fixer
Customer service from the other end of the line
In recent columns we’ve heard from demoralized customer service workers, who say the only thing worse than an insurance bill fiasco is a customer service call center that is dictated by numbers. Numbers such as whether the workers meet their quotas for calls, whether they …
Mind the GAP with auto dealer
D ear Fixer: My son paid off his vehicle loan 2½ years early. We received the title with a pay-off letter from Chase Bank. It stated that since the vehicle was paid off early, we may be entitled to a credit on the GAP insurance …
U-verse runaround has woman steamed
Dear Fixer: For five months, I’ve been having intermittent Internet service with AT&T’s U-verse. It just goes in and out whenever it feels like it. I’ve had more than 10 technicians out for the same problem. Nobody has been able to fix it. Maybe that’s …
Lemon laptop spends more time in shop than at home
Dear Fixer: I purchased a laptop in May 2010 from OfficeDepot.com and also purchased the 24-month Office Depot Performance Protection Plan for an extra $200 to cover accidental damage not covered by Hewlett Packard’s one-year warranty. This laptop has been sent in six times so …
Bill payment runaround? That’s new
Dear Fixer: I’ve had a Medicare supplement plan with BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois for several years. They have automatically deducted my insurance premiums monthly from my bank account with no problems. However, starting in May, the problems began. The May premium was not deducted. Since …
Telemarketing jobs aren’t the Shangri-La you thought
Dear Readers: Among the readers Team Fixer is helping right now is a guy who is trying desperately to pay an ancient phone bill he may or may not actually owe and who can’t get any customer service rep to help. It can be incredibly …
Car crash was ‘an act of God’?
Dear Fixer: I would like to thank you for the support you give to the community of Chicago. My problem is with American Family Insurance. At 1:30 a.m. Dec. 9 the police rang my doorbell to inform me that a vehicle had hit my vehicle …
Missed cruise not even worst part
Dear Fixer: We booked a cruise on Royal Caribbean that was to depart on March 25, 2010. I was traveling with my two children and my cousin and her two children. We flew to Washington, D.C., on US Airways, and we were supposed to fly …
Rebates are great … if you get them
Dear Fixer: The rebate fulfiller for Maytag refused to give me my $100 rebate on a new washer and dryer because I was missing a piece of information, which a Home Depot employee failed to give to me because they were quick to move on …
Customer gets static over TV bills
Dear Fixer: I ordered DISH Network and a man came out to install it. I live on the first floor with a small patio. I am not allowed to place a satellite dish on my building, so the dish was installed on my patio and …
Diligent customer caught in wireless error
Dear Fixer: After more than seven years of making on-time monthly payments to Verizon, I am now receiving debt collection notices for charges I do not owe. This error is affecting my credit score and reducing my limits on major credit cards on which I …
Aircraft rental proves taxing at Midway Airport
Dear Fixer: I have rented general aviation aircraft at various airports, but only at Midway Airport am I required to pay a “rental tax.’’ This fee is clearly labeled as a “Rental Tax’’ on invoices from Chicago Midway Aviators, and it is equal to the cost …
Strange, true dilemmas of our readers
Weird letters? Oh, yeah, there are plenty of those. Like: Wayne Burdick of Schaumburg came to us in a panic in 2009 when he got a $27,788 bill from AT&T after watching a Bears game on his computer using a Slingbox connection and an AT&T …
Fixer hits $1M mark after clearing debt
Dear Fixer: I had surgery in November 2008 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. My referral was approved, and the procedure was performed. I received a bill from Mayo Clinic in June 2009 for $50,320.50. I contacted the hospital, and they investigated the situation. …
Lost keys causes headache for condo owner
Dear Fixer: I put my condo up for sale through RE/MAX South Suburban, since I had an incredible experience with RE/MAX in purchasing the property. I gave the spare set of keys to the Realtor so she could show the unit in case I was …
