Episode Transcript
RiPP you needed, who you don't have?
Speaker 2Come running just as fast as we can.
Speaker 3Shoot's gonna help come.
Speaker 4Dix is the Troubleshooter Show.
No Tom Martine.
Speaker 5Hey, I'm Tom Martina.
Welcome to the show.
What is going on in your life?
It's just me and you.
I don't have any guests today, which is great.
I get to talk about you know, like I said, this time of year is a time of year we think back, don't we.
A lot of us just think back this time of year through the year.
I'll go over some of our more memorable calls and what we have done for people, and what people have done for us, and what you can do for yourself, and just just the goal of this show is very easy, cut off and stop, prevent and to ripoffs.
Speaker 6God, I think that is.
Speaker 5One area where we all can come together.
We all believe that no one should be ripped off.
I mean, isn't that really a common belief?
So we stem politics and religion and all of that.
No one should take money and not do work.
No one should be a liar and a cheater and a ripoff.
And I've gone over the top complaints over the past year and what they have been.
Speaker 6And what they've been trending to be over the last several years.
So all I'm going to do is ask.
Speaker 5You to give me a call, weigh in on what you think we should talk about.
Any problem you may have where you need advice.
We have many many experts we can tap for advice.
We can ask questions, we can get them to work on stuff, or we can just shoot the briefs.
So in our consumer life, we have buying, and we have contracting with professionals, we have career, we have all kinds of stuff.
Speaker 6One of the biggest areas in.
Speaker 5Our life homes and cars, and the most common problems reflect that.
Okay, do I have a major mark major on today?
Speaker 6Okay?
Are you on the road, sir?
On the road?
No, I'm in studio.
Speaker 7I'm sitting down here at the iHeart flagship.
Speaker 5Oh I didn't know you came in today.
I thought you were taking off.
I'm sorry, So you.
Speaker 6Are in the studio, I am here.
Okay.
Speaker 5So let's talk about our top consumer complaints.
Speaker 6I went through all of our records.
Speaker 5The number one and by the way, if you have a complaint, we're going to add you to the list.
Will help you solve it three to zero, three, seven to one, three talks seven one three eight two five five, you can get right through.
Somebody texted me and says, to you know, I thought about calling you, but I'm afraid.
You know, sometimes you are mean to people.
I don't think we're ever really mean to people.
She was referencing this woman that called about her grandson breaking into her home and taking three hundred bottles of wine and other things of value.
Speaker 6And I believe she was.
Speaker 5Paranoid and imagining it.
Now, I will tell you it is an amazing thing.
I've had many close relatives.
My mother was one of them as well.
People As they get older, some people, or when they're faced with a traumatic event or a combination of the two, they start imagining people either prying and spying.
Speaker 6Or stealing, and they become paranoid.
Speaker 5And the stories they tell are so incredible and once in a while, well it takes us a while to pick up on their paranoia.
But they all have things in common.
First of all, the stories sound incredible.
It's like, well, how did they break in and do that without you noticing this?
And how do they do it every day?
And why aren't authorities on board with this, and Mark, I know you've noticed this.
That the stories they come up with, My god, the stories they come up with to weave their tail.
In yesterday's story, the woman said that her security system does not show anything because it was jammed, that her grandson must use a Wi Fi jammer, And then I had a few other people calling and.
Speaker 6Saying, yeah, that's possible.
Tom.
Speaker 5By the way, I read some articles from police departments and security companies who have tested Wi Fi jammers, and they say that they don't work most of the time, and they're not powerful enough to work.
Speaker 6They have to be very very close to the source.
Speaker 5It's not something you can put on the side of the house and black out a house.
Speaker 6And they're not commercially available.
Speaker 5So people who said you can buy him on YouTube, they were absolutely wrong.
Speaker 6I don't know if they were lying or.
Speaker 5Just wanted to mislead us, but the bottom line is this, you can't buy Wi Fi jammers legally.
The ones you do buy legally are not strong enough to do a consistent jam.
They cause interference at best, and will never block out completely a camera or a system in your WiFi.
Now I know a bunch of you paranoid people are.
Speaker 6Going to say, oh, he's wrong.
I know I have him sitting right here in front of me.
Speaker 5Well, I want you guys to call back the ones who called yesterday and said that you had him and you bought him on Amazon, because I verified you don't be them on Amazon.
Speaker 6So they're not available.
Speaker 5And the ones that are available, according to police and the FBI who have tested them, they work, they don't work well at all.
Speaker 6They're very low powered.
Speaker 5And to get the kind of sophistication you need to do the kind of jamming that most people believe is out there.
To get that kind of jamming, you have to have the sophistication of technology used by the CIA, the FBI and other agencies.
They're just not available and so at most, as I said, they'll cause a little interference with your Wi Fi.
You might see a berbal in the signal, and it has to be really close to the signal to jam it.
So you don't put it on the side of a house like people were saying, and then it blacks out the house.
It just doesn't.
Your cameras will still work.
Everything mostly works.
And they said it's not as science fictiony as people want to believe.
I read many, many articles on them, so and they said, even recent reports that burglars are found with them might be true, but they don't work, okay.
Speaker 6So that's the bottom line.
Speaker 5Or the ones that do work are so expensive and so technologically advanced that no normal burglar is going to use them, and especially her grandson.
Speaker 6Wasn't going to use them.
So I just did a lot of research on it.
Speaker 5And again I invite those people, the loudmouths you love to call in.
Whenever we talk about paranoid stuff and conspiracy, I'll get people calling in.
Speaker 6So call me now, call me now.
Speaker 5I defy you to tell me one place you can buy a Wi Fi jammer.
And again, my challenge Joe's out that you will not be able to jam Wi Fi in a building.
You might be able to cause a little interference here and there, but you're not going to be able to jam and be invisible to a camera.
And even if you did jam the camera and interfered with it, you would not be totally invisible.
Speaker 6It would not show seamless transition.
Speaker 5This one guy said, oh, yeah, you know, you can have them that won't show any break in time and the camera will be normal.
Speaker 6And I can be invisible.
Speaker 5Okay, that sounds like mission impossible, and it's not possible.
In fact, it is mission impossible.
But it just amazes me the number of people that want to believe in all of these paranoid devices.
And it's mostly people who suffer from mental illness.
They believe people are spying on them, or put implants in their head, or are coming into their home.
Speaker 6Mark.
Speaker 5Are you constantly amazed at the lengths they go to to make up the scenario.
Speaker 7I feel more than anything like the woman yesterday.
She sounds so I don't know, and she is truthful to herself.
You know, there's a thing from Seinfeld that says, you know, it's not a lie if you believe it.
And that's the problem with that kind of mental illness.
They actually believe it.
I mean, you could put her on a light detector test.
She'd passed every single time.
I don't know why people get so deranged.
Speaker 6I know, and it is derangement, it really is.
But we listen.
Speaker 5I invite any and all calls, and again it's not where we won't be mean, but we'll give you our honest to God impression.
And in that case, this woman called and said her grandson keeps breaking into her home taking things of value.
He's a drug addict and a deadbeat, and he jams her WiFi, so he's invisible in front of the camera.
And she just gave this long story and she says, oh, yeah, you can buy the jammers on Amazon, and you just can't.
Then I had a guy calling after her saying, oh yeah, I have two of them sitting in front of me right now.
Speaker 6Know not true, okay, just not true.
Speaker 5And the jammers, like I said, at best, are very weak and cause a week interference in a Wi Fi signal.
Speaker 6And they really don't work.
Speaker 5Okay, they really don't work like we're all thinking they work.
Speaker 6I want to talk to Jim.
By the way, our phone number.
Speaker 5When we're here in the studios three oh three seven one three talk.
Speaker 6That's the iHeart number and you can get right through.
Speaker 5Now if you call three oh three Martino that number, you can get through twenty four to seven and you can leave a message and we, honest to God, we'll call you back.
So it's it's flawless.
If you need help, pass that number around three oh three Martino three O three six two seven eight four sixty six Jim, what's going on in your life?
Speaker 6Jim?
Speaker 8Yeah, Hello, Tom, can.
Speaker 6You hear say Jim, Hey, I can hear you.
What's happening?
Speaker 8So my situation is longtime listener.
Uh, I met you once at a boxing show at the University of Denver many many years ago, just in past.
Speaker 6Yeah, but yeah, anyway, I used to us.
I used to go.
Speaker 5To those I used to go to those boxing matches.
Yeah, Golden right, du yes, some of that.
Speaker 2I don't know.
Speaker 8If you're familiar with the guy I know, you probably know Manuel Lopez, Uh, Donnie Jerome.
Maybe I was working Donnie Jerome's corner that night at du He was a sugar Ray Leonard had a fighter there and uh, yeah, the University of Denver.
Speaker 6So what's happening.
Speaker 8So what's happening is I am in Indianapolis and I have a friend of mine.
She is from Thailand and her English is pretty good, but not well enough for radio.
So I helped her get a judgment.
At Region's Bank here in Indianapolis, they were holding six hundred dollars of her and when I would go into the bank.
Speaker 6And say, well, what, why.
Speaker 8Don't you really these funds to her?
They were saying, well, we think it's fraud.
Speaker 6Okay, hold on, Jim, why Jim?
What what Jim?
Jim?
Speaker 5Is this her bank account at this place they were holding?
Speaker 6Yes?
Did they just close her account suddenly?
Speaker 2No?
Speaker 8No, So the account is what they call frozen, right, right.
Speaker 5So we we've to covered this before, by the way, and this is where banks have been doing this all over the country for various reasons, just arbitrarily and spontaneously closing people's account saying it's fraud or it's suspicious, suspicious, and people don't know what to do.
So she had six hundred dollars in.
Speaker 8This account, yes, and she still does.
I just talked to the manager this morning and I said, can you please, I said, what's the status?
And he says, well, it's in our legal department.
And I said, but what does that mean?
It's in your legal department?
I said, can I get a name, a phone number and email somebody that I can back to let them know that I've got this judgment?
And then also last week I went in they took copies of the judgment from the county court.
Speaker 2Here.
Speaker 5Did they show up at did they show up at the court or did they ignore it?
Speaker 8No, they ignored it, so they lost by default.
Speaker 6Okay, all right.
Speaker 8And so I went to the bank.
I gave him the judgment.
They made copies of everything.
I said, here's our court cost, these six hundred dollars in the account.
We just want the money.
He said, we'll turn it over to legal one after thirty days goes by.
And it's like they won't give me a name, a phone number, an email for anybody ill legal.
It's like I suppose, I said, So you just need me to wait for these guys to contact me.
I said, I need to be proactive in this.
I'm not going to sit around for six months while you guys.
Speaker 7Look all you got to do.
We got to take a break.
But here's the bottom line, brother, it's pretty simple, man.
You got to serve them with interrogatories, walk right up to the counter, serve them just like you did for a small claim score.
They're going to have thirty days to fit pill aman.
Most likely they're going to pay the six hundred bucks then, and if they don't, the judge is going to be very upset.
Speaker 6Yeah.
Speaker 5I mean, there is a process, Jim for collecting hold on.
A second hold on.
I gotta I gotta.
Speaker 6Take this break.
Speaker 5Just wait, okay, because I don't want to rush you.
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Hi Tom Martino, your troubleshooter.
I have to tell you, this thing about fraud and banks is getting out of hand if you've.
Speaker 6Listened to this show.
Speaker 5In fact, it's one of our trending problems for the year.
More and more people just are just finding out they can't get access to their bank account, and they get no communication.
Listen, if a bank truly suspected that your checking or savings account was fraudulent or there was curious or fraudulent activity, all they would have to do is let you know and at least communicate with you.
Instead, they freeze your account.
You get no communication except when you say, hey, I can't use my account.
I have money in there, I can't get to I have to pay the mortgage, I have to do this, I have to do that, And all they say is I'm sorry, fraudulent activity suspected.
Speaker 6It's just weird.
They just close or freeze your account.
Speaker 5There's got to be something done about this on the federal level, even because banks are doing it all over the country.
In fact, Jim is calling from another state.
We're headquartered here for those who've been listening in Colorado, but we handle problems all over the country.
