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In friday’s Wall Street Journal on page 1 was a story titled “Marketers Use Trickery To Evade No-Call Lists“. The National Do Not Call Registry was insituted to give Americans the ability to stop solicitations by phone in response to the telemarketing industry basically flooding people with phone calls. If you aren’t on the list and you are reciving telemartketing calls that you do not want I suggest you get on it.
When my girlfriend and I moved to the west coast we were hammered with 4 to 5 calls, on average, per day until we got on the list. Our phone is now peacefully quiet.
I also suggest you go read this full article, especially if you have an older person in your life that you care about.
JENNIFER LEVITZ and KELLY GREENE
October 26, 2007; Page A1Older Americans around the country are getting duped by a seemingly innocuous tactic that can expose them to hard-sell pitches from the insurance industry.
The technique is centered on a marketing tool called the lead card, and it became popular after the federal government created its Do Not Call Registry in 2003 to shield consumers from unwanted solicitors. Sent through the mail, the lead card invites the recipient to mail off an enclosed reply for free information about, say, estate planning.
Lead cards are not illegal. Selling or leasing contact information is not illegal (although it can be a pain in the neck).
What the telemarketing industry has done is to join with the direct mail industry to do an end run around the law. By sending out lead cards the direct mail industry can then compile a database of people. These lists are then used by telemarketers to call people because a business relationship has been established.
OK, this isn’t illegal. What may be illegal is that the lead cards that have been sent are rather generic and are misleading. They do not come from any specific company per se. This technique may be fraudulent.
In the article several elderly people were pressured by the solicitors to purchase products or shift their savings into things they did not need. If you have a senior loved one pass this on to them.
What can a Prep-Paid Legal membership do in this situation?
Well since it isn’t illegal for a business to contact you about a product or service there isn’t much that can be done on this aspect of it.
If you have been contacted repeatedly and repeatedly to them to not contact you and to remove you from their call list a membership can help in this respect. If you tell them to remove your name from their lists they must do so – this is a federal law.
If you do decide to allow them to present you with their product or service there will be a sales a greement or contract – your membership covers document review to help protect you. Do not let them tell you you don’t need an attorney. If they say that you most definitely do.
To learn what Pre-Paid Legal Service’s Membership plans are available in your area visit my Pre-Paid Legal website.
It doesn’t matter if you believe in Global Warming. The truth truly is we ARE destroying our environment. Pesticides and Drugs are showing up in our water and the fish and seafood we eat. The amount of fresh drinkable water available to our growing population is decreasing.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 15, 2007
BLOGGERS TO UNITE ON BLOG ACTION DAY
All Blogs Invited to Take Part in Joining Voices to Help Environment
An international initiative of bloggers known as “Blog Action Day” launched today, with the aim of uniting thousands of blogging voices, talking about one issue for one day. This year on Blog Action Day, which is slated for Oct. 15, 2007, bloggers will be discussing the environment.
Major blogs have signed up to participate, including Lifehacker, Dumb Little Man, Lifehack.org, Get Rich Slowly, Web Worker Daily, GigaOm, The Simple Dollar, Zen Habits, Freelance Switch, LifeClever, Unclutterer, Pronet Advertising, Wise Bread and many more.
“For just one day, we’d like to unite as many of the millions of bloggers around the world and speak about one issue – the environment,” said Collis Ta’eed, an Australian blogger from FreelanceSwitch.com, and a cofounder of Blog Action Day. “We want to display the potential and the power of the blogging community, which is a disparate community but one with an amazing size, breadth and diversity. By bringing everyone together for one day, we can see just how much can be achieved, and how much we can be heard.”
Blog Action Day is a non-profit initiative, and will be an annual event. As an alternative to blogging about the environment on Blog Action Day, bloggers can opt to participate by donating their blog’s proceeds from Oct. 15 to one of several environmental organizations chosen for this purpose: Greenpeace International, The Nature Conservancy, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), the Conservation Fund, and the Sierra Club.
