Problem Solver | Columnist Katie Fairbank | Dallas-Fort Worth News | News for Dallas, Texas

Katie Fairbank

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02/21/2010

Problem Solver: After majority had snowstorm outages restored, man was still waiting

02/14/2010

Richardson man gets code violation for car he sold 20 years ago

02/07/2010

Atmos fixes billing error that burned hot-water user

01/31/2010

Rental home's owner couldn't get electric bill from TXU

01/24/2010

Customer learns: After the meter, gas lines are up to you

01/17/2010

Royse City family weathers cold snap with much-needed propane refill

01/14/2010

Dallas woman left in control of trust after bank sought guardianship
A probate judge in Denton County has ruled that a mentally ill woman, whose trust has dwindled from half a million dollars to about $50,000, should handle her own affairs.

01/11/2010

Dallas woman fights for control after bank asks court to appoint guardian
Michelle Cohen is petrified about her upcoming court hearing. For weeks, she's been frantically calling attorneys in hopes of preventing a decision she fears will change her life.

01/10/2010

Oncor not required to notify users of meter replacement, but says it tries to

01/03/2010

Live power line resting on shrubs is finally fixed

12/27/2009

84-year-old's deal for a new car was a lemon

12/20/2009

Dallas AT&T customers want to know how long their extra phone line was out

12/13/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Report of man's death wasn't true, but the consequences were staggering

12/06/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Heart patient couldn't get an answer from AT&T about disconnected phone, Internet
Charles Higginbotham of Dallas was concerned that his phone was dead and his Internet was down, despite numerous calls to AT&T requesting service.

11/29/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Oak Lawn Community Outreach Center is tailor-made for McKinney man's suits

11/22/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Man contacts Microsoft after he can't access e-mail account

11/23/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Since mother died, children may be able to sue dad over unpaid support

DMN Problem Solver: Frisco couple's White House tour request is stuck in red tape

DMN Problem Solver: D/FW Airport's express parking problems come to an end

11/15/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Hospital's coding error 'kills' Dallas man, creating financial headache

11/08/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Untreated, infected toe troubles nursing home resident's family

10/11/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Four weeks later, resident wonders why city permit still has not arrived

10/04/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Pace of refinancing process frustrated two couples

09/27/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Loyal customer loses faith in bank after debit card case

09/20/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Oak Cliff students can't afford bus to school, but readers offer a lift

09/13/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Reader searching for 'bike lady' is steered in the right direction

09/09/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Mystery shrouds Garland's animal services board
Several readers wrote to Problem Solver concerned that the Garland Animal Services Department was operating without an advisory board, as required by state law. "I am grateful for any attention you can give to the conditions at this shelter," one reader wrote.

08/30/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Reader gets help with faucets that wouldn't stop leaking

08/17/2009

DMN Problem Solver: New rules aid those who switch electric providers
David Stecko of Dallas wrote Problem Solver concerned that if he wanted to change electricity providers at the end of his contract, he'd be dependent on when Oncor would read his meter. "This is very unfair, because Oncor's meter-read date is completely out of my control," he said.

08/10/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Pleasant Grove woman cools off
Margaret, 69, has had a heart attack and stroke. She suffers from asthma and uses an oxygen tank. She called Problem Solver, asking for help in getting the air conditioner fixed in her Pleasant Grove apartment. "I'm in a mess, and I would appreciate your help," she said.

08/03/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Hospital demand frustrates family
Twenty-five-year-old Alyssa Cisnero was in a car accident in May and is now in a coma with a severe brain injury. She has 19 broken bones and both a trachea and a feeding tube. She also is uninsured.

07/27/2009

DMN Problem Solver: City offers to help tenant without air conditioning
Flan Monk has burn scars on more than half of his body. He also lives in a sweltering pay-by-the- week apartment house in East Dallas. His mother bought him a window air-conditioning unit, but his landlord won't allow him to use it.

