Randall Martinson of Augusta wrote a letter to Northeast COMBAT telling us that he was frustrated with a business named J.D. Marvel Products Inc. of Champlain, N.Y. Before telling us which product he ordered, he told us the background of his problem.

Martinson said that for more than a year he had been developing a hearing problem. It came on gradually. He enjoyed watching television with his wife. Over a period of time, he kept telling his wife she should stop lowering the sound. She vowed she had not touched the remote. She handed the remote over to him and even though he was not adjusting the volume, the sound seemed to lessen.

Finally, his landlord, who lived upstairs, spoke to Martinson, telling him that the television in his first-floor apartment was so loud that it interfered with him hearing his own television station. The landlord mentioned that it might be a good idea to have his hearing tested.

Instead of doing as the landlord suggested, Martinson remembered seeing an ad in a catalog that was somewhere around the house. The ad read as follows: “Super Mini Ear small size fits right in your ear. Free: 6 batteries, 3 sizes of ear tips, carrying case and cleaning brush. $9.95, 2 for $19.00, 3 for $26.85 (obviously this would work for other planets where three ears are the norm), lightweight, volume control.”

Martinson told his wife, “At that price, what have I got to lose?” “90-day no-nonsense refund guarantee – less postage and handling” was at the end of the ad.

Mr. Martinson made out the check in the amount of $22.95, $19 for two Mini Ears and $3.95 for postage and handling.

The Mini Ear aids arrived within 21 days and they looked OK, according to Martinson. However, when he followed the instructions and placed them in his ears, he could hear no better.

As a member of Northeast COMBAT, he wrote to us, “I don’t know if the Mini Ears help anybody else, but they sure did nothing for me. I packaged them up on May 22 after trying them for a week, and mailed them back to the business. That was over two months ago. Can you people help me get my money back?”

A COMBAT caseworker wrote a letter to J.D. Marvel Products Inc. on behalf of Randall Martinson. We explained that he placed an order for two Mini Ears. When he received them, they did not help his hearing at all. Therefore, Martinson sent them back one week after they arrived under their 90-day, no-nonsense refund guarantee. We added, “Please send a refund within the next 14 days with notification to Northeast COMBAT of the transaction. Then and only then will we drop this matter.”

We also wrote Martinson, sending him a copy of our letter to the business and asked that he get back to us to let us know whether or not he received a refund from J.D. Marvel Products Inc.

One week later, we were contacted by Karen, a representative for J.D. Marvel Products, Inc. She wanted to know if Mr. Martinson would accept a replacement instead of a refund. We let Karen know that this was unacceptable and we expected that she would see to it that Martinson would get a refund of $19 within the next few days.

A week later, Martinson called us to report that he had received a check for $19 from the business.

“You have restored my faith in the system. I want to thank you for helping me out. I will tell my friends what a good job you have done for me. By the way, I have made an appointment with an audiologist to have my hearing tested. I had no trouble hearing what it will cost,” he wrote.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast COMBAT-Maine Center for the Public Interest, Maine’s membership-funded, non-profit consumer organization. Individual membership $25, business rates start at $125 (0-10 employees). For help and information write: Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, PO Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329.