Jon Lowder

Worse Than Not Getting Your School Supply List In Time is...

A little while back I wrote what seems to be becoming an annual feature: the "We didn't get our school supply list in time for the tax-free weekend" post.  Well, I think I discovered something even worse than not getting the list: a store that pretends to have your school's list and uses it to shill stuff that might even be on the school's banned list.

According to blogger Kelby Carr her local Wal-Mart provides shoppers with school supply lists that purport to be from the schools and/or teachers themselves.  And in the comments to her post you'll find just a few people with their own, similar stories.

As Kelby points out it's one thing to provide a "suggested list" and quite another to position your school supply list as being "official" when in fact it's not.  She also makes a great point that many families that shop at Wal-Mart may not have a lot of disposable income, so if they end up buying some unnecessary items it could really hurt them.

Esbee wrote today that she finished up her school supply shopping with relatively little damage to her pocketbook, and she also points to a Letter to the Editor in the Winston-Salem Journal that asks why our public education system isn't able to provide supplies for children despite all the money we spend on it.   Although I think the letter writer was a little too snarky and the letter was written in such a way that he sounds like he's blaming the poor for their problems (he wrote "needy" children), he has a valid point when he asks why we can spend so much money on education yet not find a way to make sure kids have paper, pencils, protractors, compasses, etc.

I can still remember the kids who showed up on the first day in clothes they were embarrassed to wear because they were old, out of style, torn up, etc.  The kids' families literally didn't have the money for new jeans so they wore their older brothers'.  Those same kids were on assisted lunches and tried to hide the fact.  So you can imagine the stress their parents were under when it came time to buy supplies, and I'm sure it made this time of year that much harder on them. I'm also sure that today there are many families feeling that same kind of stress.

So let's ask our leaders why things are the way they are, but let's also make sure that our community's children get what they need for school.  It's only right.  Esbee also points to an article about organizations and individuals who are helping kids get what they need.  Let's all do what we can to help.

Netflix Customer Service Message

I logged into Netflix today and this is the message I found at the top of our personal home page:

Our Shipping Centers Are Mailing DVDs

Delayed DVD Shipments Are Being Sent Today (Friday)

   

Click here to learn more            

We’re happy to report that all of our shipping centers are resuming normal operations (after 3 days of issues). If you should have been shipped a disc Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, it will ship today (Friday).

We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. To all of you whose shipments have been delayed, we’ll be automatically applying a 15% credit to your next billing statement. Or, if you are new to Netflix and your first shipments have been delayed, we recognize that this is not a good way to begin your Netflix membership and we’ll automatically extend your free trial by a week.

Again, we apologize for the delay and thank you for your understanding.

The Netflix Team

Netflix had some well publicized issues with their distribution system this week, but since we haven't had a chance to watch any DVDs since our vacation it didn't really affect us.  Still, I like how they handled this.

Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce Insults Our Intelligence

On the front page of today's Winston-Salem Journal there's an article titled "Groups Lobby City for Break"
and the thrust of the article is that the Chamber and the local realtors and developers are asking the city for a moratorium on new development regulations.  From the article:

Winston-Salem should impose a moratorium on any new business regulations, including a proposed tree ordinance, because of current economic conditions, say the Greater Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce, real-estate agents and homebuilders.

The chamber's request, sent to the city last month, says that Winston-Salem has enacted too many ordinances in recent years that add to the cost of doing business. The letter specifically mentions ordinances that affect sidewalk and street standards, storm-water regulations, sign regulations and even an ordinance that requires business owners to remove graffiti.

Okay, I understand that the Chamber's job is to advocate for businesses in the city so I don't begrudge it the position it's taking.  It's a later paragraph that they use to help justify their position that just blew my mind:

The number of zoning cases coming before the planning board is down about 50 percent from last year, a measure that the chamber says is evidence, in part, of "the difficulty doing business here."

