The Troubleshooter 11-25-24

Yeah, ripped off, had news, didn't need advice.

So you don't have the.

Come running just as fast as we can.

Shoe Shooter's gonna help come.

Man, this is the Troubleshooter Show.

No, Tom Martino, Hey I Tom Martino. Welcome to the show. Three zero three seven one three talk seven one three eight two five five. What's going on in your life? And we are here to help you any way we can. Hello, Oh, okay, I'll turn myself up. Then man, just say the word. How's that? Okay? Yeah? And then people say I'm too loud. See Shannon, this is proof. Shannon just said I'm too low. Everyone else says I'm too loud.

I could barely hear you. You were whispering.

Okay. Well, hi Tom Martino. Here, by the way, if you're streaming and you're streaming video, we have Bob Logan here to my right, and we have Deputy D who sits over here. Deputy D helps out a lot, and bob Logan plumb line services. Bob, I want to ask you something real quick. Do you get busy on the eve or at thanks even the day after they? I mean, is there like do you actually have somebody that you make work.

So we're officially closed on Thanksgiving and all major holidays, but we do have technicians and people in the call center that volunteer to step up because they know we're going to get calls.

And so you will run calls.

Yes, it's on an emergency only basis and typically only for our VIP clients. So you know, we have the VIP membership and there's a lot of benefits to go along with that. But one of those is after hours and holidays things like that, or warranties. Obviously, we're going to stand behind any warranty calls that we have.

All Right, And I just brought up I'm always blown away by how dapper he is. Do your technico?

No, I mean he's out a GQ. Bro, he's out of GQ?

Is that Mark?

Yeah?

Stranger?

Now now talking about dapper, you want to see his look? Get it close up to him, Bro, look at that now, I'm going to show you him real close. Look at this. I'm going to show you it's.

Rolling Stones T shirt, black T shirt. Hey, you saw me the other night though I was dressed up.

Mark, I'm gonna I promise you when I tell you this. You looked really good. No, we thank you an event. He looked really good. Of course, Suzann always looks bad. We were shocked.

Oh that's nice.

Well, I don't know how to put it. I guess that's a bit. I didn't mean it like that.

If Marco could, I'll bet you Susie knocked him out right.

I'm oh, yeah, Deputy, Doc, is she looked great? Are you in the studio? Docs? I deputy, Oh, dollars there.

And we're all fortunate day morning, Tom. Does it make us look good?

Of course?

Now, hey, Tom, can I give you a follow up from last week?

Yeah, let's do it, bro. And then I'm gonna go to the phones. I got Bradley. Bradley, hang on, I'm gonna take you, I promise, go ahead. What's going on? Doc?

Debor called up about Louis Aramao Construction.

Hired a contractor July eight, twenty five thousand dollars estimate. She said she paid the entire amount, but only eighty percent of the garage is complete. So whenever the contractor believes the whole thing's done, and he says I only have a few hours left.

When I've spoke to her, she gave me a whole list of what needs to be done. We need to get somebody out there to take a look and find out what has to be done and how much is gonna cost. So before we can do anything, we need a second opinion on what's going to be done.

Okay, now here here was one of the well should I say common problems when we do that? Let me let me put it to you this way. What happens is they have an original contract and then the contract falls apart, and then what happens is they want a second opinion. Now, the second opinion comes in and we'll say what needs to be done according to that contractor and how that contractor would have done it. That doesn't mean he's out. He's breaching his contract or the original

Doc she's in seventy six and Sheridan. So Westminster thought.

Man, we can't have any one of our people. Let's pick somebody to go out there and take a quick look. I hope you understand these people put themselves out when they do this.

I totally understand that. And you know, just like you say, sometimes you appreciate the deputies and what we put in we appreciate so much. Are are people who go out to give us second opinions, like you know Genesis or Jeff with Transmissions.

Any plumb Line services, they do free second opinions all the time.

We really appreciate our sponsors that go out and help the deputies.

We couldn't do a job with all that has found in the past. Plumb Line has found equipment in the past that's just perfect, perfect equipment, but it's not operating properly. Because what percentage is equipment and what percentage is installation? Fifty to fifty.

Right, it's ninety ten, ninety ten.

Times what ninety percent installation.

You can buy the best equipment money will buy, and if it's not installed properly, you just threw your money away.

Wow.

And and you know, we work with Carrier for a number of reasons. One they're they're one of the best known brands in the world. But our local distributors fantastic stands behind everything that we do. But here's a here's the thing. You can buy the best.

He's low man, All right, go ahead.

I'm I'm kind of away from them. That's probably my fault. But again, you can buy the best equipment money can buy. And if it's not installed properly, it's it's not going to run as it's designed. It's gonna be starving for air. Maybe unsafe. There's a number of things that can go wrong.

Couldn't set it better, couldn't have said it better. I want to talk now to uh and again I'm gonna I pipe myself up and people are gonna now say I sound robotic. You wait, Bradley, go ahead. What's going on with you? Bradley? I'm sorry, what what's happening? Oh?

Nothing.

I bought a car from the dealerships out like six months ago, and they never gave me a title for it, and I was actually directed to you from it.

It was six months ago. Six months ago.

Yeah, they've been I've been calling them once a month for the past six months and they.

Make what's the name of it. I don't know what that is. Are you doing something we shouldn't know about? Look excuse me, I digress, Bradley. What's the name of the dealer, Urban Motors on a federal It's Urban Motors Blue. Okay. And what did you buy?

I buy a nineteen ninety seven Toyota Corolla.

Okay. And what do they say about not getting you a title?

Well, at first they said, uh, that it should be coming in the mail. I should get a little card for it or something to like proof that it was sent to the DMV. And then it's a.

Used car though, right, it's a used car.

It's a used car at auction.

Of course it is a ninety seven. What am I stupid? Yes, it's a used car. So in Urban you went to Urban Motors. Okay. Well here's the problem. They have to give your money back.

Yeah.

Yeah.

When I talked to them on the phone not too long ago, and it's like last that easy.

They have to give your money back, and if you want your money back, we'll get it back.

Yes I would.

They have no choice in the matter. None.

Yeah.

Yeah.

They keep saying there'll be a week out or a month out or that.

In the courts.

They're making like a reproductive.

Who wants to give them the bad news? I'm going to give this to Deputy Dollar. Deputy Dollar. Okay, let's call them during the show even see what we can do for you. Okay, hang on, bro, hang on three oh three seven one three talk seven one three eight two five five. All right, I'm going to do something right now that's gonna make Mark faint, and Uh, it's gonna make uh Dragon faint? Is it Dragon or Shannon?

Right now?

I'm sorry, Shannon, Shannon's gonna Shannon's gonna faint because I'm going to take a break on time. I'm Tom Martine, and we have more coming uprootopros dot net. The best water systems at the lowest prices. I'm telling you water softening plus a triple filter reverse osmosis system at your kitchen, seeing so the whole house softening for your plumbing, your laundry, your showers, your baths, and drinking water all for thirty one ninety five. I mean, that's an unheard of price.

They have to do it so in a reasonable time.

Yeah, well yeah, and they don't define a reasonable time. That's the thing. They don't define it. They just say, you know what, that's not reasonable. But usually sixty days is considered reasonable. During COVID, you know they they did them. You know they did them a little differently, Tom.

While there's statues which define how much they can charge them for use of the car just so he doesn't get ripped off them.

Well, first of all, yes, if they don't deliver title, no, no, I don't think that. I don't think that bailman comes into play.

So he's had the call for six months. They're not going to charge you anything that give his full refund back.

He should get everything back. They should rescind the whole deal. It's their fault. Yeah, that's right, it's one hundred percent their fault. But there is Isn't there statutes on bailman in general? Yes, yes, there is, uh huh, So bailman in general, as Mark talked about, is statutory, and I think they define the number of days. I think again I'm hazy because we haven't used it in a while, but I think it's ten days, so three oh so ten days. And then if they don't arrange financing, that's

Every penny from your bank, every single dime, and when you complain about it, they investigate you.

They investigate you. This is a dirty banking secret no one likes to talk about. As transfers. Now, I can think of only one way to do away with it. You shut down on all achs. But then you can't make auto payments, you can't do anything. So I don't know how or what the answer is. I don't know what it is, but one in four Americans are getting their life savings wiped out. Now, in some cases it's it's well, in most cases it's an ACH. In most

Our banker is great with us. If anything seems out of the normal, a certain amount goes through anything, Nicole literally calls Suzanne before it leaves our bank and makes sure it's okay. And it doesn't matter if it's an ach, it doesn't matter what it is.

Okay, Hey, Tom, So I had some really great advice from my bank because I had exactly the same concerns about people cloning checks. And we set up two systems. One is we opened a savings account for my business, so I only keep a little bit of money in my business checking account. The rest of it stays in savings, and then when that grows too high, it goes into CDs. And nobody can steal a CD from a bank, and it's very difficult to hit a savings account.