And Jim, they said fraudulent, so they got pissed off.
Speaker 6Jim is helping his friend out.
Speaker 5So for all intents and purposes, we're talking about his friend.
Speaker 6But Jim, he takes him a small claim.
Speaker 5Score his friend does right, they get a judgment for six hundred bucks.
It was a default judgment.
The bank didn't even bother showing up, So now they have a judgment for six hundred bucks against the bank.
She wants her money.
What's really weird is I don't know what that six hundred dollars is.
Is it for her money in the bank or is it just a damage.
I don't even know what it is or how the judge worded it.
But you have a judgment and they're refusing to even acknowledge you.
Speaker 6This is how frustrating.
What's the name of the bank.
Speaker 8The name of the bank is Regions rg ionf oh.
Speaker 5Regions Okay, now, oh, and it was totally from when and when.
Speaker 6Did you get this judgment?
Speaker 8I got it October thirty first.
Speaker 6Okay, on Halloween, right is that Halloween?
Speaker 2Yeah?
Speaker 8And then they told me I had to wait like thirty days and then I can go approach the bank and get the money.
Then when I went to the bank, you know, I get the run around.
It's in legal legal contact me.
But I figured, nah, I'm not gonna because I know I listened to you.
I know this bank thing is going on for a while, and I want to be proactive.
But to Mark's point about the interrogatories, when I went to the account or the small claims court, they said, yeah, go grab these papers and fill it out.
Well, the papers were for the banking information, as they were assuming.
Speaker 6No I get it, No, no, no, I get it.
Speaker 5The interrogatories don't fit these circumstances.
What interrogatories are for anyone who gets a judgment.
Interrogatories are questions you ask the other person.
By the way, there are no set questions.
They just recommend the questions, but you can ask whatever you want pertaining to the case.
And the whole purpose of interrogatories or questions is to find out where their money is so you can go after it with a bank.
It's not going to work that well.
You simply with interrogatories.
With a bank, you simply ask where her money is, where the six hundred is, and when you're going to get it.
I mean, make it simple because they're not going to count.
Well, I get it, but I mean you got to ask something into interrogatories, and it's not going to be a normal interrogatory because they're not trying to hide money from you.
Are you telling me there is no one, no one at that bank when you show them that judgment that cares?
Speaker 8You know, they don't care.
They just said it's our legal department now has it and we we And I said, well, give me somebody's information, right right, No, they won't give me any information to contact them.
They say they'll contact you.
But this has been going on for six to ten months now, and.
Speaker 5Yeah, you know what wait wait, wait, wait, what do you mean six to ten?
You said you got yourjudgment in October?
Speaker 8Yes, but before that we kept going in and saying, why can't we get that money?
And they say, well, it's fraud, and so we'll show us where the fraud is.
They wouldn't show me any fraud.
They kept just saying it's fraud, And finally I got fed up.
Tom and I followed Mark's advice and let's just take in the small Lands court.
So now we got the judgment.
Fast forward to today.
Uh, the I know what you're saying about those interrogatories.
What you're saying, so the sheet that they gave me is looking for bank account information.
But this is a bank no I understand running into my roadblock and hoping that you might be able to give me at least a little more direction other than okay.
Speaker 9If it was me, what I would do is I would go to the bank, to the to the bank and say, if you don't answer this okay, and then and then I'm going to file for contempt.
Speaker 5I would go to the judge and simply, in a very simple letter to the judge, just say I'm being ignored, Just plain I'm what do I do next?
Speaker 2Here?
Speaker 6Here's the thing.
Speaker 5You may want to give it to a collection attorney to help you, or she may want to give it to a collection attorney.
Again, it's six hundred dollars.
I don't understand it that her account has been frozen all this time and she's never ever gotten any information.
There's no one at the bank that will give her information on why her account was frozen.
Did it did it come after some suspicious activity?
Speaker 6Did she get.
Speaker 5Wires to her account?
What tell me what happened in her account?
That they called it suspicious.
Speaker 8So exactly what happened was back in January of twenty twenty five, she deposited a check and the check was signed January twenty twenty four.
They missed the date, so the date, the date was right, but the year was wrong, and so they deposited the check and then they noticed somehow that the date was from twenty twenty four should have been twenty twenty five.
So then they froze the account.
Speaker 6Because of that.
Speaker 5That's when it started.
Okay, usually there is something that happens.
And when they froze it, they did not say here's how you get your money or anything like that.
Speaker 6Nothing.
Speaker 8Nope, nope they and so they just and so I couldn't get any support from the manager.
You go in and talk to the guy.
Oh he's nice as you know as the day is long, but getting any information from him.
Speaker 6Nothing.
Speaker 8So now as far as those interrogatories go, Mark Tom, I'm looking at it says defendant's name, employer's name, employer's address, case number, and you know, and banker's name, bank's address, And I'm like, well, I would just I would.
Speaker 5Just put down what you could and then just in the interrogatory you ask where is the money from her account being held in what bank?
And where is it being held?
And when can she receive it?
You don't have to ask the questions that are on there.
You can ask whatever you want.
The point is you want to ask questions because they're going to ignore them, and when they do, you can use that to get a contempt of court.
Speaker 6Okay, okay, so, but ask.
Speaker 5The questions Jermaine, for example, where is her money previously held in this account number so and so being held now the judgment was rendered on such a trust.
When can she expect payment?
How will the payment be made?
See ask those kinds of questions.
Are you trying to are you trying to withhold this money from her?
Speaker 6Do you have a reason?
What is the reason?
Speaker 5Seeing you ask those kinds of questions, the questions you would have asked when they came to court.
They have to answer questions.
And again, the whole purpose is to get these interrogatories filed.
If they ignore them, there's going to be a contempt citation.
I mean, you just have to keep going back to the judge and get somebody pissed off.
Right now, you're in the very beginning stages.
Speaker 6I don't know.
Speaker 5I would personally, I would personally go to a collection's attorney and see if a collection's attorney feels they can get attorney's fees because of how of how ridiculous it is.
I'm telling you, Jim, I'm so frustrated just talking about this because banks just can do this and.
Speaker 6We have no power.
Speaker 5We just have no power, and they just think they're bigger than the court system.
But not Eventually, the system will catch up with them and they will listen.
When a judge orders something, it's not going to be fooling around.
When he orders contempt, he can put that manager in jail.
I mean, it's not a small thing, but you have to go through the steps again.
We tried to get a hold, We tried to get a hold of our collection attorney.
Speaker 6He's in court.
He can't speak right now.
Speaker 5But what we're going to do is see if we can get them on maybe later or tomorrow.
If not, just do what I've said, right, you know, the beginning part, and then let's see what happens.
See if you can get at least them to ignore the system, the interrogatories.
My computer just froze up.
We have to take a break.
I'm Tom Martine Moore, coming right up.
Go with a sure thing Denver's Best ruffer sell roofing dot com.
Speaker 6You don't pay a cent until you're content.
Speaker 5Time for an insurance check up free, no obligation comparison call Compass Insurance paying too much your coverage at dozens of insurance companies find out now three oh three seven seven to one.
Speaker 6Help.
Speaker 5You'll think you're his only customer when you choose Frank durand the real estate Man dot com to list your home with Remax Alliance three oh three nine two zero sixteen twenty two.
Hey, I'm Tom Martino.
You're troubleshooter three O three seven to one three talk seven one three eight two five five.
Speaker 6What's on your mind today?
How can we help you?
Speaker 5Well, I went through all of our problems for the year to come up with trending problems or problems that you know were prevalent, okay, the most prevalent.
But when I say trending, I mean with trending as another statistic that I went for problems that in the past we haven't seen that much, but we have.
Speaker 6Noticed the trend.
Speaker 5In other words, it's not that there's so many, it's just that it's new and we've had never had the problem before.
Let's say, let's go to the top consumer problems.
Speaker 6Do you guys?
Speaker 5I have live contact with my YouTube morons.
They're the only ones I can get instantaneous response.
Next is my text number, which is seven four to seven fifty two eighty seven four seven nine fifty two eighty All right.
I want to ask, come on now, what is the number one problem of twenty twenty five.
And it's not the problem itself, but the category.
If you had to tell me what is it?
Come on, what is it?
What is it?
Speaker 6I want to hear somebody right now on YouTube.
I want you to.
Speaker 5You're on the chat, tell me what it is, all right, I want to know what it is now.
Shannon, you sit there, dumb and happy every day on the show.
If you had to pick a category or something for consumer problems, I know you weren't expecting to talk.
You probably have your mouth full as usual.
I'd like to know what you think.
Speaker 6What do you think.
What do you think, Brie?
Do you know that there was a study done.
Speaker 5There was a study done about cheese and cheese eaters tend to have less dementia.
Speaker 6Okay, so good.
What do you think?
Speaker 5The number one problem is the number one problem?
Come on, folks, I'm going to tell you what the number one problem is.
Everyone needs to know this.
Speaker 1Come on.
Speaker 5The number one problem contractors paying money upfront to a contractor and getting shoddy work or no work.
Speaker 6Number one problem.
Money upfront to contractors.
Speaker 5And I'm just telling people that if they did not give money upfront, they would never.
Speaker 6I shouldn't say never get ripped off.
Speaker 5The chances of getting ripped off would be so much slimmer because that's where it starts.
Speaker 6They have your money.
Speaker 5You're already behind the eight ball, so if they don't finish, you're screwed.
They have your money, and then what they do, and they shouldn't do it because of the Contractor's Trust Act and the Consumer Protection Act and all.
Speaker 6Kinds of other laws.
Speaker 5They should not use that money for other jobs, but they do.
Speaker 6Theoretically, money put down.
Speaker 5On a job should be for that job.
You shouldn't use it.
But they rob Peter to pay Paul.
That's the same because they don't know how to manage money.
Speaker 6And that's a whole different topic right away.
Speaker 5When I talk about things, and that is the difference between a business and a trade.
Contractors might be great at the trade.
They might be a good trim carpenter, or they might be a good whatever they are, okay, but they're not good at business.
So many businesses don't know how to run a business.
Speaker 6They only know the trade.
Speaker 5If you're a good plumber, that doesn't mean you're a good plumbing contractor or a good plumbing business.
And people get screwed all the time.
Speaker 6They don't know what they're doing.
Speaker 5Or they get their wife to help them out and to answer phones, or they their cousins.
They look at they try to run a business.
What they do is they think, oh, I'm a good plumber, I'm going to go.
Speaker 6Out on my own.
Speaker 5But they don't know how to run a business, okay.
So the result is they co mingle money, they they have cash flow problems, and I believe in that case they should not be in business.
Speaker 6It's that simple.
So I'm going to make this play a statement.
If you're a.
Speaker 5Contractor, I don't care if you're on the referral list or anything.
I think it's better if consumers do not pay money upfront.
Speaker 6Now, I can't make it a rule.
Speaker 5I can't say to a contractor you're not allowed to collect money upfront.
I can't run a business, but I would say this as a consumer.
I will never pay money upfront for nothing, never, never, ever, ever, So I will do it if materials are ordered and I can verify it, or if materials are delivered, or if work has started, and that could include.
Speaker 6Plans and all of that.
You have to use common sense.
Speaker 5And then when you make money upfront, or when you put money down or make payments, do it like with a credit card or a escrow account.
When I say that, people's eyes roll back.
Honest to god, you don't know what I mean when I say an escrow account?
Speaker 6Do you do?
You really know what I mean?
Speaker 5Of course you don't, because most people never deal with an escrow account.
But you ken for a big construction project, literally hire a title company or a bank to have an escro account where money is drawn out after certain milestones are reached.
It's complicated, it does cost a little extra, but those services are available if they're even doing them.
Some have gotten out of the escro business because they don't want the liability.
But in any case, make a payment so you can reverse it if you have to, or contest it.
Speaker 6That would be a credit card.
But never pay money.
It's just very simple.
Never pay money upfront for nothing.
Never.
Never.
Speaker 5That goes for cars, contractors and everything.
But right now we're talking about contractors money upfront, no work done or shoddy work done.
Speaker 6What's the number two problem?
