Category: Problem Solved

Samsung promised Kristin Graham a $150 e-certificate if she purchased a Galaxy Z Fold3. She kept up her end of the bargain, but now the manufacturer isn’t sending the reward. Can we help?

Question:

Samsung recently sent me a promotional email promising me a $150 E-certificate if I would buy a Galaxy Z Fold3. It was a substantial investment, but I took a chance.

Samsung didn’t sent the E-certificate as promised and never gave me any other information about it. I researched, then finally called Samsung a couple of weeks after I received the phone.

I provided copies of the promo and proof of purchase. Everything was clear and concise. The Samsung reps first tried to get me to accept a one-time code for a lesser value instead of the promised $150. Then they made many excuses, including pretending they couldn’t read their own ad, which shows the device as eligible.

The Colorado Avalanche canceled a game at the start of the pandemic and the organizer promised Sara DeGroot a ticket refund. Then later the company switches the refund offer to credit. Is that fair?

Question

In February 2020, I bought tickets to a Colorado Avalanche game for March. Well, then the pandemic hit and the team canceled the game.

In May 2020, the Avalanche (Kroenke Sports and Entertainment) sent us an email saying we could request a refund. I promptly requested my refund and then waited. It’s now been more than a year and I have exchanged several emails with Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, and they have reneged on their refund offer, saying that the billionaire owner of the team can’t afford to give us the refund the team promised.

When Gloria Lenoir received approval from eBay to return a recent purchase, she expected a prompt refund. Instead, the company sent her notification that it had closed her case. How does she get eBay to reopen it?

Question

I recently bought two tubes of Voltaren, a pain medication, through eBay. I paid $29 for the product but decided I could not use it and I asked eBay for return approval after the seller did not respond.

eBay provided a USPS shipping label so I could send back this product. I returned the item to the eBay seller about a month ago but I did not get my refund.

When I tried to enter the USPS tracking number, the eBay website would not accept it. eBay has now closed the case and refused to send my refund. Can you help me? — Gloria Lenoir, Austin, Texas

Why won’t Ticketmaster refund Barbara Davenport’s VIP tickets to the Lady Gaga show? It claims she missed her window for requesting a cancellation. But is that true?

Question

I bought VIP tickets for a Lady Gaga concert in New Jersey, but the event was postponed twice because of COVID. No new date has been set. Ticketmaster sent me an email that said I could have tickets to the new concert or a full refund. I asked for a refund, but now Ticketmaster is refusing.

I’m 68 years old and have been diagnosed with long-haul COVID. I don’t feel I will be able to make a trip from Florida to New Jersey. Can you help me get my $1,795 back for these Lady Gaga tickets? — Barbara Davenport, Port Orange, Fla.

After the latest update to Jonathan Sinnwell’s Dell laptop, it broke. The company seems to be unable to fix the problem. Will Dell give him a refund instead?

Question

I ordered a Dell laptop recently. About a month after it was delivered, I began receiving notifications from the Dell support tools preinstalled on the computer that a critical BIOS update was required.

I ignored the continual pop-ups reminding me to install the update for about four weeks. Eventually, about two months after I received the laptop, I installed the BIOS update. Immediately after applying the update from Dell and rebooting the laptop, the computer stopped outputting video on the USB-C port to the monitors connected to my Dell dock. I believe the Dell recommended update broke my laptop.

Conservatively, I’ve spent 15 hours of my personal time dealing with this support case, including more than three hours of the tech on-site working with me. This does not include the time it took me to install all applications and configure the laptop for my purposes.

Tricia Lewis canceled her tickets to a Dave Chappelle and Joe Rogan show in New Orleans because of surging COVID cases. Vivid Seats refused her request for a refund. Is there a way to get her money back?

Question

I canceled tickets to a Dave Chappelle and Joe Rogan show in New Orleans that I bought through Vivid Seats. At the time of the show, there were too many COVID-19 cases and I didn’t want to risk attending it.

When I called Vivid Seats, they were experiencing “high call volume,” so I tried contacting the company via email. I received an automatic response that an agent would respond to my email inquiry within 24 hours. After two business days without any response, I contacted Vivid Seats via chat. They advised me the only way I can receive a refund for the tickets would be if the Dave Chappelle/Joe Rogan show gets canceled or significantly postponed.

Why did Kate Syverson’s rent just go up by $157 a month? And why is her apartment manager threatening to take her to court if she won’t pay $1,048 in back rent?

Question

I’m hoping you can help me with a situation I am having with my apartment management company. I’m a college senior. I recently moved out of student housing and into my own apartment at the Allure apartment complex, which is a property of Greystar Real Estate.

My rent was $1,886 plus utilities every month, and when I got a dog in March of 2020, the rent went up by $50 a month. I’ve always paid my rent on time through the resident portal and I have never had any problems with the other residents or apartment management.

My parents and I agreed that we would sign a year lease last February so I would not be stressed about moving during finals and the holidays of 2021. I assumed I would get a new lease notification via email or in my resident portal account, as that is how all communication with Allure has occurred.

Linda Popky wants Ticketmaster to refund her concert ticket after the show is repeatedly rescheduled. But Ticketmaster won’t give back her money. Can we help?

Question:

In October 2019, I bought tickets for the Eagles at the Chase Center in San Francisco for an April 2020 concert. Obviously, that didn’t happen. The show was rescheduled for this spring and then again for Oct. 22, 2021.

That seemed fine, but then we were hit by the delta variant. My daughter, who is to accompany me to the concert, is high-risk because of a number of chronic medical issues. She and I are both vaccinated, but our doctor has recommended that we remain vigilant and avoid higher-risk situations – like being close to several thousand people inside the Chase Center. So we asked Ticketmaster to give us a refund.

Yes, San Francisco requires all attendees to be vaccinated, but this is still too many people in too close quarters to be safe. Even vaccinated people are having breakthrough infections, and with her pre-existing conditions, this could be extremely dangerous.
When I requested a refund from Ticketmaster, I got a recorded message that it was past the allowable refund period. In normal times, this makes sense. Given this situation and COVID, it does not.