Columnist Muriel Stevens: Debacle with Wards takes another turn

Wednesday, May 9, 2001 | 8:20 a.m.

Muriel Stevens' shopping column appears Wednesdays. Her dining column appears Fridays. Reach her at 259-4080 or muriel@lasvegassun.com.

At long last, a response from Monogram Credit Card Bank of Georgia concerning Wards charging me for merchandise not received.

It has been many months since I purchased a washer and dryer and got caught in the Wards bankruptcy mess.

Briefly: The items were never delivered because the appliances were damaged and replacements were not available. What should have been a simple cancellation of the charges by the credit card issuer, Monogram Bank, became a time-consuming, frustrating hassle.

Thanks to a reader who shared with me information about the Truth in Lending Act, I was able to contact the bank and plead my case. Thousands of other loyal Wards customers were in the same fix. It was a rotten experience for all of us.

Of course, Wards continued to bill me. On each bill I returned, I noted that the bill was in dispute, but this was ignored.

Then one day I received a letter and two new charge cards for Walmart stores -- charge cards I'd never requested. I cut them up and threw them away.

The bills that followed were from Walmart/Wards. One interesting feature -- there were no late charges, just the amount of the appliances.

Finally came a letter from Monogram. The reason, it said, why I was not due a credit, was because they needed a copy of the receipt! It needed my receipts as proof of purchase? What about a signed delivery invoice showing that I had received and signed for the appliances? None existed because the appliances were never delivered.

How can it continue to bill me for merchandise when it can't even prove I made the purchase? And it does not have a receipt of the transaction! No wonder Wards went bankrupt.

Of course, I immediately sent the requested copies and added a few lines telling them what I thought about the cavalier way it had treated its charge-card holders.

How will this be resolved? I'll just have to wait and see. This letter did include a telephone number, (877) 969-1130, and a name, Richlyn A. Morris, as a contact. For those of you who have yet to resolve your Wards fiasco, call Morris.

House 2 Home: Finally managed to get to one of the new House 2 Home super stores (Henderson locale). Quite a store. The large warehouse-like space is filled with a wonderful selection of home-decorating wares. I even managed to find the hardware I needed for a new built-in bookcase and armoire.

It would take hours to thoroughly go through each department, there are so many. The range of merchandise is vast -- everything from balloon and floral arrangements to window treatments and carpets.

Knickknacks and accessories fill many aisles. A garden of realistic potted silk plants were reasonably priced and lovely.

No room of the house is neglected -- hosts of items for the kitchen, dining room, bathroom and bedroom. Gift wrapping, a gift registry and much, much more.

The only thing I couldn't find were hooks for my kitchen pegboard wall. Next stop, Home Depot.