Okay, three three seven, one three talk. That's one way keep a limited amount. But anything that has anything that has used the name of password, or anything that has an ach number, an account number, can be hacked, anything, anything at all. So while CDs are a low probability, they can be hacked. One of the safest instruments known to man is if you go to unless of course they get you use the name of password, but you

You still have savings bonds, yeah, just not physical ones anymore.

No, so, and then what Mark said? Bitcoin? We've had people call and had bitcoins completely missing. Where do you go?

Yeah, but it was their own fault.

Well, how do we know that.

I don't think there's any way. I don't think anybody can break the encryption on those wallets. I don't think China can. I don't think anybody can.

Bob.

There was a young couple prosecuted I think about three years ago that were stealing a lot of big well.

And a lot of them aren't necessarily stealing the bitcoins, but they're helping you set them up. And keeping track of it and then go and steal. In other words, they're not hacking in. They were there from the beginning. Or you set up. You set up without a legitimate wallet. Your your wallet wasn't legitimate to begin with, but they didn't rob it until you had a lot in there. Three o three seven one three eight two five five. Listen, we got to address economic crime, and we're gonna talk

Tom on the grandma and I have seven grandkids currently, I'm a retirement age. I don't have a lot of money. I just wanted to get you to talk about a little bit some investment I can put in for each of those grandkids into something that might grow over their lives. Not a lot of money, obviously, but just some ideas you had for investments.

Sure for for low money, in gradual growth, safety for kids. Yeah, what would there? Okay, you hang on, well we'll come back and talk about that. Three oh three seven one three eight two five five. Okay. Frank durandereal estate man dot Com. Right now, if you're thinking about making a change, this is the time of year a lot of people think about change. Frank will give you a preview what your house will sell for based on his vast experience

They're all young, they're too right now, and my obvious excellent cover excellent covering them, you know, kind of going forward for their lives, just with their parents. And then the second thing is I want them to have something that they can actually have and take from me, you know, twenty years from now when they get eighteen or whatever they are.

That's wonderful. That's really good stuff. If it's twenty years, low risk secure. The longer the time horizon, the less risk you have to take, wouldn't you say that's true? Pat yep agree. Okay, now let's talk about this. A five twenty nine college plan is very basic, but it's only good if they're going to do it for college because it grows tax free. It grows tax free, and they never have to pay tax on the growth or any part of it if they use it for college. Okay, right,

Right, So yeah, ETFs exchange traded funds excuse me, or a basket for the investments. They're very much like a mutual fund. They just don't have a manager on them. And so I'm they're defined the investments that they hold and own are defined by market capitalization typically of the companies, the thought price, and so you know, for example, Schwab just to pick a flavor, they've they've got a number

And you're, yeah, it's it's seven tenths of a percent and and if it's a twenty year horizon. Even though people speak against the market, in a well placed fund, the market comes through over time.

Well, the injury is, you know, you've got to outpace inflation, and you know, the equity markets the only act class that have consistently done.

That only time now.

But the other thing, time is the mitigating factor for risk.

What about Series one savings bonds? What do you think of those?

Pat Yeah, those are okay too, depending on you know, where we are in the interest rates spectrum and what they're yielding. So I'm very safe. You know, a lot of times of people it's just not going to pass the sleep test unless there's some sort of government backed guarantee on it, or if the IC insured or whatever. So it really kind of gets back to what you know, your personal interests are and we're willing to do. As far as the risk.

Now, there are actually dividend growth stocks which reinvest dividends, like Schwabs Dividend Equity fund. You have those very low risk. Then you have just good old fashioned mutual funds, but they're date mutual funds. You actually you actually commit for a time and another you know, so those are the basics. Now, there's always corporate or high quality corporate or municipal bonds, especially if you're not touching them, they can really grow

Yeah, oh yeah, traditionally they would be. And again it gets back to a lot of reasons people go into that asset classes for safety and guarantees and things. Yeah, and the other thing to remember too, for tax deferral or capital assets. You know, unless you sell them, you have no gain. So if you buy stock for a dollar and it's increased in value based from market price to few dollars, but you don't sell it, you have

Have some good I have some good news for you though, Brenda. Here's here's the good news. You know how law firms take on a certain amount of pro bono work. Well we've we've dedicated ourselves to that too. So here's what I want to We don't want we don't want your money, we don't want to dine from you. You want some free advice, absolutely no obligation. Because you're a grandma, you're looking after your kids. I want you to call Pat. Just call them and this is there's no there's no charge,

What company will you with again?

It's with Wave eight Wealth Management. And here's the disclaimer. It's my company. So I just want you to know that. But we're not looking for a time. I just want to let you know that I have to. I have to let people know that. Okay, So let's go on to uh, let's go on to Allen, who has a comment on roths. Go ahead, Alan, what's your comment?

Yeah, so Tom, thanks for having me on, sir. Yeah, I just wanted to mention that rules changed on five twenty nine plans here recently. But now you can convert unused five twenty nine funds to the student's roth ira. You're right, yeah, but there are conditions, right, you have to hold you have to have the account for fifteen years before you qualify, and then you can convert up to thirty five thousand uh to their roth ira, but

A yeah, it's the best of both worlds. It's the best of both worlds. If they're going to keep it that long, you're right. And if yeah, yeah, and they're not going to go to college, well they.

Can go to college.

It's just any money that isn't used can go into their own roth ira. But it's huge, man, because last before you were stuck with it, right, Hey, the right got scholars right, and like what do we do with this money?

You're right, Alan, But thank you so much for that. Appreciate it. I forgot to mention that, and that is an option that makes it even more attractive. Thank you, Alan. Three oh three seven one three A two five five. Hi Tom Martino here three oh three seven one three talks seven to one three two five five. Compass Insurance Group will do free insurance checkups for the asking three oh three nine nine six nine thousand. This is a good time year to do that three oh three nine

Welcome Tom. I heard you were talking about possible fishing, you know, fishing on accounts, financial accounts and that.

Sort of thing.

If you remember maybe three months ago where they announced that this one company, I don't know the name of it, but they had everybody's addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers, and telephone numbers.

Well, there were a number of companies that did that over the years. I'm not sure which one specifically you're talking about.

Go ahead, sir, Okay, So here's what I've done. Okay. Takes a little bit of time to set this up, but I believe once you set it up, okay, probably going to eliminate any of the problem down the road. Cool, go into and create a new email. Now, if you're on Google, create the email on Yahoo. If you're on Yahoo, created committed an Outlook or some other platform, some one other platform that you've never used before. They're all free

Okay.

So just let's for example, you create a new email called blueface at yahoo dot com.

Right.

Then you go to every one of your bank accounts, brokerage accounts, everything, and you you wipe out your original email and you put that email in there. Okay, okay, that's number one. Then you go to Walmart and you buy a track phone and you register the track phone. You know, I suggest you go to a library and use their computer, because otherwise you'll have your.

E r L.

And when you when you activate a track phone, basically you know slang is a burner phone. They don't they don't ask you for your name or anything. They simply ask you for an email.

Okay.

So they when you give them that blue face email, and now you have a phone connected to that email, right that really nobody else has because you've never sent an email out under that name, and you've never called anyone with that phone.

Okay, okay, yeah.

So then you know you buy three months airtime, which is like nineteen bucks at a time, and you only use that phone, and you only use that email for your financial accounts. Okay, you never call anybody, you never, you never even give it out to anybody. The only people have it are your financial accounts. I like what I'm here, So you know then? Yeah, so you know then if you get some sort of phishing expedition that you might not be aware of on your regular email,

Wow, you know what. I like it? Hang on please, I want to ask you a couple of questions. I like that. I'm Tom Martine. We have more coming up on the Troubleshooter Show. We haven't genius listeners. I love them. Remember three oh three Martino, you can call twenty four seven as well. Three oh three six two seven eight four six six.

Yeah, rip dum, bad news.

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Man Dix is the Troubleshooter Show.

No Tom Martino, Hi, Tom Martino here, Welcome to the show. Three oh three seven one three talk three oh three seven one three eight two five five. This hour brought to you by renew home Innovations dot Com. The shower conversions that are beautiful, done in two or three days, and you have seventy two months to pay with no interest.

It's again, it's all volunteer. We're we're actually closed on holidays, so it's all volunteers. So typically it's it's emergency service repair. So if someone needs a new furnace, for example, yeah, you put it off obviously, Yeah, we'll get them. We'll get them heat, you know, we'll bring in space heaters, whatever we have to do or repair their unit to get him some heat for the night. But uh so, yes, it's it's mainly a mermency service.

Is in most I've heard that Thanksgiving is one of the biggest plumbing days.

It is, I mean, yeah, exactly, people. Why well, because people are putting stuff down their drains they shouldn't be. It's it's it's not always toilets, Tom It's yeah, it's it's typically kitchen sinks. They're putting stuff down the disposal that shouldn't go down a disposal. Yeah, all right, that's that's typically.

On some line services dot com. We've been with these guys a long time from the very beginning. Dennis, by the way, he wants to talk about car insurance. Larry, I haven't forgotten about you, but I want to take Dennis. He's been waiting while Dennis go ahead.

