Ask the Watchdog
Watchdog columnist Dave Lieber helps you stand up for yourself against the system.
Most Recently Answered Questions
Questions 61 - 80 of 216 (Page 4 of 11)Submitted by Christine Bonine from Rising Star, TX
Q: you told someone to put tinfoil on an antenna to help with the digital signals. Would you suggest this for an outside antenna? We received 4 to 5 stations fine before the transition and now we barely receive 1 and thats in the evening. We have several neighbors in the same situation It seems like all it was was to get you to have to have some sort of pay for TV Thanks for your great column
Answered 08/11/09 19:50:58 by Dave Lieber
A: You know, it doesn't hurt to try wrapping foil around the outside and fastening it with some smart method that can stand up to the elements. But you could also try this: place a large aluminum cookie tray up there and let it make contact with the antenna and see if that works. These cookie trays are supposed to work to increase wireless signals inside a house by placing a tray near a wireless router. This comes to me from the same person who told me about the tin foil -- my wife. The Martha Stewart of Perotville.Submitted by Presley Hatcher from Fort Worth, Texas
Q: When I was about 12 years old my parents decided to obtain phones for my sister and me. They let each of us pick the phone we wanted and I picked a red wall-mounted phone. That was about 45 years (I am 57 now) - and approximately $2,500 in today's dollars - ago. My parents are now both deceased and I own the home with the red phone still where it was hard-installed about 45 years ago. The good news (particularly for the leasing company - now QLT Consumer Lease Services, www.qltcls.com, 1-800-555-8111) is the phone has never needed to be workded on for any reason as far as I know. The bad news is: I must continue to pay $14.85/3 months ($59.40/year) if I want to keep this high quality, but seriously outdated technology, and most importantly, meaningful phone, because the leasing company tells me that there is absolutely no option for me to purchase the red phone or any other leased products. They say that I must return it to them if I decide to discontinue my "lease". They say that if I am "unable to return the leased product, [I] will be required to pay an equipment recovery charge." (So they cany reuse this phone?) However, they say there is simply no way that I may continue to use the red rotary phone unless I continue to lease it. I have read their policies and talked to them on at least 3 occasions and they don't seem to budge. Please let me know if you know of or can find an alternative that I am not seeing or if I am stuck with continuing to pay $59.40/year (and possibly more in the future) to keep this outdated, but memory-filled and meaningful, phone. Thanks for your efforts! You provide a great service to the community! Presley Hatcher
Answered 08/10/09 15:44:04 by Dave Lieber
A: PH - They got you, man. They have a monopoly on the market. What other choice do you have? I mean, you are like one out of 10 million that actually wants to use an antique phone. So good for you. That appreciation for older things that still work should not go unrecognized. But objectively, we're talking about what, $60 a year? That's $5 a month. That's 30 cents a day for you to use this family heirloom. I think that's an excellent deal.Submitted by Patricia Reichman from Keller, TX
Q: I had damage on my mobile home from hail on March 30, 2009. I contracted [DELETED]. It was to put new roof and vinyl siding on my home. The job was finished June 8, 2009. On June 30th I called them to tell them that the small piece of siding on the overhang was coming down, no one came out. On Aug. 5 we had some wind and the larger piece of siding came down. I called again and again no one showed up to fix the problem. I am worried about rain coming in and ruining my insulation etc. I am a widowed senior citizen and live on a fixed income. I can not afford to do this myself. Can you please help me?
Answered 08/10/09 12:26:38 by Dave Lieber
A: I just called the owner of the company, and he told me, "I'm heading out right now to take a look at it." So sit tight and let me know if it doesn't work out. My email address is watchdog@star-telegram.com.Submitted by Sharon from North Richland Hills
Q: Dave, my neighbor has your new book and I'm wondering where I can get a copy?
Answered 08/09/09 23:07:47 by Dave Lieber
A: Yes, the new book -- Dave Lieber's Watchdog Nation: Bite Back When Businesses and Scammers Do You Wrong -- recently won a national book award for social change. It's a very good, if I do say so, loaded with information you won't find anywhere about how to protect you and your family from lies, frauds and other deceptions. You can learn more at the www.WatchdogNation.com Web site.Submitted by terry Lester from weatherford,texas
Q: My MOther in law owns 3 lots in Weatherford ,Texas...approx.2 years ago The Tax office redrew the boundaries on her land and last year She and My brother in law were socked with back taxes on their mobile homes for 12 years...All of her exemptions on the land were gone.she is over 65...She is the Widow of a disabled Military veteran......and last week she got a letter stating that she did not pay her taxes in 2006 or 2007......can you help me?
