Here’s a tip that we hope you never have to use: after a house fire, make sure not to hire just anyone who shows up at your doorstep and says that your insurance company sent them. One woman in California learned that the hard way, signing a contract with a dry-cleaning company that showed up claiming to be from her insurer. They weren’t. Instead, she got a $17,000 bill that her policy wouldn’t cover. [More]
house fires
After A House Fire, Watch Out For Actual Criminals, Not Just Scummy Contractors
By 5.24.13
Earlier this week, we posted about the public adjusters and contractors who show up at the scene of a house fire, often before all of the flames are even out. Reader Josh’s family has been through a fire recently, and he wrote in to warn people about a whole different set of entrepreneurs who might stop by your home after a fire…looters. [More]
Home Improvement Books Recalled
By 1.8.10
The publisher of a series of home improvement books has announced a recall of nine of them, because of errors in their instructions on installing or repairing electrical wiring. The Consumer Products Safety Commission says no injuries have been reported so far even though the books have been published since 1975, which I think proves that nobody has ever actually attempted a project from any home improvement book. [More]