Bloggers who would like to participate in Blog Action Day should visit BlogActionDay.org or email Collis Ta’eed at collis@eden.cc, so they can be listed on the Blog Action Day site. To participate, a blog just needs to write about the issue of the environment on Oct. 15, 2007, or donate its proceeds for the day to one of the chosen environmental organizations.
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Thanks to Dave Lucas for the logo!
On Saturday, September 29, 2007 on Court TV there was a 30 minute documentary about Pre-Paid Legal Services hosted by Mike Moore, the Attorney General who brought the landmark suit against the tobacco companies and won. If you think going to court is hard try being in his shoes. He had two assistant AG’s with him against 68 tobacco attorneys AND the governor of Mississippi!
To learn what plans are available in your area visit my Pre-Paid Legal website.
I am not an attorney, therefore, do not take anything in any of my posts as legal advice. In any legal situation, as in a medical situation, always consult a professional.
The posts on this blog are only intended to provide the reader with information on how and in what circumstances they may use their Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. membership.
I am not an employee of Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. I am an Independent Associate.
While I was young both of my parents were teachers and we traveled quite a bit during summer vacation. I don’t ever remember dad getting a moving violation in any of the 40 states we managed to visit before I graduated.
While I was in the Navy I was transferred from the East Coast to the West Coast and I drove. At the time I had a Datsun 310 Hatchback. It was a nice car but didn’t have a very large engine (in the midwest a strong headwind would cause the car to slow down). Along the way I was doing about 5 mph over the speed limit and was being passed by other cars when I was stopped by a State Patrol Officer – or so I thought as I am not so sure now.
I received a speeding ticket. Since I had a deadline to arrive at the west coast I continued on my way and stopped twice a day to try and call to see about making payment arrangements. The phone was never answered. So I was never able to pay. I never received any summons or warrants or notification.
Anyone who travels inter-state as a regular part of their income earning profession knows that their time is limited and any time required to appear in court is extremely limited. So, what happens? Any ticket or fine is paid – whether it is warranted or not. Not only that but it can and does cost more than just the ticket in lost time, wages and possibly increased insurance rates and and a possible hit on your credit score (which has become exremely important these days).
Pre-Paid Legal Memberships have been set up to deal with these situations. You have access to an attorney in every state. Seems really incredible to have an attorney on retainer – not just in one state but all 50 PLUS most of the provinces of Canada! I love it!!
To learn what Pre-Paid Legal Service’s Membership plans are available in your area visit my Pre-Paid Legal website.
I am not an attorney, therefore, do not take anything in any of my posts as legal advice. In any legal situation, as in a medical situation, always consult a professional.
The posts on this blog are only intended to provide the reader with information on how and in what circumstances they may use their Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. membership.
I am not an employee of Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. I am an Independent Associate.
In the state of Washington there is a measure coming before the people that would allow people to collect triple damages from any lawsuit won against insurance companies. Needless to say the insurance companies are up in arms about this. In fact, they have put $8,000,000 into a campaign to stop this. They claim it will cause your insurance premiums to rise (the question is what doesn’t make your premiums to rise?).
Proponents have only raised a little over $800,000. Seems like a David and Goliath Story.
Interestingly, the state Attorney General is against the measure while the state Insurance Commissioner is for it.
I have not heard anything about what the AG has to say about it, but the Insurance Commissioner said that if the companies play fair and do what is in the policies they write they won’t have much of a problem. When asked why the insurance companies would be against this he replied that they basically have it too good with the way things are.
On talk radio I listened to a man who was an insurance industry insider. His take on the whole industry could be summed up as this “pay as little as possible and take as long as possible to pay it.” What would this do for insurance companies? Maximize profits. It is as simple as that.
When you get an insurance policy you should have it reviewed by an attorney – it is a contract written by the insurance company’s lawyers! Anytime the policy is changed you should get it reviewed by an attorney. Anytime you have a question about something in the policy talk to the insurance company and then talk to an attorney. Anytime they refuse to pay or take too long to pay talk to an attorney.
