European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 10, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday april 10, 19s7 the stars and stripes Page 3 dizzy Dollar jolts americans in Holland from Pago 1 we Down that much said Sec. Robert cd born. He Leflman Iyvind in november for hit new duty Iti Tion with the 20th combat equip co where he is the maintenance Coic at a Forward equipment storage site new the German Border at co Vorden. Osborne 35 and married has found an apartment on the Economy but the better than 20-dutch-Ccnt drop in the Guilder Exchange Rale since he arrived Al ready has changed expectations for Hij european tour. My intention was to get a Mercedes but that s All out the window unless the Dollar changes radically Osome mid a vacation in Spain that the Obs pres have been saving for is on not sure status he said. Array staff sgt. Mary Trapp is a single Parent work ing in the transportation office at Schonen. The local Day care facility hours do not mesh with her work schedule so she hires someone to come in and watch 9 year old Letitia. It costs 250 guilders each month. Trapp drives a 1978 Volkswagen Rabbit on which the pays 800 guilders liability insurance per year. Al though the vehicle is nearly a decade old Trapp said the car was in Good enough shape to avoid potentially expensive re plan under a new dutch automobile inspection Law that requires a thorough Check of All Auto mobiles More than three years old. She has turned to the Post Exchange for Many Ilams previously purchased on the Economy what is not available in Schinnen she tries to get transferred from another store through the Post Exchange system. Although her rent has Gore up j100 in the past year her various allowances reasonably equate to what you have to pay to increased costs Trapp said. Still it s just knowing that you re paying $100 More " she said. I can t really say i be gotten a $100 raise irom last  slightly More than half the local . Military Community in Holland lives near the Camp new Amster dam Home of the 32nd tac fighter so in . Going by statistics kept in the air Force Aid society office at Camp new Amsterdam More airmen Are hitting financial Shoals. In the first three months of 1986,126,995 was Given out in emergency Relief. For the first three months of this year 169,085 was Given out. Year end Utility Bills and car repairs topped the list of needs said master sol. Robert Warman who interviews All Aid applicants. But those statistics do not Tell the whole Story. The . Military Community pumped nearly $14 million into the local Economy in fiscal 1986. Accord ing to the base comptroller division some of that Money went through the g. Van ame Foort car Dealership in nearby Zisl where  it the sales manager. The americans have been Good customers for the japanese and swedish cars that the firm Sells but buying habits have changed Whsle rink said. During the Boom years Between 1983 and 198 the company sold a lol of hondas and Saab to the Ameri cans Whsle rink said. Ii was common for scr acc members to walk in and buy new hondas for the Dura lion of their Tours in those years he said. Often customers would Trade in their hondas and Purchase More expensive Saab for shipment to the Stales at the end of their Tours he said. Although the americans have turned toward buying used cars for the duration of their Tours abroad we see an increase in sates of the . Specifications Saab even with the Low Dollar Westerink said. As opposed to Many other car manufacturers swed ish automobile makers allow Dollar purchases of their cars under provisions of the duty free purchases Al Lowed members of the military. Billing prom Page 1 and that direct dealing from German Home phone would Cost about the same As the . Operator s  Trie article also said the company would Honor visa Mastercard Ameri can express carte Blanche and diners dub cards and that Calls would be itemized on credit card invoices. Itemized Billing is not offered by the German Telephone company. Eur army attributed the information to the German Bun despoil but spokesmen for the German Telephone company s press office in Bonn and its Liaison office to the american military in Frankfurt told the stars and stripes that the information did not come from them. Gail Hixenbaugh. Eur army editor says the Magazine has received Many Calls complaining about the Cost of Tele charge Calls. We realize there have been conflict ing rates Given since says Hixenbaugh but our Story does warn about the Cost to americans overseas use of inter National Tel charge sounded like a Means to Call Home without paying the expensive Bun despot Rales. Dealing through the Bunde Spost at an Exchange rate of 1.80 Marks to the Dol Lara station la Stalion Call from Ger Many to the United states can set a caller Back $6.33 for three minutes $20.44 for 10 minutes and $61.33 for half an hour. International Tel charge was soon being advertised in installation Bulle tins Bridges said. To use the service customers dial the German Access number that connects them to an operator in Dallas. The operator asks for the caller s cred it card number and its expiration Dat and then connects him to the stateside number. The Call is then supposed to be charged o the credit card with Only Cheloc Lacall to the Access number recorded on the German phone Bill. Consumers who have questioned the charges however find they Are being Given conflicting information. First i. Mark Childs contacted the company and put out a fact Sheet for the69lh signal 8n in Augsburg Germany based on the information the company gave him. The fact Sheet states that use of the Access number itself costs the same As a local German Call. In addition your credit card is charged a $2.50 surcharge plus a Cost of somewhere Between $2.50 per