Eight months later, refund is hers

By NANCY PARADIS

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 11, 2000

On Dec. 10, I had a bone density test done at Medical Associates of Pinellas. I paid the bill of $390 on Dec. 31, as I was told my insurance had denied the claim. I then received a statement from my insurance company stating it had paid Medical Associates of Pinellas $112. I called Medical Associates in January and February and spoke to Eric, who informed me I would get a refund. Nothing came through.

On March 20, I called and was informed that Eric no longer worked there, so I started all over. I was asked to fax them copies of the bill for $390 and my canceled check. I did so but never got a response. I called on March 31 and was told that Medical Associates had received the $112 from the insurance company and I should get my refund in the same amount in about three weeks.

Calls on April 30, May 14, June 20 and 23 brought promises but no check. Please help me! Melba Rilott

Response: Thanks for letting us know that the check finally arrived.

Computer returned?

I sent in an eMachine tower to be replaced on May 22, and it was received by someone named Rosalis on May 25. To date I have not received the replacement. According to the company, it should have taken only seven to 10 days. The last time I called, a supervisor named Curtis said I should have been told 30 days.

I have called six times, and each time I am told that the company's records do not show receipt of my tower, but it does have a record of the UPS tracking number. The last three times I called, I was told an e-mail would be sent to the warehouse to release the computer, but alas, nothing. I had paid an extra $20 for a faster turnaround via UPS, but as you can see, it was a waste of money.

Maybe you can light a fire under this company to get my computer sent back to me. Robert Spitts

Response: Your computer should be up and running as you read this, since eMachine assured us that your scheduled delivery date was Wednesday.

Cable details

Could you find out why Time Warner no longer includes the Pay-Per-View guide in my monthly statement? This has been the case for three to four months. I have called several times without receiving a satisfactory explanation. One customer service representative stated I had not ordered a movie for several months. How can I when I haven't received a guide for those months? Ruth Scrimsher

Response: Dennis Kapp, director of marketing for Pinellas region in Time Warner Communications' Clearwater office, said that with the introduction of 38 Pay-Per-View channels and the new on-screen guide available through digital converters, the printed guide became obsolete for communicating programming information for these channels. The company's digital converters provide a guide with programming information, along with information on each channel regarding the upcoming feature and information for that particular feature.

There is also a preview channel, he said, that provides previews of the movies playing in a particular month as well as a revolving guide. Kapp said it had become impossible to find a printed guide that could provide all of the programming information for these channels.

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