By Dave Lieber
watchdog@star-telegram.com
Note to Michael Taylor, owner of Taylor Made Portable Buildings:
What happened? Last time we talked you promised to refund $1,100 to Vernie Gardner of Bedford for the down payment he gave you for a metal storage shed you never built.
"I'm going to pay his $1,100 back," you said in April. "I got a big job coming up next week, and I've been telling him this. I just can't pull that money out of my pocket. ... I don't want his money so you put that in if you write a story."
Gardner said: "I have never given a worker money upfront, but he assured me that he was an honest businessman and needed the money to purchase the materials. With the economy the way it is, I went against my better judgment and took him a check."
After a dispute about whether to use wood or metal studs, Taylor walked off the $2,200 job. He wouldn't answer Gardner's calls, but Gardner borrowed a friend's phone and Taylor picked up. Taylor told him he was going to keep $500 for his troubles. Gardner counteroffered $100 in "gas money."
I talked to people at the Cresson business that recommended Taylor for the job. They say they won't do that anymore. Gardner wants to take Taylor to small-claims court, but he needs an address where court papers can be served.
Gardner celebrated his 79th birthday last week, and this is The Watchdog's gift: Anyone know where Michael Taylor of portable-building fame lives?
Accident evidenceYou know what stinks, really stinks? When someone hits your car and later denies it. That's what Gaspare Mancuso claims happened when an Oncor pickup supposedly backed into his pickup at a Willow Park service station.
He and the driver exchanged information, but the Oncor driver later said there was no accident. Mancuso appealed to The Watchdog, and I've spent three months working with Mancuso to compile evidence. It didn't work. Oncor says there's no proof, and it's hard to argue that.
Mancuso could have protected himself better. For example, he says that when the Oncor driver said he didn't hit the pickup, a man driving by shouted, "Man, you hit him!"
Mancuso should have tried to stop that guy and ask for his name and phone number so he could be a witness if needed.
Mancuso also sent me photos of the damage, but they were taken later.
The Oncor driver told me, "The more I think about it, he kind of sort of backed into me. But I don't think we ever touched."
The Oncor pickup was caked in mud, its driver said. On Mancuso's vehicle, there should have been remnants of mud. Photos would have shown that.
Both drivers should have used cellphones to take photos or videos of the entire scene seconds after it happened. The Oncor driver said, "I had a camera phone, but it didn't even dawn on me."
Here's what I recommend: First, ask the other driver, "Are you OK?" Then whip out a phone camera. Train yourself to use audio, video or photo functions on smartphones to protect yourself whenever a bad situation arises.
New electricity ruleThere's a major change in how Texans can switch electricity companies. Previously, they were supposed to sign up with a new company around 45 days before an electricity contract expired. With the advent of smart meters, the time to pick a new company before a contract expires is a week or less. (And don't bother letting the old company know.)
The state rule now is that a switch must be made "within 48 hours after a reconnection request is received." Public Utility Commission spokesman Terry Hadley recommends a time frame of five to seven days, to be safe.
Credit our Savvy Consumer columnist Teresa McUsic for first pointing out this important change.
Anger managementFort Worth's trash contract comes up for renewal March 31. I mention this because if I see rates go up, I'm gonna lose it.
The city has one of the highest trash rates around, almost three times as much as suburban cities for those who use the biggest bin. And Fort Worth offers inferior service. Most surrounding cities allow for twice-weekly pickups of unlimited trash, compared with Fort Worth's bin-a-week rule.
On July 16, the city will begin an online citywide trash survey to check the mood of the people. So dear people, please tell the city that you are tired of paying more for less.
Watchdog adviceNote to C.F.: You say you absent-mindedly gave your cellphone number to a strange woman at the grocery store. Now you worry about being part of a scam.
My advice: I know it goes against the Texas way, but from now on, don't talk to strangers.
Note to the G. family: You had six calls in one day from a caller who says he works for Microsoft and wants to fix problems with your computer. In follow-up conversations, you say he grew nasty and vowed to perform a sex act with your mother and make you watch. You explained that your mother is dead.
My advice: Why are you talking to these people? Hang up on scammers immediately. If you talk to them, what do you expect?
The Watchdog column appears Fridays and Sundays.Dave Lieber, 817-390-7043Twitter: @davelieber
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