Take advantage when emergencies pop up? Life happens and can catch us off guard.
When we may or may not have the money but have to get something fixed or buy it new it’s really sad that there are people out there who love it when consumers are in dire need. Thank God for the good people in the world but when it come to thesese people. Buyer beware;
Home Contractors
If you have ever owned a home there is a good possibility that you have been the victim of an unscrupulous contractor(s). They come up with a price for the job that you need to be done, you agree to the terms and then the minute they have your walls open or your electricity cut off, they hit you with an “Oh there seems to be another problem we didn’t know about” or they change the terms of the deal by asking for more money for supplies.
Only a FOOL would give contractor money for supplies upfront. Best way to deal with them?
DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Talk to the people who they have done work for then AKK them if they know anybody ELSE the contractor has done work for.
The contractor is only going to give you satisfied customers or his friends to vouch for him so dig deeper and you may find a very unsatisfied customer. Is he certified or licensed? Con artists never get you by THEIR greed, they get you by YOURS. So like the old saying goes, if a deal sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
You think you are getting a great deal but you might not be happy with the results.
Dentists
Since Dentists have such a hard time getting paid by insurance companies now they want YOU to pay them upfront. With YOUR credit card or one that they want you to apply for.
Interest-free for 6 months is not bad if you don’t have the money or you really need dental work now but beware.
The prices are usually higher than average and if you get a medical credit card for 6 months for $6000, be prepared to spend OVER that amount. Some will do what contractors do and take the innards of one of your teeth out then find another problem for you to cough up more money. The worst part is when they act like they are doing YOU a favor by offering a “discount?” What can you do?
It might not be easy if you have a severe tooth ache.
- Check local community center Dentists, they will be MUCH cheaper
- Call your local university and see if they offer a program where you can get discount dental work by a student that an actual dentist supervises.
- Save some money for emergencies like this and negotiate the price down instead of using the credit card. No interest is nice but so are points or cashback. The dentist is getting the best deal.
- Have two Dental insurance policies (Dual Dental). This wil save you out of pocket spending as one can usually back up the other and they are not that expensive. However, don’t wait until the last minute. A lot of Dental insurance companies will not cover you until a grace period like 3 to 6 months are up.
- Are you a real estate agent or member of an organization? See if they offer members dental insurance.
- Big box stores like Costco offer discount Dental insurance to members
Vets
Vets are sweet and kind all the while your sweet dog or cat is growing up, that’s to keep you as a customer but when your dog gets old and sick … vents turn into VULTURES.
They play the same game with everyone. They tell you they don’t know what’s wrong with your dog or cat then they tell you they can do a few tests for about a thousand dollars but they can’t guarantee that they will get the results. If not they need to do further tests.
Of course, in your time of dire need, you agree to pay them the $1000 after all they have been so nice to you over the years … NOPE, your pain is their Payday and they will come back and tell you … “Sorry we couldn’t determine what the problem was like we told you, so we need to do more specific tests for about $5000.00.
Depending on how much you love your dog at this point you are probably ready to say goodbye or you pay the $5000.00 but that’s JUST the beginning, THEN they have to do surgery, etc. I met a guy who paid $24,000 to give his Great Dane a hip replacement. Two months later the dog had nasal cancer.
How to Protect Yourself for Vet Vulchers?
Pet insurance is also a rip off. By the time you pay that monthly fee over the years which will now be in thousands it’s useless then they don’t all pay the entire bill.
Put that $75.00 a month in the bank in an niterest bearing account
The best option if you have it put 2k to 5k in a safe stock like Microsoft for 10 years. There is a good chance that in 10 years your money could double, triple or quadruple by the time your dog starts having issues.
Cash is ALWAYS king so negotiation is probably in your corner
Find a Vet that’s way outside of the city, Perhaps in a smaller town, they are awlays more reasonably priced.
Think about the breed of dog that you buy. Pugs, Bulldogs and other breeds have severe nasal, breathing and lung problems as they get older which could be very costly. Research the breed of dog you buy first.
If you love a certain breed of dog. By the dog from an actual breeder and get papers if you can. You may have to leave town in order to do so.
Web Developers/Site Builders
Let me start by saying not ALL developers are bad but you will have to look far and wide to find good and honest ones and if you find one PLEASE let us know. In a nut As the old saying goes, there is no such thing as a free lunch. A big company offered me a discount if I paid them from my checking account each month. Turns out, I was paying the same price, then I got a call offering me a free older iPhone. I fell for it and got charged $150.00 the next month. When I called about it they couldn’t explain and refused to give me my money back. Solutions to prevent getting ripped off by Cell Phone Carriers.. NEVER let them take money out of your account each month or anyone else for that matter. Many banks have bill pay service FREE of charge that will pay them the amount you tell them to pay each month and companies don’t have access to your credit card. Once you give your credit card information away, they can do anything they want to with it. This should be on the TOP of the list. This has got to be one of the sleaziest professions on the planet. Many people walk in and walk out NOT with what they wanted but what the DEALER wanted you to have. They are NEVER looking out for your best interest only their own. To that end, I will say I rarely hear any complaints about Carmax. Ways Car Dealerships Rip Consumers off… Mislead you about your credit. ALWAYS KNOW YOUR CREDIT SCORE BEFORE YOU BUY A CAR. Give you horrible loan terms if you use their lenders. For the first two years, you are basically paying nothing but high interest. Offer bells and whistles in the contract: HELL NO, that brand new stereo system may cost $800.00 but once it’s built into the contract you will paying a LOT more than that. They will push old inventory on you to get it off the lot. Fine, but you better give me a GREAT deal too. Ways to Avoid Car Dealer Rip Offs All in all you can save yourself a lot of future grief by understanding it’s not really an emergency and haste makes waste. Good luckCell Phone Companies
Car Dealerships
