Three for Thursday 05.20.2021
Welcome to TrustDALE's Three For Thursday with Consumer Investigator Dale Cardwell.
Perspective. I was reminded of that word this past week when our TrustDALE GM Laura Lovejoy brought a few Make It Right requests to my attention. In case you're not familiar our Make It Right guarantee is the strongest and most efficient of its kind on the market, because companies have agreed in writing that I'm in charge of deciding what it takes to make it right. If you check our TrustDALE website, you'll see most of the companies I recommend have "contact to concern" ratios of less than .01 to .02 of a percent. That's a REAL measure of how many successful, pain free appointments we create compared to the number of concerns we receive about performance. When my GM brings two to three concerns to my attention, it GETS my attention, but when I take a step back, I recognize we facilitated thousands of successful transactions that didn't get my attention, because that's what's supposed to happen. Next time you're overwhelmed with seemingly bad news, remember the word "perspective."
Watch this Investigation
Consumer Investigation - Job offer con via Fed Ex. Watch because This Could Happen to You!
Ask Dale
Today's Real Consumer Question is from Jo Ann, who wants to know if the nice boy at her door selling a subscription - allegedly for charity - ripped her off. The answer Jo Ann, is YES.
Todays Lesson on how to be a Savvy Consumer!
Today's seven-point lesson is on the value of competing estimates. (I'm sharing this because of two consumers who came to me recently after they blindly trusted a single convincing non-TrustDALE contactor).
Fast - Do they want your money NOW? Paying more than 30% in advance (with a few exceptions) is a sign of financial instability on the part of the contractor.
Funds - Is the investment required relevant to the promised payoff? Estimates that can't be measured against other offers often carry promises too good to be true.
Found - A person who intends to rip you off will make certain he can't be found after he gets your money. When contractors compete, truth usually rises to the top. People who price reasonably are usually in it for the long run and can be found.
Define - Your deal by comparing Product, Offer and Price. It's very difficult to compare Product, Offer and Price when you're only getting it from one source.
Ensure - Your deal with an Ethical negotiation, an Equitable contract, and an Effective Guarantee. Same as above, how do you know you're being treated fairly if you don't have multiple offers to compare?
Authenticate - Your deal by requesting References, checking reviews, and examining government and watchdog reports. There's a difference between a company with five five-star reviews and 500 five-star reviews. It's harder to maintain excellence over time and volume. I give the edge to the long term performer.
Legitimize - your deal by determining if the company has a business license, liability insurance and is Lawsuit and background checked. Checking these boxes will normally protect you from becoming a victim of fraud, but it won't necessarily protect you from paying too much. Get three estimates!
SCAMMERS BEWARE: SEASONED CONSUMER INVESTIGATOR DALE CARDWELL GIVES READERS A GAME PLAN TO AVOID RIP-OFFS