2A APRIL 25, 2013
THE GLOBE, CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.
BaseLegal Base Legal By M.S. Archer
Internet based business put off limits MICHAEL S. ARCHER
Legal Assistance Director Marine Corps Installations East
The newest business to be placed off limits by the Commanding General, Marine Corps Installations East, is “The Price is Right Landscaping and Design” run by Brian Standridge. He also referred to his business by one or more similar names, such as “Price is Right Lawn Design” or “B’s Home Repairs and Renovation,” You won’t find a real physical address for this business, because it operates online, bidding for contracts on the website, Lejeuneyardsales.com. This business was nonetheless placed off limits to warn service members, their families and the military community in general of its activities. Lejeune Yard Sales is a website that connects people who want to purchase a product or service with those who will sell them. For example, consumers looking for someone to perform landscaping, home remodeling or similar work solicit for such service on the website. Service providers then bid on those contracts online. Homeowners consider the bids, discuss the matter with the prospective providers,
and may then decide whether to hire those providers. In the case of this latest business to be put off limits, the quoted price is right, in fact, greatly underbidding everyone else, but everything else about the business is wrong. Customers have complained Standridge fails to perform the work in a timely or workmanlike manner, instead providing excuse after excuse for failure to get the job done after taking a substantial upfront payment. The complaints also include failure to perform the job at all, use of inferior materials and damage to property. Consumers complained when they take or threaten legal action, they are insulted and themselves threatened with legal action. Those consumers who have taken the extraordinary step of suing Standridge in small claims court have found that, adding insult to injury, he ignores the court judgments against him, and simply doesn’t pay them. While there are no allegations of misconduct concerning the Lejeuneyardsales.com website itself, consumers should use caution using this or any similar site, and should be especially cautious about providing advance payment.
In accordance with MCO 1620.2D, installation commanders are authorized to place a business off limits if it adversely affects the health, safety, morale or discipline in the armed forces. Prior to such off limits designation, a hearing will be conducted by the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board, to which the alleged offender will be invited. The board then makes recommendations to the installation Commander. Such a hearing was conducted in the case of Standridge and his business. In emergency cases, the installation commander can designate a business off limits and hold the hearing as soon thereafter as is practicable. Aggrieved consumers are urged to file online reports to the N.C. Attorney General, to the FTC Military Consumer Sentinel, and to the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (if the complaint relates to a financial service, such as a loan, credit card, credit report, or debt collection). Depending on the product or service, there may also be a specific industry enforcement agency, such as the N.C. Department of Insurance. Consumers are also, of course, encouraged to contact their local legal assistance attorney.
OFF-LIMITS ESTABLISHMENTS The following businesses are designated by the base commander as “off-limits”
*Atheas Attics at 420 Eastwood Road, Wilmington, N.C. BellAuto Salvage II at 136 Abbits Branch Rd., Hubert, N.C. Dash-In at 1316 Hargett Street, Jacksonville, N.C. D’s Drive Thru at 226 Wilmington Highway, Jacksonville, N.C. D’s Quick Mart at 2840 Highway 258 West, Richlands, N.C. Discount Tobacco at 331 G&H Western Boulevard, Jacksonville, N.C. *Expressions at 419 South College Road #39, Wilmington, N.C. Express Way at 1261 Gum Branch Road, Jacksonville, N.C. King’s Drive Thru at 1796 Gum Branch Road, Jacksonville, N.C. Laird’s Auto and Truck Repair (U-Haul Rental) at 1197 Piney Green Rd., Jacksonville, N.C. Moe’s Mart at 2105 Belgrade Swansboro Road, Maysville, N.C. *MP Super Discount at 800 Shipyard Blvd, Wilmington, N.C. New York Tobacco Center (a.k.a Tobacco for Less) at 439 Western Boulevard, Jacksonville, N.C. *Northern Lights Smoke Shop at 4710 Market St, Wilmington, N.C. One Stop Shop at 501 Corbin Street, Jacksonville, N.C. *Price is Right Lawn Design at Jacksonville, N.C. Smart Buy at Jacksonville, N.C.
Smitty’s R&R at 3742 Highway 17, S.C. (South of Myrtle Beach, S.C.) Tobacco at 521 Yopp Road, Unit 106, Jacksonville, N.C. Tobacco Club at 487-B Western Boulevard, Jacksonville, N.C. Tobacco House Cigarette Center at 1213-C Country Club Rd., Jacksonville, N.C. Tobacco Leaf at 215 Western Boulevard, Jacksonville, N.C. Veterans Affairs Service Jacksonville, N.C. (This is a private organization not affiliated with the Department of Veterans Affairs or the VA Outpatient Clinic.)
MCAS Cherry Point Area 98 Cent Only Store (Big Daddy) Wesley’s Grocery Coastal Smoke Shop Expressions Friday’s Night Club (a.k.a Club Insomnia, Club Classics, Infinity Lounge) H&D Express a.k.a Citgo Nadine’s Food Mart Super Expressway Tobacco Outlet (Havelock and New Bern) Tobacco Shop & Gifts (Beaufort and New Bern) Tobacco Town Tobacco Shop (Newport and New Bern) Twin Rivers (Not the mall) White Sands Convenience Store
*Identifies a new business added since the last update of the Bulletin March 28.
