Hi Everyone,
The season's holiday gift giving is now in the past. Do you find great deals that you couldn't pass up? We all look for great deals to save money to make our money go further during the holiday season and for any other occasion. Unless you plan to buy a knockoff, sales of products that you know are real can save a whole lot of the green stuff.
When you buy merchandise from a company, what kind of guarantee or warranty do they offer? 90 days, 6 months, 1 year, or in the case of a new car; 30,000 miles or even a 100,000 mile power train warranty? Well I found an even better guarantee, which I believe is the best guarantee ever! Everyone has heard of L.L. Bean. This iconic made in America company, actually made in Maine, of all things outdoorsy, has the best guarantee bar none. Their slogan is even, "Guaranteed To Last". In smaller print Bean states, "Our products are guaranteed to give 100% satisfaction in every way. Return anything purchased from us at any time if it proves otherwise. We do not want you to have anything from L. L. Bean that is not completely satisfactory". Sounds to good to be true?
Last month, after years and years of wearing Bean clothes, for the first time, I decided to take them up on their guarantee. I had a pair of lined jeans that were about 10 years old. Not only did the lining give up the ship, so did the outside denim. I went to a brick and mortar store instead of mailing the jeans to them. I found the same exact lined jeans and went to the check out. With no questions asked, the cashier accepted my jeans and the new replacement one. When all was said and done, I received my new jeans and a gift card for $1.93. I questioned why I received the gift card and the cashier told me that was the difference between the old jeans and the new ones.
A few weeks ago, my daughter returned a pair of boots that we had given her a few years ago. Bean didn't have her size, so they had to be ordered. Then they gave my daughter a gift card for $30.00, again the difference? Now I am not one to kick a gift horse in the mouth, but giving money back in addition to the replacement doesn't seem right for the company. I don't think anyone would ever complain about getting free lifetime replacement for a well worn out article of clothing etc that may be years and years old. But giving money back in addition, just doesn't make sense to me or for the company.Yes Bean's merchandise is pricey, but how can you go wrong with the industry's best return policy ever!
I know that I have blogged about companies that rip customers off, but this is way far over the other side of the pendulum. I am not sure that giving away money for something that you purchased for a lesser amount, should equate to a monetary refund. Bean has been around for a long time and most likely know what they are doing. But to me, this doesn't make any common sense, (for the company) other than, as time goes by, my leisure clothes in my closet are more and more Bean then any other manufacturer. Score one for the customer.
Til next week.
Peter
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Are You Ready For the Change?
Hi Everyone,
By the results of last months elections, the GOP will gain control of both houses of Congress. My question to you today is, are you ready for the change? What change? Hopefully you are aware of some of the changes that have already occurred.
The first 2 changes have already happened with the passing of the $1 trillion spending bill that will keep the government running for 1 year. I can't believe what compromise now looks like. The first "compromise" with the spending bill means that the GOP, at the last minute, demanded and got a rollback of a regulatory provision of the 2010 Dodd - Frank financial services overhaul that was intended to shield taxpayers from future risks from complex financial trades. So many tens of millions of people were upset with the amount of money the American taxpayer had to pay to bail out big banks and AIG after the 2008 collapse of wall street. AIG has still not repaid all the money it got and is now suing the government. So instead of keeping some form of protection for the taxpayer, the GOP sees fit to allow big banks and wall street to again do highly risky investments; knowing full well that if they screw up again, the American taxpayer will AGAIN bail them out. This isn't fair is it? This rollback no longer protects and favors us, the taxpayer, but rather, this rollback totally favors the big banks and wall street. Now they will have carte blanche to invest in whatever risky investments they can cook up. Thanks GOP.
The second, last minute "compromise" that the GOP added, I mean demanded to the spending bill, is to GREATLY raise the amount of money private donors can give to fund political conventions, (from thousands of dollars to millions of dollars). Money rules again for the GOP. People and corporations, (which per the Supreme Court says are people too), with the huge bucks will be the ones who will then run and steer this country per their greedy vision for their benefit and not for the benefit of the American people. Again, thanks go to the GOP.
So with these first two changes, so sorry, I meant to say "compromises" forced on us, isn't it painfully aware that the GOP really represent its benefactors, i.e.: big business and people, (and corporations) with big money and not the rest of the 99%? There is no other explanation. The path of what they want to do is clear and Americans voted for it?!
The GOP has less then 2 years to prove that they can lead or they will not win the White House in 2016. Well, the first 2 "compromises" don't bode well for the GOP and I foresee much worse things coming to Americans in the next 12 to 18 months. The questions is how much the American voter will take, before the GOP receives a huge defeat in 2016. By their owns actions, the GOP has proven once again that GOP really means, Get Out Peons! We have been warned!
Til next week.
Peter
By the results of last months elections, the GOP will gain control of both houses of Congress. My question to you today is, are you ready for the change? What change? Hopefully you are aware of some of the changes that have already occurred.
The first 2 changes have already happened with the passing of the $1 trillion spending bill that will keep the government running for 1 year. I can't believe what compromise now looks like. The first "compromise" with the spending bill means that the GOP, at the last minute, demanded and got a rollback of a regulatory provision of the 2010 Dodd - Frank financial services overhaul that was intended to shield taxpayers from future risks from complex financial trades. So many tens of millions of people were upset with the amount of money the American taxpayer had to pay to bail out big banks and AIG after the 2008 collapse of wall street. AIG has still not repaid all the money it got and is now suing the government. So instead of keeping some form of protection for the taxpayer, the GOP sees fit to allow big banks and wall street to again do highly risky investments; knowing full well that if they screw up again, the American taxpayer will AGAIN bail them out. This isn't fair is it? This rollback no longer protects and favors us, the taxpayer, but rather, this rollback totally favors the big banks and wall street. Now they will have carte blanche to invest in whatever risky investments they can cook up. Thanks GOP.
