Use of cash declining?
lucillle
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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Declining an invite or request-WWYD?
Comments (22)Lets say you're invited to an event by a couple that has a predicable history of disaster. EVERY SINGLE EVENT this couple is part of turns out to be painful and not fun. Would you just say "Sorry, we can't make it" and leave it at that, or would you feel you have to come up with an excuse? I used to teach professionals a class called "Getting to NO" It was about how to deal with clients when you have to decline a loan etc in banking but invariably it turned into a social situation lesson as well, and for some reason mother in laws frequently came up :) My number one lesson, and one that people find the hardest to deal with is to just say NO. Thank you for the invitation, we are unable to attend. Say no more. If you offer an excuse than you open it up for debate...ie "Sorry we can't attend....We have regular Sunday dinners with Mom" Their response..."Bring Mom" You can't win with excuses. Just say NO. What if you have no reason not to attend other than the fact that you just do not want to go? Would you have a problem saying you have other plans? Even if those other plans meant lying on the couch watching a Gilligan's Island marathon? Again, don't offer up that you have other plans. "I'm sorry we can't attend" and no more so that you a) aren't a liar :) And b) offer no counter. If they press you just repeat, I'm sorry we can't attend. Or if someone asks you to help them move, and you really do not want to do it. What would you say? Would you feel obligated to do so, especially if they said that they can't find anyone to help? If this someone is a friend I'd offer to help pack (I'm known to be good at that) but beyond that I don't offer help aside from a moving company name. Friends don't ask friends to help them move :oP What if you owned a truck and they asked to borrow it so they could move? Would you feel obligated to help them then? We own several trucks, cars, etc. Again if this was a close friend I'd offer to drive it while they moved, but as our trucks are owned by the company we don't allow non-employees to drive them which everyone understands. We've many times though driven with a friend to pick up an antique or something in a flat bed and as long as I have time, I don't have a problem with this. I'm not neurotic about a car though. If someone needs to borrow a car we own personally and they're good friends (ie we know their habits etc) we'd loan it without question. We have done this more than once for friends visiting. You're asked by a coworker to spend even more money on yet another fundraiser for their kids school/Scout troop/sports league...would you dig in and do a pity order? If not, what do you do? Yes I do pity orders. The amount of pity depends on the closeness of the relationship :) I then donate the item to a soup kitchen. Win win for all. I used to take my son when I did this so he could see why we brought cookies to the shelter...he does not eat cookies so he didn't mind giving them away LOL But still, it's a good life lesson for kids....See MoreAnyone use Cash4Gold?
Comments (17)Today's LA Times has an article on Cash4Gold: Beneath Cash4Gold's shiny veneer, a dull reality Its offers to buy jewelry, touted in a Super Bowl commercial, don't always translate into big bucks for customers. They have lodged hundreds of complaints that the company shortchanged them. By David Sarno February 6, 2009 Cash4Gold.com, the metal refinery that offers fast money to those who mail in baggies full of jewelry, has hit on a formula that would make 13th-century alchemists weep: It's found a way to turn desperation into gold. And in this economy, that's a growth business. The Florida company ponied up enough bullion Sunday to buy 30 seconds of famously expensive Super Bowl airtime, capping an ascent from the basement of late-night "as seen on TV" marketing. But Cash4Gold's jewelry exchange doesn't always translate into big bucks for its customers, who have lodged hundreds of complaints with the Better Business Bureau and the Florida attorney general's office, saying the company shortchanged them. In one, New York resident Frank Poindexter complained to the attorney general that "he mailed in $150-$200 worth of gold," but "all he got back was a check for 15 cents." Thomas Valle of Colorado said Cash4Gold sent him $16.61 for gold and diamonds that he believed were worth $300. Unsatisfied, Valley requested the prompt return of his jewelry, as per Cash4Gold's terms. "They have not done that, and it has been a month," he reported. Cash4Gold Chief Executive Jeff Aronson said that those two complaints had been resolved and that the company stood by its satisfaction guarantee. He also said the company's website made it clear that trading in jewelry to have it melted down was "not always the right way for somebody to monetize." The airwaves and Internet are filling up with quick-money schemes, not just Cash4Gold and its competitors -- Dollars4Gold, GoldKit and GoldPaq -- but simple ways to make thousands a week at home, or wring a profit from the depleted housing market. But it's Cash4Gold, a 350-employee spinoff of Chicago-based Albar Precious Metal Refining, that has been able to buy its way into the cultural mainstream. Its Super Bowl commercial featured Ed McMahon and MC Hammer, faded celebrities known for their financial woes. Hammer, once a chart-topping rap artist, filed for bankruptcy protection in 1996, and last summer McMahon narrowly missed losing his Beverly Hills estate to foreclosure. "Heeeeere's money!" McMahon intones, in a less-than-enthusiastic reference to his "Tonight Show" heyday. He and Hammer then heft a series of "gold" objects they've decided to unload. For Hammer, it's his gold records and a medallion embossed with his own face; for McMahon, now 85, it's a "golden hip replacement" and a solid gold toilet. Cash4gold said traffic to its website multiplied by a factor of 10 in the wake of the ad. But beneath the shiny veneer lies a dull reality: Cash4Gold is essentially a buyer of scrap metal. And scrap doesn't