Steve M. from Wiscasset racked his brain trying to think of a birthday gift for his mother. He didn’t want to buy a run-of-the-mill gift, but something she would really appreciate.

He came up with a unique idea. His mother owned three cats: Mittens, Humphrey and Lady Diane.

Steve saw an ad for a video that claimed to intrigue adult cats. Cats hearing other cats meowing on the video would run to watch out of curiosity and then become absorbed by the video. Steve thought that would entertain the cats and his mother as well.

Steve wrote a check for $15.95, and mailed it to Publishers Choice in Hicksville, N.Y.

The video arrived two weeks later. Steve wrapped it and on his mother’s birthday he brought her the present. She was delighted and told Steve that she would play it for the three cats.

When Steve did not hear from his mother the next morning, he called her.

His mother asked Steve to drop by her house. She had just played the video and would explain when he arrived.

Steve immediately drove to her house and, upon entering, found her in tears.

She told Steve: “I put on the video and instead of the cats watching the television like they do often with me, the two older ones went wild. Mittens’ hair came up on her back as the cats meowed on the television. She jumped up on the end table, knocking over the lamp your father gave me as a gift 45 years ago and it broke. Then she went under the sofa and she won’t come out.

“Humphrey leaped onto my velvet drapes and left claw marks up and down on the material. He is somewhere in the house but I can’t find him and Lady Diane walked up to the television, put her front paws on the screen, sniffed it, then she jumped on the chair and went to sleep. Would it hurt your feelings if I ask you to take the video out of here?”

Steve left with the video.

The following evening Steve wrapped the video, attached a letter explaining what happened and requested a refund of $15.95, the price of the video.

Steve waited 30 days, and when the refund did not arrive, he called Publishers Choice. Still no refund came.

It was at this point that Steve, a member of Northeast Combat, came to us for assistance.

An assigned Combat caseworker wrote to the business, relating the story of “The Cat’s Meow” and the request for a refund of $15.95 months ago. The caseworker also noted that when no refund appeared, Steve M. called customer service and was told the refund would arrive within four to six weeks and still it had not arrived.

“Months have passed since the video was returned to your place of business. At this time we are requesting that a refund of $15.95, be returned to Steve M. within the next 14 days with notification to Northeast Combat of the transaction.”

Six days later we received a copy of a letter that Chris Fidis, customer service manager of Publishers Choice, had sent to Steve M. He wrote “your complaint to Northeast Combat has been forwarded to me. Please be advised that we have enclosed a refund check in the amount of $15.95, for the Cat Adventure video. Please accept our apology for any inconvenience this may have caused you.”

Incidentally, Mittens is out from under the sofa, Humphrey has not climbed the drapes since “The Cat’s Meow,” and Lady Diane is still as regal as ever.

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.