Ed wrote:
On 22 Jul 2006 20:56:01 -0700, "RicodJour"
wrote:

Once in a blue moon it's either an excellent
horror story (always from the homeowner's point of view, of course) or
good troll. Both have their merits.

I actually find a lot of these helpful when I might be in the process
of deciding who,what, when or where in an upcoming project or
purchase.

How are random one-sided-ramblings from scattered points around the
world of help? Surely, you don't believe that just because the poster
discovered Usenet that they're 100% honest and legitimate? There are
so many scenarios that you ignore. How about this one - a competitor
posts some gibberish to damage someone?

The people that post diatribe's are generally obsessive cranks and not
themselves entirely free from blame (assuming that it's a real person
posting and not a troll). These are not the people that a reasonable
person looks to for advice. A reasonable person would check with their
Better Business Bureau, contractor's licensing board, assorted
insurance agencies, get references and check on the contractor's work
before signing anything. If there's a problem it gets reported to the
same agencies.

That way it stays local and doesn't waste other people's time.

R