Problems never take a holiday.

They prompted more than 20 readers to e-mail or call me while I was out of the office last week.

Some were routine, such as billing problems, and required only a phone call or two to take care of. Others were more complicated and will take more time. Here are some of the latter:

A senior citizen complained in an anonymous e-mail about the lack of heat in his apartment. He said he and other older tenants in the multibuilding complex hadn't complained to the owner and/or property manager because they feared retaliation, primarily in the form of a rent increase.

Owners and/or property managers may be many things, but they aren't mind readers. The tenants should have contacted them. A phone call should have sufficed. If not, a petition and/or certified letter could have stated the tenants' concerns -- and documented them in case further action was necessary.

The tenant who contacted me was so focused on being anonymous that he didn't leave a name or phone number. More importantly, he also didn't provide the name of the apartment complex or its address.

I know a comfortable temperature for some is an uncomfortable temperature for others. I also know that determining that comfort level can vary by age and gender. But the Allegheny County Health Department requires the owners of rental properties to maintain at least 68 degrees of heat in their units during cold weather.

I emphasized the latter point in my response to the anonymous e-mail. I said I would protect his or her identity. I also said I wanted to visit his or her apartment to confirm that the overnight temperatures are as cold as the tenant said they are.

I called Guillermo Cole, a spokesman for the county Health Department. He was as concerned as I was that there may be owner(s)/operator(s) of an apartment complex somewhere in the county who aren't providing enough heat for the tenants.

The anonymous tenant hasn't responded to my e-mail.

Several readers also contacted me about problems they are having with the companies who provide their cable television, Internet and/or cell phone service.

Jack Ryan of Penn Hills realizes his cable TV bill will increase if more channels are added. What he doesn't understand is why his bill isn't decreased when his provider deducts channels. If he calls back with the name of the cable company, his address and account number, I'll ask the company to review his account and respond to his complaint.

Bob Haller of McCandless said a large branch -- "at least eight inches in diameter" -- is leaning heavily on one of Verizon's multipurpose communications lines that runs along the company's right of way near his home.

He said a Verizon customer service representative told him the company wasn't interested in doing anything about it unless and until the branch succumbed to gravity and brought down the wire. I relayed Mr. Haller's concerns in a voice mail to a company spokesman who is scheduled to return to the office today. Preventative maintenance may be in order here.

Eric Slan of Moon, a self-employed computer technician, said he had been on the phone with Verizon for three weeks because that's how long his DSL service has been out. "It's driving me batty," he said. Fortunately, one of the company's top customer service representatives was able to get his service restored.

A former Comcast customer, who switched to Verizon, made arrangements to have a Comcast employee stop at his house on Dec. 21 to pick up its equipment. The Comcast employee didn't show and the man's wife lost a full day of work waiting for him.

Comcast then sent the couple a bill for $200 for failing to return the equipment. A Comcast spokeswoman said the company is investigating the complaint and will get back to me.

How's your credit?

If you do nothing else for yourself in 2008, take a few minutes -- that's all it will take -- to obtain a free credit report from each of the country's three major credit reporting bureaus -- Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. The easiest way to get them is to call 1-877-322-8228 and follow the prompts. They should arrive in a few weeks.

Why bother?

The reports can help determine if you're a victim of identity theft and/or uncover mistakes that could lower your credit score. According to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, one in four credit reports contain errors that can cause consumers to be denied everything from credit to a job.

After reviewing his reports, one reader discovered that Equifax listed as open a charge account at a big box store that he had closed several years ago after the company made a series of billing snafus. And the Experian report listed an incorrect former address. He had never lived there. He has contacted both bureaus to correct the mistakes.

Be resolved

Resolve to be a more savvy consumer in the new year.

Follow the example of James and Barbara Klein of Point Breeze. They were notified online that they had "won" $820,000 in a South African lottery. It was a scam, of course, and their laugh-and-delete response to it was -- shall we say -- right on the money.

If you have a complaint against a company and have been unable to resolve it, contact the state Bureau of Consumer Protection at www.attorneygeneral.gov or by calling 1-800-441-2555 and/or the Better Business Bureau at www.pittsburgh.bbb.org and 412-456-2700.

The bureau, formerly criticized for being unresponsive to consumer complaints, now banishes members who fail to respond to even one consumer complaint.