Dear Do-It Man: Nineteen or 20 years ago we bought a wheat grinder as a wedding present for our son. It has been a good one, but now it has a small broken part.
He lives in Houston and can find no one there to help him.The brand name of the grinder is Retsel. The only information he has is that it was made in Idaho.
Could you find out if the company still exists so we could contact it for the needed part?
- S.N., Salt Lake City
Dear S.N.: Yes, indeed.
Retsel Corp. is still making wheat grinders, both hand-crank and electric, in McCammon, Idaho.
We asked it to send you a parts/-price list so your son can order what he needs.
If you have any questions, the company's phone number is (208) 254-3737. Its mailing address is P.O. Box 37, McCammon, ID 83250.
A source of used parts for Retsel grinders is K-TEC Inc. in Lindon, Utah, 1-800-748-5400. The company, which makes grain mills and multifunction kitchen machines, is a dominant player in the household grain mill market.
It has a large inventory of used parts for other makes of grain mills, too.
Shirt didn't materialize
Dear Do-It Man: A little over three years ago I purchased a Gant dress shirt from a local department store for $27.89. When I got it home and opened it, I found a couple of noticeable flaws in the fabric. This surprised me because my brother and I have bought a number of Gants in the previous 15 to 20 years and we never had any complaints with their quality.
Instead of returning the shirt to the store, I sent it to the Pennsylvania address printed on the guarantee statement that came with the shirt. I assumed a replacement would be sent immediately.
I never received the promised replacement. I did get a postcard from Gant's customer service department apologizing for the delay in processing my return.
The company said it did not have a suitable replacement in its inventory when it received my shirt. Subsequently, Gant's dress shirt line was licensed to another company and the request for a replacement shirt for me was for-warded to that company.
Gant apparently contacted the licensee to ensure that it would send my shirt. I did not, however, receive it.
In a last gasp effort, I thought I would write you to see if you could help me obtain a replacement shirt or a refund.
- J.B., West Valley City
Dear J.B.: After numerous telephone calls to various cities along the East Coast, we discovered that Crystal Brands, Gant's parent company, is no longer in business. The company was located in Allentown, Pa.
Van Heusen purchased Gant out of the ashes of Crystal Brand's bankruptcy.
We contacted the customer service manager at Van Heusen by phone. She first checked to see if they had a shirt in your size (they don't), so she's having a refund check send to you.