TrustDALE Blog

The mechanic damaged my car. What can I do?

Today’s helpful hint focuses on my third step I call DEFINE. Before you purchase a product or service, I want you to define what you need it to do for you by comparing or testing products, then entertaining offers, and choosing the appropriate price.

A few weeks ago, I received a help request from a consumer who wanted to know how to be certain they are paying a fair price. I told him to pursue three quotes and let the vendors know they are competing, (unless the amount of $ is negligible).

Hi everyone! Today, we have a real consumer question from Laura regarding homeowners insurance for townhomes.

TrustDALE's Three For Thursday Welcome to TrustDALE's Three For Thursday with Consumer Investigator Dale Cardwell.

In the complex world of auto insurance, it is essential to begin by determining the minimum coverage requirements dictated by your state's legal obligations.

Dale's Consumer Do's and Don'ts December 2023

Zillow, the prominent real estate website, offers consumers an intriguing feature called Zestimates. These proprietary estimates provide an indication of a home's market value, based on a mix of public and private data sources.

Dale's Consumer Do's and Don'ts Welcome to my monthly newsletter, Dale’s Do’s and Don’ts providing suggestions for your home and family, along with cautionary tales of how to be a safe and smart consumer. Eac

Let’s talk about a very boring subject, the US Federal debt, which is now 33 trillion dollars. Why should you care? If you think of the US economy as a household that earns $50,000 per year, we spend $65,000 per year, and we have a debt of $300,000. The r

What’s the last industry leader you thought might never be toppled? Blockbuster Video comes to mind. Before streaming, Blockbuster was the Google of its time; arbitrarily deciding what movies you would rent by pre-selecting the titles, then playing tricks

Many years ago, a very wise person told me “Just because someone is elected to an office, doesn’t mean they’re qualified to hold that office.” The new mayor of Nashville was elected with just 5.4% of those eligible to vote. I know nothing about him, and I

If you’re a Phillies fan, consider yourself warned. I experienced the perfect night recently at the Braves playoff game. First, the weather was amazing. Second, it was nice to be reminded that people from all walks of life can come together in support of

What you see is all there is, is a term popularized by psychologist Daniel Kahneman to describe the cognitive phenomenon that our brains are wired to believe that the information we have is all the relevant information there is. My favorite example is fro