Is ripping people off a Dallas thing?! (Greenville, Howe: extended stay, credit)

[loves2read]

have lived in Tarrant county for over 20 yrs and in my family of 4, my son is only one who had a car breakin--at his apt lot in Carrollton--car was jacked and he got it back a day or so later--damaged of course
one of my son's friends was parking on street at our house years ago, and had his car broken in
personally I have never had my purse stolen (in or out of the car)...but that just means I count myself lucky...

there is no way to say what the racial makeup of the thief was--and what does it matter--
everyone knows that no area of the county is devoid of crime--some areas are worse than others--

I am sorry that your initial time in Dallas has given you a negative impression--I am sure if I had gone to another area and had similar experiences they would color my perception--especially if I had not had any difficulties where I moved from...
same way with taking a vacation--sometimes things happen that make you not want to ever return--even when they are likely flukes and not representative of majority of visitors' experiences...

I don't know where you got the handyman you choose--personally I have been using Angie's List because when I needed repair people in last few years I was not able to get a personal recommendation from friends--and been happy with those people coming out
I can understand perfectly why you were not going to argue with that guy about money alone in your home...

and regarding the hair coloring--you are charged tax on those treatments--when you called to get price quote lots of things could have made difference in quote vs charge--
different people at salon can charge different rates--if you got a cut AND the color--that might not have been taken into account--and I know that tax would add to the bill...

and frankly I would definitely write a letter to Gold's Gym about your experience--try to get some accurate info from the police about the rate of thefts in that particular spot and others in the area to put in the letter--

[Acntx]

Originally Posted by lifertexan

While personal incidents and anecdotal stories may make it seem worse than it is,Dallas is not any worse than any other major city,and somewhat better than most.

I agree. I posted a similar comment on another thread about theft last night. The crime numbers for any major city are going to be high, but on a per capita basis in proportion to population, Dallas is typically not the worst.

[Joannewebx]

Originally Posted by loves2read

and frankly I would definitely write a letter to Gold's Gym about your experience--try to get some accurate info from the police about the rate of thefts in that particular spot and others in the area to put in the letter--

My husband spoke to the manager to cancel my membership as I didn't feel safe working out there anymore, and at first the manager refused to cancel my membership! You'd think he'd be bending over backwards after what happened in their parking lot. We raised a ruckus and finally got word from corporate that I could cancel. I called the manager at Gold's again and asked how he could sleep at night, being responsible for all his members and knowing there are rampant break-ins in the parking lot, ruining people's lives. He said "corporate" wouldn't spring for video cameras in the parking lot-- not in the budget. Even fake cameras, which could deter some criminals, were not considered because of liability issues. I asked why the don't put a poster in the lobby at least alerting members that there have been a rash of break-ins in that parking lot and to remind everyone to be extra cautious. So far, that has not happened. The manager said he thought that they'd come up with something "by the end of the year." I said "by the end of the year!-- then you are knowingly endangering your members by enabling the crooks by not doing anything." I said how about installing a plate glass window overlooking that parking lot; it wouldn't be expensive and would deter people if they know they're being watched by a row of people on treadmills. He seemed to like that idea but don't hold your breath. There is a crime-stoppers type group in Uptown which I am planning to join and really try to help clean things up. It's not the people that live Uptown doing it; it's others coming in to prey on the yuppies. For example, all of my charge cards were used in Mesquite.
(I have also used a lot of people from Angie's List, and had so-so results. And the ones that get great ratings tend to become very expensive. It's still a good double-check though.)

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Joannewebx

My husband spoke to the manager to cancel my membership as I didn't feel safe working out there anymore, and at first the manager refused to cancel my membership! You'd think he'd be bending over backwards after what happened in their parking lot. We raised a ruckus and finally got word from corporate that I could cancel. I called the manager at Gold's again and asked how he could sleep at night, being responsible for all his members and knowing there are rampant break-ins in the parking lot, ruining people's lives. He said "corporate" wouldn't spring for video cameras in the parking lot-- not in the budget. Even fake cameras, which could deter some criminals, were not considered because of liability issues. I asked why the don't put a poster in the lobby at least alerting members that there have been a rash of break-ins in that parking lot and to remind everyone to be extra cautious. So far, that has not happened. The manager said he thought that they'd come up with something "by the end of the year." I said "by the end of the year!-- then you are knowingly endangering your members by enabling the crooks by not doing anything." I said how about installing a plate glass window overlooking that parking lot; it wouldn't be expensive and would deter people if they know they're being watched by a row of people on treadmills. He seemed to like that idea but don't hold your breath. There is a crime-stoppers type group in Uptown which I am planning to join and really try to help clean things up. It's not the people that live Uptown doing it; it's others coming in to prey on the yuppies. For example, all of my charge cards were used in Mesquite.

Um...none of that is their responsibility. It's yours. I hate to say it but you should know better than to leave your purse loaded up in the car underneath a sweatshirt. Yeah, the thieves have never seen that ruse before, they'll be totally fooled. What happens in the Gold's Gym parking lot is not their responsibility. If your purse had been stolen from their club, yes, I could see blaming them. But in the parking lot? Sorry.

Also, as long as you notify your CC companies, you are not responsible for most/all of the charges made by the thieves.

People like myself who grew up in Dallas and have lived here most or all of our lives are used to this. You lock your car and house doors whether you are in the car/house or not. You never leave your valuables in plain sight in the car, and yes, "hidden under a sweatshirt" is pretty much plain sight to an experienced thief. Of course people are going to prey on yuppies and it is not Gold's Gym's responsibility to protect you from thieves or your own naivete.

Dallas is a big city with big city problems. I sympathize with your recent losses but please realize that you and people like you who leave valuables in their cars only encourage break-ins like that.

[loves2read]

you tried--glad that you got your membership cancelled--

[Lakewooder]

Lived in Dallas 50 years, nothing like this has ever happened to me. I've traveled almost 1,000,000 air miles and the only place I have gotten ripped off was in D.C. (twice in the same 24 hour period).

[DaveG99]

Yeah its a Dallas thing. Crime doesnt happen anywhere else on the planet. Only in Dallas.

[Lakewooder]

Of course it's not only the street thugs in DC who like to rip people off!

[Affirmed09]

I just moved here and I am feeling like the OP....we have had a few quotes for work in the house and the bill was nothing like the final invoice.

It sucks. I really thought the people were better than the east coast. why did this business owner call me and threaten me at 10 pm because I posted my review on google??? you can bet this will go far in the future, he hasnt had the last of me

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by Affirmed09

I just moved here and I am feeling like the OP....we have had a few quotes for work in the house and the bill was nothing like the final invoice.

It sucks. I really thought the people were better than the east coast. why did this business owner call me and threaten me at 10 pm because I posted my review on google??? you can bet this will go far in the future, he hasnt had the last of me

I've had a final price be different than the original quote but it is usually because there was something that came up during the process that changed the time/work needed. In this case the person has usually let us know before they go any further and it is understandable. We own a business and know that sometimes things on the surface are not as they appear and once work begins there are things that come up.

Never had that happen, EVER! Someone calling late at night to threaten or whatever.



I just have to add something though..........

We left a car parked ALL WEEKEND at the DART rail station in Downtown Garland. When we went to retrieve it on Sunday evening it was exactly as we had left it. Not a single scratch, dent, nada. It was just as it had been left.