A few weeks ago, Messed Up viewer, Glenda Reavis presented us with a problem.
Reavis claims she brought her dog to the veterinarian for a routine check up. She says, the procedure cost $57.75. Reavis tells Messed Up she checked her receipt and everything looked fine, until she got home and read her bank statement.
That’s when she got a serious case of sticker shock.
According to Reavis, the animal hospital charged her 100 times that amount for a whopping $5,775!
That’s a serious mistake, especially for a woman on a fixed income.
Reavis claims that a month passed and the veterinarian still had not refunded her the money charged to her account. Reavis says she took the problem up with her bank and the animal hospital but neither was any help. She was frustrated and didn’t know what to do so that is when she contacted Messed Up.
We learned that the card over charged was a debit and it was affiliated with Visa. We presented her a few suggestions and then advised her to bring this issue up with Visa.
Reavis says, because of our advice, people started to listen, and soon she had a successful remedy.
We are happy to inform you that Visa was able to get her money back from the animal hospital.
A friend of the family wrote to thank us. Actually, she mostly thanked Messed Up super intern: Evan Latham, who worked tirelessly on this issue for the Reavis family.
Evan,
I just want to say thank you for all your help with getting my friend, Glenda Reavis, money back from a local vet that had charged her $5,775.00 instead of $57.75. You gave her suggestions to try that lead to her getting every penny back and she got it back fast. Evan, you made her a very happy woman and for that we are very grateful. If not for all your hard work, I’m not sure if she would have all her money to this day, so again I say thank you and God bless you in all that you do. Channel 2 is the best, and has a great employee, THANKS EVAN YOUR THE BEST!!
Forever a fan, Candice Hunt
Evan had a big smile on his face when he read this letter, so thanks for sending it Candice!
They say there’s a silver lining in every storm cloud.
The Jenkins family of Madison might agree.
The Jenkins lost almost everything they own in May’s devastating flood, including a prosthetic foot.
That’s right; James Jenkins’ prosthetic foot broke when he entered the flood waters to save the family dog.
His wife, Crystal, has no job and no insurance and things were looking bleak.
Messed Up ran a story about how the woman was fired from her job after the tragedy. We only briefly mentioned the part about her husband’s foot being destroyed.
That was enough.
Monette Cowan of Nashville Orthotic and Prosthetic Services saw the story and knew she needed to help, so she contacted That is Messed Up.
“That is what we do. We deal with this every day. It was very sad; the one part that caught my attention was the man who lost his foot.”
“Is that when bells went off,” I laugh out loud. “Did it go DING DING DING!”
“Yes. We got into this field to help people. We are more sympathetic and understand when people can’t walk and we could fix that and we did.”
Monette told her co-worker Tim Leppert who personally helped fit Mr. Jenkins with the $2,500 gift.
“I was not able to get out and help the flood victims and it was a way to support a flood victim.”
Mrs. Jenkins says the gift means a great deal to her family and she is very grateful.
Andrew writes,
I saw on the TV that Nashville Shores is opening. My question is where did
they get 1 million gallons of water to fill their pools if Metro is still
on water conservation? What gives? Did Nashville Shores use Metro Water?
That’s Messed Up looked into the matter.
We contacted John Kennedy who is the Metropolitan Human Resources Assistant Director for Metro Water.
He says Nashville Shores advised Metro Water that their pools were filled in April, 2010 using Metro water. This was before the flood and water restrictions, so they are reusing the water that has been in the pools since before the flood.
The wall at the Nashville National Cemetery is finally being repaired after it was destroyed in two separate auto wrecks in the summer of 2009.
Kim Mahone’s grandparents are buried in a grave site next to the wall. She felt that the garbage, debris, rock and crime tape left at the crash site were disrespectful to her grandparent’s memory.
Mahone called Messed Up and we called the cemetery’s director, Paul Martin, who agreed.
The problem was allocation of funds to do the job.
We stayed on the issue and as of Tuesday, March 9, 2010, it looks like there is resolution.
Martin said work crews started fixing the wall, and it should be done by the end of the month.
