October 13th, 2007
Thief’s wining, dining with her card
Dear Fixer: I have called American Express three times to cancel my account, and, even with confirmation from company representatives, this has not been done, and erroneous charges keep appearing on my account.
A brief history: On July 15, I paid the outstanding balance, which made this account paid in full.
Then, on my August statement, I received a bill for a food-and- wine magazine subscription for $29 and a travel-and-leisure magazine subscription for $39 — which I didn’t order.
I called the company and was assured these charges would be removed. On my October statement, these charges were deleted. I informed the company I no longer used the card and had destroyed it.
Then, in January, I received another statement, showing a charge from December for $69.95. I called American Express again and was told the charge would be removed and my account would be closed within 48 hours.
My latest statement, due March 25, showed a balance of $103.35 — including the $69.95 charge plus late-payment fees and finance charges.
Dotty Manweiler, Oak Lawn
Dear Dotty: Clearly, some crook who likes fine wine and travel is messin’ around with your old AmEx card number. We got in touch with American Express’ Monica Beaupre, who quickly fixed your problem and closed the account. You also have been given a “private phone number” at AmEx, with instructions to call if any other mysterious charges come your way.
Dear Fixer: I have a 2001 Ford 150 pickup truck. I received a letter from Ford in September, stating that my cruise-control unit had been recalled. Ford said to bring the vehicle in, as the unit could catch fire even if the vehicle was not running.
In the letter, Ford said the part would be available in mid- November. In November, they said the part would be in on Dec. 1. In December, they said: mid-January. At the end of January, they said they have no idea when the new parts will be in!
I am getting ready to sell my vehicle, but who’s going to buy it with the cruise not working? I hope Ford is not too large for your superpowers.
Skip Skrobuton, Orland Park
Dear Skip: Superpowers? Gosh, no pressure there. We called David Reuter, Ford’s Midwest public affairs guy. Turns out there was a delay due to a manufacturing issue, Reuter says. He explained that this is a brand new part, so it took longer than usual to get it to the dealers. All dealers should be adequately stocked now, he says. We checked with Terry’s Lincoln Mercury in Orland Park, and that was just the case.
Banking glitch won’t go away
Dear Fixer: Three times now, I have informed my credit card company — Capital One — that I want to opt out of electronic checking. That lasts for about a year, then they go back to electronic checking.
This third time, I wrote to them and got this response: “We are unable to send you the original checks you requested. The original documents are kept for our records.”
I want to get my checks back and want this to stop — two years ago!
Dorothy Dieffenderfer,
Park Forest
Dear Dorothy: The Fixer loves battling the banking industry’s computer systems. We called Capital One’s Pam Girardo, who said the company received your opt-out request in February 2005. But in August they upgraded their computer system, and your account was set back to the default setting — meaning they once again began processing your checks electronically. Now, everything’s been put back the way you want it. Girardo says Capital One was contacting you about getting copies of the checks that had been processed electronically. They also gave you an apology.
Where’s our magazine?
Dear Fixer: In June, my husband ordered a magazine subscription to Mac Addict from a very endearing young lady who said she was selling subscriptions as a way to work her way through college. Normally, we do not order magazines this way, and we are starting to regret it.
I have contacted Chapel Sales via e-mail at least three times and have received responses stating that we should be patient and that they have re-entered our information and that our subscription should start soon — but still no magazine.
Michael and Christine
Jedrzejak, Evergreen Park
Dear Michael and Christine: The Fixer asked Chapel Sales’ Tina Hovington to investigate this deal-gone-bad. She said a number of subscription orders had been lost in the company’s computer system but sent a refund check for $52.
An expanded version of this column is available online at www.suntimes.com.
Thanks this week to contributors Mike Nolan, Patrick Ferrell, Meg Dedolph, Danielle Braff and Long Hwa-shu.
Getting the runaround over a consumer problem? Tell it to The Fixer at www.suntimes.com. Or you can mail a brief description of your problem, with your name, address and phone number, to: The Fixer, Chicago Sun-Times, 350 N. Orleans St., Ninth Floor North, Chicago, IL 60654. Please don’t send original documents. The Fixer can’t make personal replies. Letters are edited for length and clarity.