"The rules of cycling also apply to life. Take care of yourself. Set goals. Learn from the experts. Share your wisdom. Be prepared." --Karen Bliss Livingston, Olympic cyclist
I recently saw this quote in an industry e-newsletter, and immediately saw it's application to affordable, accessible, pre-need legal services. Life happens while you're doing something else, or going somewhere else, and being prepared for life's events becomes increasingly important with each passing day.
Marriage. Divorce. Adoption. Employment contracts. Rental agreements. Leases. Traffic tickets. Real estate transactions. Home Owners Association rules. Club memberships. Service contracts. Defective merchandise. The list of law-related situations goes on and on...
So whether or not you cycle, you're travelling down a road filled with calculated routes as well as unanticipated twists and turns.
You've probably set goals for your future at work and in your personal life. You probably carry health insurance (which takes care of your physical self and medical needs), automobile insurance and home owners' or renters' insurance (which takes care of your property--sometimes!). At this point in your life, it's time to learn about a legal program that will protect you and your family now and in the future--from both planned and unplanned events. It's been said, "Bad things happen to good people." Protect yourself. Be prepared. Click CALL ME to find out more.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Teenage Drivers
My son is a high school senior and has been driving for over a year; he tends to be fairly cautious. However, he is a teenager and often his accelerator foot is disproportionately heavier than his braking foot! It was particularly heavy on a recent senior campout in the northern part of our state. He had travelled 2 hours up the highway at the prevailing posted speed of 65 miles per hour. Upon exiting onto a local road to get to the campsite, he didn't slow down quickly enough to the posted 40 miles per hour. A law enforcement officer was perched at the exit, clocked him at 60, pulled him over and issued him a 6-point, $150 summons!
To add insult to injury, in addition to the points and fees, there was a mandatory appearance in a court with parent on an appointed date. So let's recap: 6 points (teenager loses his license at 5, insurance goes up), mandatory court appearance (near 2 hr drive, teenager misses school, Mom misses work and gives up a day's pay), and $150 fine. What do you do?
Fortunately, I subscribe to a legal services plan that covers myself and my son for situations like these. So, I picked up the phone, called my provider law firm, faxed over the summons and put initiated the process of resolving this legal problem. A lawyer with the firm who specializes in motorvehicle issues contacted the jurisdiction in which the traffic violation occured, negotiated on my son's behalf and resolved the situation to our satisfaction. The charges were reduced several points (saving my son's license and mitigating the insurance impact), and neither one of us had to travel 2 hours and miss school and work (a savings of both time and money). All we had to do was send the check that we would have had to pay regardless.
You too can get a legal services plan like mine. Click on Get Help Now or the CALL ME button, for more information or to subscribe today. Be prepared. Plan ahead.
To add insult to injury, in addition to the points and fees, there was a mandatory appearance in a court with parent on an appointed date. So let's recap: 6 points (teenager loses his license at 5, insurance goes up), mandatory court appearance (near 2 hr drive, teenager misses school, Mom misses work and gives up a day's pay), and $150 fine. What do you do?
Fortunately, I subscribe to a legal services plan that covers myself and my son for situations like these. So, I picked up the phone, called my provider law firm, faxed over the summons and put initiated the process of resolving this legal problem. A lawyer with the firm who specializes in motorvehicle issues contacted the jurisdiction in which the traffic violation occured, negotiated on my son's behalf and resolved the situation to our satisfaction. The charges were reduced several points (saving my son's license and mitigating the insurance impact), and neither one of us had to travel 2 hours and miss school and work (a savings of both time and money). All we had to do was send the check that we would have had to pay regardless.
You too can get a legal services plan like mine. Click on Get Help Now or the CALL ME button, for more information or to subscribe today. Be prepared. Plan ahead.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
What's in a Name?
A Rose by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet...
In Shakespeare's time, people didn't have to contend with identity thieves--out to use their names for not-so-sweet activities. A recent article in a Vermont newspaper posed this question: "Is identity theft protection worth paying for?" That same day, a broadcast news story reported: "Sex offender charged with identity theft." These two stories juxaposed begs an interesting question: "Do you want to know when a sex offender is pretending to be you?"
