What's On Your Mind? Your Baby Can Read, Amana, EZ-Lube, Dell

Parents, quite naturally, want to give their children a head start in life, but not all products designed to put your offspring on the fast track to learning pay off.

“I ordered Your Baby Can Read in April of 2011,” Ashley, of Palm Springs, Fla., told ConsumerAffairs.com. “I saw absolutely no improvement from my daughter after two months. Nothing at all. I called to complain and proceeded to tell the representative that I felt I was scammed. He told me the 30 day money back guarantee had expired and there was nothing they would do. No refund or credit. I was simply stuck with my purchase.”

Ashley says she is sorry she paid $200 for the program. She, and other parents, would probably be a lot better off by simply reading to their children and limiting TV time.

A big mess

Carol, of Federal Way, Wash., is a senior citizen who wanted to buy a gas range that would last, so she and her husband bought “The Big Oven” from Amana five years ago.

“Into the second year the broiler quit, and I can't even light it with a match! It only bakes,” Carol said..”The door to the oven doesn't close tight any longer. Because of that the burner knobs turn brown because of the heat, and get really hot. We take a stick to prop the door closed as much as we can. In the last six months the light cannot be replaced because there's something wrong with the element. We had a qualified technician come to take a look at this piece of junk, and he said there's so many things wrong with it that it would just be throwing good money away.”

Carol didn't say whether she planned to keep the stove and continue using it in its present condition, but from what she has told us, it doesn't sound safe.

Fine print

Gene, of Hemet, Calif., got one of those coupons in the mail for an oil change at EZ-Lube for $18.99, but when he took his car in, discovered it didn't apply to him.

“They said my car takes more oil and the price would be $33.00,” Gene told ConsumerAffairs.com. “My car is a 1996 Cadillac, a normal car. This is very bad business and it should be stopped.

There are very strict consumer laws governing coupons. For example, if the business does not put an expiration date on the coupon, it has an unlimited life. If EZ-Lube had a disclaimer on the coupon that said it was limited to four quarts of oil, they are in the clear. However, if they didn't then Gene should have gotten the price, regardless of how many quarts it took.

Fuzzy math

When do you start counting the days when you have a limited number of days to return a product? Anna, of Savannah, Ga., doesn't buy the math Dell Computer uses.

“My husband, Charles, ordered a laptop and printer for me by phone,” Anna said. “Was told we had 30 days to return them if not happy. Am not happy. Only had these items less then two weeks.”

Anna said when she called to get the shipping address to return the products, she said she was told she was outside the 21 day return. Somehow the 30 day return had shrunk by nine days. And that's not all.

“I was told this 21 day time limit starts when they get order, not when we receive the purchase. Their numbers don't add up.

Anna said she plans to consult a lawyer. That might not be a bad idea, but before she goes to that expense she might try contacting someone in Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens' office.