By the time Heather Hampton and her husband realized what was going on, Dish Network had double-charged them for 27 months of service, or roughly $2,000 in extra payments.

At first, the Aurora couple were angry they had not noticed the error sooner.

Then they began the long process of trying to get a refund.

After weeks, the Hamptons filed a dispute with their bank, calling the second set of charges fraudulent. The bank ruled in the Hamptons’ favor and reversed 10 months’ worth of charges.

The bank told the couple it could not go back any further because older charges were beyond the statute of limitations.

“They said we were lucky we got the 10 months,” Hampton said.

That still left the couple on the hook for the other 17 months — a whopping $1,257.46 in extra payments.

Hampton said she and her husband, Justen, had been trying since late August to get the money back. At first, Dish Network representatives promised a refund within a week or two.

But after hearing the same promise for months and not seeing a penny, the couple grew angrier.

In late December, Heather Hampton called Dish Network again and was told by a customer service agent she probably was out of luck.

“He said he’d seen this before,” Hampton said. “He said ‘it’s been too long, I can’t by law refund your money.’ ”

Having reached her boiling point, Hampton e-mailed What’s Your Problem?

“We’re out $1,200,” she said. “It’s not like a couple dollars.”

Hampton said her husband discovered the error in August when he considered switching from regular programming to a high-definition package.

When he looked at his bank statements to see how much the couple had been paying, he noticed that Dish Network had been charging his account twice — at the beginning of each month and again at the end.

He did some digging and found the double-billing had started when they signed up for service in May 2007.

Heather Hampton said the couple hadn’t noticed the problem because one monthly payment was taken from the couple’s checking account, the other from a debit card.

“We never made the connection,” Hampton said. “It was our stupidity.”

Still, Hampton said she deserved a refund.

The Problem Solver agreed, and called Allyson Mylrea, a spokeswoman for Dish.

Mylrea said she couldn’t comment on the Hamptons’ case, citing privacy concerns.

But days later, a Dish representative called Hampton and said the company would refund the full $1,257.46.

When the check will arrive is unclear.

“He said, ‘You’re going to get it,’ ” Hampton said. “I said, ‘Can you tell me when I’m going to get it?’ He said, ‘No.’ ”

Hampton said Dish Network never told her why she had been double-billed.

Meanwhile, the Hamptons have switched to Comcast.

Crazy fees?

Tired of paying extra to check a piece of luggage? Has a hotel ever charged you for Internet service you did not use? Did your restaurant make you pay a dime for a straw in your soda?

The Problem Solver is compiling a list of the most bizarre and frustrating fees.

If you’ve been charged a fee that you think is excessive, or just plain stupid, e-mail the details to yourproblem@tribune.com.

We’ll run the list in a future column and on the Problem Solver’s blog, at chicagotribune.com/problemblog. You also can listen to the Problem Solver at 8:10 a.m. Wednesday on WGN-AM 720.

Read the original article from Tribune News Services.