“Of course we care about what happens in the cemetery and how it affects the next of kin of our soldiers,” Martin told Messed Up by phone.
He added, “We know the entire wall needs to be replaced but we wanted to fix this section first.”
“We hope everyone is satisfied with what we are doing, and this will resolve the issue. We apologize for the length of time it has taken to get there, but now, we hope all are pleased.”
Martin told Messed Up the rest of the cemetery wall will be fixed in 2011.
Just a note to let you know that perseverance does pay off. Had my final court date today. The dog owner has paid all my out of pocket expenses through the criminal court in restitution. He has also provided certification of vaccination status on the dog, which is still alive and kicking. It’s been a long road, but staying the course was definitely worth it.
If you see those dogs continuing to run loose on Posey Hill road, PLEASE call animal control to report them. I hope this owner has learned his lesson.
On another note, there is a workgroup meeting on Tuesday evening, Feb 9, at the county courthouse in the county commission conference room 2. The purpose of this group is to write a proposal for implementing a system to quarantine dogs that bite. This resolution will be going before the full commission, but I’m not sure when. Will know more after Tuesday. The meeting is at 5:30 if you are interested in attending. I am going to be making a statement during the comment phase. This is a first step toward overhauling the county animal control program.
We are going to get this fixed!!! Good things are happening - we just need to hang in there and stay strong!
A Montgomery family has lived at the same Cunninham address for almost a quarter century.
Suddenly, unexpectedly, important bank information started getting lost.
According to Kristie Sullivan, the envelopes had her correct name and address, but for some reason, the post office was covering her correct address with a yellow sticker, then forwarding the mail onto Fort Campbell.
The Sullivan family complained to the postal carrier, to their local postal representatives, and to the bank sending the correspondence.
Everyone said they would fix the problem, but the family tells Messed Up, the problem continued.
Kristie Sullivan says it began roughly a year ago, after a Fort Campbell family that had been staying with them, moved onto the post, and had their mail forwarded there.
The family’s last name is Williams. Mr. Sullivan’s first name is William.
Could something so innocuous be the cause of the mix up?
It turns out the answer is yes.
Beth Barnett at the Nashville Post office tells me, it was a perfect storm of mis-information.
Barnett says the problem starts with the banking institution and the way they are addressing their labels.
Barnett called the data on the envelopes “noisy”.
She says the high speed scanners used by the P.O. scan 35,000 pieces of mail an hour. Because of the way the information was placed on the mailing labels, and the way it is read at the post office, Barnett says, for lack of a better term, the scanners were confused. Add to that, Mr. Sullivan’s first name is the same as the last name of the Williams family, and you have a recipe for lost mail.
Barnett says if Mr. Sullivan’s first name was Bob, this would never have happened.
All the same; Barnett says the problem is fixed, and the post office is working with the banking institution to correct the noise in their mailing labels.
“We have tried everything. The bank even called. One statement went back to them as undeliverable and unknown address,” Mrs. Sullivan says holding multiple envelopes addressed to her, but containing forwarding stickers as well.
Sullivan says nobody could fix the problem for almost a year. Messed Up makes a single call and the post office says the matter is cleared up.
Another year has come and gone in the messed up department. You viewers sent us 1000’s of emails and we told hundreds of your stories.
Hello 2010.
But before we tackle the next decade, a quick look back at some of the Messed Up stories that were. The idea was to give viewers a top ten list so they could vote for their favorite messed up story.
It was hard to pick just 10 stories from an entire year. I went through each month picking entries that seemed memorable, or interesting, or where we helped someone. I easily had over 30 possible candidates for a top ten list.
So how to narrow it down? Well, I went to the people who are with me day by day in the messed up trenches.
Vince and Kinsey in Art. Christian in the internet department. Trusty photog Al Devine.
Garth Brooks: This was the story about the mother who tried to buy her daughter tickets to a Vegas show. There was a major credit card snafu and she ended up with no tickets. Messed Up got involved, called The Wynn Hotel and now the family is heading to see their favorite performer early next year.