Answered 08/04/09 10:54:28 by Dave Lieber
A: I wish I could but this is a legal matter that has to be sorted out through the proper channels. Have you consulted with a property lawyer who is a specialist in these kinds of tax matters?Submitted by Janis Campbell from Keller, texas
Q: Can you help me with a company; they are very deceptive and altered contract after signed. Also another company continues to take monies from account after our termination date. I've been in business for 38 years, this is the worst experience I have ever had. HELP!
Answered 08/03/09 13:15:54 by Dave Lieber
A: Please outline your story idea in an email to watchdog@star-telegram.com, so the editor can review. Thanks.Submitted by johnny from fort worth, tx
Q: this matter concerns a roofing company in tolar, texas. way back in february i signed a contract with this company to replace our hail damaged roof. we finally got the roof replaced about six weeks ago. we have not paid this company a penny yet. the roofing company installed the wrong color roof. instead of a brown roof we now have a bright red roof. the salesman wrote on the contract we had a spanish red roof as existing and to replace it with same. i do not know what color spanish red is. i told the salesman we wanted a color similar to what we had. he drew up the contract. there is more problems. they did not replace two turbines or the broken skylight. the salesman called me the next night and i told him the roof had to come off and the other problems also had to be addressed. he said he would get with harvey [the owner of the company] and would get back with me. he finally called yesterday and said harvey would call at noon. harvey never called but the salesman called several times to say he was trying to get ahold of harvey. that night the salesman called and said harvey would not remove the roof and i would have to do what i have to. he also implied they would put a lein on our house. this is still not the end of the story. we have a wooden deck attached to the roof of our house. they raised the deck to replace the shingles and did not seal the posts properly [these post go through the roof to a load bearing wall]and now we have water leaks that are ruining our ceilings. what is your suggestion. i know you have experience with roofing companies.
Answered 08/01/09 17:14:38 by Dave Lieber
A: Yeah, but my experience ain't so hot. Anyway, to cut through this bull, why not just call in another roofing company, and get a written estimate of a complete re-roofing to match the original contract from the other roofer. Then get an estimate for the skylight, turbines and then ceilings, paint and repair. You have two choices: 1) Without a lawyer, you go to small claims court and sue for these expenses at the maximum $10,000, and you go for the cash and then pay for the repairs with that money, using somebody else. Or 2) you get a lawyer and file a civil court lawsuit for the actual real cost of these bills which could be over $10,000. But you also gotta calculate the lawyer fees. If your estimates are under the $10,000 threshold (doubtful), small claims court might be the way to go.Submitted by H. Plankton from Fort Worth
Q: Dave, how can I follow you on Twitter?
Answered 07/31/09 14:20:58 by Dave Lieber
A: It's easy. Just go to Twitter and search for my user name: DaveLieber And you don't have to be on Twitter as a registered user to read my tweets or anybody else's. For example, go to this web site: search.twitter.com and type in "DaveLieber" in the search box.Submitted by LAURENCE JACKSON from FORT WORTH,TX
Q: WE HAVE BEEN IN THIS HOME(renting)FOR 10 YRS,WE HAVE SPENT OUR OWN MONEY ON UPKEEP AND IMPROVEMENTS ON THIS HOME.LAST MONTH(JUNE)WE RENEWED OUR LEASE FOR ANOTHER YEAR.(it was accepted)last week WE GET A LETTER FROM OUR REALTOR SAYING WE HAVE TO VACATE THE PREMISES BY SEPT. 1ST BECAUSE THE OWNER IS HAVING PROBLEMS,SO HE WANTS TO MOVE BACK INTO HIS OWN HOME. WE USED OUR OWN MONEY TO ERECT A CYCLONE FENCE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE HOUSE,WE HAVE HUNG CEILING FANS IN EACH ROOM(4) AND IN THE GARAGE,WE PAID HALF THE COST TO RECARPET THE WHOLE HOUSE,NOT TO MENTION THE $750.00 MOVE IN DEPOSIT(10YRS AGO).THE OWNER TELLS US THAT HE WONT CHARGE US AUGUST RENT($700.00)SO WE CAN USE IT ON MOVING,AS FAR AS ETHICS AND MORALS,WE KNOW THIS ISN'T RIGHT OR FAIR,BUT LEGALLY,CAN HE DO THIS?AND IS $700.00 ALL HE WOULD OWE US ON SUCH A SHORT NOTICE.RELOCATING,TRANSFERRING SERVICES,FINDING A PLACE,CREDIT CHECKS,APPLICATION FEES,BURNING GAS LOOKING,.ALL DEFINENTYLY WILL COST MORE THAN $700.00,ALONG WITH COMPLYING AND MOVING OUT IN A HURRY IS THER ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO RECOOP SOME OF OUR MONEY WE PUT INTO THIS HOUSE KNOWING IT WASN'T OURS FROM THE BEGINNING,BUT WE LIKE THINGS LOOKING GOOD AND WELL KEPT,SO WHEN THEY DO THEIR DRIVEBY INSPECTIONS THEY COULD SEE THAT WE CARED ABOUT HOW WE LIVE.
