Action: Incomplete billing holding up repair refund

I purchased a 1998 Chevy Lumina in Florida and at the time I also purchased the best five-year warranty I could get from Fidelity Warranty Services Inc. I was told the warranty I bought covered everything except tires and brakes and that my deductible would be $100.

On March 18, I took my car to a dealer to get a problem checked out. I was told that I had transmission fluid in my radiator and the hoses were contaminated so they had to be replaced. I left the car and when I went to pick it up, I was shocked to learn that my cost of the repair was $520.97 and not $100. I called the warranty company, and it was surprised as well. I called the service manager, and he said the hoses weren't covered.

Two days later I had another problem with the engine light, which would not go off. I returned the car to the dealer and was charged $119.25. I was told this repair wasn't covered under my warranty either. At the time of the repairs, I only had 30,000 miles on the car. Although the manufacturer's warranty had expired, I still had the five-year extended warranty. I have been getting the runaround and can't seem to get the problem resolved. Please do what you can to help me. George Smith

Response: Kimberly Denney, senior public relations representative for Fidelity Warranty Services Inc. in Deerfield Beach, said the bills for service that you submitted are incomplete and that's why they have not been paid. She advises you to fax the complete bills to Gary Long at (954) 418-5127, or write to him at the post office box address on your contract.

Marvel company sending goods

I sent in an order Aug. 5 to J.D. Marvel. On Sept. 19, I wrote the company asking it to please check the status of my order since I had not received the merchandise and my check for $18.75 had cleared the bank. I have called the company's phone number repeatedly but get only a busy signal. Please try to help me with this problem. Gaenor Broffel

Response: In a faxed response to our letter to J.D. Marvel Products in Beaconsfield, Quebec, customer service representative Karen H. said your goods were just being packaged for shipment. Let us know if you do not receive them.

Recent recalls

The following products, distributed nationwide and in Florida, were recalled between Oct. 25 and 31:

About 9,000 tree stands used by hunters by API Outdoors, a division of Outland Sports Inc.; a cable that secures the tree stand to the tree can break, posing the risk of falls and serious injuries to hunters. The recalled tree stands have the following brand names and model numbers: API Hi-Point Cable Cat Climbing Treestand, Model #CC501 and API Buckmaster Grand Slam Climbing Treestand, Model #GS3800BM. Call toll-free 1-866-215-2419; Web site: www.apioutdoors.com or www.outlandsports.com.

About 800 Jason AirMasseur and Air-Whirlpool Baths by Jason International Inc.; a heating element on these baths can fail to shut off, posing a fire hazard. Call toll-free 1-800-255-5766 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. weekdays; Web site: www.jasoninternational.com.

About 5,000 snake lights, provided by Chuck E. Cheese's restaurants as a redemption prize from July 2000 through September, by Carlisle Co. Inc.; the circuit board in the lamps can overheat and melt the plastic housing, posing a fire or thermal burn hazard to consumers. The recalled blue, red, green, or multicolored lights have the model number 8311 and and "Snake Light" written on the bottom of the light. Return lights to any Chuck E. Cheese restaurant for replacement. Call toll-free 1-800-233-3931 between noon and 7 p.m. weekdays.

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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