50-dollar ticket for warming up car: A Madison mom is taking her infant son to the doctor. It’s 17 degrees outside, so she warms up her car, unattended. She gets a ticket.
Rutherford Co. Landfill. Local officials complained of constant dirt, mud, muck coming off on the road and fences near the landfill. After Messed Up gets involved the landfill pledges to hose truck tires off and clean up the surrounding streets.
Guns in state legislature: One of the more volatile issues we covered. Legislators vote on two controversial gun bills that would allow guns in restaurants and parks. Messed Up questions whether guns should also be allowed on Capitol Hill.
Wheel Chair Ramp. A Murfreesboro strip mall is built before handicap accessible ramps are required. Wheel chair bound woman complains to Messed Up and we get the property owner to fix the problem.
Music Boxes. State workers at Charlotte and 6th complain that music is too loud. Public Works turns the music off. 800 votes later, the majority of viewers say turn the music back on.
Cat Man. Maury County man baits traps to catch stray animals. The man is breaking no laws; many of you still felt it was messed up.
Black Friday. Woman purchases 700 dollar Sears Washer/Dryer on Black Friday. After months of getting the corporate run-a-round, she calls Messed Up. In a few days we not only get the woman her product, but Sears agrees to upgrade her to a more deluxe model at no added cost.
Church hit and run. Someone drove their truck into the side of a small Maury County Church. There was a lot of evidence left at the scene, but deputies were stumped. Messed Up airs the story, and the case comes together. The suspect apologizes to the community in an interview with that is messed up.
Left for dead. A man is riding his bike in Lavergne. A vehicle hits him and knocks him a cold ditch. He is found barely alive. Messed Up tries to find the hit and run driver. So far we have been unsuccessful.
This story barely beat the guns in legislature story, by the slimmest of margins, 6 votes!
The update here:
Though she was issued the citation in February, Jenn George tells me that she didn’t pay the ticket for 8 months. She says Metro lost her ticket. Hmmmmm. That was the focus of another Messed Up story, where Metro Traffic officials say, clerks hid almost 4,000 tickets.
Once found, the tickets were mailed out to everyone, including George.
Now with a 2nd baby in the house, I asked Mrs. George if she still warms up her car unattended.
She surprised me by saying; “yes,” adding she keeps her eye on the driveway now, in case a cop drives by.
You may remember at the time, area Councilman, Mike Craddock equated the ticket to a ticket quota. He vowed to pass a new law that would clarify this one issue.
By email; Craddock tells me:
We introduced a BILL and deferred it indefinitely because there were a lot of logistical problems with it such as do we allow homeowners and not apartment dwellers? Or another one is just private property? Every store or shopping center is private property. We’ll have to sort through all of those questions before we can pass a good bill.
Michael Craddock Councilmember District 4 michael.craddock@nashville.gov home
226-0521 office 862-6780
Have a safe and UN-MESSED-UP 2010 EVERYONE!!
I received a call from Tera Swafford, of the Swafford Law firm who represents USPO, an affiliate of Adventure Sports and Igovincent. USPO is the company that does business in Tennessee having had a drop zone in Clarksville and now Waverly, Tennessee.
Ms. Swafford indicated that her client gives the stickers/signs to its customers. She asked whether her client could have a month to remove the signs, and asked for a continuance of tomorrow’s trial. She’s also ask for a list of all the locations where the signs have been posted.
I shared with her that Metro’s primary concern is having the signs removed, and I agreed to share our lists and pictures to help her accomplish the sign removal. I also indicated that Metro would oppose her motion for a continuance unless we could nail down an agreed order setting a minimum number of signs to be removed each week with periodic status hearings set for Environmental Court until all the signs are removed. Ms. Swafford indicated she thought her client would agree to that and she’d speak with them further today about entering an agreed order to that effect. I’m sending her a draft agreed order to include the relief Metro is seeking and proposed status hearing dates.
Susan T. Jones
Assistant Metropolitan Attorney
Metropolitan Department of Law
We spoke with residents who were upset to see stickers for a local sky diving company vandalizing public property throughout Hillsboro Village.
