You have heard the lines before: "The truth is stranger than fiction," or "You can't make this stuff up." Well, that's what one South Florida woman is saying after blue lines were painted around her assigned parking space, and she was ticketed for parking in a handicapped space. Funny, maybe, but a legal headache, which is why she called Help me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
One South Florida teenager is in a tough spot. He got arrested, the charges were dropped, but now he's got a record that'll follow him forever unless he can clear his name. Let's turn to two names you know, Help me Howard and Patrick Fraser.
Ever go to the beach or a public pool and just get that feeling like someone is watching you? A mom in one community is concerned a neighbor is doing just that by installing a video camera within range of the common pool, but does she even have a right to privacy? Help me Howard with Patrick Fraser wades into this one.
It's getting close to tax time, time to hopefully get a tax return to help you pay your bills, but be careful if you hire someone to do your taxes because even if your return is filled out properly, problems can pop up, and guess who gets a call from the IRS? That's what happened to one South Florida woman, and it's why she called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
We've all been there-- car troubles. One man thought he was protecting himself by purchasing an extended warranty, but when the repair bill came, he was left holding the bill. Help me Howard with Patrick Fraser kicks this one into high gear.
If you hire a company to do work at your home, and you're a satisfied customer, you want to shout their praises from the rooftop, but what if you aren't so satisfied? One family says a pool company is using a picture of their pool to generate more business, but they want the company to stop. Help me Howard with Patrick Fraser wades into this one.
A South Florida couple moved into an adult community for some peace and quiet, but they're getting just the opposite. They're saying their next door neighbor is mentally ill, and she's driving them crazy. At their wit's end, the couple called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Many workers have pensions, 401Ks or profit-sharing benefits that are theirs to keep after leaving or losing a job, but how do you make sure you get what you're owed after hitting the road? Here's Help me Howard with Patrick Fraser with some answers.
By definition, a bank's safe deposit box is supposed to be safe, but one South Florida woman says hers was anything but after she opened it to discover missing money. The question: Is the bank responsible for her loss? Here's Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
For a business to succeed, you have to advertise. But how far can you go before you break the law? It's tonight's question for Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
If you own a home, if you are struggling to make your mortgage payments, you are not alone. At Help Me Howard we are hearing from hundreds of people who want to re-work their mortgages and can't get their banks to help or even listen. But now that those banks are getting federal bailouts, do they have to try to help you? Here is tonight's Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Do you have a job? Maybe a job where you have to take a drug test to stay employed? Now, do you wonder why people who are getting welfare and unemployment checks don't also have to pass a drug test? Is that legal? It's a question one woman had for Help me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Let me ask you a question: If someone gave you a dog, and then three years later was still trying to get you to give it back, what would you say? One South Florida man has said, no, that he loves the dog and won't give him up, and for three years that case has dragged through the courts and now is part of Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Money is short for a lot of people and a lot of cities and counties right now, but is one South Florida county trying to raise money by digging up violations that occurred 30 or 40 years ago? That's what some homeowners think, and it's why they called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Playing outside with your friends is one of the best parts about being a kid, but in one association it was game over when residents were told, children can no longer play in the common areas. Disobey and face fines, so upset parents exercised their right to turn to Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Dealing with a death is horribly difficult, and if you have had to go through it, you know you need a final death certificate to deal with insurance policies and sometimes to find out what killed your loved one, but what if the government takes months and months to finish it? Can they do that? Let's find out from Help me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Here is a question for you. If you were born in another country or worked there for many years before coming to the U.S., can you draw a pension from that country and the U.S.? One man was stunned by the answer and found out when his social security checks were suspended. Can the U.S. government do that? It's why he called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
If someone owes you money and won't pay up, one option is to sue them in small claims court, but what if you do and win, and they still refuse to budge? One man's in the midst of that battle right now, so he's courting Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser for help.
It's the sad and sometimes scary reality of a recession. More and more people have found themselves out of a job. If that wasn't enough, many people are having a tough time getting their unemployment benefits. It's tonight's Help me Howard.
Imagine this, your boat is stolen. A month later, it shows up on 7 News in a smuggling operation. Good, now you get your boat back, right? No. Is it legal for the government to keep it? Let's call in Help me Howard with Patrick Fraser.