I'll tell you that right after this.
Speaker 5Go with a sure thing Denver's Best roofer Excel Roofing dot com.
Speaker 6You don't pay a cent until you're content.
Speaker 5Time for an insurance checkup free, no obligation comparison call Compass Insurance paying too much your coverage at dozens of insurance companies find out now three oh three seven seven to one help.
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Hey, I'm Tom Martino, the guaranteed lowest price listen for a furnace replacement right now.
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So I was talking about the problems and contractors upfront, and whenever I do this, I get text Tom, you know how dare you say you know not to use me if I need money upfront?
Speaker 6Yep, that's true.
Speaker 5Now I did get a text saying about there are people on referral list.
One guy said, I use the recommended people.
I've used two of your recommended people on your referral list and had to put down a sizeable amount of money on one and a moderate amount of money on the other before the work was done.
I'm wondering if that needs to be a requirement.
I can't make it a requirement.
I can't tell people and I will say this we have less of a Yes, that's exactly, thank you, Mark.
Mark just chimed in again.
He's back on yes, of course we trust him.
And would I give them a down payment?
Speaker 2Yes?
Speaker 6I would.
I mean, but.
Speaker 5Most of them don't ask for money upfront for nothing.
Most of them have a reason for money upfront.
They've started work, they started planning, they ordered materials or materials are delivered, and you can verify all that good.
Speaker 6All I'm saying is this, if you take a universe.
Speaker 5Of people who have been ripped off, most of that universe comes from people who've paid money upfront, So you have a bigger chance of being ripped off.
Speaker 6That's just how it works out.
Speaker 5And a lot of contractors don't know how to manage money.
We'll talk about this and more.
And the number two problem has to do with cars.
It takes the two and third problems will go after Go with a sure thing Denver's Best Roofer, Excel Roofing dot com.
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Speaker 1News need so you don't.
Speaker 9Have to.
Speaker 2Come run anxious stas as you can.
Speaker 3Shoot's gonna help come.
Speaker 4Man Dix is the Troubleshooter Show.
Now, Tom Martino, Hey, I'm.
Speaker 6Here, Mark Majris here.
Speaker 5We're solving problems, answering questions, taking complaints.
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Speaker 5I know a lot of people love texting and emailing, but if you give us a call, we love shooting the breeze because here's why more people can hear it and then we can talk about it, you know, I mean, And we'll do what we can to help you.
And we always give priority to phone calls.
And if you call us at three oh three Martino twenty four to seven three oh three six two seven eight four sixty six.
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That's what's important.
And you can give out three oh three Martino at any time or three oh three Martino dot com, which is just a website with all of our contact information, a very short abbreviated website for getting a hold of us.
And I put some short show notes in there from day to day.
Kathy, she says she's got a problem here.
Let's hear what it is.
Kathy, Welcome to the show.
I'm Tom Martine.
What's going on, Kathy?
Speaker 2Hey?
Speaker 10Tom?
I have a home in New Mexico and I own the home with some family members who currently already filed for a Chapter seven in Colorado.
We've both lived in Colorado, owned the house of New Mexico, and I need to find some representation for myself to deal with a trustee.
Speaker 5Okay, but here's what I need to know.
The bankruptcy is being filed here in Colorado by your relative, yes okay.
And that relative owns half of the house with you in New Mexico, yes okay?
And how okay?
And how much equity is in that home?
Speaker 10Well, they are saying for market, said one forty.
It's a small rural town, and we currently have a renter in the house and his rent is has a contract till March at twenty twenty six.
Speaker 5I understand, But is the trustee when you say you need legal representation, and sometimes you do.
What the trustee's job is is to go after as much equity or as much savings or as much money there is, and then they get a commission on what they collect for creditors.
Speaker 6So their goal is to.
Speaker 5Collect as much as they possibly can from the estate.
They call it the bankruptcy estate.
And then you pay into that estate and you settle your bankruptcy and if there's zero assets, then it's zero, so that the is the trustee though making noise about.
I don't think they can force you to sell that house when it's co owned.
Speaker 6We can find out.
Speaker 5We can call our bankruptcy one of our bankruptcy attorneys and find out.
Kasina, why don't you just do that?
Try to get Mike Wink on the phone.
Speaker 7I can tell you I definitely want to give Mike's advice, but I can tell you there is no.
Speaker 6Way like if a couple, if the couple.
Speaker 7Owns the house together and one of them, not both of them, but one of them files for a Chapter seven, they cannot force the sale of that.
Speaker 6Yeah, that's what I was thinking.
Speaker 5May I ask, Kathy, why did you ask about a legal a legal representation?
Is the trustee making some noises?
Tell me what's going on?
Speaker 10Well, he sent an email and we did talk verbally, and he said that I had thirty days to get back with him.
I did make an offer on the house, but then I started digging a little more.
Speaker 5Yeah, but but did the trustee say thirty days for what?
Speaker 6What did the trustee say?
Speaker 5Did the trustees say he's going to try to force the sale of the house.
Speaker 7Yeah, you know what, I just thought of something though, Tom, I it's the case.
But if it's joint tenancy, that could happen for sure.
Speaker 6What do you mean now?
Which one is the joint tennis?
Speaker 7Wit tendency is where you own fifty percent of the house and I own fifty.
Speaker 5Percent right right, And if you each have your own half, maybe the trustee can go after that person's half.
Speaker 6And that's what that's probably the way it's owned.
Speaker 5You each own your fifty percent and the trustee wants to sell that other fifty percent.
You know, I really, I really believe they can.
I just don't believe they can force this.
I don't think they can force the sale of the house though, because or I mean, how would they do that?
How would they put up half of that house?
How would they do it?
I did that's that's for Mike.
Speaker 7Wait, but I really do think they probably can yeah.
Speaker 6Because that is a nugget.
Speaker 7They can't force the other person to move out or that's right, But that's right.
I think they could literally take I don't know.
We got to get Mike wink on.
I'm dying to hear the answers.
Speaker 5Now, okay, so why don't you, Kathy hang on or give us your number and we'll call you back.
We will definitely get someone who deals with this every day.
This is pretty serious and by the way, as far as legal representation, it's not going to be much you need an attorney for.
I just wonder how far they can go.
For example, they're literally trying to force a partner on you.
But what I want to know is who would ever buy it?
That's the point.
And the trustee may find that your offer might be the best offer.
Did the trustee reject your offer?
Or did you make an offer?
Speaker 2Yet?
Speaker 10I did make an offer, he did take the offer.
But the siiculation doesn't say that I'm free and legal of any type a lean, So I need a situlation also to be reworded on these What.
Speaker 1Do you mean?
Speaker 6What does it?
What do you mean by that?
I don't understand what you're saying.
Speaker 10Well, what I read is that I need to make sure that he doesn't have any legal course to come back on the house or to anybody else with the bankruptcy to have any leans on the house.
Speaker 7Well, you would have Well, I understand what she's saying, but why Well, first of all, no.
Speaker 5One, no one could put leans on the house for the bankruptcy, because the bankruptcy takes away all personal liability right now from this guy and puts it on the bankruptcy estate.
So people can't go around the bankruptcy and lean the house and say you you bestar, you owe me money.
They he's protected, he's protected, your your your is it your brother, your sister, what is it?
Speaker 6Your brother in law?
What relative?
Speaker 11My cousin, a cousin?
Speaker 6Okay?
Do you know your cousin is protected?
Speaker 7Do you know if it is tenants in common or joint tenancy?
Do you know the answer to.
Speaker 10That it's a joint tenancy?
Okay, that's okay.
And the renter also offered one hundred and twenty five thousand for the house because he wants to buy the house.
Speaker 5Okay, okay, how much when you offer the money, it's really very simple.
You buy that your half or the other half, your cousin's half, and you pay the bankruptcy estate the money and then the house it's all yours.
Speaker 6I mean, I don't see what you're now.
Speaker 5Obviously you want a real estate attorney to look this over, Like Brad O'Brien, that's what I would have, That's who I would go to to because really don't get what I'm saying is, don't complicate it.
You tell the attorney you simply are buying half of the house from your cousin who is going through bankruptcy.
But people don't have and even Brad O'Brien, I don't know how much he knows about bankruptcy, but a lot of attorneys don't understand the full bankruptcy.
Right now, your cousin is protected.
No one can come after that house.
They have to go through the bankruptcy.
So so I I just think that.
Speaker 7What we're gonna do right now, Yeah, we're gonna We're gonna give you, We're gonna take a quick break.
Mike wink is gonna be on as soon as we come back, and let's ask him an your questions.
Speaker 5Yeah, and here's Brad O'Brien, though it's O L s it stands for O Brian Legal Services olslaw dot com and seven to zero three seven zero seventy three eighty eight.
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Hi Tom Martino, you're a troubleshooter.
We have Mike Wink with us from the Wink Law Firm, and he does bankruptcy.
Speaker 6I've known Mike for many years.
Speaker 5Mike, when somebody owns a house fifty to fifty with a relative and the relative is going bankrupt, what can the trustee do?
Can the trustee say, sell the house and I want his fifty percent or I.
Speaker 6Mean, how does that work?
Speaker 5So her cousin owns fifty percent of the house, she owns fifty percent of the house.
How does that work in a Chapter seven bankruptcy.
Speaker 12Yeah, that's a very good question.
So is this do they both live there or is the debtor at least list.
Speaker 5It's a rental.
It's a rental they rented out.
Speaker 12Okay, so it is a gray area.
The trustee is going to push hard to try to to try to get money out of the home to pay for the debtor's interest in the equity.
They can't really force a sale, so they can't force the other party to sell the property.
The bankruptcy open indefinitely, right, so that you know it's it's the debtor's interest is now property of the bankruptcy has stayed and it will be.
So it creates kind of a standoff.
But typically you try to resolve it by you know, pulling a heelock out or doing something to pay off the trustees so that you know you can get the Yeah.
Speaker 5And if if Kathy wants to buy her cousin's half, that's usually the most attractive option.
Wouldn't it be for a trustee to avoid missions and all that.
Speaker 12Yeah, she can afford it, and she doesn't have some leverage in the negotiation because the trustee will warrant to get this resolved, right, You don't want to bankruptcy estate open for years and years, even though it can be.
Speaker 5And they probably to have to list it and pay commissions and all of that.
Speaker 6So I think she could get a deal, sure, And.
Speaker 12That's something that we could help her negotiate if she's.
Speaker 6Too you know.
Speaker 5That's a good idea, Kathy, have a bankruptcy attorney try to negotiate this.
Speaker 7But remember, but remember, guys, well Mike doesn't know this, but there's someone else that wants that ownership too, that happens to be renting in there now, and they're offering a certain amount of money.
Speaker 6So I doubt he's going to take a less amount.
Well he would if it means.
Speaker 5If it means that the renter needs representation and commissions will be paid and the estate nets less.
I think the trustee wants to know what's gonna net me more money.
And that's where Mike can point all that stuff out.
And you know where Mike is used to this.
He'll say, look, you know, let's net you the most money.
My client is willing to pay this and there will be no real in essence, no closing costs.
I mean it's a transfer, uh and it's it's a payment made to the bankruptcy estate.
Kathy, I would at least consult with Mike Wink for sure on this.
He could be the one you need for everything when it comes to negotiating a purchase of this house.
Speaker 10Now, okay, that's exactly what I need.
Thank you, and I'm.
Speaker 5Going to give you his number.
But I want to ask Mike something, Mike, if if she didn't buy it, can a trustee literally sell half of that house and force her to be a partner with someone?
Speaker 12That is another very tricky question.
You know, typically any trail form a deed is going to require both parties on the deed to sign.
So it is very difficult for the bankruptcy estate to sell their interest without the cooperation of the co owner of the property.
Now that said, you know, the bankruptcy state could make life difficult right when they want half the rents and you know there's a lot that can go into it.
You kind of got a new roommate here.
So, like I said, I think everybody had an interest in trying to settle this.
And because it's not easy for the trustee or the bankruptcy estate, to sell the property, to sell the interests without the cooperation of the other party.
It gives the co owner a decent amount of leverage if they're able to buy out the other parties have.
