I previously wrote about the seller who was a fraud and cost me a large amount of money in 2024.
Now, a buyer has tried to cheat me. It was close, but I avoided this one:
Someone replied to a craigslist ad I posted, sent a large check so I could pay $2190 to the person who was going to pick up my item and transport it to another state.
The buyer kept pushing to speed this all up, but fortunately, I waited long enough to see my bank reporting that the check was bad!
As I wrote back in 2001, I still respond to telemarketers with, "Please put me on your do-not-call list," and I hang up.
But I think I'm going to occasionally try something new. When they pause, I'll say:
I don't do business with lawbreakers.
You're breaking the law by calling me.
Please put me on your do-not-call list.
And then I'll hang up.
Perhaps they will try to say, as they sometimes do, "But we spoke last year, and you asked me to call you back later."
That will give me the perfect opportunity to say, "I also don't do business with liars," and I'll hang up.
Responding to a column by David Lazarus about credit card processing fees, I sent this letter to the Los Angeles Times in June 2010 (not published): My credit card offers nice rewards (although a bit less than a few years ago). It's obvious that the rewards are coming directly out of other consumers' wallets. It's ridiculous for the cash customer to subsidize my rewards, but that's the system we've got. I'd be just another sucker if I didn't get all I can, so I almost never pay cash. Still, for fairness, I wish the credit card processing fees and the rewards they pay for would be drastically cut back.
Update, March 2024: I still feel the same way. And click here for a NYTimes column about this.
