PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Two Local 10 News viewers called the Call Christina hotline with issues they just couldn't seem to resolve on their own.
One viewer needed assistance with an appliance with an extended warranty plan and the other help with a gift card that didn't seem to be active. Investigative Reporter Christina Vazquez found resolutions.
The Call Christina team took a road trip to the Florida Keys visiting Local 10 News viewer Peter Hines in Key Colony Beach. Hines called after his new refrigerator conked out.
"This is the villain," Hines said, pointing to his refrigerator. "Water kept running out of the ice cube maker, and this is a nice big freezer, but it doesn't freeze anything."
Hines thought he was covered. He paid an extra $470 for an extended warranty plan when her purchase the new unit.
"It says that if they can't fix it they have the right to give you your money back," Hines said.
But then Hines needed a service call. That's when he said the problems started.
"We made calls and waited and waited and waited for service," Hines said. "When the guy looked at it, he said, 'It's a compressor. We'll have to get back to you.'"
Hines said after the warranty plan determined a repair was not possible, the store offered a partial refund in the form of store credit. But Hines wanted his money back.
"It was really just a raw deal," Hines said.
That's when he called Vazquez. The Call Christina team made some phone calls on his behalf, and Hines got the resolution he was looking for.
The Call Christina team suggests remembering to read the fine print of an extended warranty before purchasing it.
Meanwhile in Plantation, another Local 10 News viewer had a different challenge for the Call Christina team.
Becky Blackwood said her sons wanted to treat her to a manicure, pedicure and massage and purchased a gift card to Contour Day Spa.
"They thought it would be a nice idea for me to have something unusual that I wouldn't buy for myself," she said.
Blackwood put the gift card in a drawer and forgot about it. Then when she tried to use the gift card, there was no record of the purchase.
"They couldn't find the files on it, so that's why I called you," Blackwood said.
"Our gift card business is a very big business," Fanit Panofsky of Contour Day Spas said.
Panofsky says she's been pampering customers for the last 30 years and was happy to help, providing Blackwood with the information to get her spa day after all.
The Call Christina team recommends getting a receipt for gift card purchases. There are locator numbers that can help a merchant track the information.
Follow Christina Vazquez on Twitter @CallChristinaTV
Follow Local 10 News on Twitter @WPLGLocal10