Answered 07/30/09 09:59:57 by Dave Lieber
A: What your rights are is spelled out in your lease. That's the base language. So study your lease. If you believe you have been wronged, call the Tarrant County Apartment Association and ask for advice (817-284-1121) and from there if you feel that you are being wronged, you can take the landlord to landlord-tenant court which is small claims court in Texas.Submitted by Barbara Brooks from Fort Worth, Tx
Q: PUBLIC BEAWARE OF FOOD POISONING My story begins after purchasing a frozen Swanson’s Beef Pot Pie that I purchased from a Food Store here in the DFW area. I made this purchase on January 29, 2009. Well it turns out this pie had expired in November, 2008. I prepared and consumed this Beef Pot Pie on February 21 ,2009, and this is when my nightmare began I felt so ill that I thought I was going to die. I was vomiting had abdominal cramping, diarrhea sweating, I also felt very weak. I went to a local hospital where a series of test was ran and was diagnosed with a several things related to Food Poisoning such as; Hypokalemia that occurs when people vomit or have diarrhea, Dehydration which occurs when the body loses too much fluid from the body. I contacted them and was given information to speak with one of their Food Store claims adjusters who came out to visit with me and get some information from me about the incident. After asking a few questions, he told me that he would get back with me. After not hearing from him I decided to contact him. It was then I was told that my claim was denied and my hospital bill would not be paid. I decided I would call and speak with a supervisor, I spoke with the Manager over claims Adjusters and was then told that no one had any of my information about the incident. I then sent my medical records, hospital bills, receipt for proof of purchase. They denied my claim again stating that the reason for denial was that my medical report did not state that I had eaten a beef pot pie. But the report states clearly what I had eaten, I am now stuck with a bill totaling 11,773.29 I have no health insurance. I have been shopping their for many years now and feel very let down as a customer. I want to make all shoppers aware of my experience. Dave what can I do about this situation?
Answered 07/29/09 14:24:04 by Dave Lieber
A: In small claims court, you can sue for up to $10,000. So you could sue them for the maximum. As long as you can prove what you say with receipts, you have a pretty good chance of winning, I would think. Get on the Internet and find the part of Texas Code that pertains to the responsibilities of food sellers not to sell out-of-date products. Also, call Tarrant County Public Health and ask them what the county rules are. And call the Texas Dept of Agriculture and ask them if they are the state agency that enforces this, too. There is a lot of information -- and possible complaints you can file -- that you should know that the store hopes you don't find out. You got rejected by them. Big deal. Now you go to their regulators. And here is where you should start: file a complaint with the federal agency that regulates this -- the Food and Drug Administration. Their Texas office is (214) 253-5200 ext. 5233.Submitted by Lena Walker from Fort Worth, Texas
Q: My Grandfather passed away in November 2008. He fought in Korea, and WWII. The furnel home did not give him a miltary furnel and they still do not have him a headstone. My Dad is very upset since he just lost his brother and realized that his brother got a miltary furnel and his Dad did not. Can anything be done about this things? My Grandmother passed away in May this year. After my Mother and myself went in the furnel home showed our butt, they finally sent the papers over for my parents to sign to get the head stones. They say my grandmothers will be shipped on July 30. Since Grandpa is a Vet they don't know how long to get his head stone. My Grandparents made these arrangements years ago including picking out their head stones. I think this terrible to do a family this way after they lose family members. My Mother called me to say Grandma has no marker to show she was even there. I called the general manger to get this done approximately two weeks ago. PLEASE HELP.
