...Little Pink Houses, For You And Me...

When last we left David and Anna, they were sitting there with a handful of past due and disconnect notices, worried about how they were going to pay the mortgage. They had a plan, but the banks and mortgage companies shrugged them off as too small time. (click the link above to read their story)

The wolf wasn't at the door; it had puppies on the porch.

It turns out more people read my blog than I figured.

I was contacted by a Mortgage Broker (whose name was also David) who thought he might be able to help. I told him they had been that route, but he insisted he wanted to give it a shot.

So introductions were made, and my work here was done. Other than pay their bills myself, I did all I could do.

Last week I received this e-mail from Anna,

Dear DJ,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for getting us in touch with David at OMAC Mortgages. Not only did he find us a lender that would take us on with all our difficulties, they also absorbed our consumer proposal! And he got us a better rate than we could have hoped for! I couldn't believe all the calls and arrangements he made. He really jumped through all the hoops for us! Our bills are all paid, the mortgage is easy to manage, and Dave feels so much better! Its like we have a new life! Last week we had our last meeting with the Credit Counseling people and we will soon be fully discharged.

Thanks again!

Anna

Well who knew that my little blog could actually make a difference.

So I must give credit where credit is due (no pun intended). The Mortgage Broker with the Superhero Cape is David at OMAC Brantford (click for link)

What lessons can we take away here?

There is always a solution, it may not be very palatable or easy.

If you can't make someone see your vision, find someone who can.

Pride is good, but can't pay the bills.

DJW

For more info on consumer proposals and credit counseling, drop me a line.

Doing the Breakdown Breakdance

One more icon of the past has fallen in Our Humble Castle.

Frigidaire.

Many of us in our middle age can remember our mother cooking on the same stove, washing our clothes with the same washer and the same shiny toaster sat on the counter for our entire lives it seemed.

The names were pre-war and they were built like the war machines that came from those same factories during the war.

Kelvinator, Admiral, Viking, General Electric and Frigidaire. All names synonymous with heavy duty reliability.

Not any more.

Like the fall of the Big Three auto manufacturers to Japanese quality, appliances I feel have gone the same way.

I've already told the tale of woe around our Frigidaire Range. The stove saga left a bad taste in my mouth for that brand.

Several months ago the bearing in our 7 year old Frigidaire Gallery front loading washer started to make noise. Being the handy guy I am, I squeezed into the closet it was in and removed the back to get at the complainer.

I couldn't believe what I found.

Sure enough, there was the bearing, and yup, it was stiff. But there was no way to remove it. It was moulded into the one piece drum assembly. A search of appliance repair sites on the net confirmed this reality. It also told me the replacement part was in the $200 range. Plus tax. And shipping.

A bearing of that size and type would have set me back $15 or so at my local T.S.C. Store.

So Frigidaire's little design feature led to 3 options:

1. costly replacement part
2. costly repair bill
3. costly replacement of the entire unit.

I chose option 3.

But not Frigidaire. Never again.

I don't think my Parents would ever have considered buying a Samsung appliance.

Times change.

Brands change.

Frigidaire did.

For the worse.

DJW

Have you been disappointed by a major appliance purchase?
Share with the class here.

Do Not Adjust Your Set...

I've been on a hiatus of sorts.

More of a mental vacation.

It has been said that life is what happens to you while you are making other plans. I guess I've been making a lot of plans.

Some items for you to look forward to (or shy away from) :

• Another episode of "Appliances Behaving Badly"
• Grieving is a journey, not a process
• More news on David and Anna (this time good things!)
• How to disarm a disgruntled customer
• A pet cleaning idea I wish I had

In the mean time, you can review some old favorites like Boil Water! I have to shave my legs! ;
Things that keep me awake, part one and part two and the popular When I am King.

To check on what I read, check out Lorraine Sommerfeld or Tanis, The Redneck Mommy.

And now, a breaking story...

...Micheal Jackson is still dead!

...please stay tuned.

DJW

DJ's horizontal hold needs a little tweak I think.

Most tasteless dead celebrity joke: Gary Coleman died of a different stroke!

Sometimes Bad Credit Happens To Good People

Jack and Dianne.

Tommy and Gina.

David and Anna.

Small town couples with bigger dreams. Little houses and picket fences just like you and me.

The only difference is David and Anna* are real. *not their real names

This is their story.

They had decent jobs when they got married around twenty years ago. Lived in rented spaces with happy faces. Along came the kids and they wanted a house. More space for the happy little faces.

The little house they found was perfect for them.

