1974: Before The Fixer, consumers relied on Action Time
Dec. 1, 1974, marked the debut of a Chicago Sun-Times column that helped harried Chicagoans with their most vexing consumer problems -- a new feature called Action Time.
Organized by editor Tom Sheridan, the column was an instant hit with readers.
"Action columns are simply grass-roots journalism on an individual basis," Sheridan said a week before the launch, "close to what a newspaper should be doing for its readers.
"People who don't know where to turn, even where public or private services are already available, have traditionally turned to newspapers."
From 1974 until November 1989, Action Time helped consumers who'd been given a runaround on everything from car repairs to missing mail-order items. Some weeks, Action Time got more than 1,000 letters.
When the column ended -- Sheridan later became the Sun-Times' religion reporter -- the paper was besieged by readers who felt they'd lost a friend.
The newspaper resurrected the idea of a consumer-help column in September 2005 with the launch of The Fixer. Written by consumer reporter Stephanie Zimmermann and running four times a week in the Sun-Times, The Fixer aims to resolve some of our readers' thorniest consumer problems, as well as provide useful advice on how to avoid scams.
So far, The Fixer has gotten readers a total of a whopping $382,443 in refunds, rebates, bill corrections and replacement goods and services.
And readers have responded with comments like: "The public needs people like you and the Sun-Times to fight for the little guy."
We're happy to help.