Sean writes:

1) The e-mail I sent to customer service did nothing. They replied that they could do nothing.

2) The store manager called me back the next day to tell me the district manager had given approval to have the store contact the original purchaser, explain the mistake, and ask if they could recharge his card. Once this was completed, they would issue me a gift card for the original amount. She did "apologize for all he craziness" at the store the night of the incident.

3) About a week later I received a call from the district manager asking if everything had been resolved. I said I hadn't heard any updates. He told me that everything had been taken care of (the original purchaser's card had been re-charged) and that my gift card was waiting at the store. I could either pick it up, or they could mail it to me. I asked him to mail it to me.

4) A few days later I received the gift card in the mail. I called the number on the card to check the balance, and it said it couldn't because the card wasn't active. This concerned me, but I thought it could be due to the circumstances it was issued, etc.

5) A few days later, I went to the store to use my gift card. I first stopped at the customer service desk to have them check the balance on the card. They said it wasn't active, and asked if I'd already used it. I said no and that it was a long story, and they went to get the manager. She came out a few moments later (it was the same manager from the night of the original incident) and issued me a new card, which I used immediately.

So, in the end, it all turned out. I was a bit surprised that they didn't offer me anything for the trouble or at least a more sincere apology. But, I guess I should just be happy that they took responsibility and corrected the mistake.

In the future, I'll be much more explicit when making exchanges or returns as to what I want before I hand over the product. And, even though I don't think I should have to, I'll no longer assume the clerk will understand that I'm not the original purchaser if I'm using a gift receipt.

PREVIOUSLY: Circuit City Credits Wrong Card For $130 Return, Sends You Away With Nothing
(Photo: qnr - Gone for a while)

Sean writes:

I returned a product [yesterday] to the Appleton, WI Circuit City with a gift receipt. The clerk accepted the returned product, but mistakenly credited the original purchaser's credit card (I am not the original purchaser) for the return. After informing me of this, I told her that I did not purchase this product, it was given to me (thus, the gift receipt) and that I intended to return it for store credit so I could purchase a different product. I was told that since the return had been processed and credited to the original purchaser's credit card, nothing could be done. I was advised to contact the original purchaser and try to collect the money myself.

After much debate with the clerk, the supervisor, and the operations manager, I was told there was nothing that could be done, and the only option I had was to go back to the person who bought it, and ask for the money. This is unacceptable.

I entered the store in possession of a product (my property, I was the owner). I gave the product and gift receipt to the clerk to process a return. The clerk accepted my return and gave my money (the monetary value of the product - the original purchase price) to the wrong person (someone other than me). I left the store without my property or the monetary value of the property.

I would like either my property (the original product - a Logitech Harmony remote control) returned to me or store credit (gift card) for the orignal purchase price (approximately $130) of the product.

That's the letter Sean sent to Circuit City's customer service department, although Seans says he has yet to hear back from them. He adds, "What can I do? Isn't this illegal? They accept my returned product and mistakenly give the money to someone else, and then refuse to give me either the product or the money (store credit)? Isn't this theft of some sort? Should I contact the police?"

What do you guys think? Will the police take his report seriously? This certainly sounds like the definition of theft to us.

In the meantime, Sean, you may want to send that same letter to these Circuit City executive email addresses. What happened to you sounds to us like a fireable offense for that supervisor, and you need to make sure your story reaches the people who can see to it that you're compensated.

(Photo: Getty Images)

He writes:

I read your post from yesterday about Flipswap. So I took my three old cellphones, plus AC plugs, plus two car chargers, to the nearest Flipswap dealer near my home in LA. It did not go as expected.

They do not pay me for the phone, do not offer store credit and, as far as charity, I was told to throw all the stuff in a box and "the boss" comes once a month to pick it up. They do not offer a receipt or any confirmation that it goes to any charity. Mind you, this was before they even saw the phones, so that determination was not based on the phones' condition.

I went to the Flipswap dealer on Overland Avenue in West LA.

Our verdict as of today: maybe Flipswap isn't all it's cracked up to be. In addition to this story and the one we covered yesterday, there's the matter of their fine print, which we discovered when we checked out the trade-in value of an old phone via their website. You must agree that Flipswap can change the amount they promised, after they see the phone, and can even change the offer to $0, and under no circumstances can you ask that the phone be shipped back to you. We think that's too much trust to put into an untested company.

