Here's a link to source for some info on underground houses. (With apologies to Mighty Anvil): Here is what Home & Garden Network (HGTV) had to say about Mike Oehler's underground house, on a special called "The Subterraneans": "This guy literally wrote the book on subterranean housing and sold more than 90,000 copies of The $50 & Up Underground House Book. He lives in his own creation. It's a little snug but it's custom built and has all the creature comforts. You can barely see it, a dream get away nestled deep in the mountains of scenic Northern Idaho on 40 acres of land. Imagine it, all yours for $500. That's what subterranean pioneer Mike Oehler created when he... built one of the nations first underground houses in 1971... Today his little house in a hillside is a rustic gem... It's like having an underground log cabin... and somehow eight feet underground there's still lots of light here. Mike has developed what he calls an Up Hill Patio, a cut behind the house and into the hill, where plants can grow and light and air flow through the house. MIKE: "I think I've got the only system in the country, maybe the world where you get light, air and views from two or three directions in each and every room in the underground house.' "A beautiful mountain side, custom design, self-sufficiency and plenty of natural light even though you're underground, and all for $500. And maybe best of all, tranquility. MIKE: 'Its easy to heat, easy to cool, It's easy on your ears because it's much more soundproof in there.' So what's next for Mike Oehler? Well, he's writing a new book and he's designing and building a new (1800 sq. ft. underground) home. It's got a patio, and a tree house, and an underground pool and jacuzzi. And how much for this super house? $15,000. Here is a link that might be useful: undergroundhousing

To dchorton and others: I've sent the following letter to AmEx in hopes of getting a refund from them. I've not heard back, so I can't vouch for the letter's success. Still, if you want to take a similar tack with your own credit card companies, here it is: American Express FAX: (623) 444-3000 Attn: Customer Service [SGLR] Dispute No. _____________ Dear Sir or Madam, I am writing on behalf of my husband (Roland M. Frye, Jr.) and myself to request a refund of a $6336.75 charge. We charged this amount on our American Express Card No. _______ for appliances ordered from Foremost Appliances (which filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on November 29, 2007  see attached announcement in the Washington PostÂs December 10, 2007 edition at page D05). Foremost billed us immediately upon placement of our order rather than following the usual business practice of billing only upon the delivery of the merchandise. The bill was processed on our American Express Card on October 31, 2006, and appeared on our November 2006 American Express statement -- which we paid in full in December of 2006. See attached documents. Foremost was to deliver the appliances beginning in June and running through July 2007. During that time, we repeatedly contacted Foremost, unsuccessfully trying to get the company to honor its contractual commitment. See attached chronology. When it finally became clear in late July / early August of 2007 that Foremost was simply not going to deliver the merchandise, my husband called American Express and asked that the $6336.75 be refunded to us. The American Express representative informed him of your companyÂs general policy of not refunding charges when the American Express customer waits more than 60 days to request the refund. Relying on those representations, my husband dropped the matter. Just this week, however, he learned that American Express can apply a different policy to situations, like ours, of where merchandise was pre-paid but never delivered  a policy that is also consistent with Federal Trade Commission guidance, as reflected on the FTCÂs website (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/billed.shtm). That policy authorizes refunds to customers who contact American Express and request reimbursement within sixty days of non-delivery. My husband did this in late July / early August. We therefore renew our refund request which, for the reasons set forth above, we believe is both timely and consistent with American ExpressÂs refund policies. Please credit our account for the $6336.75 charge.

this is no surprise. they are trying to keep whatever money they can find! thanks for the heads up! Here is a link that might be useful: modern design

greg_h: That's correct. They look like a credit card, with the Mastercard or Visa logo on the lower right corner. When using at an ATM, you MUST use a PIN#. When using at a retailer, generally you can choose between a signature transaction or a PIN# transaction. In the US, there was a huge dispute over this. Fees to the retailer are much higher for signature transactions, which are processed through the Mastercard/Visa network, than for PIN# transactions, which are processed by smaller, regional systems. At Walmart, for example, the payment pad automatically prompted you for the PIN# if you swiped a debit card. It did not give you the option to do a signature transaction. In the examples I have seen cited, service fees to the retailer on a $100 transaction are about $3 for a signature transaction and 35 cents for a PIN# transaction. Personally, I have ceased using my debit card, except at ATM's. If the number is boosted, your account could be cleaned out before you realize it. Although you would likely receive reimbursement under fraud protection, you are still without the money until then. With a credit card, fraud still creates a hassle, but at least your bank account is not cleaned out.