What?  The Chamber wants us to believe that adding sidewalks and other such regs are going to keep developers from building?  I have to call "BS" here, because developers build anytime they think there will be a buyer.  You could require them to plant 100 pink ceramic elephants on every acre and they'd do it if they thought they'd have a buyer.  No, I'm thinking that perhaps our country's epic housing decline and credit crisis might have just a little to do with the decrease in zoning cases.  Heck, Paul Norby, the director of the City County Planning Board, says exactly that in the article.

Like I said, I have no problem with the Chamber doing what they think is in the best interest of their members, but they should at least assume that the good citizens of Winston-Salem aren't all a bunch of dumbasses and refrain from condescending arguments such as this.  And if nothing else they should realize that it makes them look like they're the realtors' and developers' lap dogs, which they may very well be. 

BTW, I joined the Chamber last year and unfortunately I've only been able to make an event or two due to the fact that all the events seem to conflict with other obligations.  They did a wonderful job of outreach to me when I joined and it's through no fault of theirs that I haven't been able to do more with them.  I'm hoping to get more involved over the next couple of months.  On the other hand, I often find myself disagreeing with their public policy initiatives so I'm thinking they may not like having me around if I start piping up on the issues and letting them know what I think about many of their government affairs positions.  I don't think that will win me the Dale Carnegie "How to Win Friends and Influence People" prize.

Wal-Mart HR

I was in one of the circles of hell, the Wal-Mart on Hanes Mall Blvd., when I spied two signs by the doors to the employee section. One was "motivational" and the other a sign posted above the computer terminals to be used by job applicants.

First, motivational: Today's Stock Quote, 57.67. Tomorrow Depends on You!

Second, the job applicant (I'm paraphrasing): As part of its selection and hiring process this company engages in drug testing of otherwise qualified employees. These tests are very sensitive and will detect any trace of illegal substance. If you have used illegal drugs recently don't waste our time, or yours, by applying. Any positive result will also prevent you from being hired in the future.

Questions I have, and I'm being serious here: How many retail workers at Wal-Mart are shareholders?  How many Wal-Mart retail employees are motivated by the company's performance on Wall Street?

Also, what kind of atmosphere does a company have that they feel they need to have a sign worded like the drug warning?  Sure it's a good idea to tell them that you have standard drug tests, but why be so belligerent with the "don't waste our time" stuff?  You think Costco approaches their hiring the same way?

You reap what you sow.

links for 2008-07-17

• Seth's Blog: There it is again
  Seth provides some important observations about the Long Tail theory.
  (tags: marketing strategy)
• Seth's Blog: Should small businesses whine?
  Best line from this post about small business:  "Small is a weapon, not an excuse"
  (tags: smallbusiness)
• Seth's Blog: The statesman, the lawyer and the marketer
  Seth's point: Don't be afraid to be honest as a marketer.  If your competitor is a better fit for a prospect, help em out.  In the long run you gain credibility and great word of mouth marketing.
  (tags: marketing)

Is Ford Really This Stupid?

I think most businesses would love to have a little word of mouth advertising, but it seems that the folks at Ford (or at least their law firm) are more interested in protecting their trademark than cultivating a relationship with some of their most avid supporters.  From Boing Boing:

Josh sez, "The folks at BMC (Black Mustang Club) automotive forum wanted to put together a calendar featuring members' cars, and print it through CafePress. Photos were submitted, the layout was set, and... CafePress notifies the site admin that pictures of Ford cars cannot be printed. Not just Ford logos, not just Mustang logos, the car -as a whole- is a Ford trademark and its image can't be reproduced without permission. So even though Ford has a lineup of enthusiasts who want to show off their Ford cars, the company is bent on alienating them...

"I got some more info from the folks at cafepress and according to them, a law firm representing Ford contacted them saying that our calendar pics (and our club's event logos - anything with one of our cars in it) infringes on Ford's trademarks which include the use of images of THEIR vehicles. Also, Ford claims that all the images, logos and designs OUR graphics team made for the BMC events using Danni are theirs as well. Funny, I thought Danni's title had my name on it ... and I thought you guys owned your cars ... and, well ... I'm not even going to get into how wrong and unfair I feel this whole thing is as I'd be typing for hours, but I wholeheartedly echo everything you guys have been saying all afternoon. I'm not letting this go un-addressed and I'll keep you guys posted as I get to work on this.

