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Thank you for contacting The Watchdog. I will be out of the office on Black Friday. (Actually, I’ve been out of the office since March, but that’s a different story.)
For urgent Watchdog story ideas, you can send an email to watchdog@dallasnews.com. Even though I’m technically off today, I can never shake it and be free. At the very minimum, someone is going to have a complaint about AT&T. So even though it’s supposedly — air quotes — a day off, lay it on me.
I’ve compiled this list of answers to other questions I get asked a lot. (And thank you to former Dallas Morning News books editor Mike Merschel for teaching me how to do a proper auto-reply.)
If you’re a homeowner checking to see if the roofer you’re about to hire is legit, God bless you for being careful. I don’t know the answer, but I can tell you where to check — the North Texas Roofing Contractors Association. Is the roofer a member?
If you’re shopping for electricity and want a company recommendation from me, I don’t have one. But I wrote a story headlined, “How you should shop for electricity in 2019? Very carefully,” and it shows how to shop on your own. You can find it on Google with the headline and my name searched.
If you’re a scammer calling to taunt The Watchdog, I have a special number for you – (972) 559-5000. When they answer by saying “FBI,” don’t be fooled thinking it’s the fuzz. That’s the office of Fabulous Beautiful Individuals. Tell them what you’re up to, and you’re welcome for the tip.
If you’re calling to sell me an extended car warranty, I hope you rot in hell.
If you’re pitching a story idea to me, remember that if you write that I’m guilty of “Fake News” in the first paragraph, I probably won’t get to finish your letter about how you lost $20 at the neighborhood oil change shop when they sold you a filter you didn’t need. Who’s real and who’s fake now, Buster?
If you’re calling about the recipe for my world-famous, OK, my locally known Lieber’s Lasagna, let me tell you the secret is you hand roll marble-sized meatballs. But first season the lean ground beef with Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, pepper, seasoned salt and garlic powder.
If you stole an elderly person’s money in a scam and now feel guilty, please send me your confession and include your name, phone number and email address.
If you want to learn how to protest your property taxes next year, visit my “splash page” on property taxes and see all my stories going back to 2014. But only do it if you want to save money. bit.ly/2020Protest
If you’re calling to find an honest garage door repair company, good on you for being careful because remember it only takes one extra zero in a $200 repair bill to grow into a rip-off $2,000 tab.
If you’re Randall Stephenson, the newly retired CEO of AT&T, and you just want to say hi and tell me how much you miss The Watchdog, go ahead. Leave a voicemail message on my AT&T phone and maybe we’ll get lucky and it’ll arrive the same day.
If you’re calling about an insurance company problem, a few suggestions: Complain to the Texas Department of Insurance and also contact your local bar association for a free lawyer clinic. Insurance companies aren’t afraid of you, but lawyers make them queasy.
If you’re calling about a bank or credit card problem, I have two websites for you to file formal complaints: consumerfinance.gov and your bank’s specific regulator, which you can learn by visiting ffiec.gov/consumercenter/default.aspx.
If you’re still reading this, as Merschel said in his famous auto-reply, “You have entirely too much time on your hands.” Why not read some of my previous stories archived on my page DallasNews.com/watchdog?
I recently wrote about public school testing, your growing gas bill, my favorite Santa, internet privacy and plumbers who overcharge. You can also join thousands who subscribe to my free Wednesday night Watchdog Nation newsletter. Sign up: dallasnews.activehosted.com/f/90.
If you’re terribly annoyed that I didn’t pick up the phone or answer your email on this Black Friday, please cut me some slack. My wife is telling me to put work aside. It’s Thanksgiving holiday, she keeps reminding.
Picture what it must be like for this lady, married for 25 years to a newspaper guy who doesn’t often step away. Picture her asking me pleasantly to come downstairs for family time. She’s playing solitaire (how sad is that?) and, at least today, she needs me more than you do.
There’s football on TV. But first, my wife is asking me to rake and bag fall leaves. Oh, and there’s chocolate, too.
What’s my job again?
Become a citizen of Watchdog Nation. Join Dave Lieber and learn to be a super-consumer.
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The Dallas Morning News Watchdog column is the 2019 winner of the top prize for column writing from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. The contest judge called his winning entries “models of suspenseful storytelling and public service.”
Read his winning columns:
* Helping a waitress who was harmed by an unscrupulous used car dealer
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November 27, 2020 at 06:01PM
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Black Friday, and I’m supposed to be off, but The Watchdog is never off. Story idea? Lay it on me. - The Dallas Morning News
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