Speaker 6Thank you so much.
Speaker 5That's Mike Winked the Wink Law Firm, and his number, Kathy is seven to zero five two three six two zero seven to zero five two three zero six two zero Mike, thank you very much.
Okay, now we have another Kathy.
Kathy, you have an issue with a roofer.
What's going on, Kathy?
Speaker 11I had my roof done.
I called, I had a week come to find out it was from the chimneys.
But the roof was bad.
Speaker 5I knew that, okay, But but was this Was this a result of a storm?
Speaker 6Was it an insurance loss?
Speaker 11Yes, and there was a storm.
I had water come into my living room.
Speaker 6And when was it replaced?
Speaker 11Almost six months ago in June?
Speaker 6Okay, So what's going on?
Speaker 8Well?
Speaker 11I keep sending them.
The contract did not include a breakdown of everything, including in the loan.
Speaker 6What loan, what loaning?
What loan?
Speaker 11They got me alone?
Help me get a loan?
Speaker 6If it was insurance, did you have like an ac policy.
Speaker 5Yeah, I don't understand why you need it alone if it was an insurance loss.
Speaker 11Because I wanted to upgrade the roofs and I went for a higher group price.
I'm getting up there in age.
Speaker 6Out of curiosity.
Speaker 1How much?
Speaker 7How much more from what the insurance was paying?
How much was the loan for another?
Speaker 11It's another twelve something like that?
Speaker 7Twelve thousand probably just she probably went from a class three to a class for shingles.
Speaker 5All So listen, Yeah, so you got a loan and there is no requirement.
There is no requirement that the contract be broken down unless you, I mean unless you demand it.
I mean there's there's no law that talks about this.
I mean, so what is the issue right now?
Speaker 6What is the issue?
Speaker 11I cannot get the final or the breakdown.
There's a couple issues.
One it was actually a chimney issue and I ended up having to pay out.
Speaker 5Of pocket for a Yeah, but I still don't understand, Kathy.
If the roofer has been paid, why do you need a breakdown?
What tell me?
Who wants this breakdown?
Speaker 11Insurance me?
In order to get the money from the insurance coming?
Speaker 6Oh okay, got it?
Speaker 5Okay, So to get how much of how much of this will the insurance pay all?
Speaker 6But about twelve grand?
Speaker 11Yeah, the initial pay was nine thousand plus.
I mean they did pay the interior stuff.
Speaker 6Okay, So you need your insurance.
Speaker 5Your insurance is asking for a breakdown in order to know what to.
Speaker 11Pay, right because they only gave me like five hundred dollars for the removal and replacement of my solar panels and the rooping, or the solar company charged me seven thousand.
Speaker 5So you want to use this to try to get more money from your insurance or to get is your insurance refusing to pay everything?
Speaker 11No, they're not refusing to pay.
But what their paying is well, I said, for the replacement of the solar panels and stuff is less than what I charged.
Speaker 5And yet okay, so you feel if you can show in the contract that you paid more or you're being charged more than they want to pay, that your insurance company is going to up the amount they pay you.
Speaker 6That's what you think, right.
Speaker 11I believe.
Speaker 7So are you sure the insurance company has not been paying the contractor directly?
Speaker 6Do you know the answer to that?
Speaker 11They know they paid me?
Speaker 5Okay, okay, so right now, right now, let me get this straight.
You have a certain amount due to the roofer.
Yeah, and you need well if you tell the roofer, look, I want to get you paid, break down the contract for me so I can show them where they're deficient in their payment.
What does the roofer tell you?
Speaker 11They sent me a material list with ghost prices.
But also when I got when I was getting it set up, they told me they were giving me two thousand dollars towards the chimney to be picked.
They never gave me that money.
And yet I don't know how much or what all is in the contract that I'm paying.
The rufer's been paid the long time.
Speaker 6Are they asking for?
Speaker 7Is the roofer asking for more money now?
Speaker 6But no, she's trying to get reimbursed.
Speaker 11I'm trying to get reimbursed and I want to make sure what I'm paying for in that contract.
Speaker 2Right.
Speaker 11They won't break down the contract.
Speaker 5Yeah, that's be And they don't have any incentive because they've already been paid.
So you need to you need to find This is a tough one.
I mean, they've already been paid.
They don't care, and it would be a it would be a courtesy, but I don't know how you force them to do it, that's the problem, Kathy.
I don't know how you force them unless we call and just.
Speaker 6If you just call and ask, what do they say?
Speaker 5If you say, look, I'm try trying to get reimbursed from my insurance company.
Just do me a favor and break out the different categories so I can show them.
I mean, what do they your insurance just won't simply pay a lump sum.
Speaker 11They'll give me a lump sumbody.
It's like I said, I'm not even sure it's going to cover you know, where they might come up?
Speaker 6How much?
How much?
Speaker 5What would the difference be in what they're willing to pay you and what you think you should get, Like, what's the difference?
Speaker 6What are we talking about here?
Speaker 11About eight thousand dollars?
Speaker 5I think so you think if you show them the contract you can get about a grand more?
Speaker 7Right?
Speaker 11If I can get them to break down that contract, right.
Speaker 5Mark, do you have any ideas on how you would force I don't know how you force them to do that.
Speaker 7I don't know if you can force them, but I think a call from the right person, maybe Demitri or somebody, might be able to get them to simply break it down.
Maybe they don't understand, or maybe they're hiding something.
Speaker 6Is the other thing.
I don't know what's going on over.
Speaker 11There, because, like I said, originally they told me that they were going to give me some extra money to pay for that out of the loans to pay for my chimney.
Speaker 7How do you know, just I asked you this before, but how do you know they didn't collect supplemental payments from your insurance company directly?
Speaker 6Are you sure they didn't?
Speaker 11And from what I from what the insurance company shows is being paid out and everything has come to me.
Speaker 5Yeah, good, Yeah, I think that that's not going to be the issue.
So I don't know how we force him.
We just have to call him.
I guess I look at it this way.
Speaker 7I don't know if he'd get involved at this point, but this is some thing Matt could go through, and if he got a copy of what the insurance has paid for in the claim in the invoice, he might be able to get her more money.
Speaker 6But it's so little for him.
I don't know.
Speaker 5He's not gonna No.
I don't think he could take the time to do it.
It's just too much of a hassle.
I think what we need to do is, as Mark, as you suggested, have one of our deputies call the insurance company and reason with them on look, we're not asking not the insurance would call the roofer and say, look, all we're asking for is a breakdown, so she can negotiate with her insurance company.
And I think that Deputy BO might be the one for that.
Speaker 6He'd be good.
Speaker 5Yeah, So here, what you want to do is take your information, Kathy, and we don't have our deputies in today, but Deputy Bo, you'll be hearing from somebody who calls himself Bo.
And let's just see if BO can put in a call to the insurance company.
That's what I would suggest.
Three zho three seven one three eight two five five.
We're talking about a lot of things today.
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Speaker 6You don't pay a cent until you're content.
Speaker 5Time for an insurance check up free no obligation comparison call Compass Insurance paying too much your coverage at dozens of insurance companies find out Now three oh three seven seven to one help.
You'll think you're his only customer when you choose Frank durand the real estate Man dot com to list your home with Remax Alliance three oh three nine two zero sixteen twenty two.
Hey Tom Martino here with Mark Major.
We're talking to you about your problems, questions and complaints.
Speaker 6And uh we.
Speaker 5Invite you to call us at three O three seven to one three talk when we're on the air here, or you can call three h three Martino three oh three six two seven eight four sixty six twenty four to seven and.
Speaker 7That and then by the way, when we're on vac you can call that and we most likely will reach back out to you or help at troubleshooter dot com.
Speaker 5Yeah, and the text number which I get on my personal cell is seven four seven nine nine nine fifty two eight.
So the number one problem for the year contractors where people pay money upfront and they either get no work done or shotting work definitely by far the number one problem.
Going back into our database.
The next one used cars.
Now used cars take the second and third position of problems.
Speaker 6What there are different issues.
Speaker 5The first one has to do with people buying high mileage used cars and not getting them checked out, so they expect the dealer who sold it to them to do.
Speaker 6Something about it.
Speaker 5They buy it as is, but they expect I don't know what they expect, and they don't expect problems.
They buy cars with one hundred, one hundred and fifty or two hundred thousand.
Those are the three major major goalposts that I use because I say over one hundred thousand, you're going to have problems, and then and I say over one hundred and fifty thousand, you're gonna have major problems, and over two hundred you're gonna have catastrophic problems.
Not worth fixing.
So it don't ever, just don't ever.
I would say, don't ever buy a car with more than one hundred thousand miles, but I know some of you will never listen to that.
Definitely, two hundred thousand is out.
I mean, I just even can't believe that people even consider that.
And the reason they do it is because the price is down.
It's actually better to take up money and put money.
Speaker 6Down on a newer car and have a loan.
Speaker 5It's actually less money out of pocket with a decent car.
Again, it all has to do with how you buy a car.
You can't just buy junk to begin with or overpay, and that's one of the biggest problems.
People buy junk or they overpay or both, and when that happens, nothing's gonna help you no matter what.
So one of the biggest problems people don't research.
Speaker 6And know what to pay or what they should pay.
Speaker 5And really there's no coming back from a bad purchase.
When you just don't do your homework and you overpay for a car, there's no coming back from then.
Or if you buy a piece of junk riddled with problems.
Okay, so I said cars took the second and third position.
The third position, okay, so use cars high mileage, not getting them checked out, not understanding the true meaning of the word as is okay.
The next one with cars extended warranties not covering issues.
Speaker 7I'd almost argue that could be a little higher, because there is not one single day, maybe forty eight hours it goes by without hearing from one of those problems.
Speaker 6And year of these warranties.
Speaker 5Recently, we've had those on the numbers, a lot of the over lapmarks, so that could be you know, we do hear a lot.
Though You're right about extended warranties not not covering issues, and one of the here's one of the biggest problems with extended warranties on used cars, and I downloaded one as an example.
Speaker 6But they clearly will.
Speaker 5Not fix pre existing conditions, anything that was pre existing, or if a pre existing condition caused the current problem, even if it wasn't the direct problem, it was a causation of a problem you're having now.
And for some reason, when people write to me, I just had one today, an email, and they they start out by saying, you know, within two weeks or within one week, or within thirty days, that actually doesn't help your case.
That makes it worse because the sooner it happens, the more likely the insurance or the extended warranty company is going to call it pre existing.
So that's where you get into trouble is you know, they look for reasons.
The very first thing they look for are reasons not to cover these extended warranties.
I don't think extended warranties on used cars are worth it, okay, because of a few main problems.
Speaker 6One, pre existing conditions.
Speaker 5Most used cars, when they have a problem, it will be from a pre existing condition.
It's not new, okay, And that is the biggest hang up.
Pre existing condition.
The next one is when it comes to the cumulative total of repairs, when they add up to the market value of the cars.
So many people think they're buying a five year warranty, but they're not.
You buy a warranty and whatever they pay out on that warranty they add up, and when that equals the fair market value of that car, you no longer have coverage.
Speaker 6It's diminishing coverage.
Speaker 5So as the car gets older and worthless and repairs get more, you see where the if you drew it out on a chart your you have diminishing coverage and very seldom will have the length of time on that warranty as you are promised.
Speaker 6Hey, we know we.
Speaker 7Got to take a break, but then we got a very interesting call coming up on stem cells.
Speaker 6I'm not sure what it.
Speaker 5Is, okay, so just have them hang on Gary.
We will get to your question on stem cells coming up.
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Speaker 6You don't pay a cent until you're content.
Speaker 5Time for an insurance check up, free, no obligation comparison call Compass Insurance.
Pay too much your coverage at dozens of insurance companies find out now three o three seven seven to one help.
You'll think you're his only customer when you choose Frank durand the real estate Man dot com to list your home with Remax Alliance three oh three nine two zero sixteen twenty two.
All right, I'm Tom Martino.
Let's talk to Gary.
Gary, you're on with Tom and Mark.
What's going on?
Speaker 2Oh?
Speaker 13Hi Tom, thanks for taking my call.
