Most of us have heard of blatant senior scams.  Like someone calling to say your grandchild needs bail money.  But there’s another way seniors are taken advantage of, and it’s legal.  It happens when a handyman, lawn service ,tire store  or grocery  clerk “accidentally” overcharges you for goods or services.  Hospitals are notorious for this, but it’s a common practice everywhere. Seniors: Beware of padded bills.

Do you check your grocery store receipts?  Some do, but most don’t.  It depends on what else you have to do, or if your printed receipt blew away  as you were walking to your car.  I began checking mine to see how much I’d saved with coupons.  Much to my surprise, I  often found that I’d been charged twice for one  item. Another trick—or mistake—is charging  a set price  for a pound of produce when you’ve only got half a pound.  Once, I confronted the checkout clerk and he insisted that  you can’t buy less than a pound.  Not true.  Took it to the store manager and got my money back.  Since the  clerk had nothing to gain, I attributed the mistakes to laziness or perhaps being in a hurry to get my groceries checked out. Hopefully, it wasn’t a store policy.

It’s hard to find a reliable lawn service.  You may succumb to the lure of someone new to the business knocking on your  door.  Sometimes, these entrepreneurs lack integrity.   Often, their charges are verbal.  “You weren’t here last week, but I mowed your lawn anyway.” After awhile, you get confused as to just how many times they actually did mow your lawn. Don’t let the bill accrue—pay each time and keep  a record of what you paid, and when.   This way, you have proof that you aren’t paying for services that didn’t occur.

Getting a new set of tires for your old car is more complicated than it seems.  Someone has to get down on their knees and find the serial number of the current tires.  Then, they have to search for replacements that will fit.  It turns out there are several “grades” of tires to choose  from.  You decide on the middle price, since you don’t do much interstate travel.  But when you go to pick up the tires, they’ve given you the top grade, and that’s going to cost double.  It’s a hot day, and you’re tired.  They offer to change to the lower grade, but that means waiting  while they exchange the expensive tires for the cheaper ones.  You have a choice: sit and watch daytime television for hours  or pay the higher price and go on.  Did they do this on purpose, thinking a senior would not remember the original price quote?  You’ll never know.

Some of us have small rental properties which need frequent repairs and redecorating as tenants come and go.  Nowadays , handymen are scarce as hens teeth.  You’re apt to fall for anyone who’s willing to do some painting or minor repairs.  You agree upon a price and leave them to do the job.   But when you come back, they say  the job took more time than expected. .  Besides, you had some extra paint left over, so they decided to use it on a room that didn’t need repainting.  You would like to challenge the bill, but who wants to argue with a burly, tattooed guy who now smells of cigarette smoke and beer?  Especially if you’re a little old lady

And then there are the  plumbers in the adjoining county whose hourly charges start from the time they leave their office–not when they start the job. Which may add an extra 45 minutes of labor to your bill.

You get a call from your hearing aid provider that you need an annual hearing test. Turns out they’re offering new, improved products and you’re eligible for a trade in.  Because you can hear so much better with the new aids,  you agree to  the up grade.  However, it turns out  there is no trade in credit..  The price is the same as what you paid four years ago.  You’ve been drawn in under false pretenses, but  who doesn’t want to hear better?  So you cave and buy the new aids at full price.

In some instances, there are things you can do.  You might contact the Federal Trade Commission to file a complaint. about bad business practices.  But  the thought of such a confrontation seems upsetting and stressful.   Seniors: Beware of Padded Bills!