Dead Bloggers Society: November 2005 Archives

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November 30, 2005

Bathfitter, Bath Fitter, Bath Inc. Saga Continues

"The BBB has determined that the company has addressed all disputed issues and exhibits a good faith effort to resolve the complaint; however, the customer remains dissatisfied despite the company's best efforts to satisfy the customer."

In case anyone was interested in the resolution of my Bath Fitter fiasco, I thought today would be good cause for an update. The Better Business Bureau sent me notice of the pending closure of this case last night, and along with this notice, I was given the first opportunity to read Bath Fitter's formal response to my complaint. I have included here, my full rebuttal to Bath Fitter's answer to my complaint should anyone be interested. Suffice to say, if you are not so inclined, I am not satisfied with the Better Business Bureau's acceptance of the company's inconsistent reply, and this is not the end of the matter.

To whom this may concern,

In regards to your closure of case# 117***:

To be perfectly honest, I am floored by Bath Fitter's response to this claim, and I am very suspicious of the BBB's inability to see the inconsistencies in their version of this problem. I think it best to respond to each of Bath Fitter's claims in their response individually, as it is ripe with falsehoods.

Bath Fitter stated:

“Jessica had a bathroom shower in her basement that we (Bathfitter)covered with our acrylic wall and floor system. Jessica called the office the following day and stated that her shower was not the same quality workmanship as the one we previously did on her second floor, and that there was stains on the new carpet she just had installed.”

The contracts were in my name as well as my fiance's, although she paid the initial deposit with her check. All communications since the initial meeting to sign the contracts were with me, Andrew Bryden, and my name is signed on the contracts. I called the same day the work was performed to complain about the damage and the poor workmanship. When I did not receive a promised call back the next morning, I called again several times the next day before actually getting to talk to anyone. Jesseca never called.

“I told Jessica that I would like to come out and look at the installation and her rug issues and set up a convienent time with her. After inspection of the shower unit I did agree with her that the workmanship was not up to our standards and offered to have the installer come back and tear everything back out again, and have the installer that installed her other bathroom come back and install this shower as well, and she agreed.”

Again, all communications were with me, not with my fiance, Jesseca, as the company is reporting here. I arranged for Bath Fitter to come and meet with Jesseca, as she had time off from school to meet with them at my house. All subsequent communications, including those regarding the previous installer coming to do the redo of the job were with me as well.

“I then looked at the rug issues and saw 3 spots of silicone the size of pencil erasers and admitted our installer did do these. The other spots near the door of the bathroom were discoloration spots and I explained to Jessica that nothing we use in the installation process would discolor her rug like that, but we were going to have the whole landing professionally cleaned to try and get the silicone out.”

Bath Fitter took pictures of the carpet immediately afterward. I would suggest you ask them for copies of these pictures, as they know very well the silicone spots were several long streaks, half the size of entire pencils, not “the size of pencil erasers” as they state in their response. The spots nearer the bathroom door (which are closer to the size of pencil erasers) were not there prior to their visit, so I am not sure what they are implying by saying there is nothing in their installation process that would discolor the rug like that.

“I contacted a cleaning company in her area,gave Jessica contact info to them so they could schedule with her a convienant time to come out and clean her carpet.The carpet company called me 3 weeks later stating that they have left 6 messages with Mrs. X to schedule the cleaning of her rug, but have still not received a return phone call from her. They asked me if I had another number and after pulling up her contract, found no other. I in turn left a message for Jessica to please call the carpet cleaning place as well, so they could set up an appointment.”

These are outright lies. There were repeated calls by myself to Bath Fitter for weeks trying to get the Carpet Cleaning appointment made. It was not until I called Steve (at Bath Fitter) and gave him the number for a local company here in Falmouth that we received a call from a different cleaning company the next day. We are talking about a month of repeated attempts to get this moving. To suggest we were dragging our feet about getting our carpet fixed is ridiculous. If you can not see that, then the Better Business Bureau is not about consumer protection, it is about protecting its members.

“Another week insued, and I recieved a call from an Drew Brydon who was calling on behalf of Jessica to find out what was going on with her carpet. Mr Brydon was yelling at me saying we weren't doing our job, it has been over a month and nothings been done. I then explained to Mr. Brydon about the repeated attempts to contact Jessica from the carpet company as well as myself.”

Again, blatant lies. All contacts were with me, not with Jesseca. There was yet to be any raised voices at this point, and I never yelled. The majority of my calls were made from work, and yelling would not be possible there (even if I were so inclined). There was never any suggestion of repeated attempts to contact us, as we were waiting anxiously to get the answer we already knew about the carpet: that it was damaged beyond cleaning.