Not only do you want to know, you want to know before he does what comes naturally and you wind up paying for his crimes or in jail yourself as the alleged perpetrator.
What about the hottest new target--medical records. Can you afford to be denied medical attention because someone else has compromised your medical records and used up your insurance? Worse yet, can you afford to be treated for a disease you don't have, because someone else is seeking treatment for their medical condition using your indentity?
There are plenty of services out there that purport to offer identity theft protection and restoration--to prevent you from becoming a victim and to come in after the fact to help you put things right. Unfortunately most of them don't deliver on their promises--they notify you well after your identity has been compromised and then offer you a packet of papers to fill-out and mail!
What you want is daily monitoring of your credit file and an immediate alert to any changes and illegitimate or questionable activity/transactions. Then, in the event that you're identity has been compromised, you want restoration and recovery--handled by your service provider (not landing back in your lap). Be prepared. Plan ahead. Don't wait for a "911" moment. For the most comprehensive Identity Theft protection available, "click" Get Help Now to enroll or the Call Me button (right-hand column) for additional help and information.
In Shakespeare's time, people didn't have to contend with identity thieves--out to use their names for not-so-sweet activities. A recent article in a Vermont newspaper posed this question: "Is identity theft protection worth paying for?" That same day, a broadcast news story reported: "Sex offender charged with identity theft." These two stories juxaposed begs an interesting question: "Do you want to know when a sex offender is pretending to be you?"
Not only do you want to know, you want to know before he does what comes naturally and you wind up paying for his crimes or in jail yourself as the alleged perpetrator.
What about the hottest new target--medical records. Can you afford to be denied medical attention because someone else has compromised your medical records and used up your insurance? Worse yet, can you afford to be treated for a disease you don't have, because someone else is seeking treatment for their medical condition using your indentity?
There are plenty of services out there that purport to offer identity theft protection and restoration--to prevent you from becoming a victim and to come in after the fact to help you put things right. Unfortunately most of them don't deliver on their promises--they notify you well after your identity has been compromised and then offer you a packet of papers to fill-out and mail!
What you want is daily monitoring of your credit file and an immediate alert to any changes and illegitimate or questionable activity/transactions. Then, in the event that you're identity has been compromised, you want restoration and recovery--handled by your service provider (not landing back in your lap). Be prepared. Plan ahead. Don't wait for a "911" moment. For the most comprehensive Identity Theft protection available, "click" Get Help Now to enroll or the Call Me button (right-hand column) for additional help and information.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
You Carrying Someone Else’s Liability?
Are you inadvertently being exposed to a large liability, law suit or insurance claim because another party has failed to fulfill their legal obligation? This happens more often than you think. Take Larry, he lives in a nice townhouse in Littleton, CO where all structural concrete work (i.e. sidewalk, driveway, porch steps etc) is the direct responsibility of the Home Owners' Association. In fact the by-laws specifically prohibit him from changing or modifying anything at all that involves exterior structural components.
The first winter after purchase, he noticed a drainage problem existed around the step and stoop of the house main entry. This was a problem because it would create an extended icy, slippery area and unsafe conditions for anyone using the main door. Larry addressed the issue with the HOA (Home Owners' Association) multiple times over 3 years, repeatedly asking that the problem be corrected. Even after having one of his older children fall and smack her head on the walk, he continued to get a “deaf ear" response from the HOA. They simply failed to handle their legal responsibility – and he knew he was going be held liable by anyone that got hurt or injured as a result.
Larry figured it would cost a few hundred dollars to correct the problem if he did it himself, but in truth he wasn’t even allowed. So he handed the issue over to his PrePaid Legal Services law firm (a service he pays only $26/month for). The firm reviewed the issue, drafted a letter to the HOA and within a few days, Larry got a call from the HOA stating the problem was going to be addressed. During the construction contractor’s review it was also found that the porch step failed to comply with county regulations and the entire walkway was replaced and brought up to code.
What Larry had spent 3 years trying to resolve with no success, was resolved in 3 weeks to a level better than he could have imagined. PLUS he has rid himself of a liability that wasn’t really his to begin with. All this was a result of Larry's being able to have affordable access to legal services and thus gain back the “balance of power.” Click on the CALL ME button or web link in the right column to get this same advantage for yourself.