Yes, sir, you know these days you hear a lot about nonsurgical solutions to pain relief.
And right, that code to me, that's code for what used to be called stem cell surgery back in the nineteen nineties.
Speaker 6Yes, and yeah, or snake oil.
Speaker 13Problem is the problem is, Hey, it's not covered by insurance, right be you need to do it, you need to have a lot of treatment.
So before you even know if it's gonna work, you're tens of thousand dollars.
Speaker 5No, not tens of thousands, I would say, I would say about seven thousand.
Speaker 13And it's not covered by insurance.
And yeah, so every every other commercial seems to be for these.
Speaker 5Proceedings, Gary, I want to I want to give you some I want to give you some information, and I'm going to hold you over if I don't finish, because I don't want to rush through this.
Speaker 6I know a lot about it.
Speaker 5I know a lot about it because I researched it for myself personally.
And plus, way back we had sponsors who wanted to advertise is stem cell cell therapy is also under a bigger umbrella called regenerative therapy.
And the reason they make a distinction is because stem cells are very, very tenuous.
They do not live outside of the body unless you condense them and turn them into a drug, which is not permitted.
Speaker 6So the only.
Speaker 5Way to get true and I don't care who is advertising or who says differently, they're wrong.
The only way to get true stem cell therapy is to have the donor there with you at the time of treatment.
That's either yourself or someone but no one really does that.
They use their own stem cells.
And the only way to get true stem cell therapy is to use real stem cells at the sight of treatment.
Speaker 6That's the only way.
Speaker 5You cannot ship stem cells through the mail or through a bonded carrier or frozen.
You cannot ship them and have them viable at the other end.
So that really that's why everyone has gone to the term regenerative medicine stem cells.
Once the stem cells die, believe it or not, the fluids are still regenerative in a way and can help you, so they're not totally useless.
Speaker 6They're just not as effective as.
Speaker 5Your own stem cells now Denverregen Denverregen dot com used as a combination of the regenerative fluids and your own stem cells.
There's something else too, which is platelet rich plasma PRP.
Hold on and we'll come back, and you can ask questions, but I promise.
Speaker 6You that you're right.
Speaker 5There are no guarantees not covered by insurance.
Could end up spending ten grand and get no results.
Speaker 6That is the truth.
So you have to go with.
Speaker 5A clinic with stats on past cases.
Speaker 6Similar to yours.
Speaker 5Go with a sure thing Denver's best roofer Excel Roofing dot com.
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Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Rip, you need advice so you don't have.
Speaker 2Come run incousta as to care.
Speaker 3No shoot is gonna help coming.
Speaker 4This is the Troubleshooter Show.
No Tom Martino.
Speaker 6Hey, hey, hey, I'm here with Mark Major.
I'm Tom Martino.
Speaker 5We're fighting for you, answering questions taking place, making your life just.
Speaker 6A little easier.
Speaker 5We are taking calls at three oh three seven to one three talk.
That's our studio line when we're here on the air from ten to two every day Mountain time.
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So pass that number around if you need help or information or referrals on any consumer problem.
Forty five years recovering hundreds of millions of dollars in cash, merchandise, exchanges, refunds, and services.
And Gary left the left off talking about.
Speaker 6Stem cell therapy.
Speaker 5Oh he is gone, okay, but he brought up a very good point, and that is you spend a lot of money and may not get results.
Speaker 7I will tell I want to tell him a quick story.
I assume he's still listening.
I kind of was like, yeah, I kind of thought it was snake oil, especially back in the day where they'd ship the dead stem cells and chirobriks would shoot him in you and nothing would happen.
But then John Fuller, who fills in for Tom and myself, told me something that has changed my thoughts on it.
If it's done correctly, like Denver Regen does it correctly.
He had his shoulder done with stem cells, and he had it done probably four or five years ago.
It has been perfect since, no surgery ever needed.
The pain is gone.
It fixed everything.
It's incredible and I believe every single word.
Speaker 6John said, oh yeah, he's very credible.
And I had stem cell therapy.
Speaker 5Done and it did a remarkable job on my lower back.
Now, I did go through with a surgery and had the facet implant done the tops procedure, but that was because my back was so far gone.
But that's a testament to stem cell therapy because as crazy far gone as my facet joint was with L four L five, that stem cell therapy took away my pain.
It really did a remarkable job, and I couldn't believe it.
Speaker 6One of the things.
Speaker 5It took about two and a half to three months to feel results.
And they do a combination of PRP platelet rich plasma stem cells and regenerative fluids and it's just a great concoction and they have really good luck on there on lower back and neck issues and elbows.
Speaker 6Here's what you want to do with a stem cell clinic.
Speaker 5You want to make sure they're for real, first of all, and they've done previous procedures that you're thinking about, and you want to the stats on them, like what is their success rate?
No one has one.
Some people have better results than others in certain areas.
Denver Regent happens to be really good with lower back issues, and so you just ask them, how well do you do in this area.
The last thing they want to do is have a customer who is unhappy.
So they keep stats on you and they do follow up questions and exams to see what areas of the body have the best or the most likelihood of success.
It's a very very speculative area of medicine.
Speaker 7Though I was reading about this is not too long ago, a couple of weeks ago about where TOPS has come, which.
Speaker 6Is what you had done?
Speaker 7Like you just yes, they now can take multiple units whatever that TOPS unit's called and put multiple one and then they collect it with what or connect them with what's called divers the link system instead of fusing.
So when you had yours done, I think you can only have one done.
That's right, that's United States.
Now with this versa link, they can connect them.
I mean that's crazy, man.
Speaker 6Yeah, And it's one of the best.
Speaker 5I mean, it's never Oh my god, what it has done for it.
It changed my whole life, that implant.
It changed my entire life.
Were you one of the first to get it done?
I was the first FDA approved in America, that's me.
Speaker 6So what happened was I was, look.
Speaker 5Everyone said, fusion is the only thing you can do.
Now the reason they say fusion.
What fusion does is freezes.
Speaker 6Up the bad joint.
Speaker 5So if you have like a bad L four L five is where ninety percent of the men have a problem, and then it spreads from there.
But let's just say you have a bad joint, I call it a joint because that's what it is, a facet joint and it's between L four and L five and it's pinching on nerve.
They can decompress that and pull it apart and freeze it pain in motion, Yeah, the pain's gone.
Speaker 6It does work.
Fusion does work.
Speaker 5The problem with fusion first you have limited motion.
Second, you have eventually, in eighty five to ninety percent of the cases, something called adjacent disk disease or adjacent joint disease, which means pressure is put on above and below the fusion, so those joints start giving out.
And if you talk to people who have been patients of fusion, they normally end up having multiple fusions over the years and eventually become a Frankenstein.
Speaker 6They just as they're just stiff.
Speaker 5So what everyone has been trying to do since the dawn of the fusion is to try to find something that allows movement.
Now, TOPS is not the only procedure out there.
Speaker 6It's the one I had by Premium Spine.
Speaker 5It's not the only one, but it is one of the only ones that mimics the facet joint.
It mimics the disc, the joint, and the tissue the bone, and it has silicone on it and it's made from titanium.
And what happened was I happened to read about this and it was developed in Israel, and the guy happens to have a home in Boulder, and the president lives both in Israel and in America, and I got in touch with him and he said, we're coming to America soon.
And so my surgeon literally went and got trained on it so he could be there for me.
Speaker 6I mean, that's how wonderful he was.
Speaker 5So he went and got trained on this and started talking to the owner or the president as I was, and we were on an email chain together when they got so I got preapproved from Medicare or accuse me, from the hospital, and then Medicare we put in an application for when it was FDA approved.
I was pre approved and had the surgery at Saint Anthony's and I had it done the very first FDA approved procedure in America.
Now there were clinical trials done in America, and then there were clinical trials done all over Europe as well.
It was approved in Europe before America.
And now, as Mark pointed out, I didn't realize this.
They went one step further and now you can have multiple joints done.
At the time I had mine done, only one was approved one level at a time, So you could do one level somewhere and then a level somewhere else, but you couldn't have them back to back or link to link, and now they're linking them together.
So if you have multiple areas of problems, you have a solution.
The great thing about the tops implant is that it preserves movement, so you're not stiffened.
You have all the movement you have with your regular spine.
They literally remove the bad facets.
I mean, if you looked at the pictures of my surgery, they took out those facets.
They took them out, laid them on the table.
There's a picture of them sitting on the table, and then they stem from the top to the bottom with this implant.
So it's like my wife affectionately calls it my artificial spine.
Speaker 6And in a way it is.
Now.
Speaker 5The one caveat is you have to be strong enough to support it, meaning your bones can't be deteriorated because they screw into the bone the above and below the tops the implant to secure it.
So obviously you have to have good bone density and good bone structure, so they're making credible strides.
Now there is another kind of thing that decompressed and preserved movement called cephlex, and I had a friend have it done and he's having problems already again.
So I believe TOPS is the best solution.
And doctor Joshua Beckman, who did mine, says his waiting room is full of people who getting it done now.
In some cases, for some reason, insurance companies have been fighting it.
Some insurance carriers won't pay for it.
And I don't know why MIND paid.
My Medicare and Supplement paid for the entire procedure and it was approved, so they're usually pretty conservative.
So I don't know why health insurance would call it experimental when it's FDA approved.
But I do know that doctor Beckman told me that he had a problem with some insurance carriers covering it.
But if you can have it done, it is a godsend.
It is amazing what it's doing.
And uh and on my heart goes out to people, of course who have had back problems, because it can.
Speaker 6It can screw up your whole life.
Speaker 5When your back's out, you know, your legs start going and you start you just you don't feel good at all.
Three oh three seven one three talk three oh three seven one three eight two five five.
So we've been talking about the most common problems and of the year.
One was the number one contractors money up front and getting no work or shoddy work done.
Speaker 6And I am.
Speaker 5Telling you to avoid at all costs contractors that want money upfront for nothing.
I don't think there's ever a reason to pay money up front for nothing.
And I would happily talk to contractors right now.
They call and tell me why you should pay We should pay you for nothing?
Speaker 6Why now?
Speaker 5Some contractors say, well, we want to make sure we don't make uh.
You know a schedule that you don't keep, so we want to hold you to it.
Trust me, you don't want a customer that wants to cancel anyway.
Speaker 6The next one.
Speaker 5Use cars, high mileage cars and people buying them as is, not understanding the implications of as is and expecting sellers.
Speaker 6To do something about it.
Speaker 5The next one was extended warranties on used cars not covering issues.
I'll come up with the next.
I want you to try to guess what the next are.
So I gave you one, two and three, and we'll go to number four, five, six seven coming up on the Troubleshooter show three oh three seven to one, three eight, two, five five, go with a sure thing Denvers Best Roofer Excel Roofing dot com.
You don't pay a cent until you're content.
Wait time for an insurance check up free, no obligation.
Comparison call Compass Insurance paying too much your coverage at dozens of insurance companies find out now three oh three seven.
Having won help, you'll think you're his only customer when you choose Frank durand the real estate Man dot com to list your home with Remax Alliance three oh three nine two zero sixteen twenty two.
Hey Tom Martino here, welcome to the show.
Oh my goodness, gracious, we have so much to talk about.
Speaker 6What the consumer problems?
Speaker 5Uh, people are trying to guess what they were texting me and they would be wrong.
Okay, Contractors money upfront shot here, no work, used car, high knowledge, expecting U and not getting him checked out.
Not knowing what as is really means extended warrant's on used cars not covering issues mostly due to pre existing conditions.
The next one, ready, I'm gonna do my own sound effects since you guys don't know.
Speaker 6Not that one.
Sorry, I.
Speaker 5All right?
And the next one tenant land lord, toxic mold.
Yay, that's what people say, they have toxic mold.
Speaker 6See, I believe this is my belief.
Speaker 5Okay, I'm going to tell you that I believe no one feels one hundred percent.
They all feel a little crappy here and there, and when they get something like mold to look at and they say, oh, that's why I'm feeling like crap, And then they backtrack and everything that ever happened to them since they moved into the place they attribute to the mold.
It is the chronic fatigue syndrome of the two thousand, of the twenty twenty.
