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Air miles aid wounded soldiers

By SUZANNE PALMER
Published February 24, 2006

In November I called Delta Air Lines to donate 40,000 SkyMiles to the military. I had heard you could donate your miles so that family members could travel to be with an injured service member. I was told I would receive a thank-you note for the donation and that they would also let me know who had been able to use the miles.

When I'd heard nothing by early December, I called again. The Delta representative said that my donation was in the system, but she didn't know who would receive my miles.

Could you investigate this?

- Mrs. P.J. O'Neill

A. The program you refer to is called Operation Hero Miles and is administered through the Fisher House Foundation. The program was created in 2004 by U.S. airlines to provide free round-trip tickets donated by the American public to service members in Iraq and Afghanistan who are on rest and recuperation leave.

The program allows those with approved convalescent leave to travel home from the military or Veterans Affairs medical center where they are being treated and back again. It also provides air travel to family members and close friends of an injured soldier so they can be with their loved one during treatment at a military medical center.

Fisher House has given away more than 100-million donated frequent-flyer miles to bring loved ones to the bedsides of wounded combatants, said Jim Weiskopf, Fisher House vice president of communications. It is estimated that 2.5- to 3-million miles are needed each week to meet demand.

Airline partners participating in the program include Northwest, Independence Air, Delta, US Airways, America West, Alaska, Continental, American, AirTran and Midwest airlines. Miles can be donated by calling the airline directly or contacting Fisher House. Call toll-free 1-888-294-8560 or visit www.fisherhouse.org.

Contract explained

I have a contract with Tropicare Pest Control to monitor our Sentricon Colony Elimination System termite bait traps. The company has not kept appointments and when its workers do show up, they don't inspect the traps. They have, however, accepted my payment for the current year's service.

I wrote Tropicare twice, the second letter sent certified mail, return receipt requested. Someone at the office signed for the letter Jan. 13, but there has been no response of any kind.

The company is being paid to monitor bait traps for termite activity and is not doing so.

Your assistance is most greatly appreciated.

- William Meyer

A. Allen Morris, president of Tropicare Pest Control, explained that the Sentricon traps are monitored with a handheld scanner. A bar code located on the inside of the trap cap is scanned and downloaded to software that sends the information to Dow Agro Science, a partner with Tropicare on Sentricon accounts. A report is then generated, and the customer receives a copy after every visit. Morris says the data cannot be manipulated to falsify the reports.

"On Feb. 17, my department manager and myself visited Mr. Meyer and discussed the matters with him," Morris said. "We discovered Mr. Meyer did not have a full understanding of what we did for him. After discussing the situation, we resolved all his concerns."

We're happy if this is the case. Morris did not address why Tropicare never contacted you when you tried to get answers on your own, however.

Reimbursement arrives

I was part of the class-action lawsuit Mink vs. Maytag Corp. As part of the settlement I received a Maytag Neptune Washing Machine Purchase Certificate worth $400 toward the purchase of a new washer. As instructed, I sent a copy of the certificate, the receipt showing the retail price I paid for the washer along with delivery charges, and taxes and the serial number of the new machine. I was to allow 6 to 8 weeks for reimbursement. I mailed the claim June 8, 2005. I have e-mailed several times but there?s still no response.

- Terri Gross

A. We started working on your complaint in December when you first wrote us, but got no more response from Maytag than you did. We were glad to receive your voice-mail that the $400 reimbursement has arrived.

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.

[Last modified February 23, 2006, 15:30:11]