You can't trust anyone

Bad Jobs Everywhere

Why you can't trust anyone?

• Fake reviews everywhere. Yelp. Google. Amazon.
• Lots of fake and/or paid reviews.
• Yelp - "blackmails" stores. If you pay them, they will hide low ratings.
• Reviewer has no credibility
• Reviewer did not inspect the work or did not know how to inspect work
• Example: Roof looks fine from the ground, but did not inspect if work is done to code or if there are any flaws like exposed nails
• Reviewer has not used item/service long enough
• Reviewer used item shortly after buying the item and hasn't used it long enough to see any issues
• Example: Home inspection report. After you move in, you see all the items they missed.
• Example: Tree removal service damaged fence, but you didn't notice immediately.
• Different employees, different owners
• Employees and owners come and go. A new owner buys a good business and runs it completely differently than the previous owner. The old customers don't know it has a new owner, but still goes because of previous good experience. 
• Each employee has different experience. Some are good. Some are bad. Unless you can specify a worker by name, you cannot guarantee the quality will be similar. 
• Subcontractors
• They want to win your work, so they "do it all." But they don't. They hire out subs that may or may not perform good quality work. 

What you can do?

• Look at negative reviews
• Look at the credibility of the reviewer
• Trial and error - 
• Don't go cheap - you get what you pay for. But just because something is more expensive, doesn't mean it's better. 
• Avoid companies that have a lot of advertising - this doesn't mean they are good. It just means they spend more money on advertising and have more expenses. More expenses means their costs will be higher. 
• Inspect people's work - educate yourself to ensure the contractor is performing the job correctly. Unfortunately, this can take a lot of your own time to research. Alternatively, hire a professional to inspect the work (another opinion). 
• Ask if they use subcontractors
• Find a reputable person for recommendation. Make sure they inspected the work and did a good job.

What not to do?

• Analysis paralysis - you can look at a ton of reviews, but that doesn't always give you a complete picture and can take a lot of time. Don't spend too much time looking at reviews.
• Don't blindly trust online review, neighbor recommendations, etc. 
• Don't hire roofer that makes you sign paperwork before inspecting the roof. Avoid storm chasers. 

Conclusion

There is no easy way to tell if a contractor is good, unless you have a very credible recommendation. 

Home Warranty Scam

 Looking back at my old posts can be so cringy. Thankfully, no one knows about this blog...

Today's topic is home warranty scam. 

What doesn't home warranty cover

Home warranty doesn't cover pre-existing issues. If there are issues with the house when you move in, those aren't covered. However, how would they know when the issue occurred?

Does not cover drywall repair, brick repair and painting needed to access pipes and other issues. 

Creating Claims & Contractors

• Can create claims online
• Cannot choose your own contractor. Assigns one for you. May have options to request another contractor. There is no list of contractors they use
• If you have multiple issues in one area (plumbing for example), you're suppose to create different service requests for each one, but the system doesn't let you do that. 
• Service fee is typically $100. If you have multiple issues in one trade, they can be covered in the same appointment. But the CSR can only create 3 service requests at a time and then needs to have the home owner or contractor call again in a long wait queue. 

Customer Service - Incompetent

• Short wait time for creating claims via phone (very misleading)
• Long call wait times (1-2 hours) for existing claim/in process
• Slow at resolving issues

Website - Poor

• Website doesn't let you hop through different service requests quickly. It's designed as if you only have one issue at a time.
• Slow loading website
• Inconsistent nomenclature. Sometimes its work order number sometimes its service request number.
• Follow up emails don't always include service request number. And the emails come from 2-10 directly or from Dispatch

Lock & Hardware Program

• Submit invoice within 45 days for reimbursement of up to $100

Service Contractor - HVAC

Service Contractor - Plumbing

What I would do differently

I would have the seller buy the home warranty (for first year) and I would buy the additional Supreme Coverage within 1 month of closing. Unfortunately, the Supreme Coverage does not show on the service agreement welcome letter. You can also consider the Service Fee Buy Down depending on the number of repairs that might occur. Unfortunately, no details on the service agreement welcome letter. 

Per my renewal letter, the annual cost is $576 for the base home warranty and $144 extra for supreme coverage. A few key items the Supreme Coverage includes is as follows: "Exterior hose bibbs. Corrections to code violations up to $250 per Service Agreement. Permits up to $250 per Service Agreement. Modifications up to $250 per Service Agreement."

