Action: One dinner was enough to pay for, not two

I'm writing in regard to a problem we are having with Aqua Blue Grill in St. Petersburg Beach. We had dinner there March 29. When the waiter took our credit card to charge our dinner, he rang up another customer's bill by mistake. He came back to our table and took our credit card again to ring up our meal and assured us he would put through a credit for the first charge.

Well, when our credit card statement came, we had been charged for our dinner as well as that of the other diner. We have made numerous phone calls to the restaurant, and my boyfriend stopped in and spoke to the owner in person. Each time we were assured it would issue a credit.

It has now been four months since the incident occurred and we still have not been issued the credit. Would you please "take action" on this? Your assistance would be greatly appreciated. Teresa Cantrell

Response: Ryszard Jurkiewicz, owner of Aqua Blue Grill in St. Pete Beach, said he would provide a refund and will send you a letter of apology. The matter had simply been overlooked, he said.

You could have saved yourself a lot of trouble had you alerted your credit card issuer of the erroneous charge. It could then have charged the amount back to the merchant and that would have been the end of it. Check the back of your statement for information on disputing charges. Remember, you have 60 days from the date of the statement on which it appears to do

Recall notices

12-ounce plastic containers of Fructs Lycll Herb; the product contains undeclared sulfites. The product, from a product of China, was distributed in uncoded, 12-ounce plastic containers. Return the product to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at (718) 622-2288

About 6,100 table saws from Black & Decker Inc. The motor housing on the saw may crack, posing a risk of electric shock. Affected are 10-inch table saws, made in Taiwan, with the model number BT2500 and date codes 200128-CT through 200148-CT. Home centers and hardware stores nationwide sold the table saws from August 2001 through April 2002 for about $400. Call toll-free 1-866-357-0324 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; Web Site: www.blackanddecker.com.

950,000 cordless drill/drivers from Black & Decker Inc. The drill's switch can malfunction and overheat, posing the possibility of a fire hazard. The recalled cordless drill/drivers are orange and bear the word "Firestorm" or "Quantum Pro." The drill/drivers have the following model numbers and date codes: 14.4-volt Firestorm CD632 990852 through 20005052, 14.4-volt Firestorm HP532 990152 through 20001652, 14.4-volt Firestorm FS1442 20002252 through 20011852, 14.4-volt Quantum Pro Q145 990252 through 20001152, 15.6-volt Firestorm FS1560 993752 through 20000752, 18-volt Firestorm FS1802 20002452 through 20010652, 18-volt Firestorm HP932 990152 through 20012452, 18-volt Quantum Pro Q185 990252 through 20011052. The drill/drivers were sold from March 1999 through December 2001 and cost between $50 and $200, separately and as part of various tool kits. Call toll-free 1-866-821-5444 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to arrange free repair; www.blackanddecker.com.

About 40,000 digital multimeters from Fluke Corp.; Multimeters are used to measure voltage, resistance and current. They can take longer than normal, up to 18 seconds, to display readings of AC voltages above 500 volts. Users could be exposed to a risk of shock, electrocution, and thermal burns. "Fluke" and "175," "177" or "179" are written on the front of the unit. The tester body is yellow and black, and measures about 7.25 inches long by 3.5 inches wide, with a serial number below 79000000. Call toll-free 1-800-260-4819; Web Site www.fluke.com/170recall.

850 mountain bicycles from Answer Products Inc.; spring and adjuster can separate from the suspension fork and strike the rider. 2002 model forks were installed on Specialized Rockhopper A-1 Comp and Mongoose Hot Link Sommet series bicycles. "MANITOU" is printed on the side of the fork and the model name -- "Six Elite" and "Six Super" -- is printed on the arch of the fork and on the side of the fork leg. Call toll-free 1-800-423-0273 between 5 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Friday; Web Site: www.answerproducts.com/safetynotice.htm.

About 45,000 all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) from Arctic Cat Inc.; ball joints on the front suspension of these ATVs can fail. 2002 model ATVs are either red or green, with brand name "Arctic Cat" written on both sides of the vehicle. The recall includes the following ATV model names: 250, 300, 300 Massey Ferguson, 375, 400, 400 i, 500, TBX 500 and 500i. Call toll-free 1-800-210-5941 between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday; Web Site: www.arctic-cat.com.

-- Compiled by SUZANNE PALMER

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 toll-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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