How to select charities worthy of your money
Many readers let me know in no uncertain terms that my recommendation to donate to the Red Cross to help hurricane victims was a bad idea. The primary concern they voiced was that the salaries of the executive staff of the Red Cross were too high. The overall administrative costs of charities, relative to what they end up donating to the intended recipients, is the critical test.
The best way to check charities is to go to: www.charitynavigator.com. The website gives information on almost 9,000 charities. It also provides excellent in-depth information about each one and allows users of the website to compare charities side-by-side. (If you don’t have access to a computer, call me. I’ll look any charity up for you. One to a customer!)
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UNORDERED STUFF: A number of callers have been complaining about being charged for unwanted and unordered services, from lawn care to security services. The problem is that they also get an unwanted bill for these unwanted services.
When they call the company they are told that unless they pay the bill, they will be turned over to collections. As we all know, that’s a not too subtle threat to hurt your credit rating.
The best way to handle these occurrences is to write a short letter to the company explaining that you didn’t order the service, and are not going to pay for the service. If you really want to drive the point home, send them a certified letter with a return receipt green card that you get back and they have to sign. Follow that up with a call. Always get the name of the person you’re talking to. Referring to “somebody” instead of a real person really hurts your credibility and your case.
If at that point they don’t agree to remove the charge — call me. Just another great community service of The (good old) Coeur d’Alene Press. Try to get that kind of service in Chicago or L.A.! We live in a pretty great place, don’t we?
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RETAIN AN ATTORNEY? Many of the more difficult and higher dollar disputes often require the assistance of a good legal beagle. My best friend, from when I was 8 years old, is an attorney. Over the years I always tell him my favorite attorney jokes. He laughs at the jokes but rightly points out that nobody likes attorneys – until they need one.
Most cases are really too small to warrant an attorney’s attention. I would say anything under $25,000 probably would cost you more than you might get out of it. Notice I said “might.” You could lose, and in some circumstances be forced to pay for the other side’s legal fees and expenses. Most attorneys will tell you that the American legal system guarantees you a “chance” at justice.
Instead of all the expense (can you say “$5,000 non-refundable retainer”?), you could ask an attorney to write a letter for you, over his signature, to the offending merchant. It probably will cost you between $100 and $300, depending on how complicated the issue is. The recipient of the letter won’t know that you hired the attorney just to write a letter. They will probably assume that you’ve hired a lawyer to take your case. It’s amazing how quickly things often get resolved. Even this tactic is only useful for disputes that involve a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Otherwise, carefully write your own letter.
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THE PROBLEM WITH PROBLEMS: Your problems, psychological, financial, or family, don’t give you license to disregard the normal rules of doing business as an adult. Read and understand all contracts. If you’re buying a car, go for a test drive. If it’s a used car, have it checked out by an independent, reputable mechanic. Don’t sign things you don’t understand – ever. I know this sounds silly but I have actually had consumers use their problems as an excuse for having made bad decisions. In cases like this, I can’t help you. Nobody can.
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GOOD NEWS: The Coeur d’Alene Veterans Administration clinic is, once again, operating with a full staff of docs. The building is bright, shiny and new. The staff and medical providers make it clear they are there to help vets. I’ve had my problems with the VA but I’m willing to give them another try. Things are moving quickly as far as attempts at reform at the VA. Like any giant bureaucracy, things change slowly, but I think they’re changing — at least here in Coeur d’Alene.
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AFTER-MARKET VEHICLE WARRANTIES: You may be getting a call from a “call center” telling you that your vehicle’s warranty is about to expire. Hang up! This call is designed to induce you to sign up with their company for an “extended” warranty. These warranties are not part of the warranty that you’d be likely to get when you buy a new car. The coverage is very limited and VERY expensive and often requires the consumer to jump through a lot of hoops to get anything covered. My advice: Don’t do it.
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GOVERNMENT GRANTS: The government does not call anyone to offer them a government grant. Under very special circumstances there are a limited number of grants made to individuals, usually educational. To receive these grants you must apply, online or by filling out a form. You don’t “win” a grant like on a game show. If you get a call informing you that you are getting a government grant — HANG UP. If you don’t, you’ll end up paying money and NOT getting any grant. Last time I listened to the spiel and played along, I was finally instructed to send $500 in gift cards to a post office box in Jamaica!
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HOLIDAY: Today is National Newspaper Carrier Day, commemorating the first newspaper carrier in the U.S. Hired in 1833. If your carrier is good to you — be good to them.
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REMEMBER: I’m in your corner.
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I have many more interesting cases that I’m working on as The CDA Press Consumer Guy. Call me at (208) 699-0506, 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 and an active Associate Real Estate Associate Broker for Tomlinson-Sotheby’s International Realty in Coeur d’Alene.