Dent Tents, Hail Gypsies and People Knocking on Your Doors

Whenever there is a catastrophe, the low lifes come crawling out from their lair, looking for an opportunity to make some quick cash. This seems to be the case in Milledgeville, Macon, Gray and Dublin recently. Whether it is roofers, siding installers, carpenters, dent chasers or tree guys....the travelers are the ones causing problems.

The problems have existed for years. We have seen stories on them on shows like Dateline 20/20, 60 Minutes and 48 Hours. Consumer advocate organizations, like Consumer Reports and Clark Howard have warned folks of these scammers, but for many people, the opportunity to make or save a few dollars is too enticing. Unfortunately, most people get burned and only realized it after the "travelers" are gone. The funny thing is...the majority think they are the exception to the rule and it won't happen to them. But...it does.

Most recently, we've seen "dent tents" pop up overnight. These guys have obviously spent lots of money on their set up. Which means....they've made lots of money in the past.

http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20080528/NEWS/637836446

http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=8333350

http://archive.seacoastonline.com/news/09242006/nhnews-24sun-hail.chasers.html

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/il_hail_storm.html

http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=8150632

These are a few examples of the same situation that's happening in Georgia.

Even the local body shops are in on it. They are being paid big money to allow "out of towners" to use their shop as a "front" thereby leading the public to think they are local.

Just go to the phone book or do a "Google" search for the specific service you want. Use a company that specializes in that....like roofing or paintless dent repair. Whether your in Baldwin, Bibb, Houston, Laurens, Washington, Twiggs or Johnson counties...do your homework and use local service providers.

I'll do another update this evening. In the meantime, post your comments here regarding your damage and repair experiences.