Buyer beware on unsolicited sales calls
By: John Bispala 05/01/2013
Just before the Ides of April while I was in a dead panic gathering all my tax data before deadline, the telephone rang. A woman informed me that the City of Minneapolis had sent out a notice that homeowners are responsible to pay for any repair to the drainage system between the street and the person’s house, and that could cost thousands of dollars! I even recalled reading some letter like that from the City. The caller made me an offer for $1, refundable within 30 days, so I could look over her company’s policy and decide for myself. Thereafter, if I take no further action to cancel, I would be billed $4 per month for continued coverage.
I was further panicked by recent days memories of driving around street excavations in our neighborhood, on Lyndale and elsewhere—another sales scare in the phone solicitor’s favor. I remember how Fremont was all torn up a few years ago, the storm runoff sewer and housing sewer being separated, and new gas lines being installed. Even after the road was repaved, new diggings occurred here and there between street and curb. The solicitor’s scare tactic is based on half-truths. If you only know half the truth, you don’t know any truth at all about your presumed predicament.
I had to defy my panic and think real hard, so I told her I’m not interested and hung up. Then I called my insurance agent to check the coverage of my homeowner’s policy. I was assured that my policy included this coverage for repairs outside the house. It could be that not all policies cover that issue. Each of you should call your own insurance company to find out if you are indeed covered, before you suffer the panic that I did. You might end up with double coverage, inferior or no coverage at all, depending on the integrity of the soliciting company. Rather than being called, do the calling yourself, to a trusted agent.
John Bispala,
Webber-Camden