I don't know about you, but I'm getting a little tired of discovering all the ways big companies are ripping us off "dollar by dollar"..."penny by penny". I'll tell you, with the economy the way it is I personally scrutinize EVERY bill that comes into my home or business. Why? Because in the good ole days: a bill was a bill. You just paid it; no questions asked.
Okay, I confess that like most Americans I just didn't pay that much attention to all those line items (my bad). Now (in these "hard economic times) I'm beginning to realize how many little petty charges companies like Bank of America, AT&T, FP&L, and only God knows who else who have been sticking it to customers like me and you. Here's the latest "let's stick it to 'em" I've discovered.
Since I have AT&T Internet service at work I figured it would be a great deal to have it at home, too. So, I signed up for the Ultra service because the speed was faster than the Lite they're always advertising. For months now I've been paying the bill and not noticing what was being itemized in the Internet portion. I was more concern about controlling long distance charges that my family members might rack up.Anyway, I recently noticed a $5.00 Home Networking Plus charge on my monthly bill. I thought the additional charge was for our wireless connection because we have laptops galore among five family members. I contacted AT&T service and asked about the charge. Well, a very smooth talking service representative came on the line (after a zillion phone prompts) and told me that it was part of my DSL service charge. I told her that I didn't ask for this service and why did I have to pay for it. (Here comes the "stick it to 'em"). She said that if I upgrade my Ultra service to the Extreme 3.0 service I wouldn't have to pay the five dollar charge.Now, if you're following this story closely you already know what's about to happen here. I did, too. So, I asked, "Is the upgrade free?" And, the answer was emphatically: "No". I politely asked (in my "could you rip me off some more" tone of voice), "How much is the Extreme 3.0 service?" Ms. Campbell said, "$37.95.Okay, let's see if I can figure this out? If you look at my bill below you'll notice that it's the SAME price as what I was paying for the Ultra service. Hmmm?
In addition, Ms. Campbell told me that the Extreme service is much faster than the Ultra service. At that moment I honestly broke out into laughter. In fact, Ms. Campbell started laughing, too, especially when I said, "That's what I'm paying NOW. So, in reality I'm still going to be giving AT&T $5 dollars". (That's right, Buddy). Although I was sarcastically laughing out loud, in the back of my mind I wondered why AT&T carried on this type charade for a few bucks. Then it dawned on me: $5 bucks time a couple thousands or million customers per month could equal some SERIOUS revenue.So, Dear Readers, if you have AT&T Ultra service I advise you to IMMEDIATELY upgrade to the Extreme 3.0 service. You're getting ripped off!!!! Call: 1-888-757-6500 and at least get something for your $5 bucks. If you're lucky you may get Ms. Campbell and the two of you can have a good laugh as she upgrades your service.Enjoy!Willie
Imagine this story. A young photographer photographs a couple's wedding 20 years ago in the city of Hollywood, Florida. Like most wedding photographers eventually he looses contact with the newly weds and doesn't hear from them ever again. Nevertheless, as the years go by he continues to wish them success in their new adventure.
Then one day he gets a phone message from a mother who's looking for a photographer to create senior photographs of her daughter. He returns the call to the parent and while they are discussing the type images she'd like taken of her daughter, she asks him if he does wedding photography, too. The photographer confirms that he does at which the mother says, "I believe you did my wedding 20 years ago. Is your name Willie?"
I said, "Yes".
Diana Holiday said, "I recognized your voice right away. I was hoping you were still in business and I could find you. You did such a good job at my wedding I wanted you to photograph my daughter's senior portraits. I was blown away by Diana's vivid recollection of every detail of me photographing her wedding. That was 20 years ago, she was still living at the same address, and now her only child was a high school graduate.
That is truly an amazing story and could only have happened because I provided great service to a client and because I'm so blessed to still be in business. Here's the great ending to this story...Erin.Let me tell you about this teenager. In one word..."cool". As soon as I met her she seemed to be a breath of fresh air with a lot of confidence about herself. It didn't take much for us to formulate a friendship and I knew exactly how she wanted to be captured in pictures. Diana had some ideas of what she wanted, Erin had her own thoughts on the subject, and I was excited about work with this impressionable young lady. Check out the fun we had...Mustang, doggie, and all!
Enjoy!
Willie
[To see more of Erin's images, click on the slideshow below.
Many of you who personally know my family have been praying for my wife's mom, Bertha Reynolds, who has been battling cancer for several years. January through March my wife had the opportunity to return to Little Rock, Arkansas and spend some quality time with her mother and siblings before she passed away on March 18th. It has been a difficult time for Eddie Mae to deal with her mother's illness because of the travel distance, but their relationship was enhanced during those months. As she cared for her mother it gave her the emotional strength she needed to deal with her illness and now her passing.Our entire family traveled to Little Rock for the funeral, and it was a moment of great reflection and a time of appreciation for extended families. I personally want to thank all of Eddie Mae's friends and my church friends for your support and encouragement to our family. The cards, flowers, phone calls, visits, and food were well received and appreciated. It's an amazing thing to experience the love of friends in a moment of bereavement. It's a blessing that you never forget, yet it leaves you with not enough days to say "thank you" to those who were thinking of you.Thank you.The Hills
Images: Dana L. Hill
In addition, Ms. Campbell told me that the Extreme service is much faster than the Ultra service. At that moment I honestly broke out into laughter. In fact, Ms. Campbell started laughing, too, especially when I said, "That's what I'm paying NOW. So, in reality I'm still going to be giving AT&T $5 dollars". (That's right, Buddy). Although I was sarcastically laughing out loud, in the back of my mind I wondered why AT&T carried on this type charade for a few bucks. Then it dawned on me: $5 bucks time a couple thousands or million customers per month could equal some SERIOUS revenue.