The first winter after purchase, he noticed a drainage problem existed around the step and stoop of the house main entry. This was a problem because it would create an extended icy, slippery area and unsafe conditions for anyone using the main door. Larry addressed the issue with the HOA (Home Owners' Association) multiple times over 3 years, repeatedly asking that the problem be corrected. Even after having one of his older children fall and smack her head on the walk, he continued to get a “deaf ear" response from the HOA. They simply failed to handle their legal responsibility – and he knew he was going be held liable by anyone that got hurt or injured as a result.
Larry figured it would cost a few hundred dollars to correct the problem if he did it himself, but in truth he wasn’t even allowed. So he handed the issue over to his PrePaid Legal Services law firm (a service he pays only $26/month for). The firm reviewed the issue, drafted a letter to the HOA and within a few days, Larry got a call from the HOA stating the problem was going to be addressed. During the construction contractor’s review it was also found that the porch step failed to comply with county regulations and the entire walkway was replaced and brought up to code.
What Larry had spent 3 years trying to resolve with no success, was resolved in 3 weeks to a level better than he could have imagined. PLUS he has rid himself of a liability that wasn’t really his to begin with. All this was a result of Larry's being able to have affordable access to legal services and thus gain back the “balance of power.” Click on the CALL ME button or web link in the right column to get this same advantage for yourself.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Losing the Gold from the Golden Years
Each year a staggering number of people fall prey to Identity Theft. Author, Jason R. Rich ("Dirty Little Secrets: What the Credit Bureaus Won't Tell You) speculates the number could be as high as ten million! The fastest growing segment of that unfortunate population is seniors. Perceived as trusting and vulnerable, they present easy targets for identity thieves. And everyone has advice for seniors.
My personal favorite statement from the "experts": "Don't become a victim." Then they proceed to offer a list of the obvious ways to protect yourself, like:
My personal favorite statement from the "experts": "Don't become a victim." Then they proceed to offer a list of the obvious ways to protect yourself, like:
- Be selective about who you share your personal information with
- Shred documents with personal information on it
- Be wary of certain offers (i.e. credit cards) in the mail
Some "experts" would scare you into avoiding the Internet altogether, for transactions of any kind!
Reality is, be smart, be cautious, but most importantly plan ahead and be prepared. Have a program in place that monitors your credit reports daily, and should you become a victim, assigns a licensed investigator to prepare and followup on the credit repair/restoration paperwork, plus perform proactive searches of applicable local/national databases for compromised information you may not even be aware of. You can get such a program today. Just hit the CALL ME button on the right.
Friday, March 16, 2007
The Unforseen Hazards of Teaching
As if teachers don't have it tough enough--low salaries, long hours of combined prep time and instruction, mountains of paperwork to meet state and federal guidelines, as well as grading homework & classwork, disrespectful students, sometimes weapons and drugs, and uninvolved/uncooperative parents. Now they have to worry about what might "pop up" on their computer screen unannounced and unrequested.
That's just what happened to an unsuspecting substitute teacher named Julie in Connecticut, one fateful day in October 2004. On that day, the regular teacher was there before class to log Julie into her computer at the front of the classroom. Substitutes didn't have their own accounts, and were specifically ordered not to log out or shut down computers. After being logged on, and while the regular teacher was still in the room, Julie stepped out briefly. When Julie returned to the classroom, the regular teacher was gone and students (some of whom didn't even belong in the class) were surfing the Web on the teacher's computer. Unbeknownst to Julie, the computer had no antispyware software because the school district had allowed its Web-filtering software support contract to expire!
So, when one of the female students decided to visit a hairstyle Web site, she was immediately redirected to another site that advertised adult products. When Julie tried to close the site down, a flood of pornographic pop-ups started. Julie is not a computer wiz--she can perform basic computing functions, but that's about it. When she couldn't get rid of the pop-ups, she turned the screen away from the students' view and chased away any student who approached her desk. What else could she do--she was forbidden from shutting down the computer?
During her next break, Julie sought technical help--to no avail. No one in authority in the school or with technical expertise would return to the classroom with her. She was repeatedly told not to worry about it. Shortly after the incident, Julie was arrested for "child endangerment." In January of this year, she was convicted of four counts of "impairing the morals of a minor." She is due for sentencing March 29.