fetch much on the open market. The Florida attorney general's office says it is examining nearly 60 complaints about Cash4Gold, including some from people who were disappointed by the amount of money they received in exchange for their jewelry. Cash4Gold's literature says its appraisal quotes are "based upon the current price of gold." But the exact price it offers on a given day isn't revealed in its literature, on its website or by its customer service representatives. An investigation conducted by the CBS program "Inside Edition" sent the company 23 pieces of gold that a jewelry expert had valued at close to $1,000. Cash4Gold sent a check for $209.81, an amount at which the expert scoffed. The Better Business Bureau has processed 269 complaints nationwide about Cash4Gold in the last 36 months. The pattern of complaints, the bureau's website says, is similar to what the Florida attorney general's office describes: Consumers allege that "the company is not offering a fair value for the jewelry," and that they've had a hard time getting their materials returned. Aronson, the CEO, said Cash4Gold provided a quick way for its customers to get some value from their jewelry. But, he said, "there are ways for them to make more money sometimes by reselling to pawnshops and jewelers," and that was what might account for some of the grumbling. Cash4Gold is not evaluating jewelry for its craftsmanship or resale value. Its website says the company pays "based solely on the weight and karat grade" of the items. "If you have the ugliest piece of gold or the most beautiful piece of gold, to me it's the same thing," Aronson said. He also said the company stood by its satisfaction guarantee, which promises to return items to customers who don't like the price they're offered. "If they're not happy, let them have it back," Aronson said. "The problem is people get upset. They think it should be worth more, and it's not, and they get angry." Aronson defended his company's track record, saying that 269 Better Business Bureau complaints in the last three years out of 700,000 customer transactions was commendable. "Tell me one company in the world that wouldn't die for that ratio," he said. But Southwest Airlines Co., which serves 100 million passengers a year, had only 212 complaints in the same time period, according to the Better Business Bureau database. Cash4Gold has tried on multiple occasions to pluck thorns from its side by pressuring bloggers who criticize its service. Joe Laratro, a Florida-based Web consultant, wrote on his personal blog last week that he'd been employed by Cash4Gold for 11 months to run what he called "a Reputation Management campaign." In one instance, he reached out to a website whose unflattering review appeared among the first few Google search results for "Cash4Gold." The owner of that site, Cockeyed.com, received an e-mail from Laratro in which he said Cash4Gold "would really like to make it worth your while to take it down or make it more positive." "Is it worth a few thousand to take it down?" Laratro asked. Instead of removing the post, Cockeyed owner Rob Cockerham posted Laratro's e-mail online....See MoreAnyone here turn in their used ink cartridges for cash?
Comments (13)In answer to your question, Jodi...Staples has no way of knowing whether you purchased the ink from them. I, inadvertently, turned in a few Canon cartridges that I didn't buy from them. I received the $2/each credit. Normally, I buy all my ink at Staples and that's the purpose of the rebate program. Technically, one is getting a discount off the next purchase of ink. I think the program is manufacturer sponsored through Staples. I know that my store has gone to great lengths with Canon to keep their pricing equal in all supplier stores in my area. BJ's carries all brands of printer ink...including Canon...and I recently made a point of noting that BJ's, Walmarts and Targets pricing is now equal to Staples shelf prices. With my return cartridge credits...I now get the Canon ink for less than shelf price and that's Staples goal....See MoreHas the decline in your home's value
Comments (43)christopherh, Yes, I understand what you're saying. We had a similar emotion when we delivered all of those turkeys. My DH spent two nights this week serving at the Hospice booth in the local shopping mall, he's rang the bell for the Salvation Army, his bank does the Angel tree like your community does & people are very generous, we donated an antique painting this year for a silent auction benefiting Make A Wish (a charity close to my heart), I've made thousands of phone calls for the hospital since T-day, QVC always has a Today's Special Value during the holiday season of Weekly Reader books & I always purchase a few sets & donate to our local libray & hospital, I've been playing Christmas carols at the nursing home near my house twice/week for a month, & we will be serving dinner to the homeless on Christmas Day after breakfast with our family. Sure, we make financial donations & many organizations prefer that but there's huge need for volunteers. Organizations are always chronically short on volunteers. Thank you for giving freely of your time & money to the needy. And, it's true...we can't forget after New Year's. People need help twelve months a year! My DH also can't give plasma. On his third attempt the nurse told him to return to just giving blood. He gives every three months unless medications make him ineligible. I can't donate blood due to health & medications & I greatly admire all those who keep our national blood supply going. So, kudos to all of you who donate! To keep this OT...charities are reporting donations are down pretty much across the board this year & they are attributing it to people having less disposable income due to higher food & energy costs on the home front. It wouldn't surprise me either if some of those who've lost their homes to foreclosure are also part of the increased need at the food banks. /t...See Morelucillle
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agolucillle
4 years agolucillle
4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
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