June 8, 2013

  • I Was Reminded.....

    TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

    Bratfink reminded me of something today that I said I would talk about.  It was about Class Action Suits.  Over the years, I've received letters about some company or other being sued for some kind of liability or other.  You are sent the letter due to information the attorneys involved having been given a list of names that included yours.  All you have to do to be included in the suit, if you want to participate, is provide receipts, or information, or dates.  There's always something required.  Like me and many others, you read it, figure it's a kind of scam that only the lawyers will benefit from and you throw away the letter.

    About a year ago, I received such a letter but this time I was in just the right frame of mind.  I was really pissed at the company involved for extorting money from me.  It claimed to be a regular insurance company for people like me that needed affordable insurance but had a pre-existing medical condition.  Although the premium was high, I didn't dare not have any until my Medicare kicked in.  After paying for this *insurance* for almost a year, I finally had a couple medical bills that were submitted for my regular doctor, an expensive blood test and an MRI.  They paid $0. and it had nothing to do with any deductible because the papers I had received from them raved over the fact that they didn't have one, just a copayment.  I ended up having to pay for them all on top of the payment I was having taken out of my checking account regularly each month.

    I ended up having to write a letter to the Insurance Commission showing a CC to my bank and hand-carrying the letter down to my bank to get them to stop paying that money out every month.  So, when I received the letter regarding the class action, I took the time to fill out the information and I sent along a copy of the letter I was forced to give to my bank to stop the financial drain.  I sent it off and promptly forgot about it.  I was just happy to see that the company was going to be forced to pay attorneys fees at the very least.

    A year passes and I receive this letter and it seems kind of long (longer than 8.5X11) but I start to read it and my eyes widen and I unfold the very bottom and....it's a check!  The amount was for over $2,000. and I almost choked.  It didn't repay everything that was spent but it sure as hell was way more than I ever thought I would get back.

    So, the next time you get one of those letters regarding a class action case, take a few minutes and see what you need to do to take part in the suit.  The only other case I remember getting anything from was from another suit involving an insurance company.  But that one only got us some stocks that were pretty much worthless for years...well, they were only worth about a dime each when we first got them.  Years later (around 12 or so), they were worth about a dollar each.  Not a whole lot for that particular company and the crap they pulled on us but it was slightly better than nothing at all.

    The nice thing about this particular check was that I was told I had to cash it before the end of July, 2013 or it would bounce because that particular account would be closed after August 1.  So, when I went out to lunch with Tara last week, I cashed the check.  The Beast knows nothing about it and I don't feel guilty since it came out of my SS money.  Besides, he spent a damn fortune on all the crap he's bought during the past 8 years.  He's spent over $50,000. on stuff we really didn't/don't need.  So I have the money put aside (aka hidden) for things I might want/need in the future.

    And a footnote on a totally different thing.....after all the rain we've had the past week, our garden has taken off.  The tomato plants are almost all over 6 ft. tall and we have tomatoes on them.  The Beast brought in our first green pepper to my shock.  My radishes are really big now, the Beast's squash plants have flowered and are starting their development.  The cucumber plants have almost tripled in size and have climbed the trellis nicely.  My bush beans are huge and the Beast says we will not put them around the tomato plants next year.  They are much bigger than we remember them being and taller, too.  The jalapeno pepper plants look like they're going to be very productive for us.  I will have to can and freeze some of them once they get to a larger size.

    We had a nice day today and we are supposed to have another nice day tomorrow.  I will have to get outside and pick any strawberries we have tomorrow because then we are due for more rainy weather for the next couple of days.  Hope you have nice weather going for you, wherever you live.

    Love you all.  Have a great Sunday.