Action: Insurance paid bill he keeps getting

On Jan. 20, 1999 I had spinal surgery through Spinecare/Florida Spine Institute. Since mid-1999, I have been getting a monthly statement saying I owe $71.22. As you can see from the enclosed papers, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida paid this bill in June. We have tried to convince Spinecare that this bill has been paid, to no avail. Can you help? Walter E. Blakely

Response: Jeanne Nagle, business office manager of Florida Spine Institute in Clearwater, said you are not responsible for this bill. Blue Cross Blue Shield did send this check, although where it went remains a mystery. Nagle did not know there was a problem, and it is certainly not worth irritating you with it. She said she would call you to apologize for the confusion.

Paycheck confusion

I was employed by BP Maintenance for a couple of months. I was having a hard time getting paid and literally had to beg and plead for paychecks I had earned. On Oct. 28, my girlfriend, Aimee, went to pick up a couple of weeks' worth of back pay and met the owner, Bert Pleasant, at a local drug store parking lot. When Mr. Pleasant arrived, he explained he had to go to New York and had "borrowed" $200 of my pay, with no further explanation. He said he would have my money by that following Monday. Once again he did not, and he refused my phone calls. On Nov. 15, I sent him a certified letter requesting my pay. I have received no response. I am owed $200 plus another $200 for four days of work. I would appreciate anything you can do to help me. John Mazzoli

Response: Sandra White, administrative assistant for BP Maintenance in Port Richey, a subcontractor for a floor cleaning company, said there is no question you are owed the pay. You were a good worker, she said. The only problem was that you had to be called to come pick up your pay.

You did call to say your girlfriend was going to pick it up, which she did. However, two weeks later, the situation was repeated and again you did not pick up your pay. Then you didn't show up for work for two days and the company has had no word from you since.

In the meantime, White said, your girlfriend called to say that she would pick up your pay. She was told you would first have to authorize this. You have never called to do so.

White said she and Bert Pleasant, the owner, do not believe the signature on the complaint you filed with Action is yours, because it does not match the one on your employment application. In any case, the money will not be released to your girlfriend without your consent. White said both she and Pleasant have tried to call you on several occasions, but there has been no answer.

Billing settled

I hope you will be able to assist me in dealing with AT&T regarding billing I received from Oct. 1 though Oct. 20. In summary, I have been an AT&T customer for the last 40 years. Upon moving from Arizona to Florida on Oct. 1, I indicated that I wanted to continue my long distance service with AT&T and I wanted to continue my discount plan of seven cents a minute up to 7 p.m. weekdays and 5 cents a minute after 7 p.m. weekdays plus weekends. AT&T claims my discount plan only went into effect on Oct. 20. As a result, I have been charged the full rate for calls made during the disputed period that come to more than $300 more than the discounted amount. I maintain that I asked for the discount plan when I set up service on Oct. 1. It is unreasonable to assume that I would have set up service without asking for the same discounted plan I had in Arizona for many years. Any assistance you can give me will be appreciated. Robert Harvey

Response: AT&T's response was short and sweet: Your account has been adjusted.

Slippers secured

Reaction: I can't thank you enough for your assistance. After 15 months, I finally received replacement slippers from East West Distributing Co. in Deerfield, Ill., for the defective ones I had returned. I also got an apology for the delay, which was unexpected. I am sure that I would have gotten nothing were it not for your help. Janet Zimmer

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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, 893-8171, or, outside of Pinellas, (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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