Yes, sir, uh, I had a car crushed by oak tree trunk during the snowstorm two weeks ago, and uh it was. It was an older car, and my apartment complex refuses to take any type of responsibility.

Well, let's talk about it because there might there might be some bad news on who's responsible or if they are. But I want to hear the circumstances. You say you're two thousand and five Toyota Highlander. By the way, that's in the notes. That's why I know you didn't say it, But your two thousand and five Toyota Highlander was crushed. Now was this during a snowstorm or just regular sitting there?

My car was marked in the parking lot of the Van Dyke building.

That's by a big tree, right.

By a big tree. It is on their parking lot, their tree. And I've been in good standing with the apartment complex for ten years and I love the people and I don't want to get aggressive and take them to court.

Well you may not, sir, Listen, listen carefully. I want. I want to give you accurate information. You may not have a case. You may not have a case because something happens. It's not automatically liability. Okay, we got to create the scenario for liability. Well, not create, we have to examine if it is liability or negligence. So negligence which equals liability. So let's talk about it. Was this tree all decrepit and in disrepair.

It was an old tree. It was kind of rotten, but they had attended to it in early fall as far as pruning and trimming some of the limbs off.

That's bad news for you, It is so bad news. Yeah, because they were attending to it. But did they see a condition? Maybe? And this could possibly be that the tree service says you need to do this and they say, nah, we'd rather wait.

I'm not aware of that, sir.

Well you're not aware of it yet. But do you know the name of the tree company?

No?

I don't Okay. Next question. Is it a tree that someone would look at and say, wow, that looks like crap?

Well it's an old garden wood. Yeah, you know how those things kind of rot out in the middle.

Well no, I'm asking though, is it so apparently rotten that you expected to fall any minute.

Well, when you see where it was broken off, it was rotten.

No, I'm asking you, Dennis. I'm asking a question, and it's a trick question because you're going to be asked the question. Was it rotten enough that when you looked at it the common man could see it was rotten and in danger of falling?

I can't say that for sure. I don't believe good.

Good, because you wouldn't have parked there. That's good answer, by the way. Okay, Now, what do you think that the parking lot did that contributed to this?

The parking lot did not be I just thought.

That, what do you think Van You know what I meant by that, Van Dyke? What do you think Van Dyke did to contribute to this loss of yours?

Well, I don't believe that they did anything to contribute to it. I just believe that they should be that they are somewhat responsible for tenants they see it because they writ and lived there, and that doesn't.

Entitle me to okayection, So if you were parked there and a big semi truck came down and went into that went off the road into that parking lot and destroyed your highlander? Would they be responsible for that?

They would be?

Who would be? I would say the truck driver?

That's right now. The parking lot would have nothing to do with it. I'm not trying to trick you. I'm trying to establish to help me whether the part whether the I want to know what the building did wrong. Just because there's a tree there doesn't make them liable for it, well it does, it makes but they have to be negligent. They have to know about a dangerous condition. And I'm thinking, why was it? Did it just break? Was a high winds? What did it just fall? That's weird?

Gross because of the snow weight?

Uh? Oh, bad answer. That's a bad answer.

You know why the foreseeable act of God?

Yeah, that's right. But Dennis, what do they say?

They just say no, they just said we're not responsible. And you know what, I can I could swallow that. But let's just take a case where if the parking lot was uh even clear of ice, just it was dry pavement and I fell down? What about a slip and fall? Sometimes that Uh, they have to be responsible because he's on their property. Right.

Nope, No, these are no these are all myths. No, okay, they're only responsible. They did something wrong. I want to get you to believe I don't believe. Hold on, though, let's wrong. You know what you waited. Hold On, let me get you some let me get you some information. Let's ask John Fuller his opinion, so we have a better picture of this. This show is all about education,

Larry seems like a lot of work to go to Walmart and get a phone just for that purpose.

But Mark, I think, no, no, hold on, I think what he's saying correct me if I'm wrong. And I want to explore this. Mark has good instincts. I just want to ask him, like Mark, like I have, and you have. You know, we have several accounts. So let's say I have five or six accounts. I have probably more eight to ten accounts, let's say, and if I use this phone for those, it's not a lot of work for all of that, right, I mean, I have one email and about and one the phone that I

Did you mean you've reduced Well, you've reduced your chances of being scammed. Okay, maybe not completely, but you've reduced it ninety percent, I believe because they don't have your name. That's how they search people by name. Oh one other thing I didn't share. When you activate the phone, by the way, they're nineteen dollars. You have to ask for them, though, Well, my other wife, I want to sell you the thirty

Yeah, but let me ask you something then and then there wait wait, wait, wait, wait, when there's something that might defeat the whole thing, I need to ask you this do you use apps on that phone. It's got to be a smartphone, so you do have apps on that phone for the accounts, right.

The only thing you use on that phone is to receive a call from your bank or if they should call you, which they interview.

Then when you want to gain access to get a text, Larry, we don't want to gain access to your account. Can you go on your laptop at home? How do you gain access online access? Because that's mandatory for me.

I need no, No, you don't change that. You go right in because I mean, at that point, you're not being scammed. You're just using your own accounts. You just go on your computer access you know you let's say your Morgan Stanley account by putting in your new email blue face and your new phone number, and then they text you back to that phone number. Okay, really nobody else would have Okay, let me let me just share

Can you activate? Oh you need the phone? Let you do that?

Absolutely?

Wow? You know, Larry, I don't. I don't hate this idea, Mark, do you hate this idea? Seems like a lot, But you keep saying that, what tell me what part that? What seems like a lot?

What don't you like about it?

Well?

Okay, so I'm hearing you're going to have like a burner phone for what ten years?

Plus?

You go to the public library for what again?

Just one time?

I wouldn't even know where.

A library is, just one time to set up the email. I don't think it just seems like at that's all I mean. I think it seems like a lot, Larry. A VPN. A VPN accomplishes the library.

Yeah, I mean exactly. You can log onto av from your phone for that.

You want.

I'm Mark, He's not talking about going to a library every time you want to log on. And he said when you set up your email instead of he doesn't want people to have your IP. So you used to use a VPN. So you set up an email with a VPN. You once you get the email, then you have it and that's the one you use for all your financial transactions. It's not tied to anything you have. The user name is not your name. I like I

And here's why. Here's why, because if you go into any money of your financial accounts, they ask you under your profile what your phone number is and what your email is, and you just edit it and delete the other. That's all you do, and they don't have it.

Wait, well, let's put it this way, Larry, I'm going to give you a for effort and a for for for creativity. I don't think it's terrible. I want to I want to noodle on it for a while.

And did Larry say his email is blueface?

Now that's why I was just teasing. Yeah, Okay, anyway, it's.

Actually it's actually something that no no scammer would say. I'm not bothering with this.

Listen, what business are you and Larry?

You know, I'd rather not say, Tom, I'm just.

Curious because of your I don't know, I like it.

Let's just say that we we we had a high propensity for uh scamming and everything in my business.

Okay, man, okay, have we.

Employees and employees you know, employees you know they think they're doing the right thing. So you got to kind of build this around.

Him, all right. Anyway, we got more coming up on Tom Martino. Hi, Tom Martino here three h three seven one three talks seven one three eight two five by John Fuller, our personal injury expert. Let's talk John. Hey, we have a caller and it's not really a person injury. But you know about liability, you know about negligence. That's your whole world. So he wanted to know his his truck is in the parking lot and it's destroyed when

Right, You're exactly right, Town, That is a there's a great rule to live by. There. The bottom line when it comes to trees and stuff's absence some negligence on the part of the owner of that tree. For the most part, when it falls, you you know, you're on your own. There's no liability on that landowner. Now, what could constitute negligens Well, let's just say this would be

So when I told him that, and again, you know, he's reasonable because he's not arguing with me. But Dennis, Dennis said, Okay, Tom, what about if I slip and fall. That's obviously something they take care of, So why wouldn't they take care of my car? And again, well, I think right there.

Here, well, no, that's a good comeback. But let me explain why he's wrong. The situation with the Premisist Liability Act is and we actually have a statute that imposes a duty on the landlord to maintain their property in a way such that that accidents don't happen. And when accidents do happen, we we look at what the landowner did and we decide whether or not it fits under that statue. In the tree situation, we we don't have

I got it, I got it, John. Thank you. If you ever need John, He'll answer your questions. Three oh three five nine seven four five zero zero five nine seven forty five hundred. His website is call Fuller dot com. Now, Bill, what was your comment? For Dennis.

Hey, what I had to do was I had the same problem with the tree. My name was tree fell in my yard and had I had to cut the I had to spend five hundred bucks to get it out. But anyway, so we were worried about the rest of the tree falling down and hitting the house.

Yeah.

So the tree guy said, call the city forestry or whatever it's called and have them take a look at it, and they did. City came out and they condemned it and they had to cut the tree down.

Okay, Well that's good to event future. Thank you, Bill. We got more coming up on the Troubleshooter Show. Hi, Tom Martino your Troubleshooter three all three seven one three talk three all three seven one three eight two five five. Troy, real quick, you have a comment on security, I think because we were talking about security for financial stuff and bank accounts. Is that what you talk about, Troy?