Julie is a law-abiding, good and honest person who never thought she'd need legal assistance. In a school environment, unpredictable situations can arise--and as a substitute teacher, she doesn't even have the legal aid or union reprentation that full-time teachers have. There is, however, a legal services program with special features and benefits for teachers and school personnel that addresses the issues/occurences unique to their profession. For more information, see side bar on screen.
That's just what happened to an unsuspecting substitute teacher named Julie in Connecticut, one fateful day in October 2004. On that day, the regular teacher was there before class to log Julie into her computer at the front of the classroom. Substitutes didn't have their own accounts, and were specifically ordered not to log out or shut down computers. After being logged on, and while the regular teacher was still in the room, Julie stepped out briefly. When Julie returned to the classroom, the regular teacher was gone and students (some of whom didn't even belong in the class) were surfing the Web on the teacher's computer. Unbeknownst to Julie, the computer had no antispyware software because the school district had allowed its Web-filtering software support contract to expire!
So, when one of the female students decided to visit a hairstyle Web site, she was immediately redirected to another site that advertised adult products. When Julie tried to close the site down, a flood of pornographic pop-ups started. Julie is not a computer wiz--she can perform basic computing functions, but that's about it. When she couldn't get rid of the pop-ups, she turned the screen away from the students' view and chased away any student who approached her desk. What else could she do--she was forbidden from shutting down the computer?
During her next break, Julie sought technical help--to no avail. No one in authority in the school or with technical expertise would return to the classroom with her. She was repeatedly told not to worry about it. Shortly after the incident, Julie was arrested for "child endangerment." In January of this year, she was convicted of four counts of "impairing the morals of a minor." She is due for sentencing March 29.
Julie is a law-abiding, good and honest person who never thought she'd need legal assistance. In a school environment, unpredictable situations can arise--and as a substitute teacher, she doesn't even have the legal aid or union reprentation that full-time teachers have. There is, however, a legal services program with special features and benefits for teachers and school personnel that addresses the issues/occurences unique to their profession. For more information, see side bar on screen.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Verbal Contracts Count...
Don’t get caught holding the short end of the stick because you believed someone’s words.
One evening, several months ago, I got an unsolicited call from a very pleasant and persuasive young man named Zack, a manager for Calypso Cay Resort. He enthusiastically informed me that he had an incredible vacation opportunity for me and up to 3 friends. He outlined it for me: 3 nights in Orlando, 3 nights in Daytona and 3 nights in Miami, plus a 3-day Caribbean cruise. All I had to do was agree to tour the Calypso Cay property in Orlando and listen to a short time-share sales pitch. That was the only condition for this fabulous vacation at the "special" price of $298. God, he was good and convincing!
Zack told me that a "vacation package" reiterating all the wonders he'd described would be sent via mail. He clearly stated other conditions: I had up to 18 months to use my vacation package, it could be extended another 6 months for a small fee, AND I had 90 days to cancel. He repeatedly assured me that after reviewing the package, if I wasn't interested, I had 90 days to cancel and receive a full $298 refund. Even though the "Terms & Conditions" state a 30-day cancellation policy, he said that Florida law provides for 90 days. It seemed like a no-risk no-brainer (operative word "no-brainer"). I gave Zack my credit card number for the $298 charge, and anxiously awaited my dreamy vacation package.
My credit card was charged nearly immediately on September 1, and I finally received my package on September 20. I reviewed the information, calculated airfare between my home state and Florida, cost of a car rental to get between the cities in Florida, and tried to figure out when I could get away for twelve consecutive days. By mid-November, this vacation seemed like more of a challenge than an opportunity. It just didn't compute as such a great idea after all. So, I decided to cancel. That's when my "dream" turned into a nightmare!
As my "buddy" Zack had instructed, on November 15 (only half way to the 90-day cancellation period Zack assured me I had) I called Calypso Cay. I told them I'd decided to cancel and asked them to refund my $298 via credit to my charge card. I was told 45 days exceeded the 30-day cancellation period. I relayed my lengthy conversation with Zack (dates, times, details from written notes I’d made), and was told that I must be mistaken or misunderstood what I'd heard. I was instructed to return the package, as cancellation put me "out of compliance with their terms and conditions." Then, I was told that they would not refund my $298, either. In other words--no vacation and no money back!
