Hi, Helaine: Here's a problem for you: While doing some holiday gift shopping online, I used my credit card and bought a sweater for myself from a small but cool clothing company. It never arrived. When I checked the tracking online, the delivery service dropped it off at the wrong address, miles from my home. When I reached out to the company, it refused to replace or refund me for the item, saying I entered the wrong ZIP code.

But here's the thing: I didn't. I checked. I entered the right address. My mom suggested I try taking my case to social media, but I'm embarrassed. Now what do I do? -- Frustrated Self-Gifter

Dear Frustrated: First, you should never be embarrassed into silence when it comes to your money. You should call the credit card issuer immediately, say you want to dispute the charge and explain why. The issuer will talk you through the process for doing so and, most likely, at least temporarily remove the charge from your bill. You will then need to send a letter detailing the dispute, and show the receipt to prove you ordered the item so that the reversal sticks. Do this ASAP.

You should also contact the attorney general and the Better Business Bureau in the state where the clothing company is located and file complaints. Besides possibly prodding the company to action, authorities should know when a company is taking consumer money and not delivering the goods.

Finally, you might also consider taking your mom's advice and mentioning the issue on social media. She's right, in a practical way. Many companies monitor their mentions online and will reach out to you privately to try to resolve an issue if you complain in a very public fashion.

But before you do all of this, contact the company in question one more time and tell it you plan to take these actions if it will not issue you a refund or a new item. Most companies don't want the black mark on their record, and will often fold when they realize you are a consumer who knows your legal rights, and you don't plan to give up.

(To ask Helaine a question, email her at askhelaine@gmail.com.)

(EDITORS: For editorial questions, please contact Sue Roush at sroush@amuniversal.com)

Hi, Helaine: For a recent significant birthday, I received a number of gift cards as presents, but I didn't use most of them. They are collecting dust in my wallet. Now that it's the holiday season, am I allowed to regift the cards, as long as I make sure not to give them back to the person who gave them to me? Or do I buckle down and find something to buy with them? -- Not a Proud Cardholder

Dear Not a Proud Cardholder: Years ago, we were told it was tacky to purchase a gift card in lieu of a gift for any reason, unless we knew for a 100% fact that the place was the recipient's favorite store or restaurant. Those days are behind us. Most of us will buy a gift card for someone at least occasionally. We do it because we are pressed for time, or because we don't want to buy something someone might not want. If we turn to a gift card to deliver just the right gift, we think we are expressing a kind thought while at the same time ensuring the recipient will get something they want.

It's also true gift cards are marketed incessantly -- and there's a rather obvious reason for that. It's easy money for a retailer or restaurateur or other service provider: An estimated 5% of the money put on gift cards will never be spent. Federal law also permits companies to charge fees on an unused balance after a year -- something some, but not all, states ban. Finally, research shows that people using gift cards will spend more than people using their own money.

I would hate to see these cards go to waste. There is a compromise position here: Use the card to buy gifts for your friends, and then wrap them up. That might just be the win-win you are looking for. You could also sell the cards online -- there are a number of sites that permit you to do just that.

But if you don't like either of these options, you can regift the cards. Make sure to check the balance remaining on the cards before regifting them. It would be rather embarrassing to discover you thought you were giving out a $25 card, but your friend got $23.01 because a company charged a $1.99 fee on it. You can easily do that by calling the phone number on the back of the card.

(To ask Helaine a question, email her at askhelaine@gmail.com.)

(EDITORS: For editorial questions, please contact Sue Roush at sroush@amuniversal.com)

Dear Helaine: My wife has been accepted into law school. It’s a private university -- a fancy, highly ranked one that costs a lot. A lot! I’m in my 40s and she’s in her mid-30s. We have investment savings, and our IRAs are on par with what is expected of folks gearing up to retire in their early 60s. We also just sold our house in San Francisco, which left us with a tidy nest egg -- enough to pay for her to attend the school, with a chunk of change left over.

My question: What should we do in terms of taking out loans vs. spending our savings? My wife wants to use her law degree for political advocacy work for the underdog, so it’s not likely we’ll have a high salary from her degree. While she is in school, my salary will support both of us, but not leave much to contribute to any kind of savings. Do we take out loans, ones that will accumulate interest while she’s studying? Or do we spend our cash on her schooling? -- Legal Loans or Savings

Dear Legal Loans or Savings: There’s a lot to unravel in this deceptively simple letter. A “fancy” law school that costs “a lot” is not necessarily synonymous with quality or future job placement outcomes. I would urge both of you, if you have not already done so, to look at law school job placement stats and determine how many people graduate with a law job in hand, or obtain one shortly after graduation, and how many of those people work in the non-profit or advocacy sector in some way. Is there a less-expensive public university that would offer an equivalent or better outcome?

But let’s say the school passes all these questions with flying colors. My advice: Use the cash set aside to pay for law school, and don’t take out loans if you can help it. This will give the two of you the most financial freedom in the long run. Many people say they want to work for the non-profit sector, but find their loan payments so fiscally constraining, they end up taking higher-paying positions (read: corporate law) they don’t really want to pursue, simply because they need the larger salary to pay their student loan tab. Do you really want to put your wife in that position?

At the same time, there is nothing stopping your wife from getting a direct, unsubsidized loan from the federal government if your family circumstances change in the future -- say, you lose the job that’s supporting the family while she’s in law school. One thing I wouldn’t factor in to the decision: public service debt forgiveness offered by the government. It’s not simply that it’s not working as intended, and few recipients are receiving the forgiveness they were led to expect -- a scandal in itself. It’s that plans change, and if your wife decides she ultimately doesn’t want to do advocacy for a non-profit, she won’t receive the debt forgiveness.

(To ask Helaine a question, email her at askhelaine@gmail.com.)

(EDITORS: For editorial questions, please contact Sue Roush at sroush@amuniversal.com)