“Another 2 weeks went by and the carpet company called me to say the job was completed and the silicone marks did not come out. I then called The Carpet Barn to speak to Jessica's salesman on the carpet and explained what had happened, and the salesman asked me why Jessica didn't call the store, because they would have sent a factory rep out to clean the carpet and if the stain didn't come out they would have replaced it for free because she paid extra for the warrenty with it.”

“Another 2 weeks went by,” is an obvious attempt to cover the fact that Bath Fitter had been dragging their feet on this for weeks. I suggest you contact the cleaning company that performed the cleaning and find out how long it was between the time Bath Fitter contacted them, and the time of our appointment. It was a matter of days. As for Carpet Barn, the damage to the carpet was not a warranty issue, and Carpet Barn explained that to us. This ignores the fact that the carpet was not cleanable. It also ignores the fact that Carpet Barn (our salesperson, Mark) made it clear from Bath Fitter's first call to them (months later), that they could not replace just the landing at the bottom of the stairs as Bath Fitter originally called and asked them to do.

“I explained to the salesman that it was our fault and we were ultimately responsible for the silicone on the rug, but no, she never mentioned that.he salesman stated that the dye lots may have changed since then and that it may be an issue, and we might have to replace all of the carpet for $2400.00 and I should let him know because there was a price increase right around the corner on that particular rug, and we should order the whole thing right away. I thought that to be strange, so we elected to have our insurance company handle it from there.”

I have had numerous contacts with Carpet Barn (Mark) since this incident, the first of which was questioning the warranty regarding proper cleaning methods. I was concerned that the cleaning company might void our warranty on the carpet. Subsequently, Carpet Barn remained in constant contact with us and with Bath Fitter trying to get the issue resolved before the dye lots changed. By the time Bath Fitter finally called Carpet Barn to request the job, they made it clear to them (Bath Fitter, Steve) that the landing by itself could no longer be replaced, as it abuts another room and the dye lots had changed.

“Mr Brydon called me and stated he filed a claim to the BBB, and put a story about our company all over the internet on a well known blog down on Cape Cod, so everyone would know how our company really was.”

I have made no contact with Bath Fitter since filing the claim with the BBB, nor have they contacted me. My final conversation with Steve was at the beginning of November. At that time, I finally lost my cool and heatedly asked him how he would feel if something he had purchased was ruined like this. I then threatened to file a complaint with the BBB and post my story on a popular blog here on Cape Cod. Miraculously, we got our first phone call from an insurance company the next day. A week later, I had still not been contacted for an appointment. I then filed my claim with the better business bureau and posted a story detailing the terrible customer service I was the victim of on my web log.

“The insurance adjuster called me to find out the details of the claim and then told me he would contact Jessica and take it from there. He also told me that they were only liable to replace the landing area that was damaged at the time of the install, and not the adjacent stairs or adjacent room. I then got a fax from the BBB which I am responding to now. Our company does have a contract with Jessica X, and would be willing to try and resolve the remaining issue of the rug with her, but we have no contract and no connection with Drew Brydon, and because of this, are only willing to settle this with Jessica whom we have the contract with.”

I have the contracts in my possession. They have my name and signature on them. I am also the owner of the property in question. I was finally contacted by the insurance adjuster yesterday, 29 November , 2005. When the insurance company called and spoke with Jesseca, she provided them with contact information and good times to call us. Despite this, two weeks ago we received a message on our answering machine from the insurance adjuster (at a time of day when we had specifically stated we could not be contacted in person). The very next day, we received a letter making it appear as though they had been attempting to contact us without success. We received one phone call, and our replies to the number provided and to the number on our caller ID went to two different answering machines (one the adjusters home, and the one on the letter head to the adjuster's business number). The messages we left at these went unanswered until yesterday.

I would strongly suggest you reconsider the status of this company as members of the BBB in good standing. Either that, or the superiors at Bath Fitter are totally unaware of their subordinates' actions or lack of action on this matter.

I am far from satisfied with this result, and I question the BBB's purpose if you are unable to recognize the time line of this situation and the blatant lies being told by this company's representative. Were my car's paint gouged by a dealership or garage when it was in for service, I would expect it to be resolved in a prompt and courteous manner. The destruction of our carpet was comparable, and the customer service since has been anything but. My story of this incident was basic and did not go into great detail about the number of unreturned phone calls and the extended waits for contact from this company. I did not feel these critical to the relating of the story. However, this story is not simply about a damaged carpet that nearly five months later has yet to be repaired. This is about horrible customer service and a blatant disregard for the customer by this company. If the BBB is not responsible for addressing this, then what is its purpose?

