Morton Grove Champion

Fixer’s fond farewell ...

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 17:48:38 -0500

Dear Readers: After seven wonderful years of writing this column, I’m leaving for a new opportunity in consumer reporting with another organization. It’s bittersweet, because being “The Fixer” has allowed me to get to know Sun-Times readers in ways I never did as an ordinary reporter. I was right there with you, getting frustrated over your inflated bills, your missing refunds, your broken appliances, lopsided car contracts and lost luggage. That includes one reader’s bag I managed to locate three and a half months later, untagged, in a warehouse in Cozumel, Mexico. When I was able to get your money …

This is why we studied decimals in school

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 18:12:04 -0500

Dear Fixer: I don’t know where else to turn. On June 30, I purchased $190.04 in fireworks from Johnny Rockets Fireworks in Highland, Ind. I paid with a credit card. But when I got my credit card bill, I saw that I was charged $1,900.40. To my horror, I realized I had signed a credit card slip for an extra $1,710 due to an apparent error with the decimal point. I admit I signed for the incorrect amount. I called my credit card company and Johnny Rockets to try to remedy this error. The credit card company says that I …

Mom’s roof needs a quick fix

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 16:46:03 -0500

Dear Fixer: I’m writing on behalf of my mother. She is a senior citizen who entered into a contract last July with Champion Remodelers of Chicago to have her roof repaired. In September, she gave them a $6,000 insurance check as a deposit. They cashed it. The work was supposed to begin right away, but we have not heard from Champion Remodelers or Donald Powell. We tried calling all the phone numbers we have, as well as going by his apparent place of business. We would really appreciate any advice. My mom needs to have her roof repaired before winter …

Busted flat in Frankfurt ...

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:28:03 -0500

Dear Fixer: I have debated contacting you over this situation. I made a mistake but was still left high and dry. In August, I took a flight on US Airways from Chicago to Charlotte, N.C., where I was to continue to Dublin, Ireland, to see my teenage son play football. In Charlotte, I volunteered to give up my seat and take a different flight from Charlotte to Frankfurt, Germany, and then connect to Dublin on a Lufthansa flight. For this, I received a $900 voucher. They gave me two tickets for the new flights. I was put on the flight …

This Apple has sour taste

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 07:42:03 -0500

Dear Fixer: I cannot download any apps on my iPhone. It says my account is disabled. After I sent a request to the Apple support email address, I received a response from an iTunes adviser who said it appeared that my account had been disabled due to “chargeback orders” they had received from my credit card issuer.

Not so crazy 8s: Harley guns it for $888 refund

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 11:01:21 -0500

Dear Fixer: I purchased a Harley-Davidson motorcycle from Chicago Harley in May 2008. I also purchased a full warranty that was good until May 2014. I sold the motorcycle on Feb. 4, 2012, and also canceled the warranty on that date.The Harley-Davidson service center told me I would get a refund of $888 for the remainder of the unused warranty plan. I contacted Chicago Harley and they said they would send me a check for the remainder in six weeks or less. Well, now it’s October and I have yet to get my check. I have been in contact with …

T-Mobile claim isn’t Cricket

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 16:58:01 -0500

Dear Fixer: I have a receipt showing I switched service on two phone lines from T-Mobile to Cricket on Sept. 8. Both of the contracts were over, so I was free to go. Now, T-Mobile says I owe them $90.35 for the billing period of Sept. 10 through Oct. 9 on one of the lines. They claim the number wasn’t switched over until Sept. 10, after the new billing cycle started. Calling them got me nowhere. After waiting on the line for 30 minutes, the person on the phone just kept saying it is their “policy” to do this — …

Warranty runaround finally run to ground

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:17:22 -0500

Dear Fixer: I bought an iPad2 on May 11 at a nearby Target store. The salesman offered me a three-year warranty to cover any damage or problems, including breakage if dropped. I accepted the policy. The iPad was $399.99 and the warranty was $45. Five months later, the iPad suddenly started freezing up and powering down by itself. After a few minutes it would come up again and stay on for several minutes. I took it to Target along with my warranty card. But now I was told the policy that they sold me does not cover iPads. I spoke …

Bending buses + valuable violas = very bad vibes

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 10:35:32 -0500

Dear Fixer: On April 29, I was riding the No. 6 bus from Hyde Park to downtown with two colleagues. We are musicians. We were on our way to a conference, with our violas in tow. We were in the middle part of the articulated bus. As we neared downtown, someone needed to get by, so I lifted my instrument to the side to let them pass. Just then, we went around a corner and the turntable on which we were seated started to move. I felt the side of the bus touch my arm, which was around my instrument’s …