That extra $144 can easily cover the modification costs. Before moving in, I'm never sure on what's wrong with the house. The home inspector doesn't always do a good job, but that 'small' extra fee can easily cover a large part of unexpected fees.

If I were buying a house again, I would pick a better home inspector (make sure they climb roofs) and do a thorough inspection of the house and make a list of items that need to be repaired. Compare the cost of those repairs and the cost of the home buyer warranty with any applicable service fees. 

For simple math, let's say the home warranty with supreme coverage is $750 + $100 service fee + $100 service fee. Total is $950. So normal repairs need to exceed that amount. 

HVAC Repair: 

Draft Inducer Motor Replacement

$300 part + $100 service fee/labor = $400

Plumbing:

PRV (pressure regulator replacement) $425

Washer Machine Box $450

Shut off Valve Replacement (Generic) $150

愛的生存之道

 

設計靈感 其實是來自 我喜歡的一個人 因為你開始喜歡她 你就會想要知道 她在想什麼 她看了什麼 需要什麼 或是她正在關心什麼 她在什麼樣的時間 收到什麼樣的禮物會是最開心的 所以你會在旁邊默默觀察她 慢慢的 她的喜歡就會變成你的喜歡 最後 哪怕是一個淺淺的微笑 那一個淺淺的微笑 都會是變成你的創作靈感 -黃以康 Ep5

 

 

有一個陪你回家的伴

 

女男真的要平等?

我自己的 定

我要有勇氣

 

 

 

Other Quotes:

1. 看吧，人不是不可以改變的，重點是要用方法讓你吃不出胡蘿蔔的味道，這就是我改變你的方法。

很多事情它只是一種習慣，刷牙洗臉檢查臉部狀態還有好好地泡個澡這些習慣久了就變成一種理所當然。而所謂的理所當然都是在不知不覺中養成的，是好習慣還是壞習慣，當時的你可能根本就沒有想過這個問題。為什麼…我已經好像開始習慣你陪伴？

 

我覺得女人可以勝過男人，很好。但男人可以照顧女人也不錯吧。

 

你有問過我願不願意當你最好的朋友嗎？ 我不願意，因為我一直愛著你。是啊，我到現在。。。我到現在都還愛著你。

 

紀安蕾，你有多久，沒有好好地聽一首歌，去唱個KTV 逛個夜市甚至看場電影 哪怕只是看一本書 一本雜誌 一本漫畫都好 你把你的目光全部鎖在愛情上面 你就沒有辦法看看這個世界是長什麼樣子的 我只是希望你知道 你是有其他選擇的。

 

我們總在不對的時間跟不會對的人告白 然後把自己搞得很尷尬 很難以收拾 我知道你現在的心全部都在偉霆身上 我其實今天告白是想要告訴我自己 在這段單戀的日子裡 也該做一個總結了。我現在還是喜歡你 但 是朋友的那種喜歡 我知道 我們只能做朋友。

 

你還好嗎？我白天說的話 對你太直接 太殘忍 我向你道歉 我太自以為是了 以為可以告訴你該怎麼做 但我哪有資格批評你啊 我的感情也是處理得七零八落 一塌糊塗 但是在這個過程裡 我很慶幸有你這個戰友陪我 還好有你 我才不會被孤單 挫敗 折磨得更不成人形。 紀安蕾，我也希望在你沮喪挫敗的時候 能夠接受我的陪伴。

“但是这样子的男人，是可以给别人幸福的。” -維霆

你变成了一个普通男人了。”-蕾蕾

“幸福，要靠自己。三十四点五岁的我，不会相信童话。也不需要任何人送我玻璃鞋。纪安蕾，你一个人OK的。” – 蕾蕾

失去後才會珍惜，會不會太晚?
If I only treasure it after losing it, is it too late?
但珍惜已經失去的，會不會太傻?
But to treasure what has already been lost, is that too silly?

就像火鍋裡的芋頭，需要在最適當的時候撈起來,
Just like taro in a hotpot, it needs to be taken out at the right time.
太早生硬著、過晚熟爛了。
Take it out too early and it’ll be too stiff, leave it in too long and it will have been overcooked.

人的緣分能不能一直維持在最適當的溫度呢?
Can a person’s fate continually be maintained at the right temperature?
不要變熱、也不要變冷。
Neither turning too hot nor too cold.
如果不能…當緣分融化了，是不是乾脆就放棄?
If you can’t achieve that then …when fate melts away, should you just simply give up?

