All Stories
Op-ed: My 94-year-old father needs the COVID-19 shot — where is the vaccination plan?
My dad calls me every day at 8 p.m. It is both the highlight of my evening — and a soul-crushing window into the worst of the vaccine rollout. At...
Problem Solver: Wheelchair issues frustrate user
As Randy Skendzel's multiple sclerosis progressed, his old motorized wheelchair became obsolete. Over time, the 58-year-old Bridgeport neighborhood resident lost function in his arms and legs, making the chair impossible...
Couple quit Carson’s, but credit card issue lingers
For years, Eleanor Sears used her husband's Carson's credit card when shopping at the department store. Then the Morgan Park neighborhood resident tried to buy some items and was denied....
Problem Solver: Insurance firm fully covers bill for physical
It has been almost a year since Mary Klinefelter had blood drawn for her annual physical. Finally, her insurance is paying. Klinefelter, first featured in the Aug. 28 column, had...
Problem Solver: ComEd check arrives, but furniture doesn’t
It took Virginia Landowski years to persuade Commonwealth Edison to come to her house and fix the tilting utility pole in her yard. When the workers finally showed in May,...
Broken thermostat steams Comcast customer
Shortly after moving into their new Libertyville home last year, Gary O'Reilly and his family set up Comcast service. They didn't skimp. Because O'Reilly's wife was pregnant with their second...
Problem Solver: Woman’s sales tax refund stuck in limbo
When Lila Ardell decided she wanted to buy the car she had been leasing, she knew she would have to pay a sales tax on the transaction. Her lender figured...
Problem Solver: ComEd damages driveway, takes 4 months to pay
For years, Virginia Landowski complained to ComEd about the utility pole that was tilting near the side of her house. She worried the pole would fall and damage her property,...
Ticket-challenging tips
This column originally ran June 29, 2008 Of all the requests the Problem Solver receives, few are more filled with frustration and angst than complaints about unfair parking tickets. Readers...
Problem Solver: Consumers keep up fight on insurance, car dealer
Mary Klinefelter's long, confusing and mind-numbingly frustrating battle with Golden Rule Insurance continues, with the Orland Park resident chipping away at her almost year-old medical bill. Klinefelter, featured in the...