If you've got an RV, read this

A reader of this column called me and reported the following attempted scam:

The consumer had a nice RV parked at his property. The other day, he noticed a car driving up and down his street, seemingly looking carefully at his RV. Within a short time, a man in his 30s knocked on his door and asked if the RV was for sale. It just so happens that the consumer was thinking about selling his RV. The consumer said no, but, for the right price, it could be. Of course the young man wanted to see the interior of the RV.

The would-be buyer had a young woman with him, his “sister.” She too wanted to take a look at the RV. After only a short time inside the RV, the woman wanted to see the storage area of the RV. The owner and the woman went outside to look at the storage area, leaving the would-be buyer inside the RV alone.

Upon returning to the interior of the RV, the owner was informed by the “buyer” that he had discovered some serious water leaks in the RV roof. He immediately whipped out a book listing current values of recent RVs. He asked the owner what he was willing to accept for the RV. (The owner, at this point, being a sharp guy, had his “antenna up” and was on the lookout for a scam attempt.) The owner named his price and the scammer made a ridiculously low counter offer. The scammer went on to explain that his offer was very fair, given the RV obviously had water leaks in the roof. The RV owner turned down the lowball offer and bid the would-be scammer adieu.

HERE’S THE REST OF THE STORY: The RV owner had only recently moved his RV out of a secure and DRY storage facility. The likelihood of any water leaks was minuscule. Furthermore, after the above encounter, the RV owner had his regular RV service guy come over and check for leaks. You guessed it — there were none.

It looks like the attempted scam was this: Find a nice RV in someone’s driveway. Look up the value; get inside the RV for a look-see. Then, get the owner out of the vehicle on some pretense and have the accomplice spray some water from a squirt bottle to make it look like there are leaks, then low-ball the owner to try to buy a perfectly good RV cheap. Because of the diligence of the consumer, this scam failed.

LESSON: These types of scammers are out there operating in our area. BEFORE selling your RV cheap to a “door knocker,” call me.

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PUBLISHERS CLEARING HOUSE WINNER — NOT: Scammer — YES!

A consumer called to tell me she had won a prize from the Publishers Clearing House, albeit only 10 bucks. But as my mother used to say, “It’s better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.” Well, maybe not.

First, the check might not be from the real Publishers Clearing House. Secondly, by endorsing the check, you may be agreeing to receive and pay for a bunch of things you really don’t want or need, including merchandise and magazine subscriptions.

Whenever you get a check in the mail, be very certain to carefully read EVERY WORD on the front and back of the check, if need be with a magnifying glass! Often language is included on the check, front and or back, obligating you to pay for future purchases. This scam works especially well on people like me, who need +4 reading glassess to make out anything under 20-point text! We get so excited to receive a little extra cash that we sometimes forget to read the small print — literally.

Remember: Read every word! Also remember, when you cash a check, the maker of the check, once the check is cashed, has your bank routing number and account number.

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THE POWER OF CERTIFIED MAIL: Recently, a consumer had a run-in with her mortgage loan servicing company. Many lenders don’t directly collect your monthly mortgage payment and monies for tax escrow. The lenders often contract with companies that specialize in these mundane accounting tasks. Unfortunately, many consumers rarely if ever review their mortgage statements as to where their money went, and how much for taxes, and how much for interest.

One consumer who kept track of where her money was going noticed an error. She called the loan-servicing department but wasn’t allowed to talk with anyone in authority. No one would give her the name of anyone in charge, let alone the address to which she could send her complaint. I recommended that she search the internet and find the home office of the company, including the name of the chief executive officer, and send them a letter outlining her findings together with her questions and to send this letter by certified mail — return receipt requested.

I have found, in most every case, this approach will get you a written response. In my letter, when I always ask for a written response — I usually get it!

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SPECTRUM IS WORKING HARD: In past columns I haven’t been shy about bringing up problems with any company when I feel like there is significant room for improvement. By the same token, I want to let readers know that Spectrum is working hard to resolve problems that consumers sometimes experience.

Providing broadband services is a very complicated and expensive business. Lately, the people at Spectrum have been working hard to satisfy customers. Credit where credit is due. (Now if we could only get cable prices back to where they were 20 years ago!) Call me when you “hit a wall” but also call me when someone goes out of their way to help you.

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PLEASE INCLUDE A PHONE NUMBER: I love it when people email me with a question or a complaint. But please, always include a phone number. Believe it or not, each week I get a couple of emails from people who write “please call me” but don’t include a phone number!

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REMEMBER BILL BROOKS: “He’s On Your Side”

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I have many more tips and interesting cases that I’m working on. Call me at (208) 699-0506, or email me at brookshomes@gmail.com (#GoGetEmBillBrooks) You can follow me at www.billbrooksconsumeradvocate.com. I am available to speak about consumerism to schools, and local and civic groups. Bill Brooks is a consumer advocate and the Broker and Owner of Bill Brooks Real Estate in Coeur d’Alene.