COLOR ME RED

Originally published in the Observer Eccentric Newspapers

In my many years of writing this column and my almost 30 years of doing a radio show I have seldom been in tears doing my enjoyable work. Last Saturday I received an on air phone call from Doctor Sase who lives in Ann Arbor. He described the following scenario. “We received a call from an Air Duct Cleaning Company who said they could clean our air ducts for a special price. We were taken by their phone call and committed to have them do the job. They came to our home and quoted a price of $800.00 to do the job and after I explained that it was too costly they did the work for $600.00. After they were finished we have been seeing moths flying all around the different rooms. It appears that we have been scammed by a very unethical air duct cleaning company and can you help us.”  He went on to tell me that he is 90 years old and suffered a stroke some months ago. His wife is 88 years of age and they live in a modest home of 1200 square feet. Suddenly he burst out crying while talking to me and that is all it took to get me in the same frame of mind. Now, isn’t this enough to give you a picture of what happened to this good man and his wife?

I have written in the past about crooked air duct cleaners and how it is a national concern and how all consumers should be aware of whom the bad guys are. Here is a typical story that is not going to end until I get myself involved. I have already made arrangements for a reputable company to go to Doctor Sasses’ home and give me a detailed report on the quality of the work performed by the bad guy. Once I get this report I am going to visit the Doctor and take him to his District Court and help him file a small claims case so he can get his money back. As you can tell, I haven’t mentioned this bad guy’s company name and all I know right now is that he is located in Livonia. It might be possible that he reads this column and I want him to know that I’m coming after him. Once I prove in a court of law that he ripped off this particular consumer and senior citizen I am going to write the second chapter of this story. I am also going to contact some friends in the television industry and don’t be surprised if you learn more about this company from watching the nightly news.

Now let me give our readers a sort of refresher course on some of my past years. Today I am a senior citizen, retired on fixed income but I used to be one hell of a consumer advocate. I used to work for Esther Shapiro, the retired director of Detroit Consumer Affairs and she was about as tough as they come when it comes to dealing with unethical business dealings. I spent years working as a fraud investigator with Attorney Generals Frank Kelly and Jennifer Granholm and I helped put some nasty people on hold. The television industry used me many times to help them set up sting operations which helped consumers become more aware and educated on how some services are too good to be true. In this State of Michigan, consumer protection is almost a thing of the past. There are no more consumer protection agencies which help people with problems like the one described above. You have to fend for yourself and God help you if you happen to be old and not as sharp as you once were. In the old days it wouldn't take this long to solve a problem like a rip-off company so described. I would just pick up the consumer and drive over to the crooks business office, explain what the problem was, introduce myself and get the distraught homeowners money returned on the spot. Maybe the guy who is now in trouble is reading this column and if so he can send a check for $600.00 to Doctor Sase in Ann Arbor. He can do it now or do it later. Stay tuned. 

Consumer Question: Dryer Vent

Q: Hi, Joe,

I have lived in this condo type building (one level on a slab) almost 3 years.  It was new construction at that time. It has a front loading Whirlpool electric dryer.

I am concerned that the lint goes beyond the lint screen in the front of the dryer. I clean it off each time I use it but it seems that as much goes behind it as into it, even though the screen seems tight. My concern is that it may cause a fire.

The venting from the dryer looks like a metal foil vent. The vent going up to the roof is wrapped in insulation so we can't tell for sure if it is solid metal.

There is 6 inches behind the dryer to the wall. I read in your book about a product called the EZvent system and was wondering if it would work for me.

Is there a vent that can be used that is not a fire hazard in that situation.

Thank you,
Elizabeth

A: Hi, Elizabeth,

Thanks for your note.

This causes great concern for you. I have no doubt that there is something wrong regarding the vent line and I think your dryer is a serious fire concern. I would suggest you find someone in your area who can inspect the situation and correct it. It the Detroit area we have a few companies that do just that - one is called Dryer Vent Wizard. Please let me know how this problem is resolved.

Regards,

Joe Gagnon

OnGard...Article by Joe Gagnon

IS ONGARD THE ANSWER?

After all of these years of writing this column I have always admired the standards of this newspaper’s ethics in journalism. My writings have never been used as an advertising medium but rather a true forum of consumer education. I will ask you to excuse me on this one occasion because the information I’m about to give you is so important, it takes precedence over my ethics as well. There is no money exchanging hands between this new company and myself nor do I expect there will be. It is a product produced here in Michigan and they need all of the publicity they can get but most important the smart consumer who is concerned about a clothes dryer fire needs to know about this product. It is called OnGARD and is a simple fire extinguisher which attaches to the back wall with a piece of plastic tubing leading into the base of the clothes dryer.

I don’t mean to simplify the concept but it took Gerald Flood, the inventor a short time to create this wonderful safety device. In the past, I have talked to manufacturer’s engineers and others about an extinguisher that could be installed within a clothes dryer to prevent the happening of a dryer fire. I’m sure the feeling from a manufacture is that installing a fire suppression system within a dryer would mean admitting that the product is at fault. Not  so, I claim as the homeowner is at fault here. They build a fine product which does the job very sufficiently and we the consumer don’t pay enough attention to how a clothes dryer operates. There are over 16,000 dryer fires reported each year in this country and I’ll bet that twice that amount go unreported. Many people are injured and many die and yet the news media does a terrible job of educating the American public. While this lack of concern seems prevalent and the way it is, this new invention can begin to save lives and make more homeowners aware.

I have been approached many times to endorse someone’s new product and I don’t bite all that often. Take the product invented a few years back that would save energy costs by simply plugging your refrigerator into it. I stated that it might cause a compressor failure and it did, but millions were made before the product was removed from store shelves. Someone is always out to make a quick buck in this world which should raise the caution flag in shopper’s habits. This new invention is just now hitting the market place and as you can tell, I believe in it very strongly. It is not difficult for a typical homeowner to install themselves. You mount the extinguisher to the wall behind the dryer and then run the plastic tube through a louver on the back of the dryer. The tube lays on the inside floor of the dryer and when the heat of the flame hits the tube, it propels a proven fire suppressor powder throughout the base of the dryer which puts out the fire. Another important factor is that there is enough powder expelled that some of it will travel up the vent line to extinguish and prevent the fire from spreading outside of the dryer. It is not expensive to purchase especially compared to the damage cost with most dryer fires. The life of the product is in the area of 6 years and the fire extinguisher has a gauge on it to tell you when it needs to be recharged. I have asked to be notified on the sad occasion of a dryer fire when this product has proven itself. Currently this product can be purchased at www.ongard.biz or call 1-800-338-9010.

I recently spent some time appearing at the January edition of the Novi Home Improvement show and I want to thank the many people who stopped by and said hello. It’s a fact that so many of you commented on this column that I write and with great pride, I tell you that I am blessed to do so. Stay tuned.

Regards,
Joe Gagnon