JOHN E. ROWE, FAIRVIEW, N.C. Gosh, gee, says Providian’s Laurie Cole. ““When other customers brought this to our attention, we worked with them to come up with a solution.’’ Once the bank ““realized this was an issue,’’ she says, Providian changed its computers so that everyone got the full three months that the promotional letter promised.

Cole says the bank has no record of your call or letter (do dogs eat more than homework?). Anyway, Providian has now come up with a solution for you, too. After NEWSWEEK’S call, it refunded your interest payment.

QUESTION: In July 1989, I purchased several Series EE Savings Bonds in the name of my young son. They will earn 6 percent a year on average from the purchase until 2001. How do I get tax-free interest for education expenses? I’ll be earning $85,000 to $100,000.

NAME WITHHELD Forget about this tax break. It’s great for true middle-income people, but fades for those in the upper-middle-income range.

You have to jump through lots of hoops to get your EE-bond interest tax free. Two you’ve missed already: (1) the bonds have to have been bought since January 1990; (2) they must be registered in the name of the parent, not the child. You could redeem the bonds, pay taxes on the interest earned to date and use the proceeds to buy new bonds. But EE bonds no longer guarantee you 6 percent–and besides, there’s yet another hoop. In the year you cash in the bonds for education expenses, you’ll have to meet an income test. This year, couples get the full tax break if their adjusted gross incomes don’t exceed $76,250; over that amount the deduction declines, phasing out at $106,250. The cap for singles is $50,850, phasing out at $65,850. This cutoff rises with inflation, but face it: most of your interest won’t be deductible anyway.

Daniel Pederson of The Savings Bond Informer in Detroit, who advises on EE-bond investments, thinks you should leave yours alone. To minimize taxes, don’t start redeeming the bonds until your son is 14. If his other income is negligible, he won’t owe much. (Don’t redeem earlier. Younger children’s interest income is partly taxed in their parents’ bracket.)

P.S. for parents who’d normally qualify for the tax break but mistakenly put the bonds in their child’s name: Write to the Bureau of the Public Debt (P.O. Box 1328, Parkersburg, W.Va. 26106), pleading that you were misled about the rules. The government might retitle the bonds in your name, with no taxes owed. (No guarantee.)

QUESTION: My 73-year-old mother recently purchased a $2,000 computer for my nephews who are entering high school. Now she lives in fear that the IRS will accuse her of giving gifts to lessen her assets. She insists she read somewhere that they’re ““putting grannies in jail’’ for this. What are the rules about grandparents’ giving gifts to children and grandchildren?

L. V. ITOGAWA, JULIAN, CALIF.

The law that scared her doesn’t involve the IRS, says attorney Robert Freedman of Freedman & Fish in New York City. It’s aimed at people who use sneaky tactics to give away most of their money shortly before they enter a nursing home. If they succeed, they’ve made themselves ““poor’’–thereby forcing Medicaid (read: taxpayers) to cover their care for life. This cheat was indeed made a criminal offense, causing old folks everywhere to fear they might make some innocent, awful mistake.

Congress wisely repealed the granny clause this year (can you imagine the headlines if someone like your mom were hauled away?). Now the law applies only to any professional adviser who tries to grab Medicaid for clients who don’t really need it.

QUESTION: Can you suggest a way of tracing the status of an old stock certificate? It belongs to my father and was issued in 1964 for 100 shares of the Henry I. Siegel Co. I tracked it to a merger in 1978, but then the trail went cold.

LAURA LAPTOOK, NEW YORK, N.Y. Alas, your certificate is worthless. It says ““temporary’’ at the top. It should have been replaced by a permanent certificate and eventually exchanged for $19 a share after that merger in 1978. There’s still a Henry I. Siegel Co. in New York City, making jeans. But it’s privately owned and legally separate from the original. Your father doesn’t remember receiving any money. But years ago the company attested in court that all former shareholders had been paid.

Anyone looking for info on old stocks and bonds should turn (as I did) to the New York firm R.M. Smythe & Co. (800-622-1880). Send a copy of your certificate, not the original. Cost of a search: $75. My thanks to researcher Caleb Esterline, who made a lot of phone calls trying to get you some money.