With a lot of sweat equity they managed to double the value of the little house over the course of time. Mortgage free by 45 was the plan.

A bigger house would be nice, but this was theirs. Their little house.

David and Anna went back to school so they could get better jobs.

Anna quickly found full time work as an Administrator. David found part time casual work in Construction. Frequently he would be on longer projects. When they were both working, the money flowed and bills were paid and life was good.

The door was always open on their little house and everyone was always welcome.

The kids were growing and the little house was always alive with activity.

They even found time to volunteer in the community to give back.

Life tottled along quite well.

Then David got hurt.

Not at work.

Anna's benefits covered his meds, but he had no sick pay. David worked when he could, and Anna tried working a second job for a while, but her health began to suffer too.

They paid the bills with credit. And when the credit ran out they consolidated.

But, they never missed a payment on their little house.

David still worked as much as he could, but that depended on how well he was feeling, and on the phone ringing.

Again the bills piled up. This time, they took out a second mortgage on their little house. All the work they had done earlier paid off now. They had less than 5 years left on their first mortgage. All they had to do was make it another 5 years.

Then David got sicker, but still worked when he could. He never gave up. Anna did what she could. Worked overtime when she could, and cut corners where they could be cut. They would get by.

The money may have slowed, but the bills didn't. The phone did ring, but it was bill collectors. They didn't answer the phone if they didn't know who it was. The stress made David sicker. Anna became depressed.

Soon, everything they made went to paying the debt. Nothing left over for food and utilities. Vacations and cars were a dream. It seemed bankruptcy was inevitable.

They would lose their little house.

But even with two mortgages, they still never missed a payment on their little house.

The bankruptcy laws would allow them to keep X number of dollars based on how many people were in the little house. But it wasn't enough to pay the bills and and keep the little house. Also wasn't enough for rent and utilities on someone else's little house.

That's right, they couldn't afford to go bankrupt!

The next solution was called a consumer proposal. This is where you just go bankrupt on unsecured debt. Credit cards, consolidation loans, personal loans and the like. This seemed like the only way they could keep their little house.

Dave and Anna could breathe again. The bills were paid, the harassing phone calls stopped, and in less than three years the first mortgage would be paid!

Dave was feeling somewhat better and could work more, and did when he could. He was still dependent on the phone ringing, but at least he was in better shape, and less worried about the bills.

Then the roof caved in. Literally.

A series of crisis piled up.

A winter storm felled a branch on their little house, and the insurance didn't cover it all.

Catastrophic illness and death of family members coincided with a slip in David's health.

Another family member became homeless and David and Anna took him in.

The car and the truck both broke down. The car couldn't be repaired.

They got through.

There's a roof on their little house and food on the table.

They still never missed a payment on their little house. They now had less than a year to go on the 1st mortgage.

David was well enough to work more and was ready for the phone calls.

Except the only calls were from the bill collectors.

Now a new plan. The first mortgage on their little house is so small, that if they could refinance and roll the two together, they could live on Anna's income alone.

They talked to the bank. Bad credit, no dice.

They talked to a mortgage broker, same story.

They talked to the existing mortgagors. Nope. Because if Dave and Anna default, they'll get their money back easily. There is 10 months left on the first mortgage!

So there they sit, in their little house.

The mortgage vultures circling overhead...

...and they never missed a payment.

DJW

Life

Sorry I haven't been out to play for a while.

I've been up to my neck in life, and I'm not that good a swimmer.

I will be back.

Just when you think your life is a trial by fire, you hear of someone who is worse off than you are.

Tanis Miller is the author of one of my favorite blogs, Attack of the Redneck Mommy.

She writes about her life a the mother of two teenagers and a severely challenged son, as a grieving parent, and as a forty-something wife in B.F. Alberta. She writes with humour, insight, tongue in cheek and a brassiness that only reveals that she is real.

She shares all in the stories of her dead son, life in rural Canada, tribulations of adoption, and sometimes a little cheekiness. Some postings require proof of age.

She is enduring yet another unfathomable crisis, something I've never been through, and hope I never will.

Give her a read, and if you can, some compassion and support.

And remember,

...There but for grace..

DJW

Caveat Emptor

Buyer beware...

Curbsiders are unlicensed dealers in the business of selling cars, but who pose as private sellers. The vehicles they sell are often misrepresented, accident-damaged, odometer-tampered, stolen, or have liens against them.

Source: http://www.omvic.on.ca/

A few years back, when we had to replace our beloved Red Dwarf (1996 Windstar), we turned to internet classifieds to find a new ride. My Darling Bride spotted what appeared to be a good deal on Kijiji, an internet classified site with local pages. We met with a Lady selling a 2000 Grand Caravan for her in-laws at a local garage. It showed well, was certified and emissions tested and was a good price.

