Dear Do-It Man: I sent away for a sample of perfume called Truly Lace. I never did get the perfume. My cancelled check (the sample cost $1) has a cancellation stamp on the back of it that says Fleet Bank, East Hartford, CT. I would like the sample of perfume, if possible.

- E.W., Salt Lake City.Dear E.W.: Tracking down this sample offer proved to be impossible because we had so little to go on. We didn't know the name of the company. Nor did we have an address. Of the Postal Inspector, the Better Business Bureau and the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, none had any information on a company or promotion called "Truly Lace."

That was as we expected, but you've got to give us credit for trying.

When we called you to break the news, you told us you had purchased a bottle of the perfume, which was a product of Coty Cosmetics. You told us you had mailed the company a letter of complaint.

We called Coty's offices in New York City and spoke to the product manager. She apologized for the oversight, saying the fulfillment company they had hired for that promotion hadn't always performed up to expectations. (We assume the fulfillment company is in Hartford, CT.)

In addition to your complaint, she had received several others.

She promised to send you a free bottle of perfume to compensate you for your trouble. It looks like you get two bottles of perfume for the price of one.

HYPERTENSION

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A recent study cites "white coat hypertension," a term coined for those whose blood pressure rises in the presence of a doctor.

Such occurrences can cause misdiagnosis for as many as one in five patients. According to the study, as many as 20 percent of patients treated for hypertension may be getting unnecessary medication.

Many doctors fear the side effects of medications aiming to lower blood pressure may be too dangerous for the borderline patient.

--Associated Press

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