Nundle and $2.80 per minute depending on the distance of your Call s destination from Dallas. Person to Peison Calls through the . Operator incur an additional s3surcharge. Calls to Toh free 800 numbers and to directory assistance Cost a $2,30 sur charge. Busy or unanswered Calls Cost a  when the stars and stripes first contacted the company in March Ray Miller of customer service was reluctant to talk about charges. He said the company had begun test ing its program in Germany in novem Ber and it would be a couple of weeks before information about charges could be released. He also said that there were plans to expand the service to other countries. When the newspaper contacted the company a few weeks later a representative said the came Flat Rale will apply for a Call to anywhere on the . Main land that is a Call from Frankfurt to new York will Cost the same us a Cal from Frankfurt to los  the rate from Germany was quoted As $10.65. The company representative said Calls would be limited to three minutes when you near the three minute Mark the caller will be warned that the time is almost up he said. The representative said that the com Pany has not worked out How callers will be Able to Access 800 numbers but i is almost certain that it will offer such a.  customers who have used the service said their Calls have not been Cut off after three minutes and several have been put through to 800 numbers. Michael Mowrer editor of the Heidel Berg Herald Post called International Tel charge soon after the article appeared in eur army and asked for Bro Chures listing Billing costs. The company has not sent them when complaints began coming in Carol Raether of the acs information referral service in Heidelberg cancelled the flyer acs had put out extolling the service. One of the first consumer complaints Bridges received concerned a credit card Billing for $116.15 for a 30-minute Call to Kentucky and charge of $22.04 for a Cal to a loll free 800 number. The credit card Billing listed Only the International Tele charge name and the total charge. Another customer. Donna Ray made iwo Calls using Tel charge in on Day. She says that one of the Calls did not go through and that the other was for about 20 minutes. Her monthly credit card Bill shows one Tel charge entry for $8,04. She is not sure this is the full Billing. Sharon Brumley called Tampa Fla. Using the service. She was charged$116.15, which she feels is excessive. There was no breakdown of the Bill As to place called or minutes used. Only Billing through american express Gold card has resulted in itemized charges. One customer in Darmstadt had made his Calls through the Dallas inter National tet charge operator. The Gold card statement however listed the charges As coming from United card Reader. The caller was charged $14.78 for a four minute Call and there was a $1,50 charge for a Call that could not be  the four minute Call been made through the German phone system at an Exchange of 1,80 Marks to the Dollar it would have Cost about $8,44. When Bridges contacted the company she received yet another answer on the Cost of Calls. The operator informed me that Calls were billed As though they were being placed from Dallas and the rates therefore depended upon the Lime of the Day  rates Are lower during the evening and on weekends. She said shews told that there was a surcharge and a 20-cent-a-Minuie charge for toll free 800 numbers. When Bridges called the better Busi Ness Bureau in Dallas she said Janet wheller told her Hal because International Tel charge does not serve Consumers there the Bureau has received no complaints. Bridges said Whiller told her that the Bureau office will look into any complaints from Consumers in Germany. Customers who question their Bills says Bridges also May be Able to take advantage of the fair credit Billing act. The better business Bureau address is 2001 Bryan si., suite 850, Dallas Texas 75201. Wulff Ngum Bureau a pwt Chuck wish Ernul but Tont report veterans face fax refund deductions for a debts by William j. Bartman Washington Bureau Washington former military personnel who think they escaped paying off some government debts could be disappointed if they re awaiting a 1986 tax refund. The veterans administration is lifting Many of the debts right from the eagerly awaited checks. At the request of the a the internal Revenue service will subtract Money to cover debts for Home Loans or overpayment in areas such As education compensation and pension. The debt collection comes from a program begun in 1982 to catch parents who were skipping out on required payments to dependent children an irs spokesman said. The program worked so Well it was turned into a two year test in january 1985 to collect debts owed to the veterans administration the Small business administration the departments of education and agriculture and the housing and Urban development administration. The a in Early 1986 referred to the irs 32,000former service members owing More than $31 Mil lion. From that amount $8 million was collected and repayment plans were set up for another $9 million. So far this year 264,500 accounts owing $341 million have been referred. As of mid March $16.7 million had been collected with a total of $50 million expected. Under Federal guidelines for the program the Agency seeking the overdue payment works with the irs to match the taxpayer s social Security number to the debt. The irs is then authorized to offset any refund to satisfy the amount of the  taxpayers can Challenge the Validity of the entire collection or the amount of the debt. The Challenge is considered by the Agency seeking the payment nol the irs. We net Only As a collector Agency the irs spokesman said. If someone complains we can Only refer them to the debt  i "