Yeah, and the guy talking about the track phone, Yeah, it was. It's not a bad idea. Uh So what you're talking about is two factor authentication and you're using your phone as your second factor something you have.

Yeah, that's one of the reasons. That's one of the reasons.

Yes, yeah, yeah, so separating uh you know that method of authentication away from your everyday, every use phone and setting up a second email address and only using it, you know, through a completely separate device is a really good idea. I'm not sure if I agree with his idea of opening up a Yahoo account. There's another web service or email service called Proton pro pln.

And what's good about Proton.

It's in it's hosted out of Switzerland, so the Swiss laws on privacy are insane. So somebody getting access to that system, they would really have to be wanting to go after you.

Well do you really think that it's well do you think that Google? I mean really, Gmail was just an anonymous name. What's wrong with that?

So somebody told me a long time ago, if you don't know what they're selling, it is you. So everything about Google and Gmail I love that old harvesting data. So there is nothing anonymous about Gmail or Google. So yeah, I'm a cybersecurity profession and yeah, so I'm also not afraid of the last pass. It's a very good password manager because everything is encrypted on their site.

WHOA, Okay, where are they out of.

Uh?

I'm not sure where they're actually it's all hosted, you know, online, So I use last Paths for everything because it generates a random password, just a scramble of numbers and characters, and you can adjust the size of the password to meet whatever the requirement is for the westside that you're visiting, and then it auto populates the use the name of password.

H Well, that's we talk about. Thank you. I appreciate it. Okay, Troy. Feel free to call in when we're talking about these issues. Becky, what's going on? Hi? Becky?

Well, hello there, what's happening?

What's happening? I? I am absolutely at wits end with century Link because of late fees upon late fees that they have assessed me. For the last four months, including this month of November. I have been in touch with them twice, once in July, once in October because we had a medical situation, in an emergency medical situation that ended up in the death of that family member and then being older she was in the senior community, we had this have to.

Do now with century Link? What's going on?

What does it have to do with century Link? Is that I called them up and I said, these are my extenuating circumstances, and that's why my bill was laid so that I said that at the beginning. Yeah, my bill was late in paying it.

So how do you normally pay your bill? Becky?

Excuse me?

How do you normally pay it?

Check the old fashion way? They don't do auto pay, they have offered it to me. I just don't do auto pay. I like to see a.

Lot of are people. A lot of people agree with you on that. I don't. I do auto pays. If I initiate them and can stop them, I do it. So let's just talk about this though. What did they say about it?

In essence, what they said is there are no adjustments and no consideration for extenuating circumstances.

Because how does it affect you?

How does it affect me? Well, I get sixteen bucks. I have two lines, so every month it's sixteen dollars per a line as a late scene and that has a sixteen.

How late was it the first time?

I think it was too late? Two days? And then thereafter I think what is happening is because I won't pay the full amount I paid just the basic service with the Now.

You're late every single month.

Now I'm late every single month.

How much is it total?

Right?

Now?

Have one hundred and twenty eight dollars?

Yeah, see, you're not going to win this one. You know what you can? Well, you know, here's the deal. I think you should have paid then protested, because letting it go partial, it's like a mortgage that's partial. They'll keep marking you late and you don't win it that way. If you did it one time, that's different. And then you go and say I shouldn't have been charged a late charge. Now when did you first talk to them about extenuating circumstances?

July fifth? And the way that that was it?

The first was it after the first late payment?

I think it was. Let me look at my notes.

Yeah, that's what I'm wondering because it's kind of uh man, I just don't think it's gonna work. So you can What do you use them for?

I'm sorry, mister what you said?

What do you use them for? Regular phone service? Or what?

We have two lines? It is regular phone services. That's all we do. We don't do any bundle and we'll live out here in the country and so century Link is our only choice.

Hold on, so you live out in the country and you don't do online payments and you have landlines, two of them. Yes, oh do you still milk your cow?

Well I'm not here, but yes.

Oh Becky, Okay, listen, there's one other thing you could do. Now. You know, centry Link is not the only service available for phones.

You could breaking up.

Okay, I said, centry Link. See that's your phone line. Centry Link is not the only option you have for phone os. You may want to threaten to leave to see what they say. Say, Look, how long have you been a customer?

Well, we've been out here almost thirty years.

Come on, and they won't waive a damn late fee. Come on, you've been paying since that late fee. You know what, Deputy d I want you to use your negotiating skills, and I want you to this is a thirty year customer. They ought to be begging people. You know, they don't have any landline anymore, any landline customers except for Becky and her husband. I think, well there might be a couple more.

But right my neighbor the street.

Maybe, Deputy Doc.

I was sure, are we that this isn't entirely Becky's fault?

I mean she was.

I don't doubt it was her fault.

I don't doubt it was her fault. She was late, yeah, okay, and she thought, hey, give me a break, I'm late. Didn't so she just kept paying her bill like normal. Technically she was really only late ones I mean technically because she kept paying her normal bill on time, and but they kept, of course rightly so seeing it was a deficit, therefore late again, late again, late again, late

In seeing what they would say.

I'm not even insinuating as her it's their fault at all. They're doing every yeah, saying a thirty year customer with a landline, But it could go both ways. They don't have many landline customers, and they don't care.

I don't think they might want to get rid of her any exactly.

I don't know if they care about landline customers. What do you pay for your lines?

I'm just curious approximately now about one hundred and thirty four months for two lines on two lines, and it's gone up incrementally.

Phone coverage, do you have cell phone?

Self phone coverage? And now, thankfully because of Elon Musk, we have unlimited internet which we didn't used to have until about fourteen months ago.

How is that starlink service?

It works pretty well? Overall, it works pretty well.

What were you doing?

We live in the valley and so sometimes we have the intermittent signal that doesn't come through. That's why we need it for that. I'm willing to give up one land line what we're doing the other we need. We just need one reliable line.

Why. I'm just curious. I mean, I'm not trying to talk you out of it.

Why no, No, that's fine because my husband going to have this conversation more than once. Why do we need the landline just as a backup to our cell phones? We're not That's probably how we think. Maybe we need an update on how we look at technology and these kinds of services.

I don't know how old are you? How your mind?

If I asked, how are you sixty nine and a half?

Oh, come on a landline? You don't need it. I mean you can, I'll tell you. I mean that's up to you obviously, but anyway, I think you're wasting money. Three oh three seven one three eight two five five. Listen, we're gonna have Deputy d assign this year. He's going to give it a try, see if he can call him and I don't know, let's just do it. I'm Tom Martino, more up on the Troubleshooter Show. Hi, Tom Martino your troubleshooter three O three seven one three T

File time?

Hi?

So I had a problem with my vehicle, my car. Yes, the engine light was on, Yes, And I took it into Christian Dollars Motors and for diagnosis and I paid one hundred and forty nine dollars and then there's.

This bottle hold on, is this someone in Parker.

No, it's in North Glenn, Okay.

And what happened?

Yeah?

And then they said that whatever was wrong with my car, it would be eight hundred dollars eight hundred to one thousand dollars to fix it. So I said, we'll fix it. I paid the eight hundred dollars.

I grow, you didn't ask when I was wrong with it?

Well, I know it was wrong. It was something with the gasket or something. I don't know. So I don't know cars, so I trust people that do know cars. So they fixed it. They said, yeah, that everything's fixed. The next day I drove out. I was driving home from work the engine light came on. It was a Friday. They're not open on the weekend, so I took it in. When I could make an available appointment, I took it back in. They had it for the day. They looked

Tell me about your car, Okay, what is it?

It was a twenty seventeen. It was a two thousand and seven team. I don't own it anymore, twenty seventeen Lincoln MKC link.

Well, how many miles on it?

Sixty eight thousand?

It was very unlikely. Why would your Why did they say your engine was gone?

They said that there was a problem with the fluid into the engine coolant.

Well, but okay, I mean this is weird.

So how long?

How long? I don't know if I entirely believe them. How why didn't they notice that the first time?

That's exactly my question, Tom, I said.

Okay, hold on, how did you pay? How did you pay that money the first time?

I just I just put it on my credit card? Eight hundred dollars.

Well, I would contell. How long ago is this?

Oh, it's a couple of weeks ago.

And you got rid of the car already?

Yeah, because I don't want to buy the car. Would have been underwater, I still owed on my car and then to pay eleven thousand dollars.

Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wit car? Wait wait wait wait? If you were underwater? Okay, hold on, what did you do with the car?

I took it back to I took it to Sotahar dealership? Did the car I'm not going to buy another car?

Okay, what did they do? Did they give you any allowance on that car at all?

Yeah?

They gave me four thousand dollars.

I doubt it, but you leased a car, so I mean, I don't you got I don't even want to account how many times you got screwed here, so don't. There's nothing we can do about it. Even if they did screw you, we can't prove it, can't prove it. You don't have anything. I mean, I'd go after him for the eight hundred, but you don't even have the car to prove it. We have nothing, We have no Gail. I'm with you, I'm on your side, and I look at All I can say is I don't believe the

Yeah, ripped up, bad news, You need advice? Who you don't have the.