What is the common thread in the sentences in the previous paragraph? If you are not sure it is always consult with an attorney ANYTIME you are being seperated from your money, not getting money due you or anytime someone fails to fulfill their side of an agreement. I guarantee the big companies do.
To learn what Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. plans are available in your area visit my Pre-Paid Legal website.
I am not an attorney, therefore, do not take anything in any of my posts as legal advice. In any legal situation, as in a medical situation, always consult a professional.
The posts on this blog are only intended to provide the reader with information on how and in what circumstances they may use their Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. membership.
I am not an employee of Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. I am an Independent Associate.
I guess I am on a roll with my legal situations when I was in the military…
When I was stationed in San Diego, California I bought my first car. Well, truck. It was a black Chevy S-10 4×4 Pickup with a Vortec V-6. It was a wonderful truck – lots of great memories 4 wheeling at the end of “The Strand”.
Of course, to get the truck, I had to get a loan. Since my unit was frequently out of town for extended periods of time I opened an account with the bank and set up my pay to be direct deposited. I then set up my loan to be automatically withdrawn from the bank. Sounds like a great deal.
Somewhere along the line the bank didn’t take out a payment and the truck was repossessed while I was not in town. The company smashed the driver side window to get in. I received no notice. I managed to scrape up enough money to pay the truck off, pay off the repossession company and get the window fixed.
About a year after I left the military I heard in the news that the bank was being brought up on charges of defrauding members of the military. Being young at the time and not able to afford an attorney I brushed the whole thing off as “one of those things”.
Since then I have learned that there are a lot of companies out there that prey on our military due to the fact that they are young, inexperienced and generally believe that businesses are our friends. The truth is, that while most won’t take advantage of our servicemen and women, there are those that do and you never know which is which until something happens.
If, at the time, I had a Pre-Paid Legal membership all I would have had to do would have been to call my attorney and probably would not have been out all of the money for the repossession and the broken window. I don’t think I could have gotten out of the truck payments though.
To learn what plans are available in your area visit my Pre-Paid Legal website.
I am not an attorney, therefore, do not take anything in any of my posts as legal advice. In any legal situation, as in a medical situation, always consult a professional.
The posts on this blog are only intended to provide the reader with information on how and in what circumstances they may use their Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. membership.
I am not an employee of Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. I am an Independent Associate.
Let’s face it folks.
The United States has become a land of contracts. Contracts written not in lay terms but in legal speak. No longer is a man’s word his bond.
The United States has become a land of so many laws, codes, rules and directives noone can know them all. See the first few paragraphs of my “…And Justice For All” page for more information.
The United States has become a land of litigation instead of working things out. The odds are – according to the United States Bar Association – you are much more likely to find yourself in court than you are to wind up in a hospital. The U.S. has more attorneys than the rest of the world COMBINED. That’s five percent of the world’s population having more attorneys than the other 95%!
The wealthiest 10% of Americans can afford the best attorneys for whatever they need. International conglomerate corporations can afford the best attorneys for what ever they need.
The poorest 10% of Americans have access to public defenders but only for a limited scope of problems.
What about the 80% in the middle?
You may not think you need an attorney, but I am willing to bet you do. Here are some reasons why you do need an attorney:
- Do you need a will or need you will updated?
- Have paid a bill you knew was unfair?
- Have you been a defendant in a court case?
- Have you ever received a traffic violation you thought was unjustified?
- Have you ever signed a contract created by someone else without having it reviewed?
- Have you ever had a legal question?
- Do you have a spouse or partner?
- Do you have children?
I think one of the most important reason to have a prepaid legal plan is document and contract review. If you don’t know what you are getting in to it is a heck of a lot harder to get yourself out of it. If you have a document or contract reviewed you may find that the other party(ies) involved may have something written into it that is unneccessary and sometimes is illegal (believe it or not).
For example (this is used as a scare tactic):
Did you know that many contracts are starting to include a clase to the effect “by signing this contract you wave all rights to a trial by jury”? Excuse me? That is a CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT. In any court case you CAN have a trial by jury. It is not always wise or needed and can be very expensive, but you do have that right.