Sincerely,

Drew Bryden
Jesseca X

Additional rebuttal emailed to the BBB on 30 November, 2005:

To whom this may concern;

In addition to our previous rebuttal, I think it important to question why we were repeatedly told after the carpet was finally cleaned on 23 August 2005 that this was out of Bath Fitter's hands and now in the hands of their insurance company. The insurance company never contacted us, or attempted to contact us, until the day after I threatened a complaint to the BBB in the first week of November. We were repeatedly told any number of excuses: "It is out of our hands, our hands are tied." "I'll get on them about it tomorrow." "The claim was given to an adjuster who was on vacation," etc. etc. These excuses went on for three months before any contact from an insurance company. Is it Bath Fitter's contention that the customer service issue is the insurance company's? Or, were we being lied to, and strung along, until I was forced to make threats of complaint and publication of these abuses?

We would appreciate these questions be included in our rebuttal.

Sincerely,

Drew Bryden
Jesseca X

Later, I decided to forward my own pictures of the damage, to show that Bath Fitter was clearly lying and attempting to minimize the actual damage to the Better Business Bureau. I sent another email this afternoon:

To whom this may concern;

This is just to give evidence of the lies told by Bath Fitter when they claim they found "3 spots of silicone the size of pencil erasers." These marks were permanent. The third photo, although not as clear, shows the orange, bleached out discoloration closer to the abutting bathroom door. The carpet was two weeks old at the time these pictures were taken. You tell me who is telling the truth in this matter:

carpet 3.jpg

Like us, you are probably wondering how the bleached out chemical stains got on the carpet if there is nothing that Bathfitter uses in the installation process that could have caused this. It is my assumption that the original Bath Fitter installer attempted to clean additional silicone stains off of the carpet with the nearest cleaner at hand, which was a bottle of tub and tile cleaner we had in the bathroom. It contained bleach.

The saga continues...

To read my original post regarding this mess, please click here.

Posted by capecodcyclist at 03:46 PM | Comments (2)

November 26, 2005

Did Hurricane Katrina Expose Poverty in America, or is the Media Attempting to Save Face?

Who are the real poor in America, and how do we help them?

Two weeks ago, I spent a day visiting with friends from Canada. It is always enlightening to hear the opinion of America's current affairs from outsiders whose only possible perspective can come from the media. They don't live here, so how else can foreigners possibly judge happenings here? During conversation about current events, one of our friends said, “I'm sure you will all be happy when that terrible Bush is out of office. I mean, look at how much he cares for those poor people he abandoned in New Orleans after the hurricane.” Shortly before this comment, I had been reading a Cape Cod Times article that stated much the same. According to many in the media, the primary lesson we should have taken away from hurricane Katrina was the disparity between the “haves” and “have nots” in America. It should be noted that it is the consensus (even within the media) that reports made in the wake of this storm relied more on emotion than on fact. Obviously the press remains desperate to justify this emotionalism, and all too eager to cover up their flawed reporting. This desperation is obvious in their continuing, post-hurricane, poverty coverage.

From my perspective, admittedly safe and sound here on Cape Cod throughout it all, I saw disparities exposed that had little to do with class divisions. Where the media saw a government disinterested in helping the poor, I saw people utterly incapable of helping themselves or each other. The real differences exposed by Katrina were between those of us willing to work and act, and those who equate compassion with dollar signs and government aid. We were exposed to the dramatic difference between those who sit back and wait for help, and those who pull themselves up and take care of business. We also witnessed a local government totally lacking in preparedness to respond to a previously acknowledged transportation problem. Now, we find that reality and the MSM (main stream media) remain in conflict all these weeks later.

Another glaring defect revealed by Katrina is one I have been complaining about since it first occurred: the shameless acts of uncouth zealots who seized on hurricane Katrina in the hours after the flooding to politicize this catastrophe. Within hours of breaks in the New Orleans levee system, MoveOn.org activists were blanketing the internet, chat rooms and message boards with cut and paste propaganda claiming President Bush had cut levee funding. In reality, however, figures from 2001 through 2005 show that Louisiana was the top recipient of Corps of Engineer funding in the country, getting $1.9 billion of the Army Corps of Engineers' $22.9 billion budget. In addition, the three Corps of Engineer flood control projects surrounding New Orleans received a total of $391 million in direct funding during that same five year period. I see another disparity forming here... a disparity in truth. It is interesting that we have NEVER read that truth in print here on Cape Cod (neither had our friends up in Canada). With today's politically biased mainstream media, to find the truth, we must hunt for it ourselves.