07/20/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Meter reviews can uncover mistakes
Six North Texas readers wrote to complain that when Oncor installed new digital meters earlier this year, their electricity bills skyrocketed . "A glance at our usage history will make it evident that this billing is totally out of whack," wrote one reader.

07/13/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Driver would like to give two cents to tollway authority
Rosemary Udell of DeSoto doesn't have a TollTag, but she knows she always pays promptly when a bill arrives from the tollway. That's why she was upset when she got four invoices for 75-cent tolls, each with a $25 fee attached. She called. " They have a phone number, but they never answer it," she said. She wrote, but didn't hear back.

07/09/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Renters have options when the air conditioner doesn't get fixed
Renters do have some rights when their apartment's air conditioner is broken and both the temperature and their tempers are rising.

07/06/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Honeymooners unsatisfied with cruise
Even though Mexico had a swine flu outbreak, Alan and Kathy Lynn Dieken of Kaufman decided to go ahead with their honeymoon cruise. That's because when they called Carnival Cruise Lines before heading to Galveston to board the ship, they were told the ship would port somewhere – maybe not Mexico – but somewhere.

06/29/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Talks yield hotel refund for young musicians
When swine flu hit some Mesquite schools before the school year was over, school officials scrapped several extracurricular events. That included an orchestra competition in Corpus Christi. The student musicians were worried they were going to lose the money they had paid in advance for the trip.

06/22/2009

DMN Problem Solver: D/FW airport overcharging for lot, recycle efforts
A reader wrote that the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport has consistently overcharged him at terminal rates of $17 a day on his TollTag – even though he was parking in the Express North lot, which charges $10 a day.

06/15/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Road tie-ups have motorists in knots
Several readers have called and written, frustrated by road work. Samra Jones Bufkins asked about construction on Loop 288 in the Denton area, saying the process has been "interminable."

06/08/2009

DMN Problem Solver: DirecTV patches things up
Four years ago, a reader subscribed to DirecTV. When the installer came to the house to put in the satellite television system, he went up to the attic to run wires. That's when things went wrong. He stepped right through the ceiling over the garage, leaving a gaping hole in the Sheetrock.

06/01/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Thief shopped while firm kept account open
Someone in England stole Martha Weempe's credit card number last year and went on a buying spree, purchasing a British Airways plane ticket, Gatwick Express train ticket and more than $20,000 worth of goods.

05/25/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Swine flu hasn't altered food preparation
As the total number of confirmed swine flu cases continues to rise, Irving resident Kay Brooks wonders whether restaurant workers and food handlers are being checked for the disease.

05/19/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Absent an emergency, police not supposed to be speeding
A reader wrote that he was traveling south of Dallas on I-35 and watched two Dallas police cars speed up to 85 mph without emergency lights on.

05/11/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Air travelers get mixed results
Bad weather recently wreaked havoc on airline schedules in North Texas – not surprisingly, since some of the thunderstorms were accompanied by microbursts, which are downdrafts of 70 mph or more. Add to that at least 3.89 inches of rain, and you wind up with a bunch of delayed, hungry and tired passengers at the airport.

05/04/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Tax filers say post office didn't deliver on postmark
Some readers called to say they had tried to take advantage of late-night postal service on April 15 for last-minute tax filers. "We dropped off the check at about 10:30 that night by handing it to one of the workers," one of the readers said. "Everyone was clapping and cheering. People were out there with baskets gathering mail."

04/27/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Plano tire slashings under investigation, but police could use public's help
A frustrated reader wants to know what is taking the Plano Police Department so long in handling a rash of tire slashings in her neighborhood. Tires were punctured and gashed on more than a dozen vehicles on April 10 – a not-so-good Friday for the owners.

04/20/2009

DMN Problem Solver: Car contract hinges on loan approval
A reader — who purchased a car and signed a contract in March — received a call just a few days later from the finance manager at the dealership. She was told that “they forgot to have me sign a paper and I must go back ASAP.”