[Update: the last paragraph has been rewritten to address a misperception that we were blaming the OP or other customers.]

Three days later, Steven finally returned the traveling ant colony to Enterprise, which promised to issue a full credit. That was two months ago. Steven is still waiting for the credit.

He cc'd us on his Executive Email Carpet Bomb:

On 6/3/08 I rented a car from Enterprise at the San Jose Ca. Airport Office (Rental Agreement No. D 604659). We drove south to Carmel Ca. and noticed a few ants crawling on the dash board. By the time we arrived at our first destination we saw a large ant colony coming out of the inside of the car door. We were unsuccessful in removing the ants and could not locate any nearby Enterprise offices. On the third day we dropped the car off at the San Luis Obisbo Airport and I informed them of our problem. We were assured that we would receive a call from the manager of Enterprise at the San Jose Airport within 2 days and he would address our problem. No call came! We finally were able to reach Customer Service on 6/12/08 who assured us once again that we would receive a call from the manager at San Jose within 48 hours. No call came! On 6/14/08 I talked with “Kyle” in the San Jose office who assured me that in several days I would receive a credit and their accounting department would handle it. No credit came!

On 6/27/08 I reached the San Jose office once again. The individual I talked to went back and forth with the manager while I was on the line. I was assured that a full credit ($163.37) would be issued by July 1. No credit came!

Not only did the ant nest create a terrible rental experience, but it also created a dangerous driving situation. I had been impressed with the friendly Enterprise service in the past and have always chosen your company when traveling. I would like to think that this is an isolated case of very poor service and repeated broken promises. For that reason I have held off with my complaints to the Better Business Bureau, and I have not yet disputed the charge with my VISA Credit Card Company.

I would like to think that you will handle the problem and do the right thing. I look forward to hearing from you in the very near future regarding the full refund that was promised to me by your representatives when I brought this issue to their attention.

I have included on this e-mail local Orlando consumer advocates from the Orlando Sentinel and Local Six News, as well as the immensely popular The Consumerist.com Blog.

Sincerely,

Steven

Sorry Steven, but the ants have overtaken Enterprise's accounting department. The ants won't issue a credit because, quite frankly, they don't understand your problem. "Who doesn't like ants," goes the old ant-saying. Pleading your case to them will get you nowhere.

Instead, call your credit card company, which, hopefully, has not been overrun by ants. Chargeback the fees and consider the matter closed.

(Photo: zigwamp)

Leslie cc'd us on her letter to Carnival:

This letter is in reference to booking number 6K80R9. My name is Leslie. My husband, Stacey, and I have been trying to sail with Carnival for close to 3 years now. On our first attempt in October 2005, our port was obliterated by Hurricane Katrina. On our second attempt in September 2006, I had an emergent medical condition upon arriving to the airport related to my complicated pregnancy, thus I was unable to board the plane. I am very happy to say I did give birth in March 2007, and with a recent newborn, we have been unable to attempt to cruise until this year. We have been given the opportunity to take a space available cruise until September 2008.

My husband and I have tried on 2 separate occasions to sail according to the space available rules. Unfortunately on both occasions, Carnival was unable to confirm our cabins. We were previously informed that we would know, 2 weeks at the latest, prior to the sailing whether or not we will be confirmed. On both occasions (in February and June), they were unable to tell us "yes or no" until about 3 days before the sailing, making it EXTREMELY difficult and stressful for us. On both occasions, the answer was "no".

Here is my difficulty with attempting to cruise with this restriction. My husband and I are both hard working, full time employees. We now have a 16 month old child. We also live in the Midwest (Chicago, IL), where we are in no way close to any ports. We originally chose Carnival because it was highly recommended by friends and family and also due to the fact that it was very affordable for us. Of course we did not know we would not be able to make the departure based on my medical status at the time of our initial cruise. Unfortunately for us, we do not have the liberty of taking vacation at a 1-2 week or less notice. Our jobs require us to give ample notice prior to vacationing. This also entails finding childcare for our daughter, finding flights and possible hotels close to port the night prior to sailing. I don't know if you have ever tried to make arrangements this close to vacation time, but the costs are ridiculous without a 21 day advance notice. We have no family near us; therefore a relative from out of state must also make arrangements to watch our child in Chicago. This involves a lot of planning, time and energy, all of which we cannot afford. We are not retired and do not have the luxury of leaving for vacation on a moment's notice. Also as mentioned, we must fly to any port you sail out of because we are landlocked from the ocean in the Midwest. Taking all this into consideration, the cost of making last minute travel arrangements alone will greatly exceed the cost of what he have already paid for the cruise, thus now making it unaffordable for us.

