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We don't want you to know this but....
Maybe my sense of humor is warped, but I'm cracking up over some of the lines in a new book, 1,001 Things They Won't Tell You, by Jonathan Dahl and the editors of Smart Money magazine. (Workman, $16.95)
We'll let you borrow more than you can afford -- from the college financial aid office.
We'll disconnect you in a heartbeat -- from the utility company
This bottled water is actually tap water - from the gourmet grocer
We're more secretive than the CIA - from the home insurer
Once you'll move in, you'll never see me again - from the home builder
It's hilarious, in a consumers-are-toast sort of way.
I learned something from each one of these statements. And the utility, by the way, will charge you a disconnect and a reconnect fee in addition to just cutting you off.
I'm not much into guides on how to spend money, but this one is good. The subtitle: An Insider's Guide to Spending, Saving, and Living Wisely.
Kudos to anyone who can make consumer battles amusing and turn them into something we can learn from.
Harriet Johnson Brackey, the personal finance writer for the Sun-Sentinel, has been an award-winning business...
Comments
HURRICANE SCAM ALERT!!!
Here’s how it works. You suffer damage to your property. Your insurance company refuses to pay the full amount that it will take to repair your property. Someone recommends a Public Adjuster Claim Service to you. The salesman (who works on commission) states that his company is the best in the business, guarantees that he will get you the additional money that you need to fully repair the damage and will do all of this quickly. All of this is offered for a fee of 20% of the additional money you get when the claim is settled. Out of financial and emotional desperation, you sign their contract. You are now officially scammed.
Be advised that a Public Adjuster Claim Service is nothing more than a licensed insurance salesman. He has no more influence over your insurance company than you do.
Before you sign a Public Adjuster Claim Service contract (they are all from the same “boilerplate”), know that this contract can NEVER be cancelled (after the three-day right to rescind has passed), does not have a termination or expiration date, does not specify what will be specifically provided or delivered, lives on until the claim is settled, cannot be terminated for failure to deliver (breach of contract) and the Public Adjuster Claim Service is legally entitled to receive his fee (because of the contract wording) even if he has nothing to do with the settlement. In fact, he doesn’t have to do a thing to collect his full fee!
In my case, after I signed his contract, it was filed away waiting for someone to settle the claim. It is guaranteed money to the Public Adjuster Claim Service.
The Public Adjuster Claim Service that I contracted with did nothing for seven months – not even call me. I fired them – I thought. I hired an attorney who settled the case/claim 15 months later. Because of the Public Adjuster Claim Service contract, I was still obligated to pay his $19,000 fee.
If this sounds like sour grapes, call the State of Florida Consumer Protection Agency (877-693-5236) and ask them to verify my statements and the reputation of the Public Adjuster Claim Service. The only way to stop this cheating scam is to change the law. Better yet, don’t sign a Public Adjuster Claim Service contract.
Hire an attorney if you need to and don’t let them charge you more than a 20% fee. And a reputable contractor will provide a free quote to repair your damage that can be given to your attorney to forward to your insurance company.
BEWARE. DON’T HIRE A PUBLIC ADJUSTER CLAIM SERVICE. You will be scammed like me.
Posted by: Mordy Ki | July 10, 2009 10:48 AM