Make 2009 Scam-Free With This List
Stephanie Zimmermann of the Chicago Sun-Times has put together a list of resolutions to prevent scams, cons, and cheats. We really like the suggestion that you find a reputable locksmith, plumber, A/C repairman, and mechanic now, instead of waiting until an emergency.
As for her advice that you use the Better Business Bureau more often, the prevailing opinion of our readers is that the BBB is of limited utility because it's too easily gamed by businesses, so we'd suggest you follow her advice but add community sites like ripoffreport, resellerratings, and epinions (plus movingscam if you're moving). And, of course, The Consumerist!
"In 2009, let's resolve not to get scammed" [Chicago Sun-Times]
(Photo: dyobmit)
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Car Talk has a site to help you find a good mechanic: [www.cartalk.com]
My husband is delighted with the one he found through that list when we moved.
@speedwell: I taught myself to pick locks in college, but I never saw any legitimate training. Plus, how stupid do you feel when you've locked yourself out of your car and your locksmith toolkit is sitting in your trunk?
Anybody have a good mechanic in Ann Arbor? We're overdue for some maintenance and I want to get it taken care of before it becomes an emergency.
@weakdome: This is the problem, even if you had something pocket sized that you could stash in a purse or backpack then if your purse or backpack is locked in the car then it becomes useless.
Your best bet would be to have a friend or a couple friends who know how to do this but even then you might not be able to get ahold of them right when you need them.
rule #1: shop around. get a quote & call other garages, plumbers, electricians, etc.
rule #2: compare apples & apples to find the best price (hint: it's not always the cheapest). compare part costs to part costs & labor costs to labor costs. question the inconsistencies. when accepting bids on construction, it's usually best to eliminate the 2 lowest & highest bids & concentrate on the bids in the middle.
rule #3: consider referrals from friends & family, but don't take your business to friends & family.
follow those guidelines & you should be good to go.
@Diet-Orange-Soda: I know a number of people who use Muncy's on the OWS (Miller at Spring)... they swear by them.
Also, check out Angie's List. www.angieslist.com
Reviews from real people of service providers (contractors, mechanics, plumbers, etc. etc. etc.).
It costs about $20/year, but that also means that the people who belong are (a) real people, and (b) have an interest in maintaining the value of the service.
Anyone know of a good Hyundai Mechanic (or car mechanic in general) in North Orlando? I currently frequent Bob Dance Dodge / Hyundai, and though their service has been good, their prices stink and their attitude is atrocious.
I feel pressured and criticized each time I take my car there.
@speedwell: I'd also like to add that in the Heights, Orion Auto is a great mechanic.
If you need to find a good mechanic, there's listings of recommendations on the Car Talk website.
I had a parking attendant try to scam me this past Sunday in Baltimore. He rang up $29 when the sign clearly stated $22 for 12 to 24 hours. When I called him on it, he mumbled something about it being $29 because . I stated, no... you will charge me $22 thank you. He apololgized and rang it up properly. He seemed flustered that I had called him on it.
@Eyebrows McGee: Oh that's great! The car shop *right* behind my house is on the list with great reviews, and I've been thinking of going there. Awesome.
After hearing horror stories about florists, I loaded the phone number of a respected local florist in my phone. If I need to order flowers fast, I'm talking to a business I trust instead of whoever came up in a web search.
@JustThatGuy3: I tried Angie's List to find a contractor for home renovations and found it largely useless. It largely seemed to be a lot of positive reviews by people affiliated with the businesses, and not enough different businesses represented. YMMV, and it probably matters where you live (I'm in NYC).
@Beerad:
Interesting - I'm in the NYC metro area, and I've found it quite useful, particularly for "one-shot" type services (locksmith, chimney sweep). YMMV, definitely.
Can that Apple Locksmith unlock an Apple iPhone?
I am by far the best and most honest mechanic that has ever worked on my car.
When it comes to heating and air conditioning. If you have a service contract with a company. You are considered priority and will get service a lot quicker than someone calling up for the first time when their AC or furnace breaks.
If you need an appliance repair person try calling up LOCAL shops that sell appliances. In my area there are quite a few of these shops. They will often refer you to someone local who fixes washing machines, dryers etc. Not everyone can afford to buy one of these when they break and its often much cheaper to get one fixed than it is to buy a new one unless its 20 years old and really is dead. If the business you call up has any reputation or wants to stay in business they will give you the name of a reputable repairman if they do not have someone who services appliances themselves. We got the name of a very reputable and reasonably priced appliance repairman from a local appliance shop so I just wanted to share the tip.
