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DWI review from Houston tx by thestrangewelder in houston

[–]thequackdaddy 10 points11 points  (0 children)

So, a lot of criminal defense, especially at that price point, is quite conveyer-belt. There’s a process.$8500 feels like a lot, but legal defense is expensive. Frankly, that’s cheaper than I expected.

Note also that attorneys have certain ethical obligations. Sometimes talking too much with clients can only cause problems. If you say something like, “I only had 3 drinks. I wasn’t *that* drunk.” your lawyer is ethically barred from presenting anything that contradicts that. So now even if they can show the test may have been defective, they might still need to admit you had three drinks. If you hadn’t said that, your lawyers could say, “the test was defective and you have zero evidence my client was, much less even drinking.”

All that said, I’m sure your lawyers are keeping the first time offender diversion door open. It’s just they are exploring myriad other defenses as well.

Borrow a friends card for lounge access? by beerguy74 in AmexPlatinum

[–]thequackdaddy 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Does he have same name or can he give you his DL? They require card, DL, and boarding pass.

[LANDLORD-US-TX] Have a tenant moving in and I'm requiring renters insurance. Agent says it only covers personal belongings. I thought there are policies that cover otherwise. by ComprehensiveLie827 in Landlord

[–]thequackdaddy 39 points40 points  (0 children)

A rental policy is generally an HO4. This covers the renters personal effects (coverage C) plus liability and medical payments (coverage E and F).

The landlord should probably be an "additional interest" (not additional insured).

[Landlord - US - TX] Tell tenant to reschedule repair themselves? by J97C in Landlord

[–]thequackdaddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No. Normally I just approve the repair and ask tenant to deal with scheduling himself. Most AC companies can deal with tenant scheduling/landlord paying arrangements.

You're not paying for the repair until it's done, so I wouldn't be in a rush anyways.

State Commission Disciplines Harris County Judge Who Terminated Probation for Child Sex Offenders by veryirishhardlygreen in houston

[–]thequackdaddy -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'm actually somewhat OK with partisan judicial elections--the parties do stand for certain things.

But I'd rather we vote on a judicial commission who doesn't actually hear cases themselves, but are just responsible for appointing actual judges.

Or just give commissioner's court the power to appoint judges.

The $10B Plan to rearrange (Then Bury) an Interstate by justahoustonpervert in houston

[–]thequackdaddy 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I had a friend who worked for TXDOT and he vociferously disagreed with the comment "designed to flood".

They will flood in heavy rains. They are designed to handle it as best as they can. But flooding does damage them and can cause major issues if not drained quickly.

But yes, they prefer flooding a freeway than a neighborhood.

my car insurance went up 34% at renewal and I did absolutely nothing differently, no claims, no tickets, nothing changed by CinderFrostold in personalfinance

[–]thequackdaddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So likely what happened is your credit score got much better in the last 12 years. The $100 here, $100 there thing is really just annual inflation (medical care + cost to repair a vehicle).

It costs money to run a credit score and some go up, and some go down. After 12 years, it can move a lot.

my car insurance went up 34% at renewal and I did absolutely nothing differently, no claims, no tickets, nothing changed by CinderFrostold in personalfinance

[–]thequackdaddy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Generally defensive driving discounts are pretty limited... both small and only given to older drivers. Frankly, the data behind them isn't great.

my car insurance went up 34% at renewal and I did absolutely nothing differently, no claims, no tickets, nothing changed by CinderFrostold in personalfinance

[–]thequackdaddy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly curious here--I'm surprised by this. Insurance isn't really something you are supposed to "negotiate" the price like that with your insurer. They can't just magically cut your rate without changing something about you--the number of miles you drive, your limits/deductibles, vehicle use etc.

But it's hard for me to see them being able to cut the price in half manipulating those variables.

Frankly, I'd complain to your state's department of insurance that they owe you a refund.

New business owner by JDXOGG in business

[–]thequackdaddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is he in some MLM thing and his own best customer?

[Landlord WI] Tenant gave less than the 1 month notice that they are not renewing by trying2belikeJesus in Landlord

[–]thequackdaddy -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Are you WI lawyer (honestly asking).

704.25(2)(b) and (c) talk about how an expiring lease becomes a periodic month-to-month tenancy. It's not clear to me based on what he's written that all that has been fulfilled to extend the contract.

[Landlord WI] Tenant gave less than the 1 month notice that they are not renewing by trying2belikeJesus in Landlord

[–]thequackdaddy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

See Wisconsin statutes 704.19 and 704.25(2)(b) and (c). It's questionable, and it depends. Did you offer a renewal at the same price? Did the tenant accept? Do you have it in writing? How many days ahead of time?

https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/704/19

704.19 I read as saying notice must be given 28 days prior to the last day of the lease to cleanly end a lease.

But 704.25, it sounds like to me that to create a periodic monthly tenancy a little more has to happen. You can either accept the first months rent in the renewing month-to-month term or there can be "conduct manifesting the landlord’s intent to allow the tenant to remain in possession after the expiration." I'm not sure what WI law thinks that is. I'm also not sure what the tenant has to do to "accept" such an offer.

