MESSAGE CENTER

Dianne Parlow, Bowie

I USED a TSA-approved lock purchased at a Brookstone store and TSA cut it off with no explanation. Since I had only checked one bag, I still had the second lock of the pair I bought, so I brought it and my receipt back to Brookstone, which guarantees that if TSA cuts off the lock, "bring the cut lock to any Brookstone store and it will be replaced free of charge." This assumes TSA will return the cut lock, which was not the case.

The manager was reluctant to replace the missing lock, but after some perseverance, he did give me a new pair in exchange for the one lock I still had.

Dick Feeney, Ellicott City

Grand Circle Travel

MY HUSBAND and I were awaiting our departure to Peru when we read your item on the loss of the Better Business Bureau rating by Overseas Adventure Travel, a subsidiary of Grand Circle Travel [Coming and Going, Aug. 27]. It caught our attention, as that's the company we were using.

We have just returned from the most wonderful experience we could have hoped for. Not only was our guide an education in her own right, she made sure we saw all aspects of the culture, positive and negative. All tour arrangements were commendable; all visits surpassed our expectations. The fact that we traveled with 14 other delightful folks only added to our enjoyment

Regardless of BBB's current rating, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this company.

Doris Burton, Davidsonville, Md.

YOUR ITEM was no real surprise to us. Let me add Complaint No. 136.

My wife and I booked a Grand Circle trip to Malta for October. When we booked the trip and made the final payment in June, our "Featured Hotel" was listed as the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Sliema, Malta -- a waterfront, four-star hotel rated as Superior First Class. Two weeks ago, in its new brochure, Grand Circle listed the "Featured Hotel" as the Golden Tulip Vivaldi in St. Julian's, Malta -- a four-star hotel rated as First Class and "just a short walk from the rocky public beach . . . air-conditioning available May-September only."

This is the third time that Grand Circle has made hotel changes for trips we've taken. We have had it with its cavalier attitude toward its customers.

Richard M. Patterson, Gaithersburg