Check Out Dale at the Decatur Book Fair

Last Saturday, Dale spoke at the Decatur Book Fair in support of his new book, “Don’t Get Scammed: Get Smart!” You can pre-order a copy right here! In his new book, Dale shares a consumer-oriented breakdown of his seven steps to spotting a scam and ensuring you are doing business with reliable businesses.

Protect Yourself in Seven Steps

Dale uses a seven-point investigative strategy to select the companies he suggests on TrustDALE. He is so confident in his strategy that he has put his name and money behind it. Dale’s trademark $10,000 Make-It-Right™ Guarantee is his stamp of approval. In addition, TrustDALE has over a 99% consumer satisfaction rate. That means that consumers are really benefiting from the TrustDALE method, and everyone is happy.

So how do you protect yourself? Your first stop should always be TrustDALE.com, where you can find hundreds of businesses that have been vetted and approved by Dale and his team. Every business listed on TrustDALE.com has passed Dale’s investigative review and agreed to let Dale be the final word in negotiating any disputes with consumers. They also all benefit from Dale’s $10,000 Make-It-Right™ Guarantee.

But if you are going to be looking outside of the TrustDALE Circle of Excellence, Dale has some great tips to keep you safe out there in the real world.

Some Strategies to Protect Yourself

One place to start when working with any company is to make sure you can find them when you need to. If you have no way of finding or getting in touch with a company, they can easily take your money and run. And even if you get a court to rule against them, if the courts can’t find them, you may never get the money you’re deserved. And unscrupulous businesses know that disappearing is the best way to avoid making it right. So always make sure that you have a way to contact the business and a physical address before you hire anyone.

You also want to make sure that the business has a clean record. Check on a business’ court records. If a business is being sued in small claims court over and over, that’s a bad sign. Even if the court doesn’t always rule in favor of the consumer, a business that is pushing people into court is not one you want to do business with.

Fast, Funds, Found

The three F’s of smart purchasing are fast, funds, found.

If a company is trying to get you to hand over money fast, take a step back. A common technique that scammers use is to try to separate you from your money before you have time to make a considered decision. They may even try to get you to give them cash on the spot, and discourage you from waiting to talk to your significant other. They know that if you think for too long, you’ll see through their scam. So if anyone is pressuring you to make a decision right here and now, take a step back or bid them farewell. 

The second F, funds, is about how much money a business asks for or promises. Any company that is offering to do a job for way below the market rates should raise a red flag. There’s probably a reason everyone else charges more, and also a good reason why this business is willing to take less. Often, a scammer will quote an unbelievably low price because they don’t intend on ever doing the work. Also, look out when any business promises outsized returns. If a company is making unbelievable claims, don’t believe them. A little common sense goes a long way toward defeating this scam.

The final F, found, is like what we said before. A company that can’t be found is a company that can get away with just about anything. Never do business before you know that you will be able to find a company in case something goes wrong.

Learn More

To learn more of Dale’s top strategies for spotting scammers and staying safe, pre-order his book “Don’t Get Scammed: Get Smart!” You’ll be glad you did.