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Stores must settle
any overcharges

Question: I recently purchased some items at a local store. When I got home, I noticed that I had been charged full price for an item that was supposed to be 30 percent off. I returned to the store the next day and was told that although I had I been charged the incorrect price, my only recourse for their mistake was to select another item "now" as the store does not give any refunds. All the items in the shop were priced higher than the amount I was overcharged, so I ended up spending an additional sum of money. Although the store's receipt says, "All sales final. No return. No exchange. No refund," I feel I should have been entitled to a monetary refund. Is a strict no-refund policy permissible, even when the store is the party that "screwed up"?

Answer: This isn't an issue of a store's refund policy. It's a matter of overcharging a customer.

You should have been given back your overcharge, period, said Stephen Levins, executive director of the state Office of Consumer Protection.

He said you should file a complaint with OCP. Call 587-3222.

Basically, Levins said, two wrongs -- charging you the extra 30 percent, then requiring you to make another purchase -- don't make a right.

Q: What happened to the Green Maestro Gecko and the Piano-Playing Gecko that fronted the Neal Blaisdell Center? They always brought smiles to people who walked by them. Especially me, since I park at the Blaisdell every morning.

A: The two whimsical creatures, among 50 "Geckos in Paradise" created as a fund-raiser for the nonprofit Kapiolani Health Foundation last year, are now in private hands.

Artists around the state donated their time and talents to personalizing each gecko, which were then sold to "sponsors" ("Kokua Line," April 18). Sponsorships raised $250,000 for the foundation.

The geckos were displayed around town on private and public properties, but after a period of time, their owners were allowed to take possession.

The two geckos -- "The Conductor" and "And All That Jazz" -- displayed at the Blaisdell were sponsored by Carolyn Berry, chairwoman laureate of the Honolulu Symphony. She then donated them to be auctioned off at the Symphony Ball, a fund-raising event to benefit the symphony's programs and concerts.

Q: I'm new here. Where can I recycle my bottles and cans? Can they be crushed?

A: You did not indicate where you live. There are redemption sites throughout Oahu. You can find a listing on the city's Web site www.opala.org/BottleBill/Redemption_Centers.htm, or call the redemption companies directly: Reynolds Recycling, 487-2802; Honolulu Recovery Systems, 842-3602; RRR Recycling Systems Hawaii, 845-9313; or Island Recycling, 845-1188.

Cans can now be crushed. You can find more information on the state Department of Health's Web site www.HI5deposit.com, or by calling 211.

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