Action: Leaky roof angers condo owner

I bought a condominium in Mainlands of Tamarac by the Gulf on Aug. 16, 2000. Our maintenance fee is $177 a month. Among other things, it covers repair or replacement of the roof. My home was built in 1969, so it's 32 years old. This past May, I had several leaks. When the repairmen came to fix it, I learned that the same general area had been repaired before. I have had work done on my house five different times in the last five months, in several different locations. There have been leaks in the garage, kitchen, living and bedrooms. The repair crew had a vinyl cover over my roof for most of the summer. There are five-gallon buckets in my attic right now.

Money has been collected for 32 years, yet the management says it doesn't have the funds to take care of the problem. I'm afraid I will have an electrical fire from the water leaking onto an electric motor in the garage and my electric stove in the kitchen. Also, I'm tired of covering things and moving furniture around and/or putting buckets on top of it. Your help is greatly appreciated.
Lewis Dankosh

Response: Joseph Abreu, president of Unit Two Association in Mainlands of Tamarac by the Gulf in Pinellas Park, said that when a homeowner contacts the condo association regarding repairs, it responds by sending workers to the problem as quickly as possible. Your last roof leak happened at the time of the storm, so your roof was topped with plastic till after it blew over. Abreu said the storm was pretty close to a hurricane, with a 7-inch rainfall and 50 mph winds. As a result, the association received 29 calls about roof leaks and water intrusion through windows and doors. The repairs were made a day or two later, as soon as the weather permitted, and your leaks have now been repaired.

The association bylaws specify that it is the sole discretion of the board when to repair or replace roofs, lawns, etc. The policy to determine when a roof needs replacing depends on the extent of the need and what the budget allows. The money budgeted for roof repair is allocated on a monthly basis from the maintenance fees. Abreu said you need to remember that the budget must provide for a number of different items, and only as the roof allocation accrues can a roof be replaced. He said there are 294 homes in Unit Two, and 121 roofs have been replaced. Over each of the past three years, 22 to 23 have been replaced, and this timetable will be followed until all are replaced.

Canceling contracts

On Feb. 2, a representative from a home security company came to our home and explained its security system to us. We decided we should have it installed and paid the $50 deposit on it that day. Later that night, after talking about it, we decided we would not need it after all. We go away for the summer and have relatives check our home each week. We felt that having a security system would create a problem for them.

The following day we called to cancel the installation. We called again the day before the system was supposed to be installed, Feb. 20, to make sure it wasn't. Nonetheless, the company sent out a serviceman, and we told him we had called to cancel.

We have called the company to ask for our deposit since we did call during the time limit that was specified in the contract. We have not heard anything back. Thank you in advance for all your help.
George Keskimaki

Response: Unfortunately we cannot help you get a refund of your deposit. The terms of your contract clearly state that it must be canceled in writing or by telegram. In fact, we recommend that all cancellations of contracts be done in writing and sent by certified mail, return receipt requested.

A year for nothing

On Aug. 5, 2000, I sent off for some items from Marlboro Gear. On Oct. 14, I called and was told it would take four weeks. On Nov. 27, I was called and told the same thing. I waited another six weeks and called. Again, same thing. This was repeated four weeks later. I called again in February, March, April and May. My order can no longer be found, but I'm told it must be on microfilm and as soon as it's found, my order would go out. I made more phone calls in June and July. Nothing. I finally gave up on getting the goods and asked for my miles and check back. Around Aug. 15, I received my 900 miles back, but still no check for $8.
Donald Allen

Response: Tara Buie, supervisor of customer correspondence for Philip Morris in New York City, said the company regrets the inconvenience and the length of time it has taken to solve this problem. She said it is an obvious processing error, since no record of your order can be found. A refund check will be sent to you immediately, she said, along with a coupon for a free carton of cigarettes.

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, (727) 893-8171, or, outside of Pinellas, toll-free 1-800-333-7505, 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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