Action: Efforts to return product fail

I heard a commercial about an herbal supplement called Hapizen and the product sounded so good I decided to try it, mainly because it had a 30-day guarantee. I had high hopes for it, called Rana Enterprises and placed my order on Jan. 8. The sales rep ended up talking me into purchasing another month at a discount, so I ended up getting a four-month supply for $199.80. I paid with a check.

The check cleared my bank on Jan. 10 but I didn't receive my order until Jan. 31. I began taking it as directed but didn't notice anything. My doctor decided he wanted me on medication and advised me to discontinue the Hapizen. On Feb. 24, I began calling the number that came with my package to get a return authorization number, but could never get through to a person. The recording always said the customer service reps were busy with other calls and to please stay on the line. Then after five to 10 minutes, it would just disconnect me. This happened every day, several times a day.

I finally located the company's Web site and contacted Al Emery, the customer service manager, by e-mail, on Feb. 28. His instructions were that I had to call for a return authorization number. The problem was that I couldn't get through by phone. I think the company purposefully delayed to make sure the 30 days were up. You can see for yourself in the e-mails. I am desperately seeking your help. Lisa Demers

Response: It's a pity you didn't read the e-mail you received from Al Emery, customer service manager for Rana Enterprises in Windham, Maine, more carefully. His Feb. 28 response to your e-mail of the same date states: "We suggest you call to obtain a return authorization number, however, if we receive a package with an appropriate postmark (within 30 days of receipt), all bottles (full or empty), and your personal information for identification, we will issue the proper refund without it."

Emery said you had several days to return the product per his instructions, even without a return authorization number. You failed to do so, however, and the 30-day guarantee period has now passed.

As an aside, Emery said the reason his company requires a return authorization number is because a number of customers were returning packages from work, possibly to avoid having to pay postage themselves. The problem, he said, was that they did not include their names on the packages, and often there was no identifying information inside them. Rana Enterprises was ending up with 40 to 50 returned packages a month with no idea to whom to issue the refund.

Who won sweepstakes?

Reader's Digest magazine had sweepstakes drawings for $2-million and $5.5-million on April 1. Do you have the results of this drawing? Please mail me a copy. Mike Betts

Response: The winners list is made available to readers six weeks after the drawing. Call Reader's Digest customer service toll-free at 1-800-431-1246 and ask for a copy.

Keep address current

Can you please help me obtain my Medicare card? I have tried for over a year with no success. Jean Scarola

Response: Judy Geier at the Social Security Administration's St. Petersburg office has put in a request to reissue your Medicare card. The card you requested was apparently sent to your previous address in 2001. Be sure to call toll-free 1-800-772-1213 to put in a change of address so other mail does not go astray.

You should receive your card in four to six weeks. Let us know if you don't.

Recalls

The following products, distributed nationwide and in Florida, were recalled between March 29 and April 4:

42,000 Smart Response Swings by Fisher-Price; it is possible to misassemble the seats and the seat and baby can flip forward, even if the swings appear secure. Affected are the indoor infant swings with product numbers 79644, 79645 or 79647. Call toll-free 1-800-942-5912. Web site: www.fisher-price.com.

Shaped pasta line, including meal and salad lines, by Pasta Shoppe; product contains undeclared eggs. Return to place of purchase for refund. Call (615) 831-0016, ext. 209. Products shipped as of April 4, 2002, reflect the usage of eggs.

Deli Pride Egg, Sausage & Cheese Biscuits in 4.4-ounce boxes with a code date of 080243 by MarketFare Foods; potential contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism that can cause serious or fatal illness in young children, the elderly or those with compromised immune systems. Return to place of purchase for full refund. Call Al Carfora, president of MarketFare Foods, at (602) 275-5509.

-- Sources: SafetyAlerts at www.safetyalerts.com; Consumer Product Safety Commission at www.cpsc.gov, toll-free 1-800-638-2772; Food and Drug Administration at www.fda.gov; government food safety information at www.foodsafety.gov.

- Action solves problems and gets answers for you. If you have a question, or your own attempts to resolve a consumer complaint have failed, write Times Action, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or call your Action number, (727) 893-8171, or, outside of Pinellas, toll-free 1-800-333-7505, ext. 8171, to leave a recorded request. Requests will be accepted only by mail or voice mail; calls cannot be returned. We will not be responsible for personal documents, so please send only photocopies. If your complaint concerns merchandise ordered by mail, we need copies of both sides of your canceled check.

We may require additional information or prefer to reply by mail; therefore, readers must provide a full mailing address, including ZIP code. Names of letter writers will not be omitted except in unusual circumstances. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

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