Rantings and questions

19 years ago

A guy from Dunn & Bradstreet called today wanting to "update your business information". He asked what I thought were nosy questions so I asked him how I was supposed to know that he was who he claimed to be. He gave me an 800 phone number and then said, "Now may we proceed?" I pointed out that I still needed to call the number before I answered any more questions. He said, "Oh! OK!" and hung up. I called the number and it was indeed D & B but they wanted me to punch in my 9 digit subsription code or my business phone number. I don't have a business number and I don't want to jeopardize my good deal phone package by punching in my home phone number. The phone service provider says its not for business use.

My questions are What do Dunn & Bradstreet do? Do I need them to have my business information? Should I have answered this man's questions? Does it matter? I am SO tired of people calling me and trying to rent me postage meters or whatever. I wish I had a business manager to handle all this stuff and just let me grow my plants. But I can't afford one right now. I just want to make enough money to survive. How do you handle the business end of your nursery? I don't know what to worry about and what to ignore. Whaaaaa!!!!!!!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (12)

Rebecca_WA
19 years ago
They do nothing...
I work in an unrelated business and just hang up on them when they call....
Its none of their business what my business does or earns ...
they sort of keep a file on you like a credit reporting agency...
We have never missed out on any work because we do not have a d&b #
beth1
19 years ago
Dun & Bradstreet is a credit rating company. The general contractor that I work for has his company registered with them so he has a DUNS #. Most people that we do business with, as far as receiving goods on credit, always ask for this number in their credit application, after all they want to make sure that we're good for it.

So, I guess its according to how big your company is & how much business you do on credit according to whether or not you'd be interested in registering your company with them.

Have a blessed day,
Beth
Related Discussions
Are these killed now?
Q
Comments (4)
The established ones should be fine next year, not sure about the baby hellebores. Re: Bloodroot: They disappear for seemingly no reason (I have lost established clumps, which I've posted about before, and for the life of me can't figure out why...) so if you lose them don't be too quick to blame on the mowers.
...See More
So many problems where do I start??? Rant & question in the end!
Q
Comments (2)
You have a right by law to inspect the apartment as the rental company inspects it~if you put it in writing. That way,you can walk through with them,and if they try to say it isnt clean,you can have them point out exactly what it is they say isnt clean. Or,take pictures of how clean it is.then when they tell you you're being charged for cleaning,you have your pics to prove it already was cleaned.
...See More
Mini rant and question - What do you pay?
Q
Comments (21)
Yeah, not really my idea of 'living' either, dlm. I can't imagine spending all those hundreds of dollars a month for all this stuff. I used to pay $155 for internet/VOIP/cable tv. I thought that was an outrageous amount to spend on these things! I also have a cell phone strictly for emergencies that costs $25/mo. I've since switched to a landline $17/mo (only $8 for the landline but another $8+ surcharges). I need this for security system/fire, incoming calls, and power outages. I use Google Voice (free) for all outbound calls (usually works just fine though certainly not as convenient as just picking up a handset). Switched from broadband to DSL which is half the cost at $30/mo. It usually seems to be faster! As for the tv, it's not something I really enjoy or want to spend my time on. I will use the DVD player when I want to spend my time watching something really good (once I get it set up). Or read, play music or even watch select shows that are available on the net. I am however paying $22/mo for the antenna service at this point (the digital box and indoor antennas I tried aren't working very well). I think I'll be getting a roof antenna installed to rid the monthly fee for that expensive service. I am also changing over to a $100/yr prepaid phone card for the emergency cell (has a $1 daily access fee when the phone is used). So, $8-$10/mo for that instead of $25, reduced by $200/yr. So, down from approximately $180/mo (ridiculous) to $78. Hopefully $56/mo in the near future when I've got an outdoor antenna installed. Boy that sounds good. More like the old days!
...See More
Land Takeover Question
Q
Comments (13)
merrygardener, I would love some tea but I'm clear across the country! While reading all these postings again I had another idea -- does your town have some form of government like a council or board of supervisors or planning commission where residents are invited to speak? Township officials in my area generally meet twice a month. There is always opportunity for public comment. People stand to announce events, complain, compliment, comment, etc. In our town, if an item is on the agenda public comment occurs immediately after the agenda item. If an item someone wants to comment is NOT on the agenda, the person is invited to speak during general public comment. In my opinion, a zoning officer that is not responsive (and yours sounds less than stellar) might actually become more helpful if you approach this from the top down. If you go to the meeting, thank the elected officials (you could also go to a planning board meeting, if you have that) for their public service and ask some questions like 1) is this a typical situation in town? 2) how does the town usually go about addressing violations of this nature? Be courteous and unemotional. They will ask you to describe your situation. The goal is for this to get up front in people's minds. It also gives your zoning officer a kick in the pants. Your zoning officer was hired by your township council or supervisors or mayor -- no matter what form of governance you have, people like your zoning officer work for the elected leaders and for YOU. Your neighbor's encroachment regardless of him being a member of another HOA may be a zoning violation. Or it may not be. But you have to find out the status of that property and the people on that dais (or however they sit) will know its status OR will direct someone who will nail down its actual status so you know what you're up against. If it is a violation I don't think the membership in another HOA invalidates that. These are very much squeaky wheel getting the grease situations. Also, you may want to bring someone in your neighborhood who is sympathetic to your plight as a witness to speak in your behalf. I would also bring photographs. Ideally you would have photos of that land in a pristine state pre-violation. Once you've gotten them to address this in a meeting it becomes part of the meeting minutes which makes it an ongoing agenda item. A problem such as yours is not aided by only working with one municipal official, in my opinion. Save all correspondence, print out emails, take pictures. I agree with you that the desecration of natural habitat is very distressing, aside from your loss of viewscape. I would keep hammering away. These things do take a loooong time. It could be a few years. Be patient though. Sometimes people are counting on your losing interest or intimidation by stonewalling you. Hang in there and you will prevail. Land use and zoning is not a subjective thing. There are ordinances and codes that govern use of the land. You need to figure out what that status of that land is, what ordinances are in your area, and then get the zoning officer to do his/her job. There is corruption in small towns, sweetheart deals, people given access and privileges because of who they know or how much they've contributed financially. I've seen it in my area, very bad abuses of power. I'm not saying it's the case here but I only mention it because I don't know why your zoning officer is dragging this out.
...See More
vegangirl
Original Author
19 years ago
OK. Thanks Rebecca and Beth. Since my company is very small and we don't do any business on credit right now, I guess I don't have to worry about it. Is there a fee for registering with them? All these business things are stressful to me:-(
beth1
19 years ago
Check out the following site. It should answer all of your questions:

http://www.dnb.com/us/

God bless,
Beth
The_Mohave__Kid
19 years ago
Forget the Dun and Bradstreet call ... I use to get them all the time ... a better call you will get ... even more absurd is the Better Business people ... you don't need them either ! They need you.

Good Day ...
deeproots
19 years ago
have fun with them....
when they ask how much your business made this year, either:

1. make up an absurb number (I apparently made 1.72million last year with my business of one man. Course now I get alotta calls about people wanting me to invest money).

2. swap info for info.
D&B: Sir, how much did your nursery gross last year?
drew: welp, I'll letcha know, but first.... what type of underwear do you prefer? boxers, briefs, thongs?
D&B: uhhhh yeah, and how many employees are you currently employing?
drew: depends... do I count that lil retarded boy I keep out in the barn? have you ever done anything you've been REALLY ashamed of?
*click*

best of luck,
dp
Ron_B
19 years ago
I guess they didn't call the cops about that boy in the barn.
vegangirl
Original Author
19 years ago
Thanks for the web site Beth. I'll check it out.

Well, I feel better:-) I'll be ready for the Better Business call.

Drew, my Dad would love you! He does that to telemarketers all the time.
veronicastrum
19 years ago
Hi vegangirl,

If you're working on your own, I would suggest investing in two phone upgrades - caller id and voice mail. You can then ignore the unknown numbers and let them go to voice mail. Most of the annoying solicitors don't leave messages. If you ignore the wrong call, you can get the message and call them right back.

If you do take the calls, there are some important things to remember. First of all, ALWAYS ask what company they are calling from if they don't give that info right away (or if you miss it). The scammers will usually hang up at that point. Second, if it's a legitimate business but you have no need for their services, ask them to place your number on their do not call list.

Many of the calls are just plain annoying, but some of them can lead to trouble, by seeking your approval to send you over-priced office supplies or switching utility providers or other such nonsense.

In a past job, I was butting heads with a woman who had come out of the Fortune 500 world and did not understand some of the day to day realities of small business. She demanded that any calls regarding office equipment be sent to her, and it didn't take too long before she authorized the purchase of copier toner from some of the infamous "toner pirates". The toner that she ordered cost $300 versus about $60 from our regular supplier, did not need to be purchased at all since we had a maintenence contract that covered toner, and was of inferior quality. Since she had wanted to be in charge of this stuff I graciously let her handle the "no returns" policy of the company she had ordered from.

Of course, when the NRA kept trying to call both my husband and son at home, I was tempted to make up some awful shooting accident that had them both hospitalized...

V.
vegangirl
Original Author
19 years ago
V, How kind of you to let the lady handle the no returns policy! LOL!!

You're right, I do need to get caller ID and voice mail. That would save me a lot of aggravation I'm sure. I'm so new at having a business that I'm often not sure if I need to listen or ignore. For instance, one week, I had received numerous calls from credit card companies or whoever wanting me rent or buy a credit card machine, etc. Finally one guy called and asked "Do you take credit cards?" (This was the way all the other calls started out too.) I snapped, "No, I don't and I don't want to get a credit card machine either!" A very apologetic guy replied, "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to sell you anything. I just wanted to know if you would take my card". I felt like crawling into a hole and staying there.
bambooo
19 years ago
Information is a commodity.
They are going to sell the info to their subscribers.
There is nothing in it for you.
Other than interrupting your work and train of thought.
When they call ask them to remove your name from their calling list and to never call again.
vegangirl
Original Author
19 years ago
Bambooo, I'm going to do just that:-)

Rantings and questions

Comments (12)

Rebecca_WA

beth1

Related Discussions

vegangirl
Original Author

beth1

The_Mohave__Kid

deeproots

Ron_B

vegangirl
Original Author

veronicastrum

vegangirl
Original Author

bambooo

vegangirl
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Rantings and questions

Comments (12)

Related Discussions

vegangirlOriginal Author

vegangirlOriginal Author

vegangirlOriginal Author

vegangirlOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

vegangirl
Original Author

vegangirl
Original Author

vegangirl
Original Author

vegangirl
Original Author