I'm sorry, but at this point we will not be producing the 2008 BMC Calendar, featuring our 2007 Members of the Month, solely due to Ford Motor Company's claim that THEY own all rights to the photos YOU take of YOUR car."

You can read the predictably irate comments of club members on the BMCForum here.

Cross posted at Lowder Enterprises.

I think most businesses would love to have a little word of mouth advertising, but it seems that the folks at Ford (or at least their law firm) are more interested in protecting their trademark than cultivating a relationship with some of their most avid supporters.  From Boing Boing:

Josh sez, "The folks at BMC (Black Mustang Club) automotive forum wanted to put together a calendar featuring members' cars, and print it through CafePress. Photos were submitted, the layout was set, and... CafePress notifies the site admin that pictures of Ford cars cannot be printed. Not just Ford logos, not just Mustang logos, the car -as a whole- is a Ford trademark and its image can't be reproduced without permission. So even though Ford has a lineup of enthusiasts who want to show off their Ford cars, the company is bent on alienating them...

"I got some more info from the folks at cafepress and according to them, a law firm representing Ford contacted them saying that our calendar pics (and our club's event logos - anything with one of our cars in it) infringes on Ford's trademarks which include the use of images of THEIR vehicles. Also, Ford claims that all the images, logos and designs OUR graphics team made for the BMC events using Danni are theirs as well. Funny, I thought Danni's title had my name on it ... and I thought you guys owned your cars ... and, well ... I'm not even going to get into how wrong and unfair I feel this whole thing is as I'd be typing for hours, but I wholeheartedly echo everything you guys have been saying all afternoon. I'm not letting this go un-addressed and I'll keep you guys posted as I get to work on this.

I'm sorry, but at this point we will not be producing the 2008 BMC Calendar, featuring our 2007 Members of the Month, solely due to Ford Motor Company's claim that THEY own all rights to the photos YOU take of YOUR car."

You can read the predictably irate comments of club members on the BMCForum here.

Cross posted at Lowder Enterprises.

Am I a Hypocrite?

Yesterday I wrote a post asking if Baptist Hospital or Novant should be considered non-profits.  Jim Caserta left a good thought provoking comment to which I replied and in the process had my memory tickled.  I remembered writing something a while back about good non-profits behaving more like a business than an organization that exists merely to do good.  Here's what I wrote in May '06:

As you may know I do most of my work with non-profits and here is what I can tell you about them: the good ones behave just like well-run, for-profit companies.  If they think of themselves as existing for a "higher purpose" and justify their existence in that light then they are doomed.  If, on the other hand, they view their members or constituents as customers and view their existence as serving those customers then they are most likely going to succeed.

So it looks like I might be talking from both sides of my mouth, or maybe I'm a hypocrite for writing what I did about Novant and Baptist.  Really, I think I just wrote poorly last year.  I do believe the non-profits that are run by zealots who believe that they will succeed simply because their cause is righteous are doomed to failure.  You do need to take a business like approach to your efforts; pay attention to your budget, balance your books regularly, live within your means which probably means you can't do everything you want, regularly audit your operations, etc. 

On the other hand non-profits are also defined by their missions.  Unlike a business their success is measured in part by how they fulfill their missions and how they serve their communities.  While I see no evidence that Baptist or Novant provides sub-standard health services it does seem to me that they could do a better job serving everyone in their communities.  In other words they could stand to be a little more zealous.

Reap What Ye Sow

Given that I've written over 1,200 posts for this blog I'm not too surprised when I stumble across something I've written and then totally forgotten.  A case in point is the post Bankers are Giving Lawyers a Run for Their Money that I wrote a little over a year ago.  In that post I take Chase to task for their behavior towards us regarding the last payment on our car loan.  Here's an excerpt to give you a taste:

Here's what has my dander up today: When we got back from San Francisco we had a message from Chase saying we're late on our last car payment.  This confused Celeste because we've been paying with autodrafts from our bank account for four years, or the entire lifespan of the car loan.  When she called Chase back they said that if we'd read the fine print of our loan we would have known that they don't accept autodrafts for the last payment.  Okay, fine.  So Celeste asks the very unfriendly bank rep why we're hearing about this only now that the payment is 90 days late and we've been put in collections?  The rep's reply is that she can only handle payment, not answer customer service questions.

