Problem Solved Archives

Help, I’ve been scammed by my moving company

March 5, 2013February 28, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

snowroad Question: Last fall I made a temporary international move from the USA to Santiago, Chile, using Allied Van Lines. When I was in the US, they gave me a quote for door-to-door service, which I paid in full.

Then, when I arrived in Chile, they told me that I had to pay an extra $1,195. At the time I complained because I had already payed for door-to-door service and all charges should have been included in the initial quote. But they gave me no satisfactory explanation and told me that if I did not pay I would not receive my belongings and, on top of that, they would begin charging me for storage of my belongings until I paid in full. So I felt I had no choice except to pay.

Afterwards, I filed BBB complaints against both Allied International and their local contractor in Maryland who handled the US side of the move, but neither complaint helped.

Where’s my Sears.com refund?

February 21, 2013February 21, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Question: I ordered three items from Sears.com three weeks ago. Two arrived, but the other — a coat for $75 — was canceled by Sears the same day I placed the order because it was no longer available in a warehouse or store.

It has been 20 days and I’ve received no refund for the canceled item. I’ve done online chat, e-mailed, and contacted Sears on Twitter and Facebook. According to @searscares, I am now on a waitlist for a “case manager” regarding my refund.

Help, I’ve reached a dead end with my Verizon iPhone

February 14, 2013February 14, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Question: I’m at a dead end and feel I have been tossed aside by the corporate giant that is Verizon in hopes that I will just become mute and complacent. I will not!

I have been a Verizon customer for approximately 10 years. For the past two years, I have had an iPhone that uses their 3g network for data. My relationship with Verizon was fine up until this point.

The area in which I live is highly seasonal and the population grows by 3.5 million in the summer months. Verizon’s 3g network can not handle this and I do not get data coverage from Friday nights until Monday morning all summer long. This issue is even prevalent in the off season when there are a lot of people around (malls at the holiday, etc.). However, I test my phone next to someone with another carrier and their phones work fine, no matter where.

Where’s my copy of The New York Times?

January 24, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Question: I’ve been subscribing to the Sunday New York Times for years. No one can explain why I was able to get the paper delivered until September 2012 (when I left the country) and can’t get them delivered in November 2012 (when I returned and re-subscribed).

My address has been the same since I’ve been subscribing. The city I live in has over 80,000 people. They couldn’t have taken all the subscribers off the route. Why me?

Is Target’s price-match guarantee an empty promise?

January 17, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

1-Target Question: I recently tried to price-match merchandise at a Target store in Framingham, Mass. I had read the price match policy online, and I was sure I was eligible. But I was denied.

I followed up with the corporate 1-800 number, and was twice given the same
(startling) answer: Target will not price match any printed ad that is not valid for an entire week. They exclude these ads because they are “timed” events, like door-busters and early-bird sales.

My washer/dryer is a few features short — do I deserve a partial refund?

January 10, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Question: I bought a Samsung washer/dryer by phone recently, but I used the Samsung website to research the specs. The Samsung website clearly stated that the dryer I chose has steam-dry technology, which detects the moisture level in the load and adjusts the drying time to save time and money.

Well, the dryer arrived yesterday, and it didn’t have the steam functionality it promised.

Samsung said the website is apparently in error and this model does not have steam-dry technology. A Samsung representative told me that after reviewing the notes on my account and reviewing the page that I referenced when I made the purchase, they were not bound by what was on the site. He noted that at the bottom of the page, under “overview and features,” it says, “Features and specifications are subject to change without prior notification.”

Help, my BMW dealership is holding my title hostage!

January 3, 2013January 3, 2013 by Christopher Elliott

Question: I bought a BMW 750 Li from my local dealership recently. Last week, I tried to sell the car to a private party and was told by my bank that I could not sell the car because the dealership hadn’t supplied them with the title.

It doesn’t look as though they will be able to find the title in time for me to sell the car, so I’ve spoken with the dealership about buying the car back. But we can’t agree on a price.

I’ve been told that they’ll pay me $28,000 for the car. Then a representative backpedaled and said, “If the tires are bald or there are dents or dings, maybe not that much.”

Oops! Wrong inaugural rate at the Capitol Hill Hotel Washington D.C.

December 29, 2012 by Christopher Elliott

Faith James likes to think of herself as a “pretty savvy traveler” but when she planned to attend the presidential inauguration in Washington next month, she couldn’t have foreseen the trouble with the Capitol Hill Hotel Washington D.C.

I couldn’t have, either.

James is taking her 78-year-old mother up to DC to attend the festivities. They were lucky enough to get tickets from their congressman, but accommodations proved to be a little more difficult.

Is DirecTV guilty of “false advertising”?

December 26, 2012 by Christopher Elliott

shutterstock_121595830 — andrea crisante/Shutterstock

Question: We recently ordered DirectTV service based on information received from the company’s sales team that turned out to be wrong. We think DirecTV is guilty of false advertising.

A representative told us our reception would be good, if not better, than Comcast Cable. This is not true. We had Comcast before we got DirectTV, so we know this for sure. We have a high-end television for which we paid $5,000. Our picture quality was greatly reduced with DirectTV.

I was also told we would have all the same HD channels I had with cable. Not true. We couldn’t get certain channels, including WCCO.

My honeymoon photos are ruined — thanks a lot, Target!

December 19, 2012 by Christopher Elliott

shutterstock_118765537 — Alexey Laputin/Shutterstock

Question: I attempted to exchange a camera we purchased for our honeymoon, which turned out to be defective and ruined all of our honeymoon photos. We were told that because the camera had been on sale, and the item has since returned to its regular price that we would need to pay an additional $100 to exchange the defective item with the exact same model.

The guest services representative, loss prevention person and the team leader (who continuously told us she was the store manager) were extremely rude and condescending while informing us of this fact.

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