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“UPS lost my $375 package!”

Karen McGowan — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:22:51 +0000

Question: I recently used UPS to ship a package valued at $375. The employee at the UPS customer center filled out the shipping label for me, but never asked about the value of the package's contents. The shipment was lost in transit, and UPS is telling me that they will only reimburse $100 (plus the shipping cost of $18.95) because I did not declare a value on the parcel. I MORE

“My credit card was canceled!”

Karen McGowan — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:17:36 +0000

Question: Because I haven't used my oldest credit card for a year, HSBC says it's closing the account. I'm afraid this will hurt my credit score. Help! -- Nevena Georgieva, Chicago

Answer: Credit-card companies lose money on dormant accounts, and as they feel the economic pinch, they're more apt to close them. Unfortunately, as you suspected, closing your oldest card can lower your credit score. The length of time your accounts MORE

“My ex-husband stole our son’s identity”

Tom Ziegler, Senior Editor — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:16:44 +0000

Question: My 20-year-old son applied for a Macy's charge card but was rejected. When he ordered his credit report, we discovered that my ex-husband, who has the same name as my son, opened a Comcast cable account using our son's Social Security number, then neglected to pay $453 in charges. How can we fix this? - Name Withheld, Fla.

Answer: Identity theft is frustrating enough to deal with, but even worse MORE

Suckered by a pyramid scheme

Tom Ziegler, Senior Editor — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:32:23 +0000

Question: I invested $1,000 with a company called MTE in 2006. At a church meeting, MTE claimed to invest in securities and promised a monthly return of 25%. Before I got any payment, the state froze MTE's funds, saying it was a fraud. Will I get my money back? - Steven Collins, South Holland, Ill.

Answer: Oh, dear! You let yourself get snared in a classic pyramid scheme, where scam artists MORE

‘I’m getting the runaround on a rebate!’

Tom Ziegler, Senior Editor — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:08:47 +0000

Question: I bought a cell phone from Alltel with a $100 mail-in rebate. I sent in all the paperwork but never got the money. When I called Alltel months later, the company told me it never got my form - and I could no longer submit it because the rebate had expired. Help! - Geert Audiens, Cary, N.C.

Answer: Businesses lure consumers with billions of dollars in rebate offers every MORE

Our auto insurance was supposed to cover rental-car accidents. It didn’t.

Tom Ziegler, Senior Editor — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:53:08 +0000

Qustion: Our rental car was sideswiped by a tour bus when my wife and I were on vacation. We rented the car from Dollar, but we declined insurance because we have an auto policy with Safeco and a rep said we'd be covered if we had an accident. Safeco paid most of the $4,000 claim but refused to cover charges for what Dollar said was the car's diminished value, loss MORE

‘Should I pay a fee to recover $14K in lost assets?’

Tom Ziegler, Senior Editor — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:13:55 +0000

Question: My wife was contacted by a firm called Keane Tracers that told her my mother-in-law, who passed away in 2001, has a mutual fund worth $14,000. For 25% of that amount, Keane will do the paperwork to get us the money; for 15% it will tell us where the money is so we can recover it ourselves. Then the company sent us a contract quoting 35% for full recovery MORE

‘I owe $150 to cancel cell service that doesn’t work’

Tom Ziegler, Senior Editor — Thu, 29 May 2008 14:22:13 +0000

Question: I signed a two-year contract with Sprint for my cell phone. A year and a half later, I moved to a new home a few miles away in the same city. I can't seem to get a signal inside my house, which is a problem since I don't have a landline. Sprint told me to upgrade the software on my phone, but that didn't help. So I switched to MORE

‘I’m paying for a newsletter I never wanted’

Tom Ziegler, Senior Editor — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:03:02 +0000

Question: I saw an interesting health book advertised on TV and bought it over the phone. When I got my credit-card bill, I noticed a mystery charge of $5.95 for an e-newsletter from the same company, Natural Cures. When I called to cancel, the lines were always busy or I was put on hold and never helped. I've been charged for six months for a newsletter I never wanted! MORE

‘I got a box of beans instead of a hard drive!’

Tom Ziegler, Senior Editor — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:57:38 +0000

Question: My husband and I bought a $300 hard drive from Best Buy, but when we opened the box, it was empty except for three bags of dried beans! We immediately called Best Buy, but the manager said the store wasn't responsible and I should call the manufacturer. When I did, the manufacturer pointed blame back at Best Buy. Finally, I called Best Buy's corporate office; the customer service manager MORE

“I was billed for another guy’s trip!”