Shining a light on headlight shambles

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 14:37:44 -0500

Dear Fixer: I divide my time between Orland Park and Las Vegas. My problem began back in October 2011, when the high beam/DRL bulbs went out on my 2008 Toyota Avalon. My car had 62,447 miles on it at the time. I had this fixed on Oct. 6 at a local Toyota dealer in suburban Chicago. The cost was $161.46. After I got it fixed, I received a “warranty enhancement notice” pertaining to high beam/DRL bulbs. It said that if the consumer had already had repairs done, they could apply to get their money back. I did, and I received …

Seven good years for fine Fixer fixes

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:40:49 -0500

D ear Readers: Arlene is in her apartment, Patricia still has her house and Michael left us one year ago but frequently laughed about his brush with celebrity. Last month, The Fixer column marked its seventh anniversary, but instead of giving ourselves wool or copper (seven is not as fancy an anniversary as gold or diamonds), we decided to check in with some folks who’ve been in this space before. First, some happy news from a recent fix: Arlene Jones, whom we helped in August with an application snafu at an apartment complex in Sioux City, Iowa, is happily settled …

Pursuing port is problematical

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:41:42 -0500

Dear Fixer: I had a Sprint phone for years. My mother and sister switched to the T-Mobile plan, which was $30 for 1,500 minutes and texting. I thought that was a good deal. So I bought a T-Mobile phone at Walmart, then stopped in the T-Mobile store in Mokena to see if they could activate it and port over my existing phone number. They said they could do that, but I would need to put $30 on the phone with my credit card and it would take about 24 hours for my Sprint number to be ported over. Twenty-four hours …

Feds’ loan arrangements quickly spiral southward

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 16:14:18 -0500

Dear Fixer: I’m at the end of options for dealing with a tremendous inaccuracy in my student loans. If there’s any way that you could help, I would be so grateful. The short story is that I now owe $68,000 MORE in student loans than I did a few months ago. The long story is this: Earlier this year, the federal government offered to consolidate any outstanding federal loans under one servicer (FedLoan Servicing in my case). In exchange, I would receive lower interest rates. Great deal, right? No. In March, I applied for the consolidation to move my $24,198 …

Caught in an (over)draft

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 11:39:20 -0500

Dear Fixer: I was on my way to take my son to his doctor’s appointment when I got a flat tire. Luckily — or so I thought — I was two blocks away from an NTB tire shop. I had my flat tire fixed and bought another one because it needed to be changed, too. The total bill was $198.88. I gave them my debit card. The gentleman waiting on me ran it through, but there seemed to be some sort of computer malfunction. He tried several times, after which I asked if it was OK to write a check. …

What’s that chewing sound coming from the furniture?

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 11:39:32 -0500

Dear Fixer: Several months ago, I purchased a piece of furniture from T.J. Maxx. It’s a chest/cabinet that appears to be hand-carved, possibly made in India. I recently discovered some very fine sawdust in several places surrounding the chest. I investigated and found out this is caused by a wood-destroying insect that resides within this piece. The larvae of the powderpost beetle can stay dormant inside wood for months and even years before the right temperature conditions arise, at which point it develops into a little beetle that lays eggs and chews its way out of the wood (thus the …

Wonderful work by Whitley of Women’s Workout World

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 11:39:40 -0500

Dear Fixer: I joined Women’s Workout World in August 2011. My membership was payable on a month-to-month basis. The month after I joined, I went into the hospital for routine hernia surgery. There were some complications and two days later, while still in the hospital, I had a stroke that affected my vision. I was unable to drive, but I continued to pay my monthly membership fee of $19. My ophthalmologist was not very encouraging as far as me being able to drive again, but my neurologist was more so. I kept paying my $19-a-month fees for the next nine …

Getting a claim settled

Fri, 24 Aug 2012 12:52:36 -0500

Dear Fixer: My in-network doctor wrote an order for me to get a mammogram, so I logged on to the United Healthcare website to look up in-network providers. The closest one was a radiology practice in Arlington Heights. I had my mammogram performed at that location and a claim was submitted to the insurance company. Later, I received a letter from United Healthcare stating that I had gone to an out-of-network provider and they would only cover a small portion of the bill instead of all of it, as they normally would under preventative health services. I filed an appeal, …

No flying solo: Airlines try to keep families together

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:42:52 -0500

Dear Fixer: I read your column all the time and you are amazing. I am actually writing on behalf of my children and grandchildren, but also for the benefit of all children. My problem is with the airlines! My son purchased tickets from American Airlines for an upcoming trip. He and his wife have three children who are 10, 14 and 17. He paid extra money for three of the seats so they would all be seated together in the same row and across. About 10 days ago, he happened to check his flight and discovered that now they were …