With Carol Wright, things finally all right

D ear Fixer: I have been in contact with the Carol Wright mail order company numerous times to try to solve my problem.

It all started on Aug. 23, when I returned a panel of curtains and two scarves. The curtain was damaged and I wanted the two scarves replaced with curtains.

There was money left over so I ordered two pairs of capris and I wrote a check for the difference of $8.94.

I didn't hear from Carol Wright so I called them in October. They said the order was not in their system and they had no record of the original invoice. They didn't honor my request and said it would take a month for my merchandise to be returned.

So I waited another month and called again. I got the same response. A call on Dec. 7 was no better.

On Dec. 29 I spoke with a supervisor. She said she would check into it and I should call her back in two weeks.

Two weeks later I was told they never got my package. Thank goodness I had a receipt. They wanted to know who signed for it and on what day and time, so I told them.

I called again on Jan. 19 and was told they want a copy of everything.

I'm tired of jumping through hoops.

Marlene Fisher, Midlothian

Dear Marlene: We've always admired the serendipitous wonders of the Carol Wright catalog — or Dr. Leonard's, another mail-order catalog issued by the same New Jersey company, Dr. Leonard's Healthcare Corp.

Flipping the pages, you'll find everything from magnifying tweezers and folding canes to house dresses and floral bedspreads. There are do-it-yourself legal will kits and miracle strawberry plants that yield fruits the size of peaches, or so we're told.

Back to your issue. Part of the problem — and you admitted this — was that you had been trying to return the merchandise long after it was ordered.

Joe Albanese, vice president and chief financial officer at Dr. Leonard's, told Team Fixer the company gives customers one year to return items. The oldest order the company had on file from you was from December 2008, and it didn't include the merchandise you were trying to return. So the items you were trying to send back apparently had been ordered at some point before then.

Still, Albanese said the company dropped the ball from a customer service standpoint. He said things can slip through the cracks, noting the company ships out 40,000 orders a day. As a result, they are going above and beyond to fix this.

The company is refunding you $40.91, which includes the check you sent in August. (By the way, for some reason Carol Wright had no record of receiving the check.) The company also is giving you $30 in gift certificates "in hopes that (you) will allow Carol Wright Gifts to service (your) shopping needs in the future," Albanese said.

Costly lesson

George, of Westmont, thought he was getting a great deal on a new Remington razor when he found one at an online merchant for $119.99.

When his razor arrived, it was in the original packaging, but it wasn't "new."

Here's what George wrote to The Fixer:

"I charged it for 24 hours before using. When I went to shave, it didn't work. I charged it another 24 hours and the razor went dead before the shave was completed."

So George contacted Remington's customer service department. He learned that his model of razor had been discontinued in 2006, which explains why the battery was so lousy. The manufacturer offered to replace it with a comparable razor if George would pay another $59.99.

When George went back to the Internet merchant for help, it said it couldn't adjust his bill because he had returned the razor to the manufacturer and not the Internet merchant.

No one expects to receive a product that was discontinued five years ago when they order online. But with shady sellers on the Web, it's worth researching which products are current by going to the manufacturer's website and by reading recommendations from Consumer Reports.

Good luck out there, folks.

Contributing: Mike Nolan

Fact Box: Contact The FixerAre you being given the runaround over a consumer problem? Tell it to The Fixer at www.southtownstar.com, where you'll find a simple form to fill out. If you don't have a computer, you can mail a brief description of your problem, along with your name, address and telephone number, to: The Fixer, SouthtownStar, 6901 W. 159th St., Tinley Park, IL 60477. Please don't send original documents. Because of the large volume of submissions, The Fixer cannot make personal replies. Letters are edited for length and clarity.