Since our report, Metro Legal has compelled the company featured on those stickers into court later this week to answer some questions. On top of that, Metro Legal says they have witnesses who they hope will help the city put a stop to the alleged vandalism.
Shelbyville residents say smoke billows across their neighborhood every day.
Residents say the smoke makes them sick and burns their eyes.
Residents tell Messed up the smoke comes from a nearby pallet company that burns waste wood adjacent to their homes.
Jay Wolfe is 61 years old. He is a Vietnam Vet and two time Purple Heart recipient.
The Shelbyville resident says the smoke is so bad in his neighborhood it has become unbearable for him, for his ailing wife, and for his neighbors.
Residents describe running in and out of their homes, quickly slamming doors to keep smoke from getting in. Neighbors describe beautiful 70 degree days when they want to open windows but cannot. Residents tell me that their neighborhood smells like a campfire night and day.
I call multiple agencies in Shelbyville about the company.
Brian Nicholson is the fire marshal. He tells me he has been to the incinerator and it does not pose a problem and the owner does not need a permit to burn the waste wood inside the city limit.
“They are not required to have a permit,” Nicholson says. “They are burning in a container manufactured for the purpose. We are aware of it. It is no fire hazard whatsoever.”
What about smoke I ask?
“That is an EPA issue,” the fire fighter counters.
David Langford is a city codes official. He tells me that he has been to the incinerator because of complaints from residents.
“I did smell the “pungent” smell of smoke,” he says. “I said let me call Brian Nicholson and see what his fire inspections show. Brian told me the epa had been out there before, the incinerator has a bag system, and at times, if the bag system is too full and not cleaned out it will puff out, smoke will come out.”
I call the air pollution division of T.D.E.C. which tells me that burning waste wood is EXEMPT from any regulatory authority in the state of Tennessee.
While that may be the case, PIO, Meg Lockhart tells me that the agency is investigating whether the company owner needs a permit to operate the incinerator due to the size of the machine and the fact that it runs on gasoline or diesel.
I go to the company for answers. The owner does not wish to go on camera, but by phone he surprises me, telling me that the reason his incinerator is not burning on the day I visit is because he has stopped burning for good.
The owner tells me:
He is looking at ways to sell the waste material rather than burning it.
He is tired of complaints from the neighbors and visits from city officials and Messed Up reporters and he wants to be a good neighbor.
He says he would rather have everyone happy and be a good business man.
I tell neighbors of his decision and they applaud.
The issue is very complex and Meg Lockhart with TDEC sends me a thorough note to explain what has transpired and what might happen in the future. Here a few bullet points from her note:
Complaint filed Oct. 1 with the Division of Air Pollution Control / Columbia Environmental Field Office
Investigation found owner once transported waste wood, but started burning it because it was cheaper. That prompted many neighborhood complaints.
The state’s air quality act says: burning of wood waste is exempt from TDEC’s regulatory authority
The owner did not have a permit to operate the incinerator. TDEC is investigating whether that is a violation.
State lawmakers have asked TDEC to investigate whether laws governing wood waste burning should be strengthened.
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They say there’s a silver lining in every storm cloud. 
That was enough.
“Yes. We got into this field to help people. We are more sympathetic and understand when people can’t walk and we could fix that and we did.”
He added, “We know the entire wall needs to be replaced but we wanted to fix this section first.”
Here’s a nice Messed Up Update to 
On another note, there is a workgroup meeting on Tuesday evening, Feb 9, at the county courthouse in the county commission conference room 2. The purpose of this group is to write a proposal for implementing a system to quarantine dogs that bite. This resolution will be going before the full commission, but I’m not sure when. Will know more after Tuesday. The meeting is at 5:30 if you are interested in attending. I am going to be making a statement during the comment phase. This is a first step toward overhauling the county animal control program.
The Shelbyville resident says the smoke is so bad in his neighborhood it has become unbearable for him, for his ailing wife, and for his neighbors.