Answered 07/29/09 12:46:22 by Dave Lieber
A: Please send me all this to watchdog@star-telegram.com. I know the folks there and will share this with them, but I would need all your personal contact information in the private email.Submitted by ROBERT JANOUSEK from ALEXANDRIA, MN
Q: DEAR MR.DAVE LIFBER, I KEEP GETTING THESE EMAILS REPLIES FROM PEOPLE FROM AFRICA COUNTRIES, CHINA, UNITED KINGDOM THAT ARE ASKING ME FOR A BUSINESS DEAL. I JUST DO NOT KNOW HOW THEY DID GET MY EMAIL ADDRESS, I HAVE CHANGE MY EMAIL ADDRESS MANY TIMES OVER AND THEY KEEP FIND MY EMAIL ADDRESS. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THESE CONTACTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. THEY TO ME ARE JUST SCAM ARTISIS. TRYING TO GET FUNDS OUT OF ME, FOR A GREAT DEAL. I JUST WANT YOU YOUR OPINION IN HOW TO DETECT SCAM ARTISTS ON MY EMAIL ADDRESS, I JUST DUMP THEM IN THE SCAM SELECTION. WOULD YOU GIVE ME MORE UP DATE WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN SCAM ARTISTS. I JUST DELETE THEM FROM MY EMAIL ADDRESS UNDERSCAM. THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME OUT WITH THIS. SINCERELY ROBERT JANOUSEK
Answered 07/27/09 17:24:59 by Dave Lieber
A: Robert, You are handling it correctly. Just dump them. Your Internet service provider probably has spam software that can be tweaked so you can stop getting them. Call and ask them. Also, how do they get your email addresses? It would be impossible to know. But I would have one address for my personal stuff and another that I would use for buying things on a Web site. Some ISP's offer many email addresses for the price of one. Another trick: create a hard address like RobJan34x3@hotmail.com - something a little too hard to figure out. Do a lot more research on the Web by typing into a search engine "How do I get rid of spam?"Submitted by Craig Griffin from Arlington, TX
Q: Dear Mr. Lieber, I have a Home Shield repair contract on my home. We called this week for an air conditioner repair. The company found on our 5 ton system had a 4 ton condenser coil installed. The technician said it was a Carrier system from 2002 and the coil's tags had been taped over and the coil was from 1992. They felt the system would never work well until the components are matched properly and they called Home Shield about what they had found. Home Shield said they would not cover future repairs because of the mismatched system. I believe the house was built in 2000 by DR Horton and my wife and father-in-law purchased the home in October of 2003. It was disclosed at the sale a compressor had been repaired. We are trying to contact the builder about this to see if they have any records. At this point I not sure what to believe. Do you have suggestions on how to proceed. Thanks, Craig Griffin
Answered 07/27/09 16:39:23 by Dave Lieber
A: Yes, Craig. I'd cut to the chase on this one. Go file an official complaint against them with the Texas Real Estate Commission, which audits the files of all companies doing this kind of business in Texas every two years. The commission investigators will look at the contract and see if there is any wording that says they won't cover mismatched products. (You can check that yourself.) Once the TX R.E. Commission gets the complaint and launches an investigation, you are in an entirely different stratosphere in how the company will look at you and treat you. Tell them The Watchdog says hi!Submitted by Ruth Ferguson from Fort Worth, TX
Q: Do you have access to anyone at Oncor that can investigate chronic and yearly outages in our neighborhood? We (about 30 homes)can't get Oncor to deal with exploding transformers in the easement behind our homes. I've called and written letters to Oncor with no response. These outages are not related to storms. Thank you.
Answered 07/17/09 23:37:06 by Dave Lieber
A: I do have someone I send matters to at Oncor. I'd be happy to pass your request on. Please send it all in great detail to watchdog@star-telegram.com.Submitted by Harvey & Sherry from Haltom City, TX
Q: Unfortunately my husband and I fell for a scam on purchasing a travel membership with Sealand Travel through their distributor “All Inclusive Excursions.” The very next day we realized this was not for us and made contact with them to cancel the membership and we were told to send a certified letter telling why we wanted to cancel and it would be considered by the corporate office. When I didn’t hear from them I called them back, and to make a long story short, was finally told they do not give any of the money back and would not let us out of the contract. We are talking about $4,995.00. Were do I start to complain about this and report them?
Answered 07/15/09 21:44:15 by Dave Lieber
A: I would do the following. Send them a certified letter with a return receipt that unless they return all the money and it clears the bank by a certain date, you are going to: 1) send a letter to your county district attorney outlining the scam; 2) file a complaint with the BBB; 3) file a complaint with the Texas Attorney General; 4) file a complaint with the FTC, 5) sue them in small claims court -- and then tell The Watchdog all about it so maybe it can get publicity, too. And then if they don't meet the deadline, do all of the above. Are you going to be more trouble than your worth to them? Is that $5,000 really worth all the eyes that will be on them?Submitted by leigh saint from Justin TX.
