Action: No myth: That lightning is closer than you calculated

During one of our recent thunderstorms, we tried to count the seconds between the lightning and thunder to determine, in miles, how close the storm was. One of our party said there was no truth to the contention this method is accurate. Now we are all wondering what the real story is. Can one tell how far away a storm is by counting the seconds between the lightning and thunder? Teresa Orendash

Response: We thought as you did, that counting the seconds between the flash of lightning and the thunder would tell you how many miles away the flash is. Wrong. You have to divide that number by 5. Yikes, the lightning has been much closer than we thought.

We found this useful bit of information on the Web site of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (www.noaa.gov). It also gave an easy way to demonstrate this.

All you need is two people, something to make noise that can be heard by an observer a few hundred feet away -- two boards will do -- a stopwatch and a large tape measure, although pacing will do in a pinch.

Measure the distance between the two people, then have one hit the boards together while the other records the time between when he sees the hit and the time the sound arrives. Because light travels almost instantaneously but sound takes around 1 second to travel 1,000 feet, counting the time between lightning flash and thunder tells you how many thousands of feet away the closest point of the bolt hit. A mile is around 5,000 feet, so dividing the number of seconds by five will give you the distance in miles.

Close the door on opener

I had a problem with my garage door. I saw an ad for Apollo Doors and Marketing in the Yellow Pages and called and spoke to Chris, the owner. He came to my house May 31 and told me the door needed new springs, rollers and a new opener. He quoted a price of $535, and I agreed to have the work done. No paperwork was involved.

Chris called on June 6 and informed me he would do the job the next day. I had to be away that day, so he suggested I leave a check and the garage key, which I did. I asked if he took Visa or MasterCard, and he said no, even though his ad said he did.

When I returned home that evening, I could tell he had replaced the springs because the old ones were lying on the floor. I could not tell if he had replaced the rollers. I couldn't tell the difference, and no rollers were left behind. Also, the opener was not installed.

Chis had left me a note telling me his opener was too long and he would return with the correct one within a day or two. He never showed up.

I made dozens of calls. Some he returned, giving a different excuse each time and saying he would install the opener soon. Some calls he ignored. His business phone has now been disconnected. I'm not financially able to pay again to have someone else do this work. Apollo Doors owes me an opener or a refund. Anna Keen

Response: Unfortunately, we have bad news for you. We have been unable to reach Chris Ankrim of Apollo Doors in Safety Harbor. All phone numbers have been disconnected, and the letters we sent to the company and its owner have been returned, marked "moved left no address." You may want to file a complaint with the Pinellas County Department of Consumer Protection at (727) 464-6200, in case the company and/or its owner resurface.

Lots of computer trouble

I purchased a computer from Best Buy in July and have had nothing but problems with it since. Around the fifth day I had it, all the programs began freezing up and nothing would run. Luckily, I had purchased the store's three-year in-home service plan. However, when I called the store, I was informed that because it was within two weeks of the purchase date, I needed to take the machine back to the store. I unhooked everything, took it back and was given a new one.

This one worked fine for 31/2 weeks. Then the same problems occurred. I called the number on the warranty to arrange for service and was told troubleshooting had to be done first before someone would be sent out.

I understand the need for this; however, the first technical service representative's idea of troubleshooting was to have the computer turned on and off about four times. Then he refused to let me speak to a supervisor.

The next day, when the computer would still not run programs, I called back and got someone nicer and more knowledgeable. She told me how to reconfigure the system step by step, whom to call for more information and so on. All this I did, on my own, and the computer worked for about 30 minutes.

More calls to the technical support service got the same results. The computer would work for a while and then freeze up. I can't help but wonder why no one has come to my house, given that I purchased in-home service.

Needless to say, I am very upset and not thrilled with this computer and that I spent extra money for service I haven't received. I would like to know what, if anything, you can do to help me with this situation. Stephanie Winner

Response: In response to our letter, Best Buy sent us its reply to a complaint you evidently filed with the Better Business Bureau. Kevin Reuss, with the company's customer care department in Eden Prairie, Minn., said the in-home service department is required to verify a hardware problem with the computer before a technician is sent to the home.

When you first called, a software fix was attempted because a hardware problem could not be established. In the meantime, Reuss said, it is his understanding that the company's in-home service department has walked you through a software fix that appears to have solved the issue.

If this is not the case, he advises you to call the in-home service department again. Let us know if your computer problems remain unresolved.

-- If you have a question for Action, or your 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, (800) 333-7505, ext. 8171, to leave a recorded request for Action. Names will not be omitted except in unusual circumstances. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

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