Hotline numbers to report fraud, waste, abuse and corruption II MEF Hotline - (910) 451-5555 marines.mil/unit/iimef/Pages/Contact-Us/default.aspx MCIEAST Hotline - (910) 451-3928 lejeune.usmc.mil/ig/ TECOM Hotline - (703) 432-1650 tecom.ighotline@usmc.mil Naval Hospital Hotlines - (910) 450-4154/4155 med.navy.mil/sites/nhcl/Pages/feedback.aspx MARSOC Hotlines - (910) 440-1045/0941 marines.mil/unit/marsoc/Pages/ig/Inspector-General.aspx
SemperSafe Semper Safe
By Derrick J. Mangas
Spring safely into safety Spring has arrived. It’s time to break out all the outside equipment and plan outdoor activities such as yard work, spring cleaning, getting back to nature, sporting events, new exercise programs, or a backyard barbecue. Think about risk management, what are the risks of the activities you are about to engage in, how can I avoid potential problems and dangers, eliminate costs, pick the best time, and how will it impact my personal life and duty status? If you don’t prevent a mishap, you could easily become a mishap statistic. The good news is mishaps always happen to “the other guy.” The bad news is, to everyone else, you are “the other guy.” The weather is getting nicer and after being cooped up all winter it’s time to enjoy the outdoors, open the windows and air out, and watch Mother Nature begin anew. Common sense will help us to do what needs to be done correctly as long as we are familiar with the task at hand. No matter what your activity, remind yourself and others that common sense needs refreshing. Personal common sense cannot always be relied upon, so remember your on-duty safety
awareness training and apply it to offduty activities too. Check out the following tips to remember. •Warmer weather brings thunder and lighting, tornadoes, and flooding. Lighting strikes the ground 15 to 20 million times each year in the United States resulting in over 3,000 injuries and deaths. Over 1,000 tornadoes in the United States hit in the spring causing massive destruction, thousands of injuries and hundreds of fatalities. Flooding from heavy rains and spring thaws bring devastation and chaos. The weather determines your activity. •Lawn and garden equipment are the leading reportable cause for over 400,000 emergency room visits each year in the U.S. Read the owner’s manual and use the recommended protective equipment such as hearing protection and safety glasses. The safety tips supplied with lawn and garden equipment help avoid embarrassing and painful injuries. •Another year older and wiser, spring brings out the youth in us all, baseball, soccer, tennis, hikes, ATVs, motorcycles, bicycles, jogging, boating, camping, ladder climbing, starting a garden,
etc. Keep in mind those recreational offduty safety briefs you will be receiving to heighten your personal safety awareness in all of your activities. •Use proper personal protective equipment for whatever endeavor you are about to partake in. •Plan your events by preparing for the time to ensure your spring and summer is fun … safely. Get enthused about safety and share your experiences, misfortunes, not so great moments, it-only-happens-to-me times, and all those other embarrassing times with your unit, leaders, family members and loved ones. Common sense is a learned process. Make the appropriate risk management decision off-duty as you would on-duty. Avoid becoming a statistic. Remember, to everyone else you are “The Other Guy.” Leaders and supervisors: It is your duty and responsible to ensure your personnel understand how important it is to be always safe. For more information contact your unit safety officer or base safety representative. Remember Marines–we live by our ethos.
with Luis J. Alers-Dejesus The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is responsible for providing eligible veterans with a variety of healthcare services. Hearing aids are one such service provided to veterans who meet the eligibility criteria. Veterans are not automatically eligible to receive this service. They must meet certain requirements established by Veterans Affairs. A major component of the eligibility requirements outlined by the Department of Veterans Affairs is a veteran must have a documented service-connected disability. This is defined as any disability, in the form of an injury or illness, which either occurred or was worsened while the veteran was in active military service. In the case of hearing loss, if the hearing loss occurred as a result of injury sustained while serving in the military or if it was somehow aggravated by the time spent in the military, it would be serviceconnected hearing loss. This is one of the main eligibility criteria for receiving a hearing aid as regulated by Veteran Affairs. A veteran who is unsure if his or her hearing loss is connected to his time in service should contact a Veteran’s Benefit Counselor. The counselor can then arrange for the appropriate examinations to determine if the hearing losses, or any other injuries, are serviceconnected. Examples of such conditions include traumatic brain injury, surgeries resulting in hearing loss or chronic illness. The limitation dictated by Veterans Affairs regulations is veterans with these conditions must be already getting care or treatment within the healthcare system of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Health Administration. According to the Department for Veterans Affairs, veterans who do not meet the above requirements mat still be able to get a hearing aid and hearing aid services through Veterans Affairs. If they have a severe enough hearing loss that it interferes with their ability to perform basic activities of daily living or their ability to be involved in their own medical care, they may be able to get services through Veterans Affairs. Former prisoners of war, recipients of the Purple Heart Medal or those receiving benefits under a specific legal code, Title 38 United States Code 1151, may also be eligible to receive a hearing aid from Veterans Affairs. Under those conditions, the steps you must take to receive a hearing aid from Veterans Affairs is as follows: Make sure he or she is a registered veteran. Register through community-based outpatient clinics or My Veterans Affairs Health. Once registered, communicate with a veteran’s benefit counselor so a compensation and pension examination can be scheduled – this is when the service-connected disability is documented. When the hearing loss is documented as serviceconnected, the veteran can then make a call directly to an audiology clinic where hearing tests will be done to determine how much hearing loss there is and be fitted for a hearing aid. Hearing aid-related services, such as provision of batteries, are also covered once a patient is receiving hearing aids through Veterans Affairs.
Commanding General, Marine Corps Installations East, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune Brig. Gen. Thomas A. Gorry Public Affairs Director Nat Fahy Publisher James M. Connors Public Affairs Officer 2nd Lt. Sarah Burns Affairs Chief Public Aff Mark E. Bradley Master Sgt. M mark.e.bradley@usmc.mil mark.e.bradl Managing Editor Managin Ena SSellers ena.sellers@pilotonline.com ena.sellers@pi Production Chief Producti Clark Cpl. Charlie Cha charles.t.clark1@usmc.mil charles.t.clar Managing Editor Assistant Man Amy Binkley amy.binkley@pilotonline.com
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