Speaker 6Or whatever whatever error we're in right now.
Speaker 5Remember, chronic fatigue syndrome was something that every oh my god, everyone had chronic fatigue syndrome where they couldn't move and something happened to them.
Speaker 6And I don't want to make fun.
Speaker 5Of this, okay, because most of the time it is a psychological condition.
Speaker 6It's not real.
They're I don't want to get into it, but it's not.
It's not.
Speaker 5Chronic fatigue is chronic mental problems and it does manifest itself in the body.
Speaker 6It is real.
But can we not talk about it right now?
Please?
Speaker 5Okay, Now, let's talk about this toxic mold.
It is the new chronic fatigue.
It's what makes people sick now.
They throw in their kids, their husbands, people who visit.
Here's the truth about mold.
We live with mold every day, all over.
We live with mold.
We live with mold.
Mold first became a thing.
Do you know who the first big lawsuit was, remember, oh you do, remember that very good Mark.
Speaker 6He brought a lawsuit for toxic mold and he won.
Speaker 5And after that, insurance companies went crazy because they were getting claims out the ass about it.
So what is toxic mold.
It's mold that's toxic.
But even toxic mold is not dangerous to everyone stronger immune systems, you're not so affected.
But it's not good for you, okay, I mean you don't want to be exposed to high levels of mold.
You just don't want to be Okay.
They don't make you immediately sick, though, and they don't make you you know, it's just not what people think it is.
They look at the mold and they think, oh my god, I have this problem, and then doctors don't help any There are so many doctors that will confirm anything you want them to I swear to God.
The way they talk to you, they'll make you believe you have whatever you think you have.
But anyway, let's get back to this mold thing.
It's real, okay, But sensitivity to mold varies with people, and mold is not.
Speaker 6Difficult to get rid of.
Speaker 5People expect their damn homes to be rebuilt.
There were claims in Houston where people would have a flood and then claim they have to basically rebuild their home, and insurance companies have put a lot of restrictions on mold claims because they've gotten out of hand.
And right now, when tenants call us about mold, there's very little we can do.
There is no actual standard where we can say this is dangerous, you can't live in it.
So there lies the problem.
First and foremost tenants need to document the mold because if you do have high levels of mold.
Speaker 6It is something that should be addressed by a landlord.
Speaker 5I mean, there's nothing wrong with opening up some dry wall and cleaning up mold and sealing it.
Speaker 6There's nothing wrong with that.
It's good.
You're never going to get zero mold spores.
Speaker 5That's why Mark Schimansky at Genesis tootalexteriors dot com.
He also does mold detection and remediation.
That's why he always talks about the control.
Speaker 6What is the control?
Speaker 5It is the it's what you do to see how your mold compares to regular sources in and around the area.
So what you need is you need to have a control to know how bad you're mold is.
There are some areas that are higher and mold spores than others.
Okay, so mold in and of itself has become one of the major issues, and it's one of those ones where you think.
Speaker 6Oh my god, I mean, how much of it is real?
Speaker 5Many times what a tenant is trying to do is just get out of the lease.
That's really what they're trying to do, and mold gives them the excuse.
Speaker 6So that is number four on the list.
Number four.
What do you think?
Number five is?
What do you think?
Condo assessments?
Speaker 5They came up so I had contractors, used cars, extended warranties, unused cars, toxic mold.
Speaker 6Next.
Condo assessments.
Speaker 5Mostly because people don't understand what they are and when they apply and they think like the HOA is getting rich or something.
Speaker 6The HOA is a collection of homeowners.
Speaker 5So I mean there's no vested interest in an HOA collecting excessive fees for goodness sakes, because they're part of it.
When you fight against your HOA, you're fighting against yourself.
Speaker 6Okay.
The HOA is a collection of owners.
Speaker 5So if they have a roof that needs to be replaced and the deductible, let's say is one hundred thousand dollars, which it could be on a big condo development.
If you have a deductible of one hundred thousand dollars and you don't have the money in the coffers, you have to assess the owners.
So to see these stupid owners protest the assessment is like saying, like if you would picture yourself at home and you have a roof claim and you're in an irregular house and the insurance company says you're deductible is twenty grand, would you go outside your house with a sign protesting the twenty thousand dollars assessment?
Of course you wouldn't, because it's due and payable.
Speaker 6I mean, that's just the way it is.
So with an HOA, when.
Speaker 5They assess people, it's because there's not enough money to pay and people complain about it all the time.
Speaker 6Assessments come in two flavors.
Speaker 5One insurance related losses that have to be supplemented, so for example, the deductible on a roof or the co insurance, or the payments made for insurance losses.
Sometimes condo developments don't even have insurance anymore, or they have actual cash value insurance because.
Speaker 6It's so expensive they can't afford it.
Speaker 5And in that case, in almost every single instance, the homeowners will be assessed.
Now, assessment coverage by your homeowners doesn't always cover it either.
First and foremost, if you have lost damage assessment coverage which is an insurance that you put on your condo and it says if you're ever assessed, they will cover it.
It only goes to a certain amount and it's only for insurance losses, so it doesn't cover all assessments.
It just covers insurance losses.
So let's say the roof had to be redone and the deductible again, let's say is one hundred grand, and every homeowner has to kick in.
In that case, your lost assessment coverage would probably pay it.
So it pays for insurance losses.
But there's another kind of an assessment that you can do nothing about, and that is a damage and maintenance assessment.
For example, the easiest thing to explain.
Let's say the parking lot in your condominium development has to be repaved.
It's not an insurance loss.
Insurance isn't going to pay for it.
And it says if you have a driveway.
Again, say you have a home and your driveway needs to be redone, you have to pay for it.
Well, in a condo, when the parking lot needs to be repaved, who gets to pay for it?
The condo owners, and there is no insurance for that.
And often more times than not, there's not enough in the coffers to pay for it.
So if there's not enough surplus to pay for it, the homeowners have to be assessed, so they might each have to pay ten grand or fifteen grand.
There's no insurance for that, there's nothing.
It comes out of pocket.
That's why I tell you, if you're looking at a condo, please look beyond just the unit.
Okay, listen, this is really valuable information.
A lot of people they'll have the condo inspected.
Speaker 6That's good.
Speaker 5You know, the water heater, the furnace, if you have one just all kinds, the plumbing fixtures.
You have the condo inspected, much like you have a home inspected.
Speaker 6But you have to go beyond that.
Speaker 5If you're moving into a condo development, you should also look at the development.
Look at the parking lot, look at the swimming pool, look at the clubhouse, Look at the fences or the gates, look at the staircases, look at the development.
Because if that development needs maintenance and repairs and the HOA doesn't have enough money in the coffers, then they're going to end up assessing the owners.
Speaker 6So when you move into an older development.
Speaker 5The chances go up that you may be assessed in the future.
This is the cost of ownership and a lot of people are not prepared for it.
So when you buy a condo, remember you're buying more than just that condo.
You're buying the development, and you're going to have no one to blame.
If they have to do heavy maintenance and repairs, it's going to fall on your shoulders.
Speaker 6As one of the owners.
Speaker 5So keep that in mind when you're looking at condos and town homes.
Here's the dilemma hoas have.
Okay, they try to keep the monthly payments low so they don't get a lot of crying from the owners.
But when you keep the hoafees lower every month, you have less of a surplus to draw from when something goes wrong.
Speaker 6So you can't have it both ways.
If you have.
Speaker 5Low HOA fees and you do not build up a surplus, you're going to end up with assessments.
And if you don't want to end up with assessments and you want to have a surplus, you're going to have higher hoafees.
So keep this in mind, especially young people who buy condos and town homes as a cheaper way of owning a home no longer a cheaper way of owning a home, and it can turn out to be way more expensive than owning a home, because if you own a home, you can decide not to do that driveway or not to paint the house and give yourself a few years to save up the money.
But if an HOA decides to get this stuff done and assesses you, you don't have a chance to save up the money.
It's just common sense.
Be careful when looking at townhomes and condos.
That's why they're coming down in value so much.
Be such an awesome, big responsibility for people.
It's not what they thought it was.
We have more coming up on the Troubleshooter Show.
Go with a sure thing Denver's Best roofer Excelroofing dot com.
You don't pay a cent until you're content.
Time for an insurance checkup free, no obligation.
In comparison, call Compass Insurance Paying too much your coverage at dozens of insurance companies find out now three oh three seven seven to one.
Speaker 6Help.
Speaker 5You'll think you're his only customer when you choose Frank durand the real estate Man dot com to list your home with Remax Alliance three oh three nine two zero sixteen twenty two.
Speaker 6Hi, what's going on?
Sharon?
Welcome to the show.
Speaker 5Three O three seven to one three talk seven one three eight two five five.
Speaker 6Hey Sharon, what's going on?
Speaker 2Hi?
Speaker 14I've been trying for over a year now to get some replacement windows from Champion.
Speaker 5And now tell me about Champion.
When did you when did you first encounter Champion?
Speaker 14Well on this replacement request?
Speaker 6No, I mean how long have you?
Speaker 5How long have you had When you say replacement request?
Is this warranty work you're trying to get or is this a brand new window?
Speaker 14These are replacement windows.
Speaker 5Okay, So in other words, you're looking to replace your windows.
I thought you meant you were waiting for warrant.
You were, So you're looking at replacement windows.
Why did you choose Champion?
Because I would not have chosen them.
Well, I haven't advertised for Champion for years, for years.
Speaker 6Well, they that company.
Speaker 5That company was taken over by a private equity firm and is a total different company than I used to advertise four years ago.
In my opinion, they're not a good company and the products have gone downhill.
That's my opinion based on my research and all of the complaints were getting.
Speaker 6So it's not the same company now.
Speaker 5Many years ago, about ten years ago, maybe even as little six years ago, I was advertising for them, but there was a different guy that was a local president.
They had a factory in Denver.
They have since closed, and they're a whole different company.
So that's why I'm asking when you first, when did you Why don't you just pick another company?
If you haven't signed a contract with them, move on, it's bet you're better off.
Speaker 14Yeah.
Speaker 5Well, so, so in other words, you you haven't you haven't signed anything with Champion yet.
Speaker 14Not for replacement windows, no one.
Speaker 6Okay, some of them.
Speaker 14Some of them in my home are damaged, so they okay.
Speaker 6But see, Sharon, you're confusing me.
Speaker 5Share Sharon, See you confuse me When you say replacement windows?
Are you saying warranty replacements?
So you already had Champion do windows for you?
Speaker 6Is that right?
Speaker 14That's correct?
Speaker 6Okay?
I didn't know that.
Speaker 5So so when you say replacement windows, you're talking about you want warranty work done.
How many Champion windows did you have installed originally?
Oh?
Speaker 14I think there were ten?
Speaker 6Okay?
Speaker 5And how long ago was that?
Speaker 14That was back in like twenty eleven?
Speaker 5Okay, and then you recently had problems with some of them?
Speaker 14Correct?
Speaker 6Okay?
I understand.
Speaker 5Well, you're going to have a tough time getting Champion to do anything.
They're, like I said, they're not a great company, right.
Speaker 14I understand that.
Speaker 6I know they've changed, and I we will will try to help.
Speaker 5You, you know, we will.
Speaker 2Uh.
Speaker 5I just I just need to know what have you done so far so we can pick up where you left off.
Speaker 6What have you done so far?
Speaker 5You've been trying to get replacement windows under warranty and and when was your first contact with them on this.
Speaker 14Last December December of twenty twenty four.
Speaker 5Now, all the windows giving you trouble in a way or just some of them?
Speaker 14Just some of them?
Speaker 6And what is the problem you're having with some of them?
Speaker 14I have a broken seal on one of them, and I've got a sliding glass door and other windows that are scratched.
Speaker 6Oh really, I don't know why.
Speaker 14Yeah, I don't know if it's the wind that causes the scratch, I don't know what.
They came out and looked.
Speaker 5Oh they did.
So did you have you called us?
You haven't called us before, have you?
Okay, So this is similar to the reason I'm asking is it's similar.
Speaker 6To other calls we've had.
