn? Here are some ideas for them:

— Paint the pots in new vibrant colors.

— Fill the small pots with tiny fairy lights and use them as table decorations.

— Keep spare change in them.

— Keep pens and pencils in them.

NO SMALL BONES FOR PETS

Dear Heloise: Please remind people to never give chicken or fish that contain bones to their pets. My cat nearly choked to death on a chicken bone last night. The bones break too easily and can get stuck inside a cat or dog’s throat. — H.B., in New Mexico

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Hints from Heloise run occasionally in Lifestyles. Readers may send a hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, fax it to 210-HELOISE, or email: Heloise@Heloise.com. Letters won’t be answered personally.