Vacation refund may be coming

By NANCY PARADIS

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 16, 2000

We bought a vacation package from Ramada Plaza Resorts last summer for $698 after we were persuaded to do so by a telemarketer. Due to illness, we were never able to use the package. After reading about this company in your column on Feb. 13, we did as you instructed and wrote to the attorney general's office in Tallahassee, requesting a refund. We had tried to get a credit through our MasterCard but were told it was too late. We have neither heard a thing nor received a refund. Rita and Leon Dubay

Response: The column to which you refer reported that four Florida-based companies were ordered to pay full or partial refunds to settle claims that they misled consumers into buying vacation packages. The companies are Fort Lauderdale's National Travel Service Inc. and Plaza Resorts Inc., both of which employ Robin Leach as their celebrity spokesman, and Florida Travel Network Inc. and Crown Plaza Resorts, both in Treasure Island.

The deadline for filing a claim has passed, but according to attorney general Bob Butterworth's office, refunds are being processed. Not all have been issued yet, however, and the companies say to allow up to 60 more days.

If you have still not received your refund by the end of 60 days, write to Office of the Attorney General, Economic Crimes Division, NTS/FTN Settlement, the Capitol, PL-01, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1050. Keep in mind that even after all refunds have been issued, it could take a while before the attorney general's office receives the final accounting and can confirm whether you were issued yours.

Knee brace orders

On Jan. 17, I ordered and paid for a knee brace as advertised in your paper. My $12.70 check was cashed Feb. 1, but the order never came. I sent the company copies of the canceled check by certified mail but have still not received the knee brace or even an acknowledgment of my letter. Irma Henseler

Response: Michael Ryan, customer service representative for Q Marketing Group's North Shore Direct in Great Neck, N.Y., said that the items the company sells are shipped bulk rate within 30 days by the U.S. Postal Service. Ryan says that because of high volume in mailings, some orders may get lost. Your knee brace was reshipped June 1, so you should get it soon if you don't already have it. He apologized for the inconvenience.

Our readers are keeping Ryan busy. Lucille Vander Veen and Irene Keegan, your orders have also been reshipped and should be arriving soon.

Lost credit balance

As you can see from the enclosed correspondence, I sent $1,000 to Amoco gas card as a credit balance to offset my debt for the upcoming year. Charges totaling $82.39 were paid for in February, leaving a credit balance of $917.61. Without my knowledge or consent, this credit was transferred to Amoco Visa in February.

I have attempted to have the credit balance returned to the Amoco Gas card or returned to me in the form of a check. I have since been told that a check was issued but never cashed. Then I was told the credit was transferred back to Amoco Gas and that the check issued to me would be traced. Later on, I was told that the check that was supposed to have been issued to me never existed. Now the credit balance is not appearing on either account.

Thank you for any assistance you can give me in this matter. Douglas Vogt

Response: Patrick Wilson, customer relations supervisor for Associates National Bank (Delaware), your cards' issuer, apologized for the inconvenience you experienced and the delay in resolving this matter. The bank's records indicate that a credit balance refund was requested on Feb. 14. Unfortunately, it cannot confirm the issuance of a check, he said. He has now credited your account $917.61, plus an additional $50 for the inconvenience. This amount will be sent to you in the form of a check. You should see it next week.

-- 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.

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