The second, last minute "compromise" that the GOP added, I mean demanded to the spending bill, is to GREATLY raise the amount of money private donors can give to fund political conventions, (from thousands of dollars to millions of dollars). Money rules again for the GOP. People and corporations, (which per the Supreme Court says are people too), with the huge bucks will be the ones who will then run and steer this country per their greedy vision for their benefit and not for the benefit of the American people. Again, thanks go to the GOP.
So with these first two changes, so sorry, I meant to say "compromises" forced on us, isn't it painfully aware that the GOP really represent its benefactors, i.e.: big business and people, (and corporations) with big money and not the rest of the 99%? There is no other explanation. The path of what they want to do is clear and Americans voted for it?!
The GOP has less then 2 years to prove that they can lead or they will not win the White House in 2016. Well, the first 2 "compromises" don't bode well for the GOP and I foresee much worse things coming to Americans in the next 12 to 18 months. The questions is how much the American voter will take, before the GOP receives a huge defeat in 2016. By their owns actions, the GOP has proven once again that GOP really means, Get Out Peons! We have been warned!
Til next week.
Peter
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Greed Rules Again!
Hi Everyone,
Nothing really surprises me anymore regarding the lack of common sense. But an article in my USA Today, Gannett newspaper did catch me off guard.
As you are aware, I worked in the hotel industry for many years. Like any company, hotels have many departments; with department heads charged with operating their department profitably. One of those departments is telecommunications. Back in the day, that meant having telephone switchboard operators scheduled 24 hours per day. Then computers eventually took the place of the majority of operators. Then came cell phones. Again, back in the day, hotels made a lot of money charging quests for use of their phones for all outside calls, both local and long distance. The proliferation of cell phones made telecommunication departments profits plummet. That was even when cell phones calls cost $.45 or more per minute. So what is a hotel suppose to do when Wi-Fi became common place?
Well the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, took it to a whole new level. In order to combat free Wi-Fi, upper management made the decision to install a program and/or system that was able to disable guests own personal Wi-Fi networks. Then the hotel charged, are you sitting down, $250 to $1,000 per device to access the hotel's network. Wow, what an exorbitant amount to charge to get Wi-Fi!!! Management must have patted themselves on their backs when they found this new extremely profitable revenue stream. They probably laughed all the way to the bank, when low and behold, guests started to complain to anyone who would listen.
Their complaints did not go unnoticed, The FCC, heard the complaints and began an investigation. Last month, Marriott, which owns the Gaylord, made the business decision to agree to pay $600,000 to resolve the FCC's investigation. That meant that Marriott did not admit to the illegal scheme.
Hopefully, the $600,000 Marriott paid, was more than the amount the hotel had received from their illegal scheme. If that General Manager had just one ounce of common sense, he or she would have nixed the idea when it was first brought up.
Common sense rules and greed drools.
PS. For those of you not in the know, my neighbors and I have been fighting an ill conceived location for a cell tower in our neighborhood. Instead of erecting the tower on a mountain top, next to the valley, (on town owned property) where the tower will be built. If you want to help us, please check out www.gofundme.com/hmctns. Then if you are so inclined, please forward to any and all of your friends. It is very expensive to fight "city hall" and we have been fighting since 11/2012.
Til next week.
Peter
Nothing really surprises me anymore regarding the lack of common sense. But an article in my USA Today, Gannett newspaper did catch me off guard.
As you are aware, I worked in the hotel industry for many years. Like any company, hotels have many departments; with department heads charged with operating their department profitably. One of those departments is telecommunications. Back in the day, that meant having telephone switchboard operators scheduled 24 hours per day. Then computers eventually took the place of the majority of operators. Then came cell phones. Again, back in the day, hotels made a lot of money charging quests for use of their phones for all outside calls, both local and long distance. The proliferation of cell phones made telecommunication departments profits plummet. That was even when cell phones calls cost $.45 or more per minute. So what is a hotel suppose to do when Wi-Fi became common place?
Well the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, took it to a whole new level. In order to combat free Wi-Fi, upper management made the decision to install a program and/or system that was able to disable guests own personal Wi-Fi networks. Then the hotel charged, are you sitting down, $250 to $1,000 per device to access the hotel's network. Wow, what an exorbitant amount to charge to get Wi-Fi!!! Management must have patted themselves on their backs when they found this new extremely profitable revenue stream. They probably laughed all the way to the bank, when low and behold, guests started to complain to anyone who would listen.
Their complaints did not go unnoticed, The FCC, heard the complaints and began an investigation. Last month, Marriott, which owns the Gaylord, made the business decision to agree to pay $600,000 to resolve the FCC's investigation. That meant that Marriott did not admit to the illegal scheme.
Hopefully, the $600,000 Marriott paid, was more than the amount the hotel had received from their illegal scheme. If that General Manager had just one ounce of common sense, he or she would have nixed the idea when it was first brought up.
Common sense rules and greed drools.
PS. For those of you not in the know, my neighbors and I have been fighting an ill conceived location for a cell tower in our neighborhood. Instead of erecting the tower on a mountain top, next to the valley, (on town owned property) where the tower will be built. If you want to help us, please check out www.gofundme.com/hmctns. Then if you are so inclined, please forward to any and all of your friends. It is very expensive to fight "city hall" and we have been fighting since 11/2012.
Til next week.
Peter
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