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I skim contracts, I’m mostly running a diff in my head as most contracts use copy and pasted clauses so its easy to notice divergences very quickly and only rea

I skim contracts, I’m mostly running a diff in my head as most contracts use copy and pasted clauses so its easy to notice divergences very quickly and only read those parts But as someone that does this I have one small request: shut the fuck up while I’m reading your contract I’m not looking for dealbreakers, I’m looking for rights and privileges. I will ignore onerous clauses if I know the state doesn't support that clause or that I’ll challenge it either way, 99% of the time there’s no reason to bring it up or walk away even if I notice an assignment of my soul.

jacquesm 5y ago
The number of times I've had weird looks for wanting to read what I'm signing... Definitely something that I would recommend to anybody signing anything at all: read it first. And it this silly little habit has fairly frequently resulted in line item changes, less frequently in major changes and a few time in abandoning a contract. So this is not just a theoretical thing.
- ecpottinger 5y ago
  Yet I saved my mom and later my landlady by insisting on reading the contract they were about to sign. In my mom's cause she bought a condo, and cable/phone contract was to bill her for services the previous owner had but she did not have or need. In the case of my landlady, she thought she had a money back offer on a new furnace if she did not like it. But the fine print showed she would own them for removal of the old furnace and the installation/removal of the new old if she did not like it. I knew something was fishy since they kept trying to get her to sign the paperwork despite the fact they could not come for a couple of days to do the work. Their way would cost her $4000 even if she decided she did not want to kept their furnace, turns out she just needed a new motor that cost her $150.
  - shostack 5y ago
    The faster someone tries to get me to sign something, the slower and more carefully I read it. Do not ever let someone rush you into signing things involving health, rights, or expensive transactions.

jacquesm 5y ago

The number of times I've had weird looks for wanting to read what I'm signing... Definitely something that I would recommend to anybody signing anything at all: read it first. And it this silly little habit has fairly frequently resulted in line item changes, less frequently in major changes and a few time in abandoning a contract. So this is not just a theoretical thing.

ecpottinger 5y ago
Yet I saved my mom and later my landlady by insisting on reading the contract they were about to sign. In my mom's cause she bought a condo, and cable/phone contract was to bill her for services the previous owner had but she did not have or need. In the case of my landlady, she thought she had a money back offer on a new furnace if she did not like it. But the fine print showed she would own them for removal of the old furnace and the installation/removal of the new old if she did not like it. I knew something was fishy since they kept trying to get her to sign the paperwork despite the fact they could not come for a couple of days to do the work. Their way would cost her $4000 even if she decided she did not want to kept their furnace, turns out she just needed a new motor that cost her $150.
- shostack 5y ago
  The faster someone tries to get me to sign something, the slower and more carefully I read it. Do not ever let someone rush you into signing things involving health, rights, or expensive transactions.