TAMPA, Fla. — ABC Action News is taking action for you. In 2021, Consumer Investigator Jackie Callaway has returned more than $130,000 to Tampa Bay consumers.
NASCAR fans Jeanne Weigand and her boyfriend Butch are among hundreds of Tampa Bay area consumers who made a call for action this year.
In their case, Weigand lost nearly $500 after buying Daytona 500 tickets online. But she said the third-party vendor never sent the race tickets.
She got her money back after Taking Action Reporter Jackie Callaway notified Weigand's credit card company that the seller had a history of similar complaints.
"Thanks to you, I was able to get my money back, which I'm grateful for, and I feel vindicated," said Weigand.
Robert Stennett made a call for action after discovering someone rolled back the odometer on the Dodge Charger he bought from a used car lot in 2020. ABC Action News checked the Carfax report and found the vehicle had 50,000 more miles on it in 2017 than when Stennett bought the sports car last year.
Stennett told Callaway the dealer did not want to repurchase the vehicle until she asked the general manager for a resolution.
"As soon as you wrote them, it was like the lights came on. They decided to do something," Stennett said.
The car lot ended up cutting Stennett a check for $7,000.
In Jack Garthwaite's case, he lost $600 after thieves swiped the activation codes off his iTunes gift cards minutes after he purchased them at Target during Christmas.
Garthwaite showed ABC Action News Apple's confirmation that his account wasn't used to redeem the gift cards. Still, he said Target refused to refund his money until we contacted the store on his behalf.
"Soon after I received your email, I got a call from Target saying we are getting our money back," said Garthwaite.
Front line hospital worker Louisa Escalada was among several consumers who ran into trouble with their online bank accounts this year. She lives paycheck to paycheck and panicked when Chime suddenly locked her out of her account, citing suspicious activity.
ABC Action News messaged Chime via email and social media, asking that they allow Escalada access to her money. Days later, Chime unlocked her account.
Righting wrongs for people who live and work in Tampa Bay is a privilege for Jackie. If you're dealing with a tough consumer problem, just email her at Jackie@ABCActionNews.com or message her on Facebook.