So I called my credit card company, Capital One, who credited my account for $298, charged-back Calypso Cay, and initiated an investigation. Fast-forward two months and a UPS envelope arrived at my door. In it was a letter from Capital One informing me that Calypso Cay had refuted my claims and my credit card account was being re-charged $298. Capital One offered me the opportunity to respond to Calypso Cay's rebuttal and told me that my reply had to be received by January 31, 2007. I faxed a letter to Capital One, alerting them to the fact that I was now turning the entire matter over to my attorney--boy was that a good feeling!
On January 31, my attorney sent a letter to Calypso Cay outlining my claims and requesting my refund. On February 14, I received my $298 refund.
You see, I prescribe to the Boy Scout motto: "Be Prepared." My peace of mind is priceless, so I've planned ahead. I belong to a legal services program that enables me to contact an attorney whenever an unforeseen situation arises. You can too! For more information, contact Tom. See Get Help Now in the sidebar at right.
One evening, several months ago, I got an unsolicited call from a very pleasant and persuasive young man named Zack, a manager for Calypso Cay Resort. He enthusiastically informed me that he had an incredible vacation opportunity for me and up to 3 friends. He outlined it for me: 3 nights in Orlando, 3 nights in Daytona and 3 nights in Miami, plus a 3-day Caribbean cruise. All I had to do was agree to tour the Calypso Cay property in Orlando and listen to a short time-share sales pitch. That was the only condition for this fabulous vacation at the "special" price of $298. God, he was good and convincing!
Zack told me that a "vacation package" reiterating all the wonders he'd described would be sent via mail. He clearly stated other conditions: I had up to 18 months to use my vacation package, it could be extended another 6 months for a small fee, AND I had 90 days to cancel. He repeatedly assured me that after reviewing the package, if I wasn't interested, I had 90 days to cancel and receive a full $298 refund. Even though the "Terms & Conditions" state a 30-day cancellation policy, he said that Florida law provides for 90 days. It seemed like a no-risk no-brainer (operative word "no-brainer"). I gave Zack my credit card number for the $298 charge, and anxiously awaited my dreamy vacation package.
My credit card was charged nearly immediately on September 1, and I finally received my package on September 20. I reviewed the information, calculated airfare between my home state and Florida, cost of a car rental to get between the cities in Florida, and tried to figure out when I could get away for twelve consecutive days. By mid-November, this vacation seemed like more of a challenge than an opportunity. It just didn't compute as such a great idea after all. So, I decided to cancel. That's when my "dream" turned into a nightmare!
As my "buddy" Zack had instructed, on November 15 (only half way to the 90-day cancellation period Zack assured me I had) I called Calypso Cay. I told them I'd decided to cancel and asked them to refund my $298 via credit to my charge card. I was told 45 days exceeded the 30-day cancellation period. I relayed my lengthy conversation with Zack (dates, times, details from written notes I’d made), and was told that I must be mistaken or misunderstood what I'd heard. I was instructed to return the package, as cancellation put me "out of compliance with their terms and conditions." Then, I was told that they would not refund my $298, either. In other words--no vacation and no money back!
So I called my credit card company, Capital One, who credited my account for $298, charged-back Calypso Cay, and initiated an investigation. Fast-forward two months and a UPS envelope arrived at my door. In it was a letter from Capital One informing me that Calypso Cay had refuted my claims and my credit card account was being re-charged $298. Capital One offered me the opportunity to respond to Calypso Cay's rebuttal and told me that my reply had to be received by January 31, 2007. I faxed a letter to Capital One, alerting them to the fact that I was now turning the entire matter over to my attorney--boy was that a good feeling!
On January 31, my attorney sent a letter to Calypso Cay outlining my claims and requesting my refund. On February 14, I received my $298 refund.
You see, I prescribe to the Boy Scout motto: "Be Prepared." My peace of mind is priceless, so I've planned ahead. I belong to a legal services program that enables me to contact an attorney whenever an unforeseen situation arises. You can too! For more information, contact Tom. See Get Help Now in the sidebar at right.
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