Speaker 5They come out and they look and they say it's covered, but then you don't hear from them again.
Speaker 14Right, that's correct.
Well, I have half of my order in, but they didn't complete all of the windows.
Speaker 5So so how many how many have they actually fixed for you?
Speaker 6No?
Speaker 5Oh, I thought you said.
Okay, I'm sorry, I just misunderstand.
Speaker 14That's okay, But somebody was supposed to come out today at noon.
Speaker 6They didn't.
Speaker 5Yeah, it's it's a terrible company.
Hold, it's a terrible company.
I I just don't I just don't know what else.
They're just a terrible company.
And here's what I would do.
Speaker 14I just thought you had an expert that could we do, could help me?
Speaker 5We do, Nick Gravina, Nick Gravina, he's not Yeah, he's with Gravinas.
Speaker 6Now.
Speaker 5We have we have some really good windows window indoor companies.
We really do.
K and H Home Solutions is one and Gravina's Windows Siding Indoors is another.
Okay, it's the Gravinas on nine fifty West Evans.
I just want to give you the right Gravinas that we use that I've known for years.
Speaker 6So if I were you, I would call.
Speaker 5One of those experts out because here's the deal.
If they owe you, here's the problem, though, You're going to be paying for service that Champion owes you of under warranty.
But the problem is Champion has not been honoring the warranties.
Speaker 6That I feel so bad about it.
Speaker 5Back back when you back when you had them in twenty eleven, I believe I was advertising for them back then.
And it's too bad though that the problems happen now because again, back then when you dealt with that company, they were top notch, top notch, and god, dang it, I'm just I'm just so pissed, Kashina.
Who did we Who are we having try to interface with Champion?
Speaker 6Don't we have someone we.
Speaker 5Used to I do not think, no, no, no, I mean, I mean one of our deputies.
Who did we give the last Champion problem to Amitri?
Speaker 6And was okay?
Can we just give Sharon as well?
Speaker 5Because they all fall under the same category warranty work?
Speaker 6People.
Speaker 5Come on, you advertise all the time, Now do something stand behind your name?
I mean, Sharon, hold on, We're gonna give you, along with the others to Dimitri.
What we want is someone from Champion to step up, for God's sakes.
Look, I feel bad about this, and I might get in trouble for it because they're a big advertiser.
They are, They're a big advertiser.
But I am telling you we've had, we have not had good luck with them addressing consumer problems.
And I have to speak the truth, okay, And I don't believe I should get in trouble for speaking the truth.
But that's the way it is right now.
And you know, my friend Dave Logan advertises for them.
Now, I wonder if he knows about these problems.
Maybe I should call him.
He's a good guy, He's a really good guy.
Speaker 2Jay.
Speaker 6Hang on, he has a comment on this.
So I had to take a break.
I'll be right back.
Speaker 5Go with a sure thing Denver's Best roofer Excel Roofing dot com.
Speaker 6You don't pay a cent until you're content.
Speaker 5Time for an insurance check up free, no obligation comparison call Compass Insurance paying too much your coverage at dozens of insurance companies find out now three oh three seven seven to one help.
You'll think you're his only customer when you choose Frank durand the real estate Man dot com to list your home with Remax Alliance three oh three nine two zero sixteen twenty two.
Speaker 1RiPP you need so you don't have.
Speaker 3Run as fast as we can show Shooter's gonna help.
Speaker 4Come is the Troubleshooter Show, No Tom Martino.
Speaker 5Hey, I'm Tom Martino.
Welcome to the show.
Speaker 6Here to help you solve your.
Speaker 5Problems and answer questions, take complaints.
I've been reviewing the year and talking about all of the problems we have covered and what are trending issues, and definitely I can recap those.
I didn't go through all of them.
I will go through some of them.
And I invite your calls, problems, question.
Speaker 6Complaints, texts.
Speaker 5You can text me, by the way at seven four seven nine fifty two eighty.
Think of it like this a big airplane.
I love seven four to seven nine nine nine as close as to perfection as you can get in fifty two eighty for the Mile High City.
Speaker 6So seven four seven nine nine nine fifty two eighty and uh, you can text me about anything.
Speaker 5One guy says Anthony York sounds like the next Jeff Jalla.
He likely he'll likely close down his current business is at a new one next week and run it until he gets called out for his shineing to start again.
You know, I urge everyone to go to sleezbrigade dot com.
Slees Brigade has the worst of the worst, and Jolliffe has been one of the worst we ever came across.
Jeff Jollifan, he is a liar, he is a cheater, he has a ripoff.
Speaker 6He's a disgusting human being.
Speaker 5He continually takes money from people and doesn't come through.
He promises to rebuild transmissions.
He in the past he has taken money.
He has not done the transmissions, but claims to have done them when people take them if they complain and they want warranty work.
Speaker 6In many cases, when they take.
Speaker 5The vehicle back to get warranty work, the vehicles were stolen, supposedly stolen.
Another thing he's doing now is on Faceboo book marketplace.
He's having people drop off transmissions with money and they don't get them back or they don't get their money back.
Here's the bottom line.
He's a liar and a cheater, so Jeff Jolliffe and he's right now on Facebook marketplace and he's a disgusting scumbag.
Now, who is Anthony Yorke that this person is texting me about.
Well, it's a story that I want to tell you because I do have the video up and ready to go.
What happened was this guy was first of all, it wasn't even that big of a deal.
A consumer went to him to get wrap done, okay on his car.
Speaker 6The consumer changed his mind.
Speaker 5And said he did not like the wrapping material, so he said he didn't want to do it anymore.
Okay, that's how simple the problem was, and so he asked Anthony York of AMG Custom Professional Vinyl to give his money back his one thousand dollars, and Anthony agreed to give his money back less some shipping.
He said he wanted to send the materials back to the factory.
Speaker 6So it's a very simple problem.
Speaker 5Matthew asked Anthony York for a refund of his deposit.
Now, at that time, Anthony York could have said I'm not going to give the deposit back.
You know, I'm going to do your rap.
If you changed your mind, that's your tough luck.
There was nothing in writing that said Anthony York had to use a specific time kind of.
Speaker 6Material the consumer.
Speaker 5Matthew says that he wanted three M rapping material, but there was nothing in the contract that specified that.
So all Anthony Yorke had to do the only thing he had to do was say, I'm not giving your refund back.
But instead Anthony York of AMG Custom Professional Vinyl said or Custom Vinyls said I will give your money back less one hundred and forty dollars to send the material back.
Speaker 6So that's it.
Speaker 5And keV, I mean Matthew waited for his money and he didn't get it, so he got sick and tired of waiting, and Matthew decided to go over to Anthony's house to ask for the money.
And he said he was going to take two sheriff's deputies with him as what's called a civil assist.
Speaker 6Do you do that?
Speaker 5So there's no big deal, no big problem.
So he said he took two deputies with him over to Anthony Yorke's house.
Speaker 6Now, by the way, everyone agrees to that.
Speaker 5Matthew agrees he did that, Anthony agrees he did that, and the two.
Speaker 6Deputies agree they did that.
Speaker 5The two deputies went over to Anthony's house.
Speaker 6Matthew stood by.
Speaker 5The deputies knocked on the door, or actually they came to the door, and Anthony came out to talk to them.
At that point when they were on the show, Anthony told us that he refunded the money to one of the deputies, who then walked over and gave that money to Matthew, and the matter is done.
Anthony said, I gave the money to the deputy, the deputy gave it to Matthew.
The refund has been made.
Matthew said that never happened.
Matthew said, when we went over to the house, the deputies went to talk to him, and he refused to give the money back.
Anthony York said, that's not true at all.
I counted the money out eight hundred and sixty dollars.
I was going to keep one hundred and forty to ship the materials back to the factory.
So that sounded all very credible.
Anthony said, listen, I did that.
I counted out the money, and the bodycam footage would clearly show it.
Anthony said, the bodycam footage would show the transaction, and I thought to myself, Okay, that's pretty easy.
We'll get the bodycam footage.
Matthew said, yes, get the bodycam footage because Anthony York is lying.
Speaker 6Anthony went so far as.
Speaker 5To say, how stupid would it be for me to lie on the radio when the bodycam footage would show.
Speaker 6I'm a liar?
If I did that, you can ruin my business.
Speaker 5Now, dragon, do you have those bites of Anthony York saying stuff like that?
Speaker 2Do?
Speaker 6Are you ready for him?
Yeah?
Go ahead.
Speaker 8If it does it, I'm the liar, then you can just ruin my whole business.
Speaker 5Yeah, just think about that.
That and then he said something else.
Speaker 6Right, Oh yeah, it's a little bit longer.
But he's like, yeah, if I didn't, I don't have that.
Didn't pull that.
Okay, that's all right, that's all right.
Speaker 5So basically what Anthony York is saying, and by my god, he was so convincing.
He said, I counted out the money and it will be shown on the bodycam footage.
So we got the bodycam footage and I have it now to play for my YouTube audience.
And if you guys aren't at the YouTube stream right now, you can look up the show for today and look at it.
So I'm going to show the footage and I want you to try to hear what he says.
By the way, I'm just going to give you a spoil alert.
It does not show him counting out the money.
He does say in there he doesn't have the money.
So Anthony York is an out and out bald faced liar.
He's a liar, but he's totally a liar.
And yes, we are going to ruin his business because no one who would lie that open, no one should you should do business with.
His name is Anthony York, and the name of his business is AMG Custom vinyls Now whatever name he goes by, just don't use him.
Now, I'm going I'm gonna try to play this right now on my YouTube feed and you should be able to hear it and see it over the YouTube feed and on my radio audience should be able to hear it too.
So I'm gonna play the video right now.
Okay, I don't hear it.
I see it.
You can see him standing there.
You can see.
Speaker 6Now.
Speaker 5I don't know why the audio is not coming through.
I got to figure that one out.
But in any case, he's there and you can see he's not counting out the money.
So you see him standing there talking to the deputy.
What he said to the deputy was I don't have the money.
He's not getting the money.
That's really what he says.
So there it is.
So then you see him walk away.
Okay, so that's the video right there.
Here it is again Anthony Yorke walks up to the deputy.
This is the deputy he said that he counted the money out to You can see his hands clearly not counting out any money.
What's so, whoever, the deputy is standing there and she is just listening to him.
He's moving his hands around, not counting out any money.
They're outside his house, and then he turns around and walks back into the house.
So the video again, I don't hear the audio.
That's a little script, but that's it.
That is the extent of the and it just keeps looping over and over, but you can you can see the guy is an absolute positive liar and a cheater.
What's really weird about all this, Okay, I stopped playing the video now is.
Speaker 6He didn't even have to give a refund.
Speaker 5He could have said no refunds, but he went so far as to say I'll give you a refund and then lied about giving the refund on camera.
Speaker 6So you guys saw the tape.
That was it.
Speaker 5That was the bodycam footage, and he clearly did not count out any money.
By the way, just those watching and listening, I did view the entire bodycam footage on this thumbdown, the entire not so so you might think, oh, well he did it before or after this.
Speaker 6He didn't.
Speaker 5I saw the entire footage of Matthew waiting at his truck, the two deputies walking up Anthony York, coming out nowhere does it show Anthony York counting out any money.
It's he's totally a liar, a cheat, and a ripoff.
Speaker 6So I don't know what to say when people lied.
Speaker 5That openly and then and then challenged me saying you can ruin my business.
Okay, So anyway, somebody said the sound was fine.
Speaker 6No, and the sound came through on YouTube, but it did not come over the air.
Oh okay, okay, that's weird.
Speaker 5Okay, So anyway, I played the sound on the on the YouTube.
I'm sorry, So then I'll shut up.
They said I was talking too much.
So what I'll do is I'll play it this time and I'll shut up.
I'll do it during the commercial since it's for my YouTube audience.
Speaker 6Anyway, So we.
Speaker 5Got more coming up on the Troubleshooter Show again.
Anthony York amg Custom Vinyl, a liar, a cheat, and a ripoff, A liar, a cheater.
His phone number has been disconnected, so there's no sense giving out his phone number.
Dan McKenzie is doing my estate plan.
He and his associates have worked with me.
