Refund made for canceled lodging

By NANCY PARADIS

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 3, 2000

I usually stay at the Tampa Airport Marriott Hotel the night before I depart for Las Vegas since the plane leaves at an early hour. I wrote the hotel a check for $176.57 on April 7 for a stay on June 17, which it cashed.

Three weeks later I had to cancel my trip because of a medical problem. I was given a cancellation number and told that I would receive a complete refund.

Three weeks passed with no check, so I called the accounting office and was told that it had been sent to the address I had provided the hotel. I said I hadn't received it, so another was to be sent.

Two weeks later there was still no check. Again I called and was told that it had been mailed. One week later I still had no check.

Unless you can help me, I don't think I'll ever receive the $176.57 check. George Mourkas

Response: Thanks for letting us know that you finally got your refund check.

Swimsuits on back order

On May 5 I sent a check for $61.91 to National TV Bargains for two swimsuits. I have written two letters requesting the suits but have not heard from the company. My check was cashed.

Could you please look into this for me? Clara Shannon

Response: Ann Roberts, customer service representative for National TV Bargains in Norwalk, Conn., said the swimsuits are on back order and will be shipped as soon as possible. Delivery normally takes three to four weeks from the date the order is processed. If you do not have the suits by the end of that time, a refund will be issued.

She apologized for the inconvenience, but the bathing suits were out of stock.

As a reminder, the Federal Trade Commission's mail or telephone merchandise rule states that items must be shipped within 30 days of receipt of the order unless a longer time is clearly indicated.

If the order cannot be shipped on time, the company must notify you of the new shipping date and give you the option of canceling your order and receiving a refund. If you don't respond within 30 days, the company may assume that the delay is acceptable.

If it fails to meet the new shipping date, the company must again notify you and cancel the order and issue a refund unless you specifically let it know that you still want the merchandise.

If you elect to cancel the order, the merchant has seven days to issue a full refund if you paid by cash, check or money order and one billing period if you paid by credit card.

The FTC urges consumers to try to resolve problems with the company first. Next contact your local Better Business Bureau, consumer protection office and the U.S. Postal Service (for suspected mail fraud).

The Direct Marketing Association's ConsumerLine will also contact a company on your behalf. Wait at least 30 days for the company to respond to your complaint, then send a letter with detailed information and copies of relevant documentation about your order and the problem to Mail Order Action Line, Direct Marketing Association, 1111 19th St. NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20036.

You can file a complaint with the FTC by contacting the Consumer Response Center at its toll-free number (877) 382-4357 (FTC-HELP), TDD: (202) 326-2502, or by writing to Consumer Response Center, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20580, or through its Web site, http://www.ftc.gov., using the online complaint form.

The FTC does not intervene in individual disputes, but it does look for patterns of complaints, which are vital to its law enforcement efforts.

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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