Usually they also include a clause about arbitration. Which is a legal alternative to trial by jury.
Whether or not you get a Pre-Paid Legal Services plan or someone else’s you DO need access to an attorney.
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I am not an attorney, therefore, do not take anything in any of my posts as legal advice. In any legal situation, as in a medical situation, always consult a professional.
The posts on this blog are only intended to provide the reader with information on how and in what circumstances they may use their Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. membership.
I am not an employee of Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. I am an Independent Associate.
Attn: (Attorney)
You are indeed an inspiration to your profession and the law firm. Thank you for saving my sanity and peace of mind. I was so scared and there was no one to help me but you.
You went above and beyond the call of duty to defend my rights as a human being seeking the truth when I was being taken advantage of and humiliated. You uncovered the wrong doing at {the} Apartments.
I was being charged for one month rent in December of 2005 when in fact it was rented on the 15th of December. I was also charged for a gate card that was not operational. You quoted the law and up rooted all those hidden facts. Those people had no regard for human rights or people with disabilities.
I am happy to tell you that I was only billed eighty-nine dollars ($89.00) not over eight hundred dollars as previously requested b the apartment manager. I must also inform you that the employees that were involved in my persecution is no longer at that complex.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are a very brilliant lady. My regards to the law firm. Keep up the good work and may God bless you.
Sincerely,
D. Wallace
To learn what Pre-Paid Legal Service’s Membership plans are available in your area visit my Pre-Paid Legal website.
Dear Pre-Paid Legal,
Before my retirement after 30 years as a police officer, I had only used lawyers for the purchase of my home. Since becoming a member of Pre-Paid Legal Services only three short years ago, my family and I have used our membership calling (the provider law firm) for assistance, help, and advice almost 30 times because we can.
Most recently I successfully used my membership again, and I am very pleased to forward this success story to you.
In November of 2001, my wife and I were at a fall home show. While there, we made an impulse purchase and put a $300 deposit on a hot tub.
As relatively new members to Pre-Paid Legal Services, we knew we could have the contract reviewed but did not want to bother the lawyers with something so trivial. The very nice sales representative said that he would be calling to follow up in the spring to arrange for delivery and final payment.
In February of 2002, my mother suffered a massive stroke and passed away, the last thing on my mind was the hot tub and unfortunately the invoice for the hot tub was misplaced with my mother’s effects.
The company sales representative did not follow up with us as promised and we could not remember the name of the company or any information regarding the deposit. We were resigned to the fact that we had lost $300.
In September of 2003, we were surprised when we located the contract. I called the company three times, explained the circumstances hoping they would take everything into consideration and refund my deposit. I was wrong.
The company pointed out that their contract clearly stated that deposits were non-refundable and since over one year had passed from the signing date, my deposit money would not be applied to any other purchase.
I was not able to gain any satisfaction through my own efforts, but instead of getting upset, I had PPL.
I called (the provider law firm) and spoke with [a Provider Attorney] who gave me advice and offered to write a letter on my behalf. I have heard of many success stories from other members [he] has written letters for, but this was the first for me. He was very understanding and up front when he said that he could not promise results but did promise to try his very best for us.
Once again, [he] came through and a few days ago, I received a certified cheque representing a full refund from the same company who insisted that my deposit was non-refundable.
A special thank you to [my Provider Attorney] and the staff of (the provider law firm). You help to make Mr. Stonecipher’s vision of affordable legal access to quality law firms possible.
I will make donations to two of my favorite youth charities on behalf of Pre-Paid Legal Services and (the provider law firm). The first one is the Royal Canadian Air Cadets whose motto is “To learn, to service, to advance.”
The second charity is to the Special Olympics fund for the challenged. It is the dogged determination of these young people with special needs who do not let challenges get in the way of their goals to succeed.
Sincerely,
David Hutzel
Ontario
Get The Power 
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