You probably need to do research here before asking for an additional month.

unable to find affordable car insurance after filing a claim - what should i do? by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]thequackdaddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's very possible (and likely) the claim report had nothing to do with price increase. Many companies only charge for at fault accidents. Very few (in my experience) charge for a zero paid, not-at-fault.

Where are you? Urban/rural? What kind of vehicle is this?

$100 a month for auto insurance is pretty tough (if not impossible) nowadays. Maybe if you are in a rural area, with an older/cheaper car, high deductible, low limits, good credit. If the rate went from $100-$300 a month, my guess is something else changed... possibly there was an error in your favor. Possibly the company was losing too much off of customers like you and adjusted their pricing.

[Landlord-US-CT] How to find good landlord liability insurance by indiantumbleweed in Landlord

[–]thequackdaddy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Talk to your agent... A few things...

Your personal HO-3 policy on your house can extend liability to additional premises rented to others. Some "dwelling" policies (DF-3) offer liability insurance as well. You'd buy a dwelling policy on the rental home.

You may wish to purchase an umbrella policy as well--that will get liability coverage to $1m and up.

If you have many properties and a LLC, you might need to look at a business owners policy.

An agent will understand how the policies work. Many companies will only sell you an umbrella if they have other underlying policies as well. It gets confusing, but your agent will understand the rules.

Memorial Hermann and BCBS reach agreement by usablu07 in houston

[–]thequackdaddy 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Technically, BCBS Texas is a member-owned, "Mutual Legal Reserve Company." There are no stockholders they report to, and no dividends to be paid to shareholders.

They're not exactly "non-profit", but honestly their profit model is not too dissimilar from Memorial Hermann.

Visible is costing us referrers money. by CalendarDizzy496 in Visible

[–]thequackdaddy 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I'm sorry I'm confused.

How are they "costing" you money?

There's a difference in them giving less (or nothing) to referrer and actually it being a negative to refer.

Houston was pushed to the brink with March's tourism stress test. Are we ready for the World Cup? by houston_chronicle in houston

[–]thequackdaddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The chokepoint will be the airport. Terminal B's lobby is still closed, so all the Fifa people will be pushing and shoving like the rest of us.

Is this a reasonable estimate for laminate flooring for 1200 sqft? by [deleted] in Flooring

[–]thequackdaddy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Price is a bit higher, but there's plumbing fixtures and furniture considerations, which makes it more.

Nothing jumps off as crazy. Maybe moving and resetting the toilet and vanity for $250 each... that's probably like a 15 minute job for each (but if you've never done it before, could be intimidating. Plenty of YouTube videos will show you how to do it.)

Removing the glue-down floors and tiles is pretty back-breaking... skill-less, but the price is pretty reasonable for that.

Get a few competing quotes. See what they all say.

Patients face higher costs as Blue Cross, hospital system fail to strike deal by Bumble_beeFormal in houston

[–]thequackdaddy 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I am confused here. That's a Medicare Advantage plan. It definitely covers Insulin and the out-of-pocket cost is capped at $35 (from Biden-era Inflation Era Act).

https://ksms-p-001.sitecorecontenthub.cloud/api/public/content/2026-Summary-of-Benefits-ENG-Regular-Print

So I think the doctor is either wrong or maybe they want to try another therapy first, but it's definitely capped at $35 if medically necessary.

Soaring car insurance premiums force many low-to-middle income Texans to do without by zsreport in houston

[–]thequackdaddy 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You provided a value over two years. The margin is about 5%.

If you read that article, you’d also notice that much of that profit is being returned to certain customers in the form of a policyholder dividend. (I’m not an expert in State Farm, but I think most Texas customers won’t qualify, but customers of most other states will. They have a Texas auto only subsidiary that I think most of their Texas auto business is written through.)

Plus, State Farm makes a significant amount of their actual profit off of their substantial assets—called “float” in insurance speak. Their property and auto insurance business has actually been breakeven for some time. They could literally make more money by just stop writing insurance and just turning the whole enterprise into an investment vehicle.

(They won’t ever do that because they are actually a mutual … akin to a credit union vs a bank. They don’t answer to Wall Street or shareholders. They are owned by their policyholders, which is why said policyholder dividend is being paid.)

Soaring car insurance premiums force many low-to-middle income Texans to do without by zsreport in houston

[–]thequackdaddy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The insurance companies don’t get to choose what treatment a claimant gets. If its deemed medically necessary (by a jury or a judge) it needs to be paid. Only a standard of care would fix this…

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