![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/grunschev.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2023-02-11-11.24.27s.jpg?resize=584%2C507\")
Upstairs bathroom. What the heck?<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/grunschev.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2023-02-11-11.25.06s.jpg?resize=584%2C779\")
The hole on the left was already there. It’s dry, too.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li> ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/grunschev.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2023-02-11-11.25.42s.jpg?resize=584%2C641\")
Let’s not cut it this time. SMH<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/a><\/a><\/a> <\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nSunday, February 12<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When Genae ran a load of laundry through the dryer, we discovered that they’d shut off the gas and, like the dishwasher, didn’t turn it back on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We called another plumber, Ralph, and described the leak to him. He’ll come by Tuesday and fix it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Days Subsequent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ralph was a bit flummoxed by this one. He saw a place where a copper supply line was up against a stud. The pipe vibrates when a faucet is opened, and there’s a little wear there. He repaired that section and we set the fan up again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next morning, it was just as bad as ever. Ralph came back again, looked around some more, and made another repair. He wasn’t feeling that good about it. I asked him if I had a ten thousand dollar leak. Still no go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He came by the next day. He told us he couldn’t sleep last night, obsessing about my leak. It finally hit him. He pulled the range away from the wall. The line that supplies water to the fridge is fed through the back of the cabinets. It had a slight kink where the range was pushed in. He shut off the supply to the fridge and the next morning, the ceiling in Michael’s bathroom was clearly drying out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ralph installed a major upgrade on the supply line to the fridge and we’re good. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
All that remains is a bunch of drywall repair. Something I’ve never done before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What About That Check?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
On the 24th, I received a letter from Money Tree. It was a Notice of Dishonor<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Levi did what he said he did: he cashed the check. At Money Tree. Maybe it’s just me, but I expect somebody running a business would have a bank and wouldn’t need to pay the high fees that check-cashing places charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Notice of Dishonor tells me that even though I stopped payment on the check, I’m still liable because my check was “negotiated with a third party”. That’d be them. They tell me that I (or my attorney) should look at a couple of Colorado Supreme Court decisions. They give me a number I can call to make a payment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I promptly called them and told them I refuse to pay. I explained that the guy was a crook who cut and tore holes in my walls and never came back. Their agent wasn’t impressed. They have a point: why should they be injured? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here’s my calculus. It’s $300. For that amount, you go to small claims court. I’d be happy to have them take me to small claims, even knowing I’d lose. But I know that it’ll cost them way more than $300 to take me to court. It’s a losing proposition for them. So they’ll sell the debt for pennies on the dollar and collection companies will hound me. I’m not paying. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My credit score will take a small hit, but it won’t affect me. My credit rating is stellar, and I’m not looking to borrow any money anytime soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I feel no guilt that an innocent third party will be out $270 or whatever they gave Levi for my $300 check. I know full well that Money Tree budgets a non-trivial amount for bad debts like this. It’s built into the system. I don’t knock Money Tree for providing services to the unbanked, but they certainly aid crooks like Levi. Had he taken my check to his bank, he wouldn’t have gotten the money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I got the Money Tree letter, I decided I needed to cry into the wilderness: I posted on Nextdoor. It was a long paragraph telling what Levi did (with photos!). That got about forty responses, including a few from other victims. Nextdoor sent me a message that that post had been viewed 9,600 times. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"