Come running just as fast as we can show.

Shooter's gonna help. Come man, This is.

The Troubleshooter Show.

No Tom Martino, Hi, Tom Martino here, Welcome to the show. Three zero three seven one three talk three oh three seven one three eight two five five. What's going on in your life? How can we help you? All you have to do is call us. Gal's on the phone now. An issue with Christian brothers I don't like the I don't like what I'm hearing, but there's nothing we can do. Or she did call in and let me explain something

That is certainly a big problem in kitchen lines because people dump grease. They think if they run this grease.

Well, does it eventually go down? I mean, what does grease do?

Now?

It doesn't.

It starts to coagulate, and it'll harden almost like a almost to the point towards like concrete. So each time you dump grease in there, it'll it'll start restricting that line until gets smaller and smaller and smaller, until it eventually clogs.

And I mean.

There are you know, these are a lot of these over the counter treatments are not necessarily good for your drains, but there are products that you can use, a product called PT four bioclean bio one, there's some there's some organic products used without dumb chemicals down the line to help prevent that. But once that line gets clogged, you need to get it snaked out, and that's really the only way to get it cleaned.

Now.

Outside of that, I mean, if you're constantly having problems with your drain lines, whether it's kitchen, toilets, showers, again, it could be like hair and showers or something like that. But a properly functioning line should not clog. It really should not clog. Especially when you get backups with your toilets and stuff something, there's probably a bigger issue that you need to get figured out.

You know.

That's one thing that I think it's an automatic ripoff by many many companies. When you have a slow drain, it doesn't always mean you need a new drain, right, I mean once you but okay, so what are the what's the difference between a slow drain and a bad drain?

Bad drain? So a lot of a lot of the drains in Colorado are made out of what's called clay tile. So if you think of those those pots, those red pots that people use for garden, that was the old train line. That's what it's made out of.

And there there's still something like that.

Oh, there's there's thousands throughout Denver. I mean, that's what most of them were designed from. And they got a limited line.

Did they change that?

What year seventies is when they started using clay seventies when they started using plastics. And and of course the plastics have gotten better as well, but so mid.

Seventies backward, you you could have clay, yeah, and exactly.

And so you know, even with the plastics, if they're not put in properly, you could have low spots. Yeah, bellies, bellies and of offsets.

Okay, So but cracks tree roots.

People think that it's normal to snake out tree roots. That's not normal.

No, what they say is it's maintenance, right, It isn't normal. Why do they think intrusion of tree roots is.

Normal because they've been told that because somebody's going to charge you three four or five hundred dollars to clean them out every year. And we're of the opinion that you may as well get it fixed.

Now.

We can certainly snake it out or jet it out and get rid of those tree roots, but they're just going to come back. They're they're penetrating the line because you have a crack or an offset or something else going on there. But you can line those lines right, some you can line them, that's that's one way of doing repair. You can burst them, you can excavate them

Now on the newer lines, though, you would very seldom have Well, what would be a reason to replace a new line?

Typically it's a belly. Typically it wasn't during construction, wasn't it.

But that can be just taken out right in that area, in that one area. Yes, So typically that's what.

We call it if it's in good shape, right, because again, plastic is gonna last seven hundred years, so chances are it's not the line that's bad, right, and so yes, we'll just go in and cut that one section out and fix the belly.

Now. Becky called earlier in she said she had a late fee because she had extenuating circumstances in the family and she felt badly about it, but she was late and they charged her thirty two bucks sixteen dollars a line, and she said she thought it was she wanted a special circumstance and they said no, so she kept paying her normal balance. So each month because the whole amount wasn't paid, she got another sixteen dollar charge's up to

I'd feel sorry for that woman. If your deputy can't can't ad any leeway with a.

Cent yeah, centry link, yes.

Yeah, tell her I'll pay the late fee. I'll either give you guys the money or she can call me. I'll send her money on it. But I want her to get caught up. But under one condition that she does cancel one of the lines, I don't want this happening to her again.

Yeah, you know what, Thank you very much. That's very nice of you. And take his name and number down. We always we always like people who willing to help out people. I want to talk about something else on text here. One guy says that one of the best things he thinks for security our past keys. Now, let me get this straight. Our past keys where you plug it into your computer, so you actually carry it with you and you you have to plug it in where

Of course?

What is it?

Well, there's some that go right on thumb drives in order to access stuff.

You got about what I'm saying, So go ahead, Yeah, no, that that's it. So, so it's like a USB drive that you'd carry with you.

Yeah, and it's encrypted, encrypted.

So it could be on your key ring or something. Some say it.

Could be pretty much anywhere. I mean, that works very well. I think just dual authentication works the best for most people.

Now, not all that. They said. It could be on your phone too. They have pass keys that go on your phone.

Well, like on your phone, you can use a thumb print for example, that could be a pass key. You could literally have a pass key when those computers have pass keys.

Now, yeah, on my laptop, I've always had that fingerprint thing.

You can do yep, more face recognition of course on a phone.

Yeah, so apparently that's where the industry's going. Past keys.

Well, i'll tell you one that works great, Charles Schwab. They have voice authentication that works. It's remarkable how well it works.

Oh really, so they can. I wonder if anyone could ever trick it.

I don't think so. I thought about that, like AI, I don't think it works that way or else. Why would they be using it using it?

Wow, you're you're right, You're right, they wouldn't, not on something like that.

Yeah, so I finally invoked it. It works pretty well. As soon as you call up, you say uh, you basically say a sentence, and then all of a sudden it authenticates you. So when it does put you through to somebody, you don't have to answer you know, ten different questions again.

Right, I love that idea. Wow, that's pretty cool. All right, thank you I'm Brian. You know, like I said, you know it may or may ye know who knows. I mean, she's got this problem, and I think she. I mean, I really appreciate you offering, but people don't. Whatever you do with a mortgage or anything, don't let it pile up. Okay, don't ever let it pile up. Bob Logan, I have another. Oh no, this is not for Bob. Well maybe it is if you need an it you guy. Here, here's

Definitely not Bob Logan, Nana.

Although it would be tough to prove. In my opinion, I am not getting any job offers from ninety nine percent of the companies I'm applying with on LinkedIn zip recruiter. Indeed, blah blah blah. Once they look at my application and resume, they see I am sixty five years old, and it looks like an automatic disqualifier. I am qualified as most as qualified as a twenty one year old for most jobs, have more experience, more reliable college, and I'm as smart as anyone they hire.

What kind of jobs are looking for?

Here's what he says. Unfortunately, only two companies out of forty even bothered to interview me. One was for an electrician. Here's what I think. People are afraid I'm going to retire in a year or so. But there's no guarantee a twenty one year old is going to stay either. Although at sixty five, is it a fair question? I think it's a fair question to answer, are you going to retire in a year? I mean, I don't know.

And.

But this what does what I don't understand, but not so much Windows software experience. He knows hardware integration, and he knows a lot of different programs. He can repair IBM servers. Jesus know what he uses intell an IBM service. I can figure flash flash diagnosed, repair laser printers. That's another thing going away. I also ran, well, this is good when sixty five hundred square foot warehouse shipping and receiving inventory. I can repair cables, soldering voltmeters. You know,

I mean, I know, for example, Amazon's hiring.

Like for drivers and stuff.

Well, definitely drivers, but I mean he just you said warehouse. That's why it made me think of that.

Yeah, yeah, you know, yeah they are hiring, but is you know, look at I don't like the idea. I don't like that older people might be overlooked. But if I had a choice between a forty year old or a sixty five year old, has nothing to do with their ability. It's the time horizon because you have to invest a certain amount of money, right don't you. You have to invest us.

And just ask ask Bob Logan sitting next to you, how longs it take for you guys to train up in HVAC tech that can finally go out on his own and live up to company standards?

What a year?

Yeah, that's just to do basic maintenance. If they're if they're starting from scratch.

Yeah, that's I mean, think about that, Tom, what on someone that's green has a year invested in them. Mostly all not only are they getting paid, of course, but the training, the schooling and all of that.

And again that's just maintenance. That's just basic maintenance. Even even technicians that come to us with ten fifteen years of experience will invest a good six months to a year just to teach them the plumbline way.

Yep.

And and so a lot of time and money. But I mean, we we've got we've got people of all ages working front for us. I'm willing to investing the right person and they bring a lot of value.

Yeah, but I mean I'm just going to that time horizon, like Time's talking about. It's pretty hard to do that with someone that's sixty five years old. I mean, let's even put aside the heavy lifting and other things that could be part of you know, the scope of work with plumblin Er and HVAC company, but just that timeline at sixty five, you could very well train them, spend a lot of money on them, and they retire a year later.

That's true. That's that's the problem. That is what I'm saying, Like, like, I can't blame people sixty five. Look if you said to me, you know, I want to work another ten years, but you're not supposed to even ask that, and I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I mean, look, if you hired me at sixty five, you would have not had six years from me, and who knows how many years. But here's the thing, though, some people don't want they want to retire at sixty five or sixty eight,

Hey, real quick, I was reading up on this voice print. They call it like a fingerprint. It actually analyzes seventy different points. You can't copy it, in other words, even if you used a good program. And the reason you couldn't copy it is because while you're having the conversation

So if all of a.

