From Editor to Watchdog

By Kelly Carr
April 9, 2008 05:45 PM

George Gombossy had always been a watchdog, but not like he is now.

The long-time Hartford Courant business editor logged about four decades in the newspaper business in various roles before he opted for something new. In 2007, Gombossy accepted the paper’s offer to become its first consumer columnist.  

Gombossy now investigates tips from readers about poor customer service and dirty corporate tricks. He spends his time holding companies and powerful executives accountable, and his reporting has led the state attorney general to launch multiple investigations.

“I feel so passionate about being able to help the little people and get paid for it,” Gombossy said. “In my 40 years in the business I’ve never had a more rewarding job than this. It blew away my expectations.”

After his column launched last year, one of Gombossy’s first tips came from a schoolteacher. The information led to a series highlighting Best Buy’s use of an in-store Web site. The stores were using a site that looked identical to the one consumers viewed at home, with one exception. Items on the in-store Web site were often listed at a higher price.  

Gombossy’s investigative reporting prompted the state to launch a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the company. And it logged him half a million hits on his column, establishing his street credibility.

After Best Buy, Gombossy followed a lead on Connecticut Light & Power, a company which has about 1.2 million customers and claimed to have infallible meters. But the columnist received letters from his readers who said they were being billed for electricity they didn’t use.

One machine shop owner explained to Gombossy that his bill, once $300 per month, had soared to around $7,000. Gombossy said Connecticut Light & Power refused to inspect the meter or admit there was anything wrong with it.

The result: Gombossy probed. He wrote about 15 columns on the issue, sparking yet another state investigation and prompting the company to give tens of thousands of dollars in refunds.

“As a traditional business reporter you are required to be fair and balanced,” Gombossy said. “All I’m required to do is be accurate. And I don’t have to be nice. I can ask undiplomatic questions, ruffle feathers and state my opinion…This is a good way to keep investigations alive. Newspapers have tremendous clout.”

Gombossy said few papers have a consumer columnist, but he would like to see that change in the future. The type of column though requires a publisher and team of editors willing to back up the stories, which can sometimes offend the newspaper’s advertisers. Gombossy was told by the Courant’s leaders that he is a consumer’s advocate and as long as he is accurate, he can write what he wants.

Now the watchdog’s face can be seen throughout Hartford on billboards and on the side of city buses. In just over a year, his source list has grown to around 3,000. The investigations, he said, are a partnership between the newspaper and the community.

“My biggest concern when we started was that most of the issues would be something like ‘the car mechanic ripped me off,’” Gombossy said. “What I and everyone at the paper was astounded by was the outpouring of frustration our readers had with service issues not only with companies in Connecticut but with larger companies. I’m amazed by the number of sophisticated, smart readers who have kept notes and records and are willing to have their identities made public with the issues.”

Read the Watchdog here.

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Copyright © 2008 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism