Action: Missing quarters are ready for map

I purchased a U.S. quarter map and five state quarters issued in 1999 from Tristar Products. After I received them, I ordered the additional 45 state quarters for $89.91 on June 15, 2000. I charged the order to my credit card.

I received the five uncirculated quarters for the year 2000, but I never received the quarters for the year 2001, which were supposed to arrive in November. I called the company in January, but it had no record of my purchase. I sent it a copy of my credit card statement in February, but have heard nothing.

Now the toll-free phone number has been disconnected. I hope you can help me get my uncirculated quarters or my $89.91 refunded, minus the five quarters I received. Rose Bartman

Response: According to the Tristar Products customer service department in Wallingford, Conn., the missing coins have been replaced. If you have any additional questions, call customer service at toll-free 1-800-558-0420 between 8:30 a.m. and 10 p.m. weekdays. From our past dealings with Tristar, we have learned it has a number of different toll-free numbers designated for the various products it sells. In other words, one number does not fit all calls to the company.

Still on the subject of Tristar, we also have an answer for William Dunn. A refund check for $25.98 was issued to you May 25 for the Blue Relief cream you never received. If the refund check met the same fate as your order, call the number listed above and a new one will be issued.

Recent recalls

The following products, distributed nationwide and in Florida, were recalled between June 21-27:

9,700 cans of white gasoline stove fuel by Mountain Safety Research; corrosion can cause the can to leak fuel, posing a fire or injury hazard. Affected is batch number 2003-2 of MSR White Premium Blend Stove Fuel, packaged in red metal, 1-quart cans. Check cans immediately for leaks; if there is one, transfer the fuel to an approved fuel container. Whether or not the can is leaking, contact Mountain Safety Research to receive a replacement fuel container. Call toll-free 1-800-531-9531 (press 4) between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. weekdays.

80,000 ceramic potpourri simmering pots sold under the Martha Stewart Everyday Brand by Candle-lite; flames from the tea light candles inside these potpourri pots can flare out of the side ventilation holes, causing possible burns. The recalled potpourri simmering pots are six-sided white ceramic three-piece units measuring about 6 inches high. The base is the tea light candleholder. Call toll-free 1-800-718-7151 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. weekdays; Web site: www.candle-lite.com.

2,300 pounds of imported cured ham by Boar's Head Provision Co., possibly contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Recalled are 16-pound packages of "Italian Delicacies," bearing the words "keep refrigerated, Boar's Head Brand, Boneless, Prosciutto Di Parma." Each package contains a single ham with "I-166" inside the USDA seal of inspection. Call toll-free 1-800-352-6277.

252,000 half-gallon instant hot water dispensers by In-Sink-Erator; water can leak from the metal holding tank, wet insulating material and cause electrical arcing and heat build-up, posing a fire hazard. The affected dispensers, sold under various brand names, including In-Sink-Erator, ISE, Steamin' Hot, Emerson, Dayton, ACE, Kenmore and Kohler, have serial numbers (some begin with two letters) 999-10 or those that fall between 1000 and 3084000. Call toll-free 1-800-295-8727 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays; Web site: www.insinkerator.com.

-- 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.; USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at tp;;-free 1-800-535-4555; government food safety information at www.foodsafety.gov; National Highway Transportation Safety Administration's Auto Safety Hotline, www.nhtsa.dot.gov/hotline; toll-free 1-888-327-4236.

- 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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