Sudden the guy with the gun to my head gets on, it's going to know it changed. I mean, really remarkable. This looks like this is where everything's going it this voice recognition, man.

I know that's a great idea, especially if they can if you can't really defeat it, if it's that good, that's.

It looks like you can't defeat it. And it's constantly it's constantly working the whole phone call, which is nuts.

I know it's a great solution. I didn't take fifteen, did I? Yeah? I don't know.

Do you break in this hour? Yeah?

See you jerk anyway. Yeah, I'm gonna break right now. I'm gonna break your ass. Okay, never mind, we'll take a break. I'm Tom Martino. More coming up. Hi, Tom Martino, your troubleshooter three zero three seven one to three talk seven one three eight two five five. Mike's got to comment on sentrylink ahead, what's your comment?

Yes, Tom, I've had one landline with Century Link for eighteen years, and since June they've been putting a bogus charge on my bill for what assistance?

Directory assistance?

Yes?

Does anyone even do that? Direct?

Who would one?

Is that? For one?

One?

Right? Or for one one?

I don't even know what that's what it used to? Ever even use it?

Come on? For one one? Who would ever use it. How much is the charge anyone ever? In fact, I don't information. Please it was.

For twenty ninety seven and what the lady in the royal area.

Needs twenty dollars.

Twenty dollars ninety seven cents.

Okay, hold on a second. This has to be crazy. Are you kidding me? They don't have such a thing. Come on, one one, I'm gonna do it. Four one one, let's see what is four one? Can't well, what are.

You doing it from? You don't have a landline.

I've had one landline with him for eighteen years. No, no, no, I'm talking about time for assistance.

If you do it from your cell phone, you get your carrier.

I don't have a cell phone. I only have a landline.

Oh my god, I feel like I've entered into.

No. No, do you have a landline or do you have Do you have a landline? Mike you're talking about?

Yes?

Okay, wow, I didn't even know the service still existed. I am honest to god, didn't even know it exists.

The lady in the rural area, she needs to write a note whether when she sends her bill, nails it in every month saying that you're not explaining why putting in the account number. That's what I've been doing since June.

Okay, well, thank you, thank you. Mike. Hey, Mike, you did you ever think about just doing away with your landline?

No?

No, okay, Why do you like it?

Because you get of radiation through your skull every time you use a cell phone. They work off a razor beam.

Okay, Oh so I get it. I get it. So you don't have that because you don't want to get that through your through your brain. I get it, I get it. We got more coming up. Three O three seven one three eight two five five three O three seven one three talk three O three seven one three eight two five five. All right, now, let's talk and find out what we can do to help. Let's see Bill, Hey, Bill, what's going on?

Hey hey?

I got a scene. When I pour water into it from my cooking pasta, I have to burp the garbage disposal for it to drain.

Wait, wait, wait a minute, it's just plain water from pasta.

Yep.

If you took the same amount of water in a pot that wasn't boiling it.

It's just.

Boiling water. I have to burn.

You know.

The thing is on the garbage disposal.

How do you burp it? I never heard of.

Could I take the spoon or something that I pushed the rub of thingers down and it bubbles and it goes down.

No problem, that's that's you have to stir it. In other words, no, just burp it. I don't even know what the hell he's talking when I.

When I you know, the fingers on the garbage disposal.

No, I don't you mean the rubber flappers?

Uh huh?

Are they sealing it or something? I mean like if you look down in your guard.

Line replaced everything bro.

Bro before you, when you look down at your garbage, at your drain, where the garbage di supposal is, like right now? Is it open? Or do those rubber flaps close? I mean like if you just run water, will the water run?

Yep?

But when you put hot water down there a large amount.

I don't know if it's the hot water, but it was it was the volume.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, the volume doesn't flow past those things unless you put a wooden spoon in there. It would have been.

Well, thank god for ninety three. Or it's free.

I don't know, it's not as.

Long lines replaced everything. I need to sink, three different people out.

Okay, I think, hey, did you call like last month or the month before? I remember, yeah, and I'd offer to send somebody back out. We went back out.

His drain works. It's just he puts a when he puts a big pot of water into his sink, it doesn't go through those rubber flower It's went.

I'll tell you what's going on. Bill's forgetting that he has all those noodles in the water, and he's putting all the noodles and the water in.

No.

I pour it into a strainer.

Listen, man, when you if you did not burp it, what would happen?

I guess it eventually would go down.

Okay, So I never do it.

I always do it because I'm you know, I don't want to pasta sitting in a puddle of water.

Well, so are you setting the colander or the strainer over the bridge and then.

Right right over topolser right in the middle of the sink?

Is it gluten free postable? It's blocking the air, you just exactly blocking.

That's what lifted up about an inch or sing.

It's blocking the air. Going See, for the stuff to flow, it has to have air. And I think it's blocked. But you have a double sink, yes, so the other one should I don't know that doesn't.

So we used the other one for water. It's just a drain sink.

No, I get it. But when you're drinking, it's teen into the garbage as well as right, aren't they both teat that they both connect underneath right, right?

Right?

But but again I know exactly what you're talking about because I do. It happens to me when I when I put my pausta in and you just lift it up an inch or two and just let that water drain out, because you're creating.

What's that?

I could hardly hear you.

Guys, you know what, Bill, I'm right up against that. I can't. I can't help it. I can't help it. Shannon needs to be fired because if you don't hear me, evan hearing that for thirty years, build.

You hear me?

Okay though, yeah, sure he does, build you hear me? Okay? Yes, okay, Well Bill, Yes, am I lower than him? Right now? Can you hear me? You can? Well? I didn't do anything differently, So why can.

You hear what happens all the time when I call you the girl that answers the phone half the time. She can't understand what I'm saying.

Yeah, I do Bill, Thanks Bill, I love you. Man, James, what's going on with you? James?

For taking my call. I'm having a standalone garage built. The total cost was originally going to be thirty thousand dollars. During the course of events, the contractor has now quit the job. Why his decision? He's frustrated because there's been a series of events. It gets started with I had to do a double poor with the foundation. Then he tried to.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, why do you have to do a we I you have to do a double poor for the.

Foundation because he misestimated the amount of concrete necessary for the poor.

Oh it was his fog.

Well, he's blaming it on the concrete company. I'm not buying that. But fast forward. He also tried to pass off a used garage door on me as a new garage door. We since negotiated a settlement for that. But due to some things like that.

And just some okay, so he got frustrated, basically, and hold on, he got frustrated and quit. Hold on, I'll come right back to you. I want to know and make sure you're not behind the eight ball here. Hold on, Hey, I'm Tom Martino. You're a troubleshooter. Three O three seven to one three talk three oh three seven one three eight two five five. So I want to, uh wait, what was Bill's issue? Oh, Chris has a comment on

Yeah?

I just wanted to I wanted to see if you guys could possibly limit Bill's phone calls to maybe one a week. Otherwise we should we should start calling it the Bill Show.

How about Drew?

Drew used the same thing.

Yeah, you know, Bill's a good guy man, and so I like having him call.

Yeah, every problem you talk about on the air, he's got the same problem.

Or solution sometimes, but or he's had the same problem that. No, that's true, and Chris, uh, thank you for that. James, James, what's going on? James.

All right, so I've got this garage being built. The contractor has basically.

Quit this you walked up to So the series of mistakes made him walk off the job. He was pissed back to it.

Well, there were also two windows up high that were supposed to be put in.

He did series of mistakes, so I need to know that.

Convinced me otherwise, I need to know this.

How much did you pay?

I'm in for fifteen of the thirty right now. I know that I would certainly be entitled to get an estimate of any of the remaining elements that need to be completed and put that against the thirty grand. But since he quit, I'm wondering do I even know anything at all at this point?

If he did more than fifteen, you do, I mean, I mean yeah, I mean even if a guy's a jerk, I mean, unless he doesn't come after it. You know what I'm saying. You're you're claiming he breached the contract. So you may here, let me explain this to you.

Well, he's currently offering a total of four thousand dollars off, but I'm sure it's going to it would definitely cost more in.

That thousand dollars off the thirty Well, no, no, no, you got to get someone out there to look at it. Bro. You need to get someone to evaluate it with the same original contract and then see what it will cost to finish to those specs. I'm Tom Martino.

Yeah, rip, tough, bad news.

You need advice, so you don't have the.

Come run in just as fast as we can show.

Shooter's gonna help coming man.

This is the Troubleshooter Show.

No Tom Martino. Hey, I'm Tom Martino, your troubleshooter three all three seven one three talk three all three seven one three eight two five five. Bob Logans with me from Plumbline Services. We got an hour to go and then tomorrow we're gonna have some very important discussions on anything near and dear to your heart and pocketbook. So what you Yes, we will have a live show tomorrow, so please join us and I have some special guests coming on that you're gonna want to know about So

Here speaking of special guests.

