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6 years later, student finally can thank man who donated computer
Longtime Fixer column readers might recall the story of Jasmine Gonzalez, the teenager who stood overnight in a freezing “door buster” line on Thanksgiving — only to go home in tears. That column ran in 2006, which Jasmine was a junior at Walter Payton College …Read More
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Few protections from stolen cars, but a few tips
THE FIXER: If car dealers aren’t required by law to make sure a used car is not stolen — and there’s no mechanism for them to be able to check — what protection does a consumer have?
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Toll charges for state in which he’s never driven
Dear Fixer: Let me start with this: I’ve never been to Massachusetts. In February, I received a turnpike violation notice from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for $57.50. It included a picture of the offending vehicle’s license plate, which has the same numerals as mine …Read More
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Overdraft fees still hitting consumers when they least expect it
D ear Readers: The Fixer recently had a nice chat with Edward E., a longtime reader of this column who was in a real fix. A company he had never done business with somehow got hold of his debit card number and took $100 out …
Happy ending for reader with glitchy computer
Dear Readers: Last month, we brought you the story of Nick Ricci of Oak Lawn, whose family bought a laptop computer from Best Buy two years earlier. He had paid $149.99 extra for a two-year protection plan, which turned out to be a good thing …
T-Mobile phone saga continues — will new phone work this time?
A Fixer column update: Last month, we told you about Diane Hettwer of Tinley Park, who’d bought a T-Mobile phone at Wal-Mart and signed a two-year contract. Diane wasn’t happy. The phone, she said, was a “dog.” But since she was outside the 14-day return …
Sprint changes terms, prices — in the middle of the contract
D ear Fixer: Sprint heavily marketed a program for unlimited 4G Internet service for $59.99 per month if you signed a two-year contract. It was by far the best deal at the time, so I signed up. That was in December 2010. Things went well …
Central DuPage Hospital clinic bills patient whopping $412 for strep test
Dear Fixer: I grew up in Naperville and my family still lives there. I had driven to town in October and felt terrible — sore throat, etc. I decided to go to the Central DuPage Hospital River North Convenient Care center, which I had been …
She returned the shoes — but now owes $77 in fees
Dear Fixer: Last spring, I ordered a pair of shoes from the Mason Shoe Company in Monroe, Wis. The shoes did not fit, so I returned them the next day with a check for $7.95 that they requested. That was on June 23. I thought …
$29 Dealfind limo never shows — so he had to take taxi to catch flight
Dear Fixer: I purchased two vouchers from a Groupon-like company called Dealfind. The company was offering vouchers for a limo ride to either Chicago airport for $29. The limo company that was supposed to provide this service left me stranded twice — going to Midway …
What to know about those annoying calls to lower your interest rates
Dear Fixer: Please tell me how to stop all those calls I receive during the day and early evenings to lower my interest rates on my credit cards. I get at least three a week and when I press the key to tell them I …
Dealer loses business after calling cops on customer on test drive
D ear Fixer: This is another complaint about bad customer service for your “bad manners” columns. Some time ago, I visited a suburban car dealership on a Saturday. They were busy, so instead of sending a salesman with me on the test drive, they just …
Crash! Cable guy drills hole right through china cabinet
D ear Fixer: I recently moved back home to help take care of my elderly grandfather. My grandparents raised me since I was 7, after my mother, their oldest daughter, was killed. So my moving in has everything to do with giving back to them. …
She sends back bad phone, but she waits weeks for replacement
D ear Fixer: I signed a new two-year agreement with T-Mobile and bought a new phone from Wal-Mart in December. The phone has been a dog from Day One. When I went back to Wal-Mart, they said I had to go through T-Mobile, as it …
Five months later, Blue Cross finally takes premium payments
Dear Fixer: I’ve had a policy with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois for 14 years and have not had any problems up until this past October, when I did not receive an invoice for my premium. I wanted to pay, so I called and …
She pays Sam’s Club fee — twice — in October, but refund takes months
Dear Fixer: I inadvertently sent Sam’s Club two separate $40 checks for the renewal of my membership, which was to expire Nov. 5. I mailed the first check on Oct. 20. I went on a trip the next day, and when I returned on Oct. …
Clerk tells customer, 70, to clean dressing room — and other customer service horrors
OK, folks, we’re running just a couple more letters from readers complaining about businesses with bad manners, then it’s back to fixing (we have a doozey of a fix coming Monday). Once again, we’re leaving out identifying names, as some of these insults happened a …
How do meanies of business world survive?
Dear Readers: Last week’s column on inexplicably rude people touched a nerve with many of you. Reading your letters makes us wonder how some of these meanies survive in the marketplace. From Gail: My husband and I were dining out. I had ordered soup and …
Orbitz transactions didn’t seem go through — but bill came nonetheless
D ear Fixer: On Jan. 26 I attempted to book a round-trip flight from Chicago to New Orleans through Orbitz.com. After inputting the booking and billing info, I submitted the transaction. The Orbitz website reported a transaction error and I was directed to retry the …
$12.50 tires from Walmart? Web mistake is customer’s good luck
Dear Fixer: With winter finally here, I was reminded of my need for new tires. I searched the web and was delighted to see a deal that was too good to be true: tires for $12.50 each! It was on Walmart.com, a huge company known for …
