Scams?

As the holidays approach, it's a good time to write about scams.

Or maybe it isn't, but I'm going to do it anyway.

Saw an ad in a magazine lately for tree trimming/removal services, which interested me because I have some trees that I might need some professional work done on. Lo and behold, it includes a coupon: "$250 off any service of $600 or more."

Sounds like a good deal ... except ...

"Must present coupon prior to quote."

Perhaps I'm a bit paranoid, but if I were to whip out said coupon, wouldn't the quoter:
a) Ensure the service cost at least $600, even it if were only $300 worth of work?
b) Tack the $250 onto the actual price of the service?

Can they even do that, legally? It's like the various methods of bait and switch that stores get away with every day, because it's so hard to prove that it's intentional. It's not that difficult to be clever enough about bait and switch that you can't prove it.

So, be careful as you do your holiday shopping. In fact, be smart and buy a book. Books are great gifts, and giving a book as a gift is both a gift to the recipient, and to the the author who has another sold copy to brag about. It's a win-win situation. It's also really difficult to pull scams when selling books. At least, if you see something fishy, go buy the book elsewhere.