Action: Don't ship irreplaceable items

Since we are moving down here, we sent several packages by United Parcel Service. One package had horses that I collect in it. The packages were shipped to our daughter, who lives here, and upon arrival, six of the horses were broken. She contacted UPS and the package was picked up, examined and returned to her. We have tried to contact UPS many times since then, but no one can give us any answers. Finally I decided to contact you for help.

I was once asked about value. How do you put a value on things you have had 50 years? The box was insured for $100. Margery Buck

Response: Grace Mendoza, corporate concern liaison for United Parcel Service in Orlando, said the company's records indicate that there is a claim in the system for the tracking number you provided. You will need to contact the shipper, she said, regarding payment for the damages. Shipping services have responsibilities to customers when parcels are presented for shipping via UPS or any other carrier.

We suggest that you contact the shipper and then let us know if you still cannot resolve this. With regard to your question about an item's worth, there is often a vast discrepancy between an item's objective worth and the sentimental value it holds for its owner. We suspect that this is the case here. Your package was insured for $100, so that would be the maximum you could possibly receive. Where feasible, we recommend that people not ship sentimental items that are, by definition, irreplaceable.

Refund sent

I sent away for a booklet from Communications Publishing on July 27. I paid $23.90 for America's Secret Cash Giveaways. I kept it for one week and decided that I couldn't gain anything from it. The book came with a one-year ironclad money-back guarantee, so I sent it back and wrote to Communications Publishing three times requesting my refund. I never received an answer. I'm upset about this and hope you can help me. Teresa DiViccaro

Response: Stephen Young, manager of Communications Publishing in New York City, said that even though there is no record that the company received the book you returned, it will send you a refund of $19.95. You should have it by now.

'Mystery' subscription

Enclosed are two letters that TV Guide sent us saying that we subscribed to the magazine and billing us for it. In no way did we subscribe to this magazine. We did not order it. We do not want it.

We have written twice but received no answer. We keep getting this TV Guide, however. Is there anything you can do to correct this? Has anyone else complained about this problem? Walter Johnson

Response: Doreen Dickinson, customer service representative for TV Guide Magazine Group in Radnor, Pa., said that your order was generated through the acceptance of an offer for free copies through the "mightyseven" program on the Internet site Contestjunction. The complete terms of the offer are 36 issues plus four free ones, for $35.60. This order was canceled effective with the Nov. 25 issue. Dickinson said to ignore any further issues you may receive. If you have any questions, you can call the customer service department at (800) 866-1400.

We hope this answers your question of how you found yourself a subscriber to TV Guide. This brings us to your final question: Has anyone else complained of this problem? Yours is the first complaint we've received about this particular magazine, but Action is no stranger to this phenomenon of "mystery" subscriptions. In many cases, it turned out that the readers ordered subscriptions through sending off for free issues or other gifts, entering sweepstakes and so on, without reading the fine print, where the conditions of the offer were spelled out. This marketing strategy has now made it to the Internet, and we can only repeat our familiar warning to read the fine print, whether on paper or a computer screen. We know of hardly any "free" offers that come without a catch.

Calls overbilled

On Dec. 12, 1999, I switched my long-distance service from AT&T to Sprint. My AT&T long-distance rate was 7 cents a minute for daytime calls and 5 cents a minute on evenings and weekends. When I received my Jan. 1, 2000, AT&T bill, I had been charged up to $3.90 a minute for evening calls made between Dec. 3 and 11.

I called AT&T several times and was assured that $80 would be refunded on my bill. I talked to four different representatives. Finally AT&T told me that I had discontinued its service in November and used operator-assisted calls. A representative at Verizon checked the records that prove this is not true. I dialed direct and switched on Dec. 12.

I was told to write AT&T at an address in Miami Lakes. I did so but have received no response. Your help will be greatly appreciated. Joyce Schwichtenberg

Response: The word from AT&T is that an adjustment of $83.11 will be made.

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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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