When we saw the ownership our hearts skipped a beat.

We knew the person selling it.

We went to High School with him.

We worked with him when we drove taxi's.

We knew him when he was a shady used car salesman working for fly by night dealers.

We knew he was a Curbsider.

We also knew where we could find him. And he knew it too.

When the 'new' power steering pump blew up 20 minutes after picking the van up we should have walked away then. But we gave him a chance to make it right and he did.

Within a year after we bought it the rust started to pop out like pimples before the prom.

Anyhow, I digress.

Last week, after a few years of minor wear and tear problems with that van, the death knell sounded when the timing belt let go.

So M.D.B set out on another Kijiji quest while I searched dealer sites. I wasn't doing well with the cash we had to work with, but she had a find. Newer, well optioned, safety checked and e-tested. I called the number, and was called back by a woman who said we could come look at it after her husband got home. She gave me her name, and then her husbands name and somewhere in my head there was a 'DING!' I asked for a last name and wasn't given the same one as the Curbsider of a few years ago. M.D.B. heard my ding and when a few checks on Canada 411 didn't set off any further alarms, so we decided to do a drive by in the daylight and headed for the address given.

When we pulled in the driveway, I was looking at the van, and M.D.B. spotted the name on the mailbox.

It was him.

We never even put the car in park.

How bad is it when you feel the need to give a false name over the phone when selling a car?

Later that same day...

...When the woman called us back (number blocked) to say her husband was home and we could come by, I told her they had burned us before, but not again.

I have heard other stories of a similar nature on Kijiji, but, I imagine it's much the same on most Classified web sites. Ads are usually free and you can hide behind some anonymity.

According to The Ontario's Motor Vehicle Industry Council's website, "Curbsiders account for approximately 25 per cent of used - vehicle classified ads..." They frequently have you meet them in a public place, use cell phones, don't have the required used car sellers package, and sell as-is.

Of course you get no guarantees.

If it smells bad, it probably is.

In the end, we bought from reputable dealer in business for more than 15 years, and got a warranty.

And we reported the curbsider.

Caveat Emptor....buyer beware

Operor non adepto dementis adepto vel...

...Don't get mad, get even.

DJW

So long, Bulwinkle.
Stand by for the naming of the new van.

Holding Pattern

As I write this, I have been on hold for 33 minutes and counting with the customer service department of a major corporation.

If I don't get a human being to help me by the time I'm done writing, I will reveal the name of the company. I will tell you that they are a major oil company.

I have endured now, 36 minutes of an endless Musak loop of Elton John's Daniel. I wasn't fond of the song before, I am even less enamored with it now.

Why is it that so called "Customer Service" lines aren't anymore? Most of them have you go through an acrobatic charade of "Press 1 to be ignored, 2 to be sent back to 1, 3 for another useless menu, 4 to repeat this menu and 5 to be inexplicably disconnected.

43 minutes now...I'm almost ready to kick a puppy. 'Daniel my brother, do you still feel the same?' No, dammit! I feel neglected!

I went through a similarly frustrating experience a few years ago with my former cell provider. I had overpaid my final bill, and lo and behold, wanted a refund. They said that because I had paid via web banking, I would have to go through the bank. Didn't sound right to me, but who am I?

48 minutes...find me a rope!

So I did the phone calisthenics with the bank, explaining what the cell people told me. I was right the first time, the cell people had to issue the refund. The bank isn't a collection agency.

It took another 6 phone calls. On the second to last call, I again explained my problem (to 3 people over 45 minutes), that I had overpaid my bill and wanted a refund. If they couldn't issue me a refund, could they at least apply it to my cable bill? "Your cable bill? Sir, you've been talking to the cellular division, let me transfer you." NOOOOOOOOO000000ooooooo....

55 minutes...Elton John is OFF my playlist forever!

One service line I contacted recently at least had the decency to tell me up front that it was a 45 minute wait on hold. That, at least gave me an option. I hung up and called back the first thing the next day, only a 20 minute declared wait, which was actually 5.

62 minutes...the other people in my house are forming a lynch mob and the dog is whining.

I have had other, similar experiences, as I'm sure most of you have. Feel free to vent and share with Uncle DJ, and be sure that I won't put you on hold.

66 minutes on hold...Sunoco has horrible Customer Service. If you can call it that. I give up, you can keep your damn 'Performance Points'. They sure don't perform on the phone!

DJW

There, I feel better now.