Nothing irritates me more than when a company tries to fool you into thinking you have to pay them for something you can get on your own for cheaper or free. A company called NY Record Retrieval is sending out letters to Central New Yorkers recommending you get a certified copy of the deed to your home--not a bad suggestion, it's just they want to charge you $59.90 for it. That's 12X's the price you'd pay if you went down to the County Clerk's office and requested one yourself. It costs $5.00, save yourself the $55!
Some of you may also be familiar with companies that send you letters claiming "the government is holding money with your name on it!" For a fee, they're willing to help you get it but if it's true you've got unclaimed funds, you can retrieve them on your own for free. Just go to the New York State Comptrollers website, type in your name and see if anything comes up. If it does, you'll have to go through a few steps to prove you are who you say you are but then they'll hand over the money.
Sometimes, it's a matter of convenience and I can relate with that IF the price is reasonable but in a lot of cases it's not and you can save some serious cash by doing it yourself. What's your experience been when it comes to these type of offers?
