Warning Mr. & Mrs. America!

When was the last time that any of us got a bang for our buck? The dollar is no longer worth a dollar, and that in itself is a rip-off. It doesn't go very far. I look at the bill for my home phone and find that most of it is not for calls, but various fees and taxes, which to me are a rip-off. I understand now why many people no longer maintain land lines and only use cell phones.

I think a big rip-off in New York City is abuse by private landlords who rent apartments and only take cash; they give no receipts and sign no leases. I have a case of an immigrant family who live in a 3-bedroom basement apartment; they pay $l,300 per month in rent. The owner wants them out, and he claims they only pay $l,000 per month. The family has no written proof of how much they pay -- and this owner is probably ripping off the IRS and the rest of us taxpayers.

I know of another family who has a landlord who wants to get them out; he claims that they have not paid rent in the past five months. He, too, insists they pay him in cash. In both cases, the abuse is perpetrated by an owner from the same cultural background as the tenant he's abusing. Such rip-offs are going on in all segments of our multi-cultural community. The immigrant tenants go along with the landlord's demands because they are desperate to find apartments that will take children. These new Americans are not living the American Dream, but the American Nightmare.

There is another rip-off in housing, which is legal in New York City. It's called preferential rent. Landlords in apartment houses will rent an apartment at a lower amount than the legally allotted amount. The tenant is drawn into a spider web.

The legal rent might be $l,200 per month, and instead you are given a preferential rate of $900 per month. What a bargain! When the lease expires, the landlord goes back to the legal rent. Surprise! You are trapped in the web and either you pay the higher rent or move. This happened to an elderly couple who were forced to move in with their children until they could find something affordable.

I can recall some personal rip-offs. I bought an air conditioner that didn't work quite right when it was installed. A little voice told me to send it back, but I didn't listen. I have had it for a couple of years and now I must invest in a new one.

My daughter bought a vacuum cleaner online, which died once the warranty ended. This should not happen. I remember years ago, when you made purchases you got a bang for your buck. What you bought lasted so long it became a part of your family.

I've been victimized by my own lack of vision, and wound up with some disappointing purchases. My late husband and I bought a beautiful couch, but we failed to measure the door to our apartment. This beautiful couch had to be hoisted from the street after the moving people removed my living-room window. I watched with dismay as my couch inched up three flights in full view of the entire block; everybody critiqued my purchase until it was finally safely hauled into my apartment.

We are living in an economic environment where a simple warning like "buyer beware" takes on a sinister meaning. All five senses have to be on high alert when you shop.

Before you get lost in a shopping mall, remember "Lost in Space," and the Robot who swung his metal arms shouting "Warning! Warning!" Well, I say, "Warning, Mr. and Mrs. America" -- welcome to our new dog-eat-dog world. (Pat Singer)