Beware those who promise fixes for all your pains
I’ve received a large number of calls this week. It’s been a week of real ups and downs for me. I’m always gratified when readers feel like they can call me with questions. I can often immediately help them out of a sticky situation or give them the information that will allow them to completely avoid getting into trouble in the first place.
One call that really got to me came from a couple of older citizens, regular readers of this column. When I answered the phone I felt like I was talking to a close friend.
“My wife is really hurting,” Bill explained. “For years she’s been in ongoing joint pain due to severe arthritis. We saw a local advertisement for pain relief, called, and ended up at a seminar at a local hotel.”
They had been going to their regular doctor for years for her pain. Bill went on to tell me how the alternative treatment was advertised, and “promised” to treat arthritis, back, knee, shoulder, hip, ankle, thumb and hand pain. The advertisement also claimed the therapy would treat degenerative disc disease and herniated and bulging disc pain. As if that weren’t enough, the advertised treatment would also treat COPD (cardiopulmonary disease), tendonitis and peripheral neuropathy.
My litmus test for medical treatments is fourfold:
- How many conditions/diseases does it claim to “treat?”
- Do some basic investigative research on sites like WebMD.
- Is the treatment covered by insurance companies (even partially), and do those offering the service or treatment encourage patients to consult their doctor BEFORE undergoing the treatment?
- Is the information about treatment offered in a doctor’s office, or in a hotel with a free lunch or dinner?
Treatment of a disease or physical condition is vastly different from a cure. While promising, many “experimental” treatments are not recommended by doctors, or covered by insurance because they are not proven. Also, these treatments can be very, very expensive. Be careful. Talk to your doctor. He’s on your side.
HAPPY ENDING: Bill’s wife canceled her scheduled appointment and went back to her regular doctor for advice about how to treat her chronic pain.
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Now for something completely different: Auctions and auction rules.
One of my readers called about an auction he recently attended. He had his eye on an old military surplus vehicle. He studied it, climbed on it and asked questions about it — before the auction. He asked if it was “drivable.” The auction house assured him that it was. After he “won” the auction for the vehicle, he found out that it would only drive a couple of miles per hour. The auction was held a couple of hours outside Coeur d’Alene (at 55 mph!) and the vehicle was not street legal. It was also older than advertised.
After the auction, when he complained, he was given a copy of the auction rules. Too late — he was stuck with a white (rather O.D.) elephant.
In another situation, quite some time ago, a ladies’ church group was searching for fundraising ideas. One enterprising lady went to a farm auction with the intent of purchasing an old milk can, cleaning it up and decorating it for sale as a cute umbrella stand. She sat through all the items being auctioned until the milk can came up for bid. The bids started at $2, then $4 and so on. She kept getting outbid. Finally she bid $10. The hammer came down and the auctioneer announced, “sold!”
When the auction finally ended, she went to the payment table to settle up. Proudly she offered the cashier her $10. The cashier informed her that she hadn’t bought THE milk can, she had bought 300 milk cans. The can that the auctioneer showed during the bidding was only an example of the lot of 300. She now owed the auction company $3,000 and owned 300 old rusty milk cans.
After the shock wore off she decided to make the milk can debacle into a fundraising “opportunity” for her church and many churches in the area.
Unfortunately, not all auction mishaps have this happy ending. The key here is to read the descriptions carefully and be familiar with the rules and reputation of the auction company.
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QUICK TIP: Raise your scam antenna anytime you are asked for money up front.
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UPDATE: The great crossword controversy between a newspaper in Spokane and our Coeur d’Alene Press is finally over (after one week). The Spokesman Review has found a new crossword puzzle to publish and is no longer copying The Press.
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TIMELY TIP: While we all are looking forward to the Fourth of July, be careful with fireworks. Fires are an ever-present danger for those celebrating in the backyard. The real danger comes from injuries to humans from these pyrotechnic displays. Property can be repaired — the eyes and hands of humans are not so fixable. Sparklers are especially dangerous. They “sparkle” between 1,800 and 3,000 degrees. Plenty hot enough to melt flesh or destroy eyes in an instant. Even stepping on a discarded sparkler can scar a person for life. Have fun, but be safe and especially protect the little ones.
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My friends at Spectrum: Recently I decided to disconnect from Spectrum cable television. When I dutifully returned my two cable boxes I somehow forgot to bring one of the two remote control devices. I apologized and told the customer service representative at the desk I would go home and get it before the end of the day. She informed me that it wasn’t necessary because when the remotes are turned in they just “throw them away.”
WHAT? No wonder my cable bill looks like the National Debt! I couldn’t believe my ears. I checked with another customer and discovered she was told the same thing — they just throw them away. Apparently when YOU are paying the bill, Spectrum is quite careless with their money and equipment.
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Due to space limitations, I can’t detail or even bring to your attention all the cases I’ve worked on in the past couple of weeks. I will be detailing many more on the blog, CDAPressConsumerGuy.com. I choose cases to write about based on the number of calls I get and the amount of money involved. If I haven’t used your case, please understand and continue to call me.
I have many more interesting cases that I’m working on as The CDA Press Consumer Guy. Call me at (208) 449-7222, email me at CDAPressConsumerGuy @gmail.com or fax me at (866) 362-9266. Also include your full name and a phone number. I am available to speak about consumerism to schools, and local and civic groups.
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Bill Brooks is the CDA Press Consumer Guy. He is an active Associate Real Estate Broker for Tomlinson-Sotheby’s International Realty in Coeur d’Alene.