It gets better.  Celeste asks how much we owe.  The rep says she needs our bank information before she can answer any questions.  Huh? After Celeste asks again the woman gives her the amount and they take care of the payment information, which by the way requires a $15 processing fee.  Huh?  (Celeste truly has a knack for getting the asshole reps).

Before she gets off the phone with the bank's collection-dolt Celeste gets a customer service number, calls it and enters into banker-logic zone. The customer service rep asks her for our address to verify that he's talking to the right person.  When she gives him the address he says that it is the wrong address.  Bingo, they never got our change of address when we moved two years ago, which probably explains why we didn't get a late notice on the final payment.  Yet they were able to track us down for collection purposes.  Nice...

Here's my problem.  The bank is probably within their rights, technically, to treat us like this but in the real world they are behaving reprehensibly.  We'd obviously been good customers for four years, but they're treating us like criminals because of an honest mix up?  And who's to say it's our fault?  If they could track us down for collection couldn't they have done the same for a courtesy call reminding us that an autodraft wouldn't be accepted for our final payment?

Less than a year later we see what's happened to the banks and other financial institutions after the underestimated impact of the sub-prime meltdown.  The hubris endemic to the financial services industry has led to the inevitable "correction" but it's near impossible to enjoy it because real people are losing their jobs while the jerks that engineered this fiasco are bailing out with platinum parachutes that make their predecessors' golden parachutes look positively pedestrian in comparison.  Will someone please sue these turds and make an example of them?

Verizon Wireless Opening Up

I'm no expert on the wireless business but my instinct is that Verizon Wireless just made a shrewd move.  They are opening up their network to any third party hardware and are going to allow any application to work on said hardware.  Some folks think they're doing it because of Google's recent announcements about their plans for wireless, and others think it has to do with the upcoming FCC auction of the 700mhz spectrum which will require the winner to enable consumers to access their network with any device or software they wish.

What I think this means is that we're moving closer to having wireless services similar to Korea's and Japan's.  In short order I think you're going to see the other providers do the same thing in order to stay competitive, and then you're going to see an explosion of innovation for your phone(s).

I've been a Verizon Wireless customer for years, not because I love going to their store and navigating their byzantine pricing plans, but because they provide more consistent coverage in my town.  Heck, they're the only one that provides a decent signal in my house.  Now if I can get any phone or software I want to go along with that strong signal I might actually like being their customer.

The Extra Mile at Office Depot

Celeste, who really should have her own blog but I've given up that fight for now, asked me to share this tale of great customer service.  Yesterday she went to the Office Depot on Hanes Mall Boulevard to buy a certain electronic item that they had on sale.  They were sold out and when she asked if she could have a rain check they said "no".  To his credit the man helping her, a fellow named Tim, offered to call the other stores in the area to see if they had one.  He did and informed her that one store did indeed have two units but there was no guarantee they'd be there when she got there.  She didn't have time to go, but Tim offered to call her and let her know if his store got more of the units in the next couple of days.  She gave him her cell number and thought that was the end of it.

This morning Celeste got a call from Tim.  He'd driven to the other store, gotten one of the units, brought it back and had it waiting for her behind the counter and said she could drop by any time to pick it up.  Tim, who asked that she not give his last name, definitely went the extra mile and the folks at Office Depot should take note.  If he hadn't gone the extra mile I'd be writing a post about how they'd lost a sale because of their silly rain check policy.  Celeste had already identified a store with a price matching policy where she could get the item she was looking for, and had Tim not called she'd have gone by there today.  I'm thinking Tim deserves at least a bonus, if not a raise.