Tom Ziegler, Senior Editor — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:24:15 +0000

Question: I used my Capital One credit card to buy plane tickets for a trip to India through my neighbor, who is a travel agent. When I got the bill, I noticed I was also charged for the next customer's flights - which cost $2,400! My neighbor quickly realized that there had been a glitch in her computer, so together we contacted Capital One. The company asked us to MORE

“We got hit with a $400 fee for cashing in our CD!”

Tom Ziegler, Senior Editor — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 17:26:14 +0000

Question: My husband and I had a six-month CD with Countrywide Bank at a great 5.55 percent. News of the company's subprime troubles concerned us, so when the CD matured in September (value: $37,745), we decided to cash it in. We mailed the form during the 10-day grace period and waited. No check. Upon calling, we were told that the bank hadn't gotten the form and that the funds MORE

“A lender’s error is killing my credit!”

Tom Ziegler, Senior Editor — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:33:38 +0000

Dear Money Helps: Two years ago, my mortgage company applied one of my monthly payments to someone else's account by mistake and reported to the credit bureaus that I'd been 30 days late. My credit score plunged 150 points as a result. Earlier this year I got EMC Mortgage to admit its error, and the firm promised to notify the credit bureaus. But my score hasn't budged. I need to MORE

“We never got our wedding photos!”

Tom Ziegler, Senior Editor — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:17:26 +0000

Dear Money Helps: My husband and I were married in March 2006 in California. It was perfect except for one thing: We still haven't received our wedding album! We hired a photographer a friend recommended and paid him $2,300 up front. The first three times we called, he promised to send our photos. Then he told my husband he couldn't afford to print our album. Now he won't return our MORE

“I can’t close my trading account!”

Tom Ziegler, Senior Editor — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 15:55:39 +0000

Dear Money Helps: I opened a brokerage account for my son at Success Trade Securities for a school project. He lost most of the money - and his interest in stocks. I tried, first online and then by letter, to sell the shares and close the account but heard nothing until January, when I was hit with a $50 inactivity fee. What gives? - Doug Munro, Warren, Mich.

Answer: No MORE

“United wiped out 83,000 of my miles!”

Tom Ziegler, Senior Editor — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:43:53 +0000

Dear Money Helps: Having traveled a lot for work, I'd accumulated 83,000 United Airlines miles by the time I retired in '96. Recently I tried to use them but was told they had expired! United said they'd announced a few years back that old miles would be phased out if not used in three years, but I never got the word. Is there anything you can do to help me MORE

When valuables break during shipping

Lex Haris — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 20:46:10 +0000

Dear Money Helps: A year ago I flew to Florida to bury my mother and handle her estate. I went to a Staples store to ship 10 boxes of antiques and sentimental items to my home via UPS. I insured each box for $500. Four arrived damaged, and priceless heirlooms were broken. I filed claims for $400 with UPS but I've never been paid. No luck with Staples either. Can you MORE

‘Help, my credit-card rate tripled’

Lex Haris — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 19:49:23 +0000

Dear Money Helps: In August 2005, I signed up for a Bank of America credit card with a great fixed rate of 6.9%. Last year I got married and put a lot of wedding expenses on the card, figuring to pay it off in a year or so. I opened my bill last month, and my rate had shot up to 19.99%! I called the bank and was told that MORE

Correcting medical billing snafus

Lex Haris — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:45:04 +0000

Dear Money Helps: I have sleep apnea and signed up for a study at the Stanford Hospital Sleep Disorders Clinic. I paid a $15 fee, answered questions and was checked out by the staff. The whole process took 30 minutes.

I was told I couldn't proceed to the next phase until my health insurance was verified. My insurer told me later that week I wasn't covered. Much to my surprise, I MORE

“Help: My corporate card incurred late fees!”

Lex Haris — Wed, 16 May 2007 19:59:59 +0000

Dear Money Helps: Last fall I left my job at DaimlerChrysler for another opportunity. I had an American Express card for business expenses and filed my last expense report a week after I left. It took months for DaimlerChrysler to process the report, and when it finally did, it didn't cover $300 in late fees. Isn't the company responsible? My wife and I are buying a house and are worried MORE