I hope that you can understand our predicament. With the restrictions set forth for the space available cruise, it does not seem likely that we would ever be able to take this cruise, especially not by September of this year. Because we work very hard and now have a family to support, we do not want to lose the money we have paid either.

I am hoping that your company can help us out with this matter. I would like to again request a refund for our fully paid trip. If this is not possible, I urge you to please consider giving us a credit of the full amount that of our cruise that does not expire. We would like to request a credit $518 (we have already been refunded the $83.16 for taxes/fees). We also paid a $25 one-way transfer fee from Port Canaveral to Orlando airport which we obviously never used ($50 total for my husband and I). If given a credit that does not expire, this will allow us to rebook a cruise with ample time, and for us to make the appropriate flight and travel arrangements, and also to arrange for time off of work and childcare issues. In short, it will allow us to appropriately PLAN for a vacation. It has really been a struggle to utilize this vacation that we have already paid for. And on both attempts, where multiple arrangements were made in hopes of you having space for us, you were unable to confirm us. I don't feel that I am asking too much, as this is money that WE have already paid for.

I do understand the policies with missing cruises. It saddened us that we were not able to make that trip back in September 2006 however, such is life, where unexpected things occur. I really hope that we shouldn't have to be penalized for it (losing all the money for our vacation) simply due to an unexpected medical condition. Please reconsider this. I have spoken to multiple supervisors and company representatives over the past several years, but it does not seem that anyone can understand our difficulties.

Please contact me with any questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Leslie

Three years is a long time to wait for a vacation. A usable credit that doesn't expire isn't too much to ask.

(Photo: FredoAlvarez)

Reader Eric says:

Consumerist,

This is why I love netflix. They had a shipping problem on monday. They didn't make excuses or just try to slide by. They fessed up, and without my even saying a word to anyone at netflix, I receive this prompt email telling me that they are sorry and are trying to make amends. This is an example of good customer service.

Eric

We're Sorry Your DVD Was Delayed

Dear Eric,

As you may have heard, our shipping system was unexpectedly down for most of Monday. We should have shipped your DVDs but were unable to. Your DVDs were shipped today, Tuesday, March 25th, instead.

We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. We will issue a 5% credit to your account in the next few days. You don't need to do anything. The credit will be automatically applied to your next billing statement.

Again, we apologize for the delay and thank you for your understanding. If you need further assistance, please call us at 1 (888) 638-3549.

-The Netflix Team

The funny thing is, if they hadn't sent this, I would have never noticed a delay.

But I think it's important to recognize companies that are getting it right.

Thank you,

Brad

Got this message in my inbox today....apparently Netflix had some shipping problems and they delayed the shipment of my movie by one day. Big deal, right? I probably wouldn't even have noticed it, since I barely have time to watch my Netflix movies anyway. Well, Netflix still found it appropriate to give me a credit on my account because of the problem. Apparently they think that *they* should be the ones to be charged late fees, not their customers! Just another reason that I give them my business instead of Blockbuster.

Reader Ryan says:

This is great service. I wasn't even aware there was a problem, and yet they fessed up to it and gave me a discount that I didn't even ask for (or frankly, think was warranted). Good work Netflix.

Reader Elana says:

Sometimes it's nice to see a company do something unexpected. To be honest, I didn't even notice the shipping delay from Monday and wouldn't have. The movie was my husband's. He works odd hours and often doesn't
get to his movies for a week or more, so a delay is no big deal. We didn't complain or contact Netflix. Instead, I was totally unaware of the problem.

This morning, I received this message, the only notification I had of the issue. The approximately $.50 refund wasn't necessary, but it's appreciated!

Good job, Netflix.

(Photo:Marike79)

Tax credits are different from deductions in that unlike deductions (which reduce the amount of income you're required to pay tax on)—credits lower the actual amount of tax you need to pay.

Most are for low or moderate income individuals and families, but if you qualify—the Consumerist Tax Cat says: Don't overlook them!