It's really a good system they have.
They meet with you, they get your what you want to do for your estate.
I'm doing a trust.
They do wills.
They can do a complicated they can make it simple.
They have suggestions for you.
I love the process and I'm actually using him and you should too.
Eight three to three co plans that's a three three co plans and the website is coplans dot COO go with a sure thing Denver's Best roofer excelroofing dot com.
Speaker 6You don't pay a cent until you're content.
Speaker 5Time for an insurance check up free no obligation comparison call Compass Insurance paying too much your coverage at dozens of insurance companies find out now three O three seven to seven to one help.
You'll think you're his only customer when you choose Frank durand the real estate Man dot com to list your home with Remax Alliance three oh three nine two zero sixteen twenty two.
Speaker 6Hi Tom Martino here.
Speaker 5It's amazing, isn't it that that guy would go and rip off this guy?
First of all, it was last I said, it wasn't even that much of a ripoff because he didn't have to do a refund to begin with.
But to say he will do a refund of the deposit and then claim that he did it and said that the bodycam footage of the deputy would show it, and then it shows nothing of the sort.
And then the guy even said on the radio, if the bodycam footage shows I'm a liar, you can basically ruin my business.
Speaker 6I mean, the guy was just amazing how he lied.
Speaker 5And I guess somebody texted me and said, Tom, why are you so surprised You run across liars every single day.
I guess that's true, but we don't normally have the liars confirm they're a liar on the air and say, you know you can ruin me if I'm lying.
Speaker 6It's just so weird.
That's what was the weird thing.
Speaker 5Okay, getting back to one of our discussions today on the most common consumer problems of the year, I wanted to finish this up because I want you to first.
The number one was contractors.
That's money upfront for shoddy work or no work.
They just disappear.
So my advice is, don't pay money upfront for nothing.
Ever, just don't don't pay money upfront.
Next, use cars with high mileage as is.
People expect the seller to do something they don't understand what as is really means.
The next one, which is in the same category used cars, but it's about extended warranties on used cars not covering the issues due to pre existing conditions.
Okay, again, that's most of the time they're turned down, So I will tell you that used car warranties suck.
And again I wouldn't buy any.
The fourth problem tenant landlord, where the tenants are complaining of.
Speaker 6About toxic mold.
Toxic mold.
Speaker 5Again, it's something that there are no set standards and there's no way to know how toxic, and there's nothing tenants can really do about it.
Speaker 6It's just a mess.
Speaker 5And the only thing I can tell you is, if air sensitivity is really important to you, you might want to ask a landlord if you can run a test before you move in.
Speaker 6I'm serious.
The next one condo assessments.
Speaker 5People were all kinds of upset this year with assessments they had to pay toward the roof when hal damaged the roof, or towards something else.
Again, condo assessments come in two categories.
Speaker 6One insurance losses.
Speaker 5So if you have the roof and the roof is destroyed by hail and it has to be replaced, and the deductible doesn't they don't have enough money in the HOA coffers to meet the deductible.
Speaker 6They have to assess all the homeowners.
Speaker 5The next category maintenance, let's just say regular maintenance on the condo facility.
The parking lot has to be repaved, or the railings have to be redone, or the staircases or the swimming pool, and they assess the owners.
Again, this is something that you can't get around.
So condo assessments were one of the major problems.
So you had contractors, used cars, tenant landlord, condo assessments, and the next one estate problems.
Here's the problem with the states.
I'm talking about wills, and somebody dies and they're fighting over stuff.
There is no perfect system when it comes to estates.
There should be it should be required that wills be recorded.
Wills be recorded with the county or the state where you live.
Speaker 6There is no.
Speaker 5Requirement to record anything anywhere.
So here's how simple it is to cheat.
Let's say I have a copy of a will and my relative dies, and or I have the original will whatever it is, and I don't like what the will says, I never have to come forward with the will.
There's nothing that no one would know, and I just say I don't know where there's a will.
If I don't like what it says, I can even change the will.
See wills are left with friends or with attorneys or whatever.
The problem is after you die, if someone disagrees with your will and they are the only ones with a copy of that will, they can simply keep it hidden.
So we have a state problems all the time.
Somebody's saying I should have been in the will and I'm not, or I don't know of them in the will and they won't let me know.
Dan McKenzie, our state expert, says, you can ask the court to look at the will to see if you're part of it, and if you are, then make it available.
But you're not allowed to see it simply because you want to.
You're only allowed to see it if you're part of it, and the only way you can know of you're part of it is if you petition the courts.
So that's really sloppy.
Speaker 6Again.
Speaker 5Somebody can say no, you're not part of it.
I'm not going to show it to you, and they may not want you to see it, and that person would have to take legal action with the court in order to compel you to open up the will.
So wills are really really strange because there are no laws regarding how they are revealed or even how they are It's really left to the honor of people.
The same with a trust.
The trust has to be written and kept with a trustee who will bring it forward.
So state issues have been big problems.
One thing I want to tell you, if you ever have an issue with an estate and you're part of that estate, either you're an heir or a friend or whatever, don't ever ever ever hire what's called a public trustee, or don't ever disagree so much that the court will appoint a public trustee.
I want to explain something to you.
A public trustee is nothing more than a person or an attorney or a law firm or a bank or somebody that they appoint to oversee the estate.
What the judge says is, none of you people can come to an agreement.
So we're going to find an independent public trustee, and the judge appoints that person, and then that person becomes the administrator of the estate.
And as the administrator, they're allowed to charge the estate for their services, and in the cases we've seen they have been abusive.
They rape and pillage the estate.
They take most of the money.
So public administrators turn out to be liars and cheaters.
And there's no regulations.
They're supposed to do what's good for the estate, but nobody really watches them.
And unless the heirs know how to take the administrator to court, and that's a mess unto itself, nothing is ever done.
So avoid public administrators at all costs.
Keep it in the family, try to get along, because one thing I can tell you, you will never ever ever come out better with a public trustee or a public administrator.
They can call either one a public administrator.
Never ever ever allow it to get that far.
Ever you will.
It's just I don't know how to put it, but they will take most of the estate and you'll be left with less than if you went and just argued with your siblings.
Speaker 6Okay, So what's the last problem?
Speaker 5Not the last problem, but the one let's see one, two, three, four, five, six, the seventh problem of the year.
Speaker 6I didn't go beyond the top seven.
Speaker 5Contractors used cars with high knowledge, extended warranties, unused cars, condo assessments, estate problems.
And number seven I'll do another drum roll here.
Speaker 6Where the hell is my drummer?
Speaker 5All right?
Speaker 6And number seven.
Speaker 5Gift cards.
Yep, gift cards.
They came up a lot where people bought a gift card and found it was exhausted.
To make a long story short, people hack gift cards.
Speaker 6Now.
Speaker 5The way they're doing away with it is pretty good.
If the cards come in a sealed package where you have to zip it open, you know, or tear it open, you can pretty much rest assured that they're not being hacked.
Where the hacks take place is where the gift cards are accessible, and people scratch off the white covering over the registration number and then go online and hack into that card, and they wait until you charge it up, and then they go in and exhaust it and spend the money immediately.
Speaker 6That is where it happens.
Speaker 5And what they do is after they scrape it off and they copy down the number, they put white goog back over it, and it looks tampered if you look really closely.
But some of them do such a good job, and they have this sometimes it's not just a white paint, but it's a white strip of tape you can buy and these cards get hacked and I don't think any of you have the expertise to know if it's been hacked or not.
So my advice is simple, do not buy gift cards that are out in the open.
Only buy them if they are closed in an enclosed envelope.
Now some companies are taking another step which makes it really safe, and that is the number to the card is assigned at the time of sale.
So it's not a card you take and scrape.
It's a card that you buy and at the cashier on the receipt is your activation code and it's not printed anywhere on the card.
A lot of manufacturers of gift cards are starting to do that.
In that case, of course, it wouldn't matter if it's a sealed container.
So gift cards and that rounds off the top seven complaints of the year.
If you have one, let me know, did I miss something?
Let me know YouTube morons, did I miss anything?
I think those were the top seven that I have on my databank.
I'll go back over some of them, and again, don't forget to go to sleezbrigade dot com.
Speaker 6To know who to avoid.
Speaker 5I haven't yet put Anthony York up there from AMG Custom Vinyl, but I will.
Speaker 6We have more coming right up.
Speaker 5Go with a sure thing Denver's best roofer Excel Roofing dot com.
Speaker 6You don't pay a cent until you're content.
Speaker 5Time for an insurance checkup free, no obligation comparison call Compass Insurance.
Pay too much your coverage at dozens of insurance companies find out now three three seven to seven to one help.
You'll think you're his only customer when you choose Frank durand the Real estate Man dot com to list your home with Remax Alliance three three nine two zero sixteen twenty two.
Hi Tom Martino here, Welcome to the show Man.
What a year it has been, and I'm sure many of you will agree.
Speaker 6And I have a lot of texts here.
Speaker 5As I said, a lot of people look back on the year and they they say, it's been a weird one.
Speaker 6What about the economy?
What do you think?
I mean?
Speaker 5There are so many different opinions.
All the matrix look good.
See that's the thing.
The actual matrix look good.
On what the economy is doing.
Inflation is down, prices are down, energy is down as far as gasoline prices.
Speaker 6Jobs are up.
Speaker 5I mean, but yet I hear more and more people saying that they're not doing well.
Speaker 6I don't understand that at all.
Speaker 5In fact, I think I boiled it down to home ownership.
Speaker 6I think when people have.
Speaker 5Home ownership that is beyond them, they don't feel good about life.
I think a lot of the consternation and complaining we're hearing about the economy is personal, and I think young people, especially have put off buying a home or can't.
They can't buy a home, it's beyond them.
And once buying a home is beyond them, they start losing hope and they don't feel good about the American dream.
I think home ownership is of utmost importance.
What do you think I had a young person text me saying, what am I working for?
I have all to do just to make rent And it's not like I'm lazy.
I'm working my ass off and I still can't seem to get ahead.
So what has happened to the cost of home ownership?
Why is it so beyond us?
Not only has appreciation gone crazy, but so has interest rates and loans.
Speaker 6So what is the answer to that?
Do you have one.
Speaker 5I mean, because until we make home ownership within the grasp of most working people, we're going to have people who are unhappy.
And I think the midterms are going to show that even though the actual matrix of the economy are showing a healthy economy, people's psyche are not in sync with what's going on.
I mean, if you look at at sales, for example, holiday sales are going crazy.
I want to I want to talk about some of this consumer news.
Shopping patterns show that despite complaints about inflation, that people are spending more now than ever.
A lot of people are using buy now, pay later, as younger buyers are starting to use credit cards more.
And they say that a generative AI and social commerce are shaped shaping how people buy products.
And by the way, just so you know, there is something that was discovered.
I know the government is going after people.
I don't know if there is a law against it, but there is something called dynamic pricing where AI goes on a platform and depends on your demographic information, they try to assess, based on your buying patterns on a platform, what you're willing to pay for something.
And they actually they actually go through and assess what you should be paying for something, and the price you pay can be completely different than somebody else.
Major companies, it says, are now using artificial intelligence for dynamic and personalized pricing.
Prices are based on data about you, and this goes from airlines to retail giants to travel companies.
Systems change prices in real time based on demand and willingness to pay.
Now this has drawn the criticism and scrutiny of the government, but there's not much they can do about it unless they pay pass laws against There is no law that says they have to treat you the same as everyone else, So you can expect that pricing might be based on who you are.
Speaker 6I swear to God.
I mean this is crazy.
Speaker 5So you don't know if you're paying the best price for you or just the best price on the market.
By the way, speaking of that, Frank Duran, the real Estateman dot com.
Frank Duran, the Realestateman dot Com will do a free market analysis of your home for what it will sell for.
He'll go through and look at your neighborhood, the comps, supply and demand, interest rates, and all of these different characteristics and come up with what he believes your house will sell for, and what you will net.
This analysis is free, with no obligation, and it's truly detailed.
To get it, call Frank Frank Duran the Realestateman dot com three h three nine to zero, sixteen twenty two