Wow, I just searched for a locksmith in my area and came up with a flood of entries for csi-locksmith. I looked up the locksmith I have in my phone at the moment and saw some not-so-great reviews. Anybody have any tips on finding a good one?
i'd disagree that the bbb isn't useful. they helped me when an eecb against delta didn't work, and again when accuweather pretended i didn't have a subscription with them. i've found them to be immensely helpful and encourage people to use them.
Here is a bit of advice: keep a house key in your wallet.
If you have multiple locks on your door, here is hoping that you were smart enough to get them all keyed alike so one key opens them all. It also works quite well if you have several doors in and out of the house.
It may cost a bit more to do getting them installed, but you spend less time fumbling with keys and if you have several entry doors, you just need one key.
@Diet-Orange-Soda: If I can add another suggestion to the list, most routine car maintenance is ridiculously easy. Changing your oil and oil filter is a joke (don't forget to collect the used motor oil and take it back to where you bought it, AutoZone, Checkers and Pep Boys all recycle it for you free). Changing your air filter is simple. Checking your fluids is a snap.
In other words, it's cheaper, you know the work was done right, and you know exactly what's going into your car.
Just don't forget to put the drain plug back in before adding the new oil! (Doh!)
Hey Consumerist, How about some investigation and listing of pyramid, ponzi, and multi-level marketing scams. I know its a contentious topic but who better then you folk to take it on then? I am seeing too many of my friends get suckered into these schemes like ACN, Primerica Financial Services, etc.
That's the Apple Locksmith that was directly underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. It's no longer there, sacrificed along with many other industrial and warehousing businesses towards the gentrification of the DUMBO neighborhood.
(and yes, I know you were joking...)
No, you should NOT have doorknobs and deadbolts keyed the same. The possible convenience is not worth someone being able to access every lock in every door of your property with a single key.
By having separate keys for deadbolt and doorknob, when leaving keys with neighbors, sitters, etc. you can give them a doorknob key only to go about their business. Deadbolt keys are reserved for immediate residents only, so you can be confident that when the deadbolt is locked NO ONE can unlock the door.
I personally would not put a house key in my wallet. My wallet contains my address because it contains my drivers license. My wallet getting stolen would be bad enough; my wallet getting stolen and my house getting robbed because the thief could walk right in is even worse.
@JustThatGuy3: I got good results for an emergency hot water replacement by using servicemagic.com. They gave me three referrals from highly rated plumbers on their list, and forwarded my contact information to them. Business must have been slow or these guys were all really good, because all three contacted me within an hour. The plumber I ended up choosing did a great job. The ServiceMagic site itself called me back after my experience to complete a phone survey. If this is their common practice, it would prevent businesses from gaming the system except by doing more elaborate scams than just filling out a web survey.
I agree -- a couple of friends are now doing cash-gifting which i find absolutely off the charts in how gross a scam it is, but they're organic lefties with lots of psychobabble. It's really screwy and fascinating and would make a great article. The BBC did something on it but you guys could do more.
@bwcbwc:
Servicemagic is awful to their contractors though, and all of their contractors pay a ton to be there.
@johnarlington: I had a lady at a fast food restaurant try an old scam on me. My bill came to be just under $10. I gave her a $20 bill. She carefully counts out the $1 and the coins. Looks up at me and smiles. After I told her I gave her a $20 she quickly grabs the $10 bill she left on the drawer and she says "you didn't give me enough time to get to that". Yeah right. I didn't give them anymore of my business.
I would encourage anyone who feels their BBB has been "gamed" by a business to air their concern to contact[at]bbb[dot]org.
In 2008 alone we helped settle more than 1 million complaints between businesses and their customers and provided reliability reports for free on more than 4 million companies.
Live on Houston's west side and need a reputable mechanic? I've been using Sal's Auto Service at the corner of Westheimer and Chimney Rock for ten years and would not take my cars anywhere else in the world. Great shop, great guys, good prices, and they treat everyone like human beings, not like problems. Hooray :)
Also, it's cheap and simple to become a locksmith if you want. Honestly, the training materials cost what one or two night calls would cost. Put in the effort. Learn something useful.