Yes, plumb Line services. Do you I don't know what this means. Do you have flat rate pricing? We do.

We do have flat rate pricing.

Okay, so tell tell us how that works.

So for let's just say, ninety percent of everything that we do in your home, whether it's a disposal, a capacitor for your furnace, whatever, whatever you need, we we give you a price based on the labor, the parts, the warranties. Everything is all built, okay, so it's not time and materials. So before before we do anything in your home, we're gonna give you some options. We're gonna give you flat rate pricing, and then it doesn't matter. Let's say on average, it takes two hours to do

All right, Now we have another text on another topic here. I have a question about annuities. We don't have millions to invest, but we are diversified pretty well. We own a fourplex and we only owe this much on that, and we get over this much in rentals. We have three hundred K and cash we want to invest about two hundred Why would we do an annuity over investing in your brokerage we have. I don't have a brokerage. What I have is an investment. If you don't invest

Well, yeah, someone who's pretty handycanned.

Yeah, you're right, you're right. The pain in the ass with a garbage disposal is holding it up and bolting it in.

You know, there's a lot of things.

One man job.

Here's the thing. I don't know what percentage it is but yeah, a large number of calls we get is because a homeowner attempted to do something. Yeah, and then they call us because they messed it up right, and then it ends up costing them twice.

As much to fix it.

So it can happen if you're qualified, if you're handy, Mark, there are some things you can certainly do on your own.

Yeah, I've done my own disposal.

I've done mine.

I wouldn't do it again.

The pain in the ass that I found is getting that big thing that's heavy and holding it up while you're trying to screw that collar. Yep, tight. Now, I'll tell you.

The other thing I never would have tried is if there wasn't one pre existing, that would be insane.

Yeah. Yeah, I've done that only once, but in the pre existing one. I did come up with a little For my second one.

I did, and if it leaks, you know, no, I mean I again, A lot of times people attempt these things and then it ends up leaking, and now they got hard.

Look, and I'm not recommending people do things, but we all try.

Now, did either of you ever do your own garage door opener? I did one for I'm scratch and it was like four days.

You know, they are harder than they look, man, especially if there's not one there. Oh yeah yeah yeah, well.

Not only that, but that spring could be deadly. Yeah, there are lots of people got killed by the garage door springs.

Well yeah, but you don't have to mess with the spring to do an opener.

No I didn't.

Yeah, it's already there to install a garage door. You would, that would. That's where it gets crazy, James, welcome. What's going on? Man?

Hey? Tom, this is the third call I've called you. It's the Workshop of State.

Fan.

Does that sound familiar?

Hold on, let me let me look it up. What did you?

Uh?

What did you call him?

Okay, so the gist of it is, Workshop of State built a house next to me.

See I don't work Oh yeah yeah yeah, yeah, no, no, no, no, you didn't mention the contractor last time, but I remember yeah wait.

Wait I did.

Man, So you guys you had Cali get the phone number from a guy that I had.

Okay, I might be confusing it. Never mind, there was one the other day where the contractor killed his treat I'm sorry that that triggered my memory the wrong way. So it was how long ago did you call? Man?

Oh man, it's then about a month or so. Now it's killing ongoing.

Anyway, tell us about it? What's going on?

Now?

What's going on now? Man?

So you had Cali. She she got a number from me last time for somebody from workshop estate.

I've never heard of that name before.

Now neither have I.

That's the thing that they said that they had never talked to me. I have a text message conversation back and forth, so I'm saying that they're kind of lying. You guys got them on the line.

They got I usually never forget a name.

The owner. He said he would take care of it, and now he's not answering or responding.

Kelly, do you recall this? Kelly put down the mimosa? Did you do you recall this? I do. The gentleman said that he had never met James. Okay, you do remember this? And it kind of just died off from there. So I don't know if there's a new thing that's occurring. It was about a month ago. It was about a month ago. Yeah, thank you, Okay, Well that's cool, man.

Text message conversations going back and forth from the first guy, can you send.

Us some of those, This guy said he.

Never heard of you, and then he's just not helping at all.

This guy never heard of you, He said, what was that? This guy said he never heard of you, right to Kelly.

Yeah, So the first guy said he never heard of me, and I talked to him right in front of my house. They tried to get me like an Amazon card, which I immediately gave back and told him all I want is my stuff ficks, That's all I want. So he's the one who said the first guy I talked to, he said he didn't never heard of me, or talk to me again. I have a text message conversation conversations saying otherwise. I get this other guy that says he's

All right, send us the uh do you have some screenshots of the text you can take or something that we can see. So, Kelly, when you call the guy, the guy said, I don't even know who this James is. Right, he just denied all knowledge of him all together, right, correct, Yes, that is exactly what he said. Gosh, and James, what were they doing?

Was like, well, what were they doing? I'm just good at guessing phone numbers?

What were they doing next door? James?

They built a house. They knocked a house down, and that's when they damaged it.

Okay, And how old was the fence?

My god, so it seems it'd be more of a sentimental thing because my grandpa put it up. So I mean, it's like thirty plus years old.

And what kind of a fence.

So it's I want to say, it's four feet chain link, but it's embedded in concrete at the bottom all the way.

Around, so it was chain link. And even though it was that old, there was nothing wrong with it, no, sir, Okay, Well that's what counts. I mean, it doesn't matter how old it was. It was a chain length. And how did they destroy the whole thing or part of it?

So first off, that was the first part I noticed. Was they put like a when they were tearing it down, they put like a I want to say.

Like a wait wait wait they tore down Oh, when they were tearing down the house, I mean yes, so they put.

Like a three foot hole into it and it's like coming in. I took pictures of all this.

Did you send us the pictures?

I have not you guys didn't ask for them.

I don't believe all right, I here's what I want right now, send us a couple of screenshots of the text and a picture of that fence, and we'll be happy to revisit this. I'm so sorry I haven't recalled this. But anyway, what was the what's the latest on this? Or did you just call to find out if we heard anything back?

I just called to see what I should do now, if I should go take them to court? And if so, would it.

Be how much will it cost to building? How much will it cost to fix James that section?

I don't couldn't tell you. It's more of a matter of them just tearing it up and leaving it. At this point, it's probably not even super expensive, to be honest.

But well, when you got seventy five dollars limit in small claims court, and small claims court would be the one you would do. But you wouldn't sue the builder. You would sue the homeowner.

Copy that.

Okay, that was the homeowners. Your next door neighbor hired the contractor. Isn't that correct?

The owner at the time. I would assume that's who you told me to send the initial letter to. That started with sending them a letter.

Yeah, yeah, And what did they do?

They did? That's when I met that guy that said he never heard of me. He came up and he tried to give me a fifty dollars Amazon gift card.

Now, what about the owner of the house. Is it the same owner or there's a new owner or what?

Well, it's a different name. I believe, so the owner I have on that. I looked up online on the city information it's ETD properties.

Oh so they were probably building it on spec and then sold it.

I couldn't tell you.

I don't even know you need Okay, who owned the house at the time they destroyed your thing. Who did it? Who owned it?

Needs to be properties.

Okay, so they're the builder, that's who you go after. Okay, you go up to that builder in small claims court Mark. He has to look that up on the Secretary of State, get a regist agent.

Yeah, and then sue them in the county they're in.

In the county the house was in Mark, or that the builder's in.

I would probably do it where the builder was, to make it simple.

Or the developer whatever he is, whatever that is. They were the owners at the time they hired the contractor. They're responsible for their property and people they hire. Now, obviously you could go after the actual you know, contractor too. You can do both, but I wouldn't you better not wait too long. I would do it right away and then you're gonna probably.

Get it right here. And I'm trying with that. Everybody keeps telling them, like, it's not you. I appreciate your help, but you guys got me in touch with him. He's like, oh, just hang on, just like killing more time. And now he's not he's just ignoring.

Now, that's why if you serve him, he's not going to ignore.

You, okay, And just so we're clear, I go after Workshop of States, not be TV properties.

Okay, I'd do both. Workshop of States is the actual contractor, right, yes, sir, I would both. Mark, would you do both?

Hell?

Yeah, you can list them on the same one.

God.

Now it's going to cost fifty bucks to file fifty thirty huh fifty five bones okay, and then to serve about thirty five dollars for each.

Generally.

I mean I don't think i've ever I don't know what the sheriff charges. I usually just serve because the companies that I've sued are bigger ones, so they're easy to serve.

When you see no, he didn't serve himself, he just means he had him served.

Well, yeah, I mean like Suzanne would go serve him. I just pull up to the place and she can. As long as she's not listed long as a spouse or you know, a sibling or someone isn't listed, they can do it.

It has to be somebody not involved in the lawsuit in the monetary part of it, that's right, Okay.

I have one more suggestion on service. So some court clerks offer a service by mail.

It cost me.

I used it twice this year and all it costs about fifteen dollars.

But the problem with that is how do you prove it?

Oh, so they send it certified mail return receipt requested, and once they get that green card back from the post office, they'll actually certify it served.

Now, you got to keep in mind.