Here is information about 6 tax credits that you may qualify for, and how to get them, from the IRS:

1) Earned Income Tax Credit
This credit s for low to middle-income workers and their families. Working families who make less than $39,783 and childless workers with incomes under $14,590 may qualify. To help figure out if you qualify for this credit, click here.

2) Child Tax Credit
If you've got a kid under 17, you probably qualify for this credit, says the IRS. This credit is in addition to the deduction that you take for each dependent and is different from the "Child Care Credit." Questions? Click here.

3) Education Credits
If you're enrolled at least half-time in a post-secondary school, you may be able to take the Hope credit or the lifetime learning credit. Watch out, the IRS says, you can't deduct your tuition and fees and take these credits, so be careful to choose the right one. To figure out if you qualify for these credits, click here.

4) Child Care Expense Credit
If you have a child under 13 who you pay someone to care for, you are probably able to take this credit, says the IRS. You may also qualify if you have a dependent who requires care who is older than 13, so read the rules carefully. Form 1040 filers claim the credit for child and dependent care expenses on Form 2441 (PDF). Form 1040A filers claim it on Schedule 2.

5) Saver's Credit
If you have a low or moderate income and you've contributed to a 401k or IRA, you may be eligible for this credit. If you've made less than $26,000 for singles and married people who are filing separately, or $39,000 for heads of household, or $52,000 for joint filers, you might be able to take this credit. If you haven't made any contributions yet, don't worry—you've got until April 15, 2008.

6) Energy-Saving Credit
If you've made energy-saving improvements on your home (and didn't take this credit in 2006) you may be eligible for up to $500 in credits. Energy-saving improvements include things like new insulation, better windows, water heaters, doors, etc. Click here. (PDF)

(Photo:chadwbecks)

Dear Consumerist,

I'm not exactly the biggest Consumerist fan out there, but I'm even less of a Verizon fan. I figured I'd point you to the story of their latest snafu.

It seems that some Verizon Wireless phones were accidentally adjusted back an hour for Daylight Saving Time's end this morning. I got e-mails from several people who woke up an hour late because they use their cell phone as an alarm.

DST actually ends Nov 4, but due to some new rules this year, its not going very smoothly. Oh well, at least you can get a credit out of it.

[FatWallet]
(Thanks, Nick!)

We're happy to report that Google will now be offering full refunds. From the Official Google Blog:

* We're giving a full refund — as a credit card refund — to everyone who ever bought a video. We'll need you to make sure we have your most recent credit card information, but once we know where to send the money, you'll get it.

* You can still keep the Google Checkout credit that you've received already. Think of it as an additional 'we're sorry we goofed' credit.

* We're going to continue to support playing your videos for another six months. We won't be offering the ability to buy additional videos, but what you've already downloaded will remain playable on your computer.

An update on Google Video feedback [Official Google Blog]

PREVIOUSLY: Google Taking Back All Videos You Rented or Bought From Them

I just got my Time Warner bill in Southern California and wondered why my bill went up by exactly $5. I called customer service and asked them that exact question. Heather informed me that there was a billing glitch which charged an extra $5 and affected numerous people. She said the glitch would be fixed in the next few days but she would credit my account.

I asked her if I hadn't called, would Time Warner have automatically credited me? Her answer was "No. You have to call to get the credit".

So Time Warner has a "billing glitch" and won't credit your account unless you find it and call them yourself.

(Photo: Meghann Marco)

1. Call Sprint - 1-800-877-4646
2. Obey the opening instructions.
3. When the system asks, "How may I help you?," say "dropped call." The voice should confirm by saying, "Okay dropped call."
4. Revel in the extra 50 cents or so Sprint gives you.

50 CENTS? Well, that's for every time you say, "dropped call" until a rep comes on the phone. WikiHow users report an average savings of $11.00. If you abuse it, however, you get nothing, so spank Sprint with prudence.

We can't test it out ourselves, so report your success and failures in the comments.

Not so with Amazon Credits You, a free service that keeps track of your purchases for you. All you have to do is enter in your purchases—no personal information besides email required—and they'll send you an email if and when Amazon lowers the price. They'll even add a handy link in the email for letting you claim your refund from Amazon.

And although we think the Amazon Wish List would probably work almost as well for this, Amazon Credits You could also be used to keep track of price drops on items you haven't yet purchased, albeit only in a 30-day window. (Thanks, Fred!)