Spotting Bad Service Providers
Consumer protection isn't common sense anymore, it is a skill set you need to sharpen weekly.
Ticket Brokers: How Bait-and-Switch and Hidden Fees Cost You Real Money
Ticket, Mortgage and Insurance Brokering · You are standing in line for a sold-out concert, or maybe your kid’s championship game, and the only way in is through a ticket broker. You have heard the horror stories: tickets that never arrive, seats that don’t exist, prices that double at ch...
The Mortgage Rate Lock Trap: How Brokers Get You to Pay More
Ticket, Mortgage and Insurance Brokering · You find a mortgage broker who promises a rock-bottom rate. You lock it in, breathe easy, and start planning your move. Then, a week before closing, the broker calls with bad news: rates have moved, and your lock requires an extension fee. Or worse, ...
Ticket Broker Scams: How Middle-Class Americans Get Burned
Ticket, Mortgage and Insurance Brokering · You want to see your favorite band one last time or take the family to the big playoff game. You search online, find a website that looks legitimate, and pay top dollar for seats that never arrive. Or they arrive but are counterfeit, or the section a...
Your Mortgage Broker Might Be Working Against You – Here’s How to Tell
Ticket, Mortgage and Insurance Brokering · You walk into a mortgage broker’s office hoping to lock in a decent rate on your refinance or home purchase. The broker seems friendly, talks fast, and promises you the best deal in town. But what if that deal isn’t really for you? What if the br...
The Mortgage Broker Bait-and-Switch: How That Low Rate Can Cost You Thousands
Ticket, Mortgage and Insurance Brokering · You see an advertisement for a mortgage rate that is a full percentage point below what every other lender is offering. The promise is clear: a 3.5 percent fixed rate when everyone else is at 4.5 percent. You call the broker, who sounds friendly and ...
The Ticket Broker Trap: How Middle-Class Americans Get Fleeced on Concerts and Games
Ticket, Mortgage and Insurance Brokering · You’ve been planning that concert or playoff game for months. The tickets go on sale, and within minutes they’re gone. Then you see a website offering the same seats at twice the price, with a small “official reseller” logo that looks convinc...
How to Spot a Dishonest Mortgage Broker Before You Sign
Ticket, Mortgage and Insurance Brokering · Buying a home is probably the biggest financial move you will ever make. That makes the mortgage broker you choose just as important as the house itself. A good broker saves you thousands and guides you through the paperwork. A bad one can cost you t...
How Mortgage Brokers Can Cost You Thousands: Spotting the Red Flags
Ticket, Mortgage and Insurance Brokering · You are sitting across the desk from a mortgage broker who promises you the best rate on a refinance or a new home loan. He smiles, shakes your hand, and assures you that he has your best interests at heart. Maybe he even shows you a lower monthly pa...
The Warning Signs of a Dishonest Ticket Broker
Ticket, Mortgage and Insurance Brokering · You have saved up for months to take your spouse to that sold-out concert or finally snag floor seats for the big playoff game. You find a website promising tickets at a price that seems almost too good. You click buy, enter your credit card number, ...
How to Spot a Rogue Ticket Broker Before You Lose Your Money
Ticket, Mortgage and Insurance Brokering · You want to see your favorite band, a big playoff game, or a Broadway show. You go online, find the tickets are sold out, and start searching resale sites. That is exactly when the scammers are waiting for you. Ticket brokering is a legitimate busine...
The Mortgage Broker Shell Game: How to Spot a Bad Deal Before You Sign
Ticket, Mortgage and Insurance Brokering · You are sitting across from a mortgage broker who seems friendly, confident, and full of promises. He says he can get you a rate that sounds too good to be true, and he waves off your questions about fees by calling them “standard.” Maybe you are...
Your Mortgage Broker’s Secret Commission: How Kickbacks Inflate Your Loan Costs
Ticket, Mortgage and Insurance Brokering · You’re shopping for a mortgage. You sit down with a broker who promises to find you the best rate. He seems helpful, runs your credit, and shows you a few loan options. What you don’t see is the quiet handshake between that broker and the lender...
Coil Cleaner Upsell During a Tune-up
Plumbers & Emergency HVAC Sharks · You call a plumber or HVAC company for a routine furnace or air conditioner tune-up. The technician arrives, pokes around for fifteen minutes, and then delivers the bad news: your evaporator or condenser coils are filthy and need an immediate cleanin...
Sewer Line Camera Scope Insurance Scam
Plumbers & Emergency HVAC Sharks · When your basement floods or your shower drains at a glacial pace, panic sets in. You call a plumber, and within minutes a technician arrives with a high-tech camera on a flexible rod. He feeds it into your drain, and on a small monitor, you see a cr...
Auto Insurance Glass Claim Premium Hike Trap
Ticket, Mortgage & Insurance Brokering · You file a simple windshield repair claim, expecting a quick fix and a return to normal. Months later, your insurance premium spikes without warning. Welcome to the auto insurance glass claim premium hike trap—a quiet scam that targets middle-class...