The clerks will always try to talk you out of it. They'll have this standard language. They'll tell you, well, this is not the preferred method. But you just got to power through it and say, I realize it's not preferred, but I'd still like to use this and it's valid service.

But it might unless they refuse it, right obviously.

Apparently they don't have the option of refuse. Oh you mean the recipient of that mail. Yeah, yeah, that would be one way to avoid service.

I so let us know what happens.

Man.

I'm sorry that you're having this trouble three oh three. I mean we can call them again, I guess, but I'd like to see first the picture and the text three all three seven one three eight two five five. Hi Tom Martino, your troubleshooter three oh three seven one three talk Michelle, Welcome, what's going on? Michelle?

Oh, so I talked to you last time on November fourth about my mortgage.

And Deputy D was working with Deputy D. You were working with her, miss What was Michelle's issue?

Yeah, so he was working with me and I texted him on a fuddy and I try to call in, but I got the busy signal almostly all day. I could not get to.

Buy the busy signal? Are there anymore? What is a busy signal? I don't even know what that is, Honest to god, it.

Was still just like a buzz, like a buzz.

Yeah.

Michelle told me on Friday that she had trouble getting through to the three h three Martino line because what she there's no said was a busy signal. So it sounds like there was some mechanical failure.

Anyway, Is this the one where the adjuster came out and all that? Or is this has to do with uh, it's the mortgage company withholding some money?

Yeah from Yeah, So Michelle and.

I spoke, why are they withholding money?

Well, they well, nobody knows. So Michelle got two checks from the insurance company and she sent them both to the mortgage company because apparently Michelle correct me if I'm wrong, but they were made out to both you and the insurance company, is that right?

Yeah, no, the mortgage, I mean the mortgage, right, yeah, yeah, and that's not uncommon.

And so yeah, but following that, Michelle, Michelle received one of those checks back from the mortgage company, but they retained another twenty seventh thousd dollars payment.

I thought it was twenty three, but it could be.

Something like that. It does, yeah, to the twenty three thousand, that's right.

Yes, So the first two checks was the first one was twenty nine thousand, seven hundred and sixty dollars and fully three cents, and another check for three thousand, twenty seven dollars and seventy one cents. So both these checks were sent to them, they endorsed it, they sent it back, and then the third check is the check that they were holding it the thirty thousand and thirty nine dollars and.

Twenty eight cents.

We sent that third check in and they did not send that check back.

So they're holding thirty check. They're holding thirty grand right now.

Yeah.

So then when we were talking to them back and forth and they keep saying that they did not receive any completed forms from us. Then they sent back seventy two hundred eleven dollars and eighty six cents. So the balance that they still hold is twenty two thousand, eight hundred twenty seven dollars.

Hold on, Yeah, what I need to know is this, Why are they withholding the money?

I am not sure why. Every time I called and talked to one of their representatives, they would tell me a different story.

So I have no.

That's right. Listen, listen. All a mortgage company has the right to do is to make sure they're collateral is preserved to the extent it was. Once that roof is done, whether you have it doesn't matter. Once they get a certificate of completion or an inspection or they inspect it,

Oh?

Yeah, I called and I emailed. I even emailed the company president himself. His email is available at round Point Mortgage as.

Well round or Brown Round like your round round?

Yeah, round Point Mortgage, I guess. And in my and of course I got zero response to any of my requests. So in my research on round Point Mortgage, I saw carbon copies of this complaint from other customers of round Point.

Where they located, I don't.

Remember, but uh oh there in Carolina.

I think I think we should have as many listeners as possible. Call them. I'm serious, we should have as many listeners as possible. Call and tell them you heard them on the Tom Martino Show three oh three Martino three oh three, six two seven eighty four sixty six. And we want to know why they're withholding money from Michelle. Michelle, So how much do you owe your roofers?

So we still we pay them five thousand, and we still told them about.

I just need to know what yo, that's what I need to know.

Oh okay, so we still need to pay them about six more thousands.

And so do you think the mortgage company see that the mortgage company has no right to count her money? You're gonna have money left over? Right?

No?

Because I still have my windows that I need to pay it.

Okay, okay.

She needs the entire twenty three thousand dollars back from the mortgage company so she can complete the repairs to her house.

She needs a back, whether if not that she does that, she just needs it. It's her money unless, like I said, she's only obligated to make sure the collateral is preserved.

I can't believe how long this has been going on.

I wonder if the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, Doc, do you think they would step in on something?

Michelle already file the complaint with the Consumer Finance protect the.

Show, isn't that correct?

Well?

You and I discussed that a few days ago, right, and how long ago.

Did you that with the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau?

So I went in. I couldn't do the form, so I had to call to one of their agents and she was able to walk me through the whole form. So I did it. We complete it on the twelfth of November the twelve.

They're pretty they're pretty fast, they're CFPB. I've used them once about a year.

They're good people. You're going to hear from them. You're going to hear from Yeah.

I checked in on Saturday. But I have not seen anything from them yet.

Okay, but you will. They usually do not drop the ball. Now, I think we should put calls through to that company. What number did you call and do you get someone at that number?

No?

So when you call there, AG we got to break the machine makes you enter your account number. You can't just push zero and talk to an operators, so you have to be you have to be one of their.

So they don't let you. They don't hear from anybody. Then what about their website? See if you can find a website for more, people can send in a contact form. I'm Tom Martino. More coming right up, Hi, Tom Martino. You're a troubleshooter. Three all three seven one three talk three all three seven one three eight two five five. Let's talk to Let's see who's turn. This is UH going to talk to you Michelle Michelle. Oh, never mind. We talked to Michelle about the mortgage company. So we're

There's nothing well, there's there's nothing else I can do because Brown Point Mortgage hasn't responded to any of my contact attempts, and.

So I hope that CFPB will be able to help.

I think they will.

Yeah, I mean, they have a good reputation in that reguard. Michelle could just you know, sue them for the twenty seven thousand and make them explain why they keep it.

Yeah, that's going to take too much money to do. But I mean, I can't believe they're doing this. But you're saying you saw plenty of other complaints about it.

I saw carbon copies of the same complaint, and after I researched those complaints, I didn't see any resolutions on the internet. So either those people vanished or they could never resolve that issue.

Eva, what's going on with you? Eva? Welcome?

Oh hey, I was listening to the radio. I'm in front of my house waiting to bring my groceries and I'm listening to the radio and I got a call. And it's the second time this happened. The last time it was a male voice. This time of female voice, both with foreign accents and saying, they're calling me about my accident I had two years ago. So what kind I hung up after saying something.

That, Well, first of all, did you really did you have an accident two years ago.

Thank god, I have never had an accident.

Well, it could be a mistake. It could be a scam. It could be a scam. I mean to me, it doesn't sound like it doesn't sound like a scam. It doesn't sound like a scam to me, because it would be senseless to call people saying I'm calling about the accident and you had two years ago. What are the chances spending all that time calling people asking about an accident two years ago? They're going to happen upon people

Well, I'm curious, you know, because it's so untrue. I'm wondering where I think it's a scam.

I think it's a mistake.

Huh, that's curious.

How long have you had your number?

Oh?

Actually I probably had this number maybe two or three years.

Yeah, it's a mistake. I really, even they don't they don't call. Scams don't work that way. Scams want like they want production, they want like stuff right away. If it's a fishing scam, they don't call and say on the off chance you had an accident two years ago, what are they going to get from you insurance?

I don't know that what I was hoping if I mentioned it, I hung up too quick.

What do you think? What you thinking?

I was just saying, unless they're hoping people will call them back and say, hey, this isn't me, and say, well, just to verify that it's not you, let me get you that, let me get all your information.

That's something I've heard that. Yeah, that's a good point. I've heard that before, but I don't think. I don't know, so, Eva, I don't.

I thought that call in and see if anyone else has had that happen.

Let's let's find out. Actually, so thank you for letting us know if anyone's ever had a call like that. Hey, I'm calling about the accident you had a couple of years ago. Did they say, by the way, Eva, that they were from an insurance company. Did they say they're still there? Yeah? Who did they say they were from? Where did they say they were from?

No, it was a very hard to understand accent, and they I hung up saying I never had an accident, So they didn't even say who they were but they were foreign accented.

All right, I don't I don't know. I just don't know. It could be a scam now that you mentioned a foreign accident, must be I'm just kidding. That's a joke. But boom anyway three or oo three seven one three eight two five five testing one two three Okay, sorry Tom Martino here, okay, Bob Logan, I want to I want to talk to Bob, Yes, sir, let's say, Bob, somebody wants to know if you to somebody. I'm just gonna be honest with you, is me? Can you give that?

Okay.

So in addition to any replacement options we have, whether it's furnace, air conditioner, sewer line, electrical panel, in addition to any special we have going on out there, Yes, Tom Martino, listeners an additional two hundred and fifty bucks off.

Okay, So that's over and above every special. It's like getting an extra two hundred and fifty dollars kicker just because you mentioned MARTINZ just just mentioned two hundred and fifty bucks. You can't beat that with a stick. That's okay.