Workout Equipment Costs

Push Up Bars $10

Pull Up Bar $20

Gold Gym’s 25lbs Adjustable Dumbbell $57.77@ Walmart

Resistance Bands

Gloves $10

Gym Towel, Sweat Bands, Tank Top, Gym Shorts

Scale with Body Fat, Muscle %, etc.

Heart Rate Monitor

Water Bottle, Shaker

Protein Shake

ON 100% Gold Standard Whey Protein

Muscle Milk 2lbs

June 2012 Workout Log

Date	Push/P	Vid	Gym
1F		I: Pure Cardio
2S		P90X: Biceps, Back
3S		Ab Ripper X
4M		P: Shoul, Back	Abs Sore
5T		JM30DL1 (Blood Donation)
6W		I: Pure Cardio
7R		P: Chest, Back
8F		I: F & F	Chest, shoulders sore
9S		P: Yoga X 45m (of 1:35)
10S		I: Plyo Card Cir + P: ARX
11M		Rest Day
12T
13W
14R		P: Shoul, Arms
15F		I: Fit Test (30m) + ARX
16S		P: Yoga x (30m)
17S
18M
19T
20W
21R
22F
23S
24S
25M
26T
27W
28R
29F
30S

May 2012 Workout Log

Date	Push/P	Vid	Gym
1T			Alone: 20m jog, 45 assisted bp, 35 squats, bar curls 12.5, shoulders, 20 free curls, lower back 10lbs
2W			With Crockett: 37.5 bp closer grip, 20 free curls, add stretching, lunges, 20 min jog, 5 shoulders, 20 triceps behind head
3R			Gator Stompin’
4F			Lake Wauburg (30-60m)
5S			Grad Pictures
6S			Graduation
7M			Return Home
8T
9W	Many	JM30S L1 30m
10R		Plyo 37m
11F		JM302 L1 30m + Ab R X
12S		IsanityFF (20m)
13S		JM30S L2 30m	25+10 Free Weight BP
14M		P90X-Chest,Back
15T		Ab R X; JM30DSL1; JM30DSL2
16W			Rest Day
17R		Plyo 2nd Half (30m)	25 BP, Flys, Shoulders, Back
18F		I1: Fit Test	25 BP, Flys, Shoulders, Back
19S		I2: Ply Card Cir
20S		I3: Car Pwr & R	(forgot protein shake)
21M		I4: Card Recov
22T		I5: Pure Card	Ab Ripper X
23W		I6: Ply Card Cir
24R		I7: Rest
25F		P90X: Chest, Back
26S		I8: Card Pwr & R
27S		JM30S L3 30m
28M		I FF: 20m
29T		JM30S L3 30m
30W		None. Nap
31R		P90X: Chest, Back	Made me sore next day

Apr 2012 Workout Log

Date	Push	Pull	P90x	Other	Gym
1 S	W1D2: 10/12/8//8/12 = 50			“Recovery Day”	Still sore from Fri’s gym workout
2 M	W1D3: 11/15/9/9/13=57
3 T	W2D1: 14/14/10/10/15=63
4 W	None
5 R	None			FIN CP
6 F					Squat 45?, BP 40, Curl 20, Overhead 20, Butterfly 85, Jogging
7 S	W2D2: 14/16/12/12/17=71				Sore: arms, thighs
8 S
9 M		Many	Cardio X (45 min)		Still Sore, arms and thighs
10 T	W2D3: 16/17/14/14/20=81		Ab Ripper X
11 W	25PU; 30PU
12 R					Gym – bp, squat 35, overhead 7, jogging 2-3 laps
13 F					Gym – bp 35, curl 25, abs, 10:45 8 laps jogging, lower back
14 S	25, 35 = 60				Swimming (2 laps) – HKN Pool Party
15 S	?
16 M	? 30+20+20
17 T	?
18 W	30+20+20	5
19 R	20	Some
20 F					BP 45, curl bar 30, curl 15, curl 20, abs, lower back 1x, stairs
21 S				Stretch X (60 min)
22 S	S	S
23 M	S	S
24 T	S	S
25 W				Legs & Back (50 min)	Gym: bp, curl bar, jog?,
26 R					No-study for Final
27 F					No-study for Final
28 S					BP45, 10m jog, curl bar 15, dumbell curl with turn
29 S					BP 45, curved curl bar 15, 10m jog, squats 35, lower back, triceps bar 10
30 M	25 Test; W3D1: 16/17/ 14/14/20=80			Ab Ripper X
	About 10 days with very minimal activity.	About 10 Active Days (30min+)