Action: Taxes on winnings to be refunded

On Jan. 25, I was fortunate enough to hit a $2,700 jackpot at the New Palace Casino in Biloxi, Miss. I paid the $135 Mississippi state income tax, but was told that people from out-of-state could get a refund. I wrote to the State of Mississippi Bureau of Revenue twice and sent a copy of my tax receipt both times. I haven't heard anything one way or the other.

I don't know if you can help in this matter or not, but if you can, I'd appreciate it. Thomas Mills

Response: Thanks for your note letting us know that the Mississippi state tax division has sent you a form to fill out and submit to get a refund of the tax you paid on your winnings.

The bills keep coming

I subscribed to CompuServe limited service for $9.95 a month. I later upgraded to unlimited service for $24.95 a month.

My computer crashed in April, and I called to cancel CompuServe. Since then, it has continued to bill my credit card for $9.95 every month. I called and was told there was no record of my cancellation. The customer service representative said he could check back to April, then he said he could check back only to July. He confirmed there was no use, but that I would have to pay regardless. My talk with a supervisor was no better. My phone calls to CompuServe lasted three hours.

I am enclosing copies of two letters from CompuServe confirming my cancellations, and yet I'm told by phone there is no record of these letters! You have helped me before, and I hope you can help me again. John Halada

Response: Since we have had experience with CompuServe's refusal to discuss readers' complaints with us, we made sure to send it your signed "consent to disclose information" along with your letter. This is generally good enough for the government, banks, insurance companies and so on. But not for CompuServe.

According to Paul Ambs, payment services supervisor for CompuServe's Interactive Services in Jacksonville, "to protect the privacy of our members, CompuServe will not discuss a member's account with anyone other than the account holder." He said that CompuServe will respond directly to you about your complaint.

If you do not hear from CompuServe soon, we suggest you write directly to Ambs at CompuServe Interactive Services, P.O. Box 28650, Jacksonville, FL 32226-8650, or send a fax to him at (904) 696-0585. Please let us know how you make out.

Reaction

I finally received the doughnut maker pans that I ordered from J.D. Marvel Products in July. Thank you for your help in getting them. Caroline Defranz

Some recent recalls

The following products, distributed nationwide and in Florida, were recalled between Oct. 20 and 26:

Toro Key Start power mowers by Toro; the wiring may short circuit, posing a fire hazard. Call (888) 877-8873 between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

Voluntary recall of chest freezers made between 1945 and 1970 by numerous appliance manufacturers; children can become trapped in the freezer and can suffocate within 10 minutes. Call the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers at (800) 267-3138 for information on affected units. Web site: http://www.aham.org.

ePhoto AC-adapters, sold as digital camera accessory to the AGFA ePhoto CL30, by AGFA Corp.; adapters used while batteries are in the camera may cause the batteries to overheat, leak acid and possibly explode. Call (877) 699-4387.

-- Sources: SafetyAlerts at http://www.safetyalerts.com; Consumer Product Safety Commission at http://www.cpsc.gov, (800) 638-2772; Food and Drug Administration at http://www.fda.gov.

* * *

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.

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright