Problem Solved is a weekly consumer column that fixes reader problems. From broken laptop computers to faulty kitchen appliances, nothing is off limits for this feature. Each story brings a fresh problem and solution in an engaging and succinct Q&A format.
When Audrey Kessler sells her home in Ravenna, Ohio, the $75 monthly bill from Ohio Valley Waste for trash service doesn’t stop. Even after she called, emailed, and filled out the company’s online form, the bills keep coming. How can she make them end?
Vaughn Warriner’s Apple computer gets damaged in transit when he sends it his granddaughter. Now UPS is refusing his $400 claim. Can it do that?
When Andrew Fogel’s milk frother sputters to a stop right after the warranty ends, he gets steamed. Fogel rarely used his Paris Rhône appliance before it died. And now the manufacturer wants to offer him only a discount towards a new machine. Can it do that?
Roland Nazariyan buys three sets of tickets to a UFC fight through StubHub. But the real battle comes after the event — with StubHub’s customer service department. Two sets of tickets never showed up and were eventually refunded. But the third order, worth $4,605, turned into a heavyweight bout. Who will come out on top?
Victoria Evans thinks she made a smart purchase when she buys a Frigidaire refrigerator. But within 7 months, her appliance starts flashing temperature warnings and spoiling her food. Multiple repair visits under warranty fail to fix the recurring problem, and technicians twice declare the unit unrepairable. Yet Frigidaire is giving her the cold shoulder.
When Lance Croft gets hit with $14,000 in IRS penalties, he discovers that his H&R Block tax preparer missed a page on his return. After two claim denials and six months of back-and-forth, can he get H&R to honor its 100% Accuracy Guarantee guarantee?
Joanne Pantaleo thought her pricey high-frequency wand would grow hair, not headaches. After the gadget died, the merchant vanished, and American Express sided with the fraudsters. Is she stuck with a broken gadget?
The freezer compartment on Paris Perlick’s GE refrigerator keeps failing because of an elusive coolant leak. The manufacturer has tried to repair it five times over four years, but the problem persists. With a year left on her five-year warranty, Perlick fears the company is deliberately stalling until her coverage expires. Is it?
Charlene Burgett faces every concertgoer’s nightmare when she discovers her expensive StubHub tickets offer no view of Jason Bonham, the drummer she specifically came to see at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix. Can she get a refund?
Jan Burnett thinks her routine blood tests are behind her when she receives an explanation of benefits showing zero patient responsibility. But more than a year later, a collections notice arrived demanding payment for the same tests. Now she’s caught in a bureaucratic nightmare between Quest Diagnostics, her insurance company, and a collections agency.
