Welcome Aboard!

We’re pleased to announce that the following companies have recently been awarded Diamond Certified. That means they’ve passed our rigorous 12-step rating process and scored Highest in Quality and Helpful Expertise®. Read more

I recently received an unexpected voicemail from a company representing a rental car agency. The caller said he was following up with me to collect on a damage claim for a vehicle I had rented at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, Arizona for my niece’s wedding in February. He said I hadn’t reported roof damage upon returning it and was responsible for $749.13 in parts and labor for repairs.

At first, I thought this had to be a scam call and wasn’t going to respond. But my husband convinced me to call back, ask more questions and request photos of the damage. The representative promptly sent an itemized list of repairs and pictures showing a half-dozen roof dents. Read more

Welcome Aboard!

We’re pleased to announce that the following companies have recently been awarded Diamond Certified. That means they’ve passed our rigorous 12-step rating process and scored Highest in Quality and Helpful Expertise®. Read more

The last two times my credit card number was hacked, I can trace it back to using the card at convenience store gas pumps. The physical card itself was always in my possession, yet small fraudulent charges (under $50) started showing up on my account. Fortunately, I look at my account online almost every day and receive an alert whenever a charge of $10 or more is made. That’s how I caught the problem early before things got out of hand. Still, my credit card account had to be shut down, which meant I had to contact many companies that bill me automatically for payments. I also had to change the credit card number on file for Uber, Read more

If your home needs foundation work, you’ll obviously want to hire a contractor with plenty of experience and relevant industry certifications. However, one certification you may not have considered is EPA lead-safe certification. After all, that’s just for painters, right? The reality is that foundation contractors are just as beholden to the EPA’s rules on lead-safe protocol—a lesson Mark Corrallo of All Seasons Construction learned the hard way. Read more

Welcome Aboard!

We’re pleased to announce that the following companies have recently been awarded Diamond Certified. That means they’ve passed our rigorous 12-step rating process and scored Highest in Quality and Helpful Expertise®. Read more

I bet a lot of you have stayed in Airbnbs in the past, so you know how the quality of the accommodations can vary widely. Even when you carefully read the reviews and compare properties, you can still end up renting a real stinker. One time our apartment was in the attic of an old Virginian mansion that smelled like mothballs. Another place looked inviting in the pictures but really needed a deep cleaning. And the worst one was located right next to a fire station! We didn’t sleep too well in Savannah, Georgia.

Mostly though, I’ve had great experiences with Airbnb properties, and my recent stay in San Antonio, Texas was the best one ever. Read more