Three for Thursday 05.19.2022
Welcome to TrustDALE's Three For Thursday with Consumer Investigator Dale Cardwell.
A lot of my consumer philosophy came from my years with Clark Howard. I'm happy to say I'm having a similar impact on my current colleagues. Our Senior Producer Marnie Zambri recently discovered her satellite radio subscription had auto renewed for nearly three hundred dollars, which was hundreds of dollars higher than her original fee. She also noticed her subscription to an online newspaper had auto renewed at $14 per month, an increase from her sign-up fee of $1 per week! What did Marnie do? She didn't panic and cancel, she called and negotiated, getting her satellite radio renewal down to just $80 and her newspaper down to the original $1 per week. The lesson? Be very mindful of your auto renewing agreements; believe me - the vendors are. Secondly, don't be afraid to negotiate, they're ready for you to do so, but are hoping and counting on that you won't!
Watch this Investigation
Today's investigation - Bad Boat Motor. Russell lives for fishing, but he can't get on the lake! See how TrustDALE made the difference.
Ask Dale
Today's Ask Dale question comes from Jason, who wants to know if a sign simply claiming no liability, removes the liability from a responsible party. Watch, because this really can happen to you!
Click the video for the answer.
Todays Lesson on how to be a Savvy Consumer!
Today's seven-point lesson is how to pursue a claim for compensation.
Fast - Do they want your money NOW? If you've paid 100 percent of the fee before you get the product, it's likely the seller will have no incentive to repair or refund your money.
Funds - Is the investment required relevant to the promised payoff? If you paid significantly below market rate for a product, its likely they have adjusted any after the sale compensation to a number you won't be happy with.
Found - A person who intends to rip you off will make certain he can't be found after he gets your money. A person who takes great care to not be found after the sale will not compensate you for a faulty or defective product.
Define - Your deal by comparing product, Offer and Price. Carefully considering the offer to make certain it includes provisions for compensation in the event of product fault or failure is a must.
Ensure - Your deal with an Ethical negotiation, an Equitable contract, and an Effective Guarantee. Much like carefully examining the offer, carefully examining the contract and guarantee process will protect you from buyer's remorse in the event you need to file a request or claim for compensation.
Authenticate - Your deal by requesting References, checking reviews, and examining government and watchdog reports. Checking reviews for a company's after the sale performance will protect you from making the mistake of hiring a company that has a history of failing to compensate
Legitimize - your deal by determining if the company has a business license, liability insurance and is Lawsuit and background checked. These are important assurances but won't necessarily protect you from a company that doesn't want to fairly compensate you in the event of product fault or failure.
SCAMMERS BEWARE: SEASONED CONSUMER INVESTIGATOR DALE CARDWELL GIVES READERS A GAME PLAN TO AVOID RIP-OFFS