Q: I recently recieved my water bill from Aqua Texas Inc. when we discovered it had a new added charge to it of $9.94. When i called to inquire about the charge I was told that the charge was for the Stimilus check the the water regulatory agency received for the state of Texas.If the stimilus check was ment for jobs, and the economy. Why is it that this water company is charging us for the repayment of it. I was told that everyone in the state of Texas was paying it back, but when i called my friends, parents, and other relatives and had them check their water bills and to see if they were being charged also, I discovered that not one of them are being charged stimilus pay back.My question is why is our company making us pay back the stimilus when I can find noone from verious places throught out the state that are also being made to pay back a stimilus that was given to the state to provide economic stimilus not eocomic deprovation. Could you find out why the customers of Aqua Texas Inc. are being forced to pay back the stimilus.
Answered 07/15/09 16:05:35 by Dave Lieber
A: Please write to me at watchdog@star-telegram.com and provide your phone number and email address so we can discuss this further.Submitted by jerry atlas from burleson, texas
Q: i have a problem with a company called [deleted], they are in the auto modification business . they basically take autos and make them into roadsters, refurbishing of old classics , stereo installment (this is our problem)and other types of auto accessories. We currently have a problem with my daughters car that we took in last august , they put in a dvd player , for our grandson/her son who now is 22 mo.old . We can not get our money back even though the warranty is still good . They have yet to find another one , this has been going on for several months . We need help if possible . Thanks jerry
Answered 07/08/09 15:43:01 by Dave Lieber
A: Jerry, You have two places to go here to get their attention: 1) File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau at Fort Worth and also with the Texas Attorney General's consumer protection division. That's the best way to start to put pressure on them.Submitted by Carole Widmann from Ft Worth, TX
Q: Dave I want people to know what happened to me. I am a recent widow, lost my spouse 11 months ago. We lived in Granbury in a home filled with memories. I made the decision to move closer to the city and find a smaller home. I love Ft Worth and the cute cottages in Arlington Heights. Called a realtor thru Ebby Halliday to show me one. Made an offer which was accepted so I had an inspector check the home. There were major issues with plumbing that the owner was not willing to pay for, so I exercised my option to terminate the contract. My problem really begins after finding another home. When I made an offer on the first home I signed many papers. Literally an inch thick of paper work was signed. Overwhelming for anyone not used to all the jargon and issues. One of those papers was a contract that stated I had to use EH as a realtor for a period of three months. This wasn’t explained to me when I signed. If I had sat there and delved thru every word in these contracts it would have taken me days to sign all the papers. A week after I signed on this second home the EH agent called to see if I wanted to keep looking at homes. I told her I’d already bought another home. I even told her what street it was on. That’s how naive I was in these matters. About a week or two later I received a certified letter telling me I breached contract with EH and the agent. They want 3% commission at the closing of my home. They have threatened to sue me and put a lien on my home. 3% commission for doing absolutely nothing! Guess business must be bad for EH since this is how they need to make a buck. Probably not much I can do now; I did sign a contract. But I wanted to warn you all out there to beware. Not everyone is ethical. In fact most Realtors I’ve told said they would never have pursued this.
Answered 07/06/09 19:07:08 by Dave Lieber
A: Thanks for writing to me. You won't like what I say but let me say it anyway. You wrote the following, "If I had sat there and delved thru every word in these contracts it would have taken me days to sign all the papers." That's the worst thing you can say in today's world. Watchdog Nation, which I teach to everyone who will listen, is about how we have to take care of ourselves because no one else is going to do it for us. It's a contract with the Realtor. I would never expect anyone to break a contract "because I didn't know about that." That just doesn't fly in 2009.Submitted by jon windsor from ft. worth texas
Q: i have verizon cell phone service. where i live in east ft. worth, i have no bars on my phone. i have to walk out in the street to get or make calls. when i can get a call it usually breaks up or drops completely. i called verizon's tech help and they said that the reception problem in east ft. worth was known to them for a long time and they were working on it. they suggested that i needed to buy a $199.00 booster for my home. i pay for phone service like everyone else and haven't heard of anything like this. what can i do to get what i'm paying for? thanks, jon w.
Answered 06/29/09 17:45:04 by Dave Lieber
A: Send me an email with your entire story and your contact info, address, phone and account number to watchdog@star-telegram.com. I will forward it to the Verizon rep who handles Fort Worth area coverage.Submitted by Corinne Kwasney from Tolar, TX
Q: I recieved this job offer to become a mystery shopper. The company is called Consumer Evaluation Inc. I am to contact them and receive training over the phone. I was sent a cashiers check and instructed to go to certain businesses and spend a specified amount of money. After I go to these businesses I am to make a Western Union Transfer and then a Moneygram transfer. It all adds up to the amont of the check, and no money comes out of my pocket. Could you check to see if this is a legitamate offer or just another scam? Thank You
Answered 06/29/09 17:43:44 by Dave Lieber
A: It's a scam. RUN from it as fast as you can.