Getting the runaround over a consumer problem? Tell it to The Fixer at suntimes.com/fixer , where you’ll find a simple form to fill out. You’ll also find a list of consumer contacts and tips. Because of the large volume of submissions, The Fixer can’t personally …Read More

ADT refund finds its way to customer after detour

Dear Fixer: In early February, I contacted ADT to find out about installing a home security system in addition to having my renter’s insurance policy. A gentleman came to my home and showed me some products. I gave him $200 in cash and agreed to …Read More

Overdraft fees still hitting consumers when they least expect it

Dear Readers: The Fixer recently had a nice chat with Edward E., a longtime reader of this column who was in a real fix. A company he had never done business with somehow got hold of his debit card number and took $100 out of …Read More

Complicated gift card mess straightened out by Sears

Dear Fixer: I ordered an item from Sears.com last fall. I canceled the order the next day after finding the item elsewhere for less money. Interestingly, Sears contacted me by email within days stating that the item was unavailable. I have been trying for months …Read More

Happy ending for reader with glitchy computer

Dear Readers: Last month, we brought you the story of Nick Ricci of Oak Lawn, whose family bought a laptop computer from Best Buy two years earlier. He had paid $149.99 extra for a two-year protection plan, which turned out to be a good thing …Read More

Southwest Airlines backs off, gives extra year to redeem free flight

Dear Fixer: Last year, I was looking forward to earning enough Rapid Rewards points on Southwest Airlines to get a free flight. I had apparently qualified for a free flight, but right around that time Southwest underwent a website overhaul that left me confused and …Read More

Readers sound off on Ken’s unhappy cell phone relationship

Ken Loebel, a Fixer reader from Geneva, was enticed by a $59.99 unlimited 4G data offer from Sprint if he’d sign a two-year contract. That was in December 2010. Ken signed up and happily paid $59.99 a month for the first year. But this past December, Sprint changed the terms of his contract. Suddenly, Ken’s data charges were more than three times what they used to be, resulting in eye-popping monthly phone bills around $400. We asked readers what he should do.

T-Mobile phone saga continues — will new phone work this time?

A Fixer column update: Last month, we told you about Diane Hettwer of Tinley Park, who’d bought a T-Mobile phone at Wal-Mart and signed a two-year contract. Diane wasn’t happy. The phone, she said, was a “dog.” But since she was outside the 14-day return …Read More

Sprint changes terms, prices — in the middle of the contract

Dear Fixer: Sprint heavily marketed a program for unlimited 4G Internet service for $59.99 per month if you signed a two-year contract. It was by far the best deal at the time, so I signed up. That was in December 2010. Things went well until …Read More

The long, drawn-out case of the runaway car deal

D ear Fixer: Two years ago, I purchased a used 2009 Chevy Malibu from Sherman Dodge in Skokie. I traded in my 2004 Dodge Stratus. After months of problems during which the dealership could not get financing, I returned their car only to find that …Read More

Central DuPage Hospital clinic bills patient whopping $412 for strep test

Dear Fixer: I grew up in Naperville and my family still lives there. I had driven to town in October and felt terrible — sore throat, etc. I decided to go to the Central DuPage Hospital River North Convenient Care center, which I had been …Read More

She returned the shoes — but now owes $77 in fees

D ear Fixer: Last spring, I ordered a pair of shoes from the Mason Shoe Company in Monroe, Wis. The shoes did not fit, so I returned them the next day with a check for $7.95 that they requested. That was on June 23. I …Read More

No happy ending for owner of faulty Best Buy computer

D ear Fixer: I purchased a laptop computer from Best Buy on Feb. 28, 2010, for $729.99; I also bought a two-year protection plan for $149.99, which is supposed to cover repairs or a replacement if the computer is not repairable. This computer has several …Read More