Back to the matter of poverty here in America: No right thinking person is going to try to say poverty does not exist here in the United States (or in any country in the world). However, my reaction to both the Cape Cod Times article and my friend's expression of concern for our citizenry was the same. I was ashamed, but I was not ashamed of my government or our President. I was ashamed of the way some of our politicians, many in the media, and liberal activists ignore the causes of poverty here in this country, and will not acknowledge the true scope of real poverty here. The media and our government's harshest critics would prefer we not recognize that our country has some of the most well off “poor” people in the world. They are incapable of discriminating between the real poor in this country, and unproductive members of this society who are living very well despite their lack of motivation or abilities.

By real poverty, I am talking about those who lack the basics. Real poor people lack sufficient nutritious food for their families, transportation (a car or truck) to get to work when needed, and reasonably warm and dry housing. Based on these most basic requirements, America has very few real poor people. The majority of Americans described as "poor" by the media (and our government) now typically have access to transportation (or own a vehicle), have air conditioned homes, a microwave, a stove, a refrigerator, and a washer and dryer. The typical “poor” person in America also has more than one television, has cable or a satellite dish, a VCR or DVD player (many have both), a video game console or computer, and a home stereo. Their home is typically in good condition, and they are not living in overcrowded conditions. They also have access to medical care. The typical American poor family is not hungry and is capable of meeting their essential needs. I am not saying everyone in this country is living the American dream as you and I picture it, but I am saying that we all have equal access to it. The majority of America's poor are far from being “Third World poor” as the media suggests in discussions of poverty. The majority of poor, by the media and our government's definition, are low income people who are living in conditions and with material wealth far superior to the poor in most countries.

Yes, we have families in America who face hardships. There are people (adults and children) among us who deserve far better care than they receive. A third of poor households here in this country face overcrowding, occasional hunger, and difficulty obtaining medical care. I am not disputing that. However, we should be debating the causes and solutions of this problem. The primary cause of poverty here in this country is the breakdown of our families and our communities. Irresponsible consumerism, welfare and the welfare mentality (the “what have you done for me lately” attitude) have done great harm to this country. We must be charitable and compassionate with our weak and our poor, but that charity and compassion are possible and necessary at the local level. The federal administration of our compassion does not seem to be working. For the past five years, federal spending on anti-poverty programs has increased by 41%, and there is no end in sight. The problem keeps getting worse. Perhaps it is time we bring charity back to the local level and seek more creative solutions to lifting our neighbors out of poverty. Government funded welfare is a bottomless pit that we can no longer afford to ignore.

Every time I hear hurricane Katrina (a natural disaster) brought up in stories of poverty and race, my disgust grows. I have read stories that detail how many black businesses were destroyed by hurricane Katrina (yes, it appears natural disaster is a sure sign of prejudice in this country). I have also read countless tales of how the storm affected the poor in New Orleans; but what of all people of every financial level on the entire Gulf Coast? We continue to be told that the poor were abandoned in New Orleans, but what of the hundreds of thousands of people of the same economic status who were able to get out well ahead of the storm? What of all Americans struggling to get by from paycheck to paycheck? The people who were interested in working, those concerned about the possible interruption of their incomes, and those willing to listen to authorities, had no problem getting out ahead of the floods in New Orleans. Yes, there were transportation problems for the weak, sick and handicapped that local authorities should have been prepared for, but that would have been (and has been) an issue for any population, regardless of its affluence.

Hurricane Katrina exposed rifts in this country that go deeper than separation of class and race. Hurricane Katrina exposed the nature of a society that increasingly rejects the worthiness of faith based charities (because it has grown so anti-religious), but feels perfectly comfortable with government hand outs. Government monies (monies that are not even there to spend) have become the preferred method of relief in this growing confusion of money with compassion. Hurricane Katrina also exposed the lengths that liberal activists will go to politicize their agenda. We witnessed this as Jesse Jackson showed up in New Orleans with a bus load of people from Chicago to make a show for the cameras of blacks looking for work. New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin publicly asked how he should deal with a city overrun with immigrant workers... the only workers willing and ready to do the clean up work. There seems to be confusion in our approach to the problem of poverty here in America. We villainize people who are willing and able to work, yet complain that these jobs are not going to a different racial group that does not appear to be present or interested.

Poverty is not a modern affliction. In fact, the modern condition is far better than ever before. However, in his day, Benjamin Franklin addressed this dilemma best in response to laws England proposed to lower prices for London's poor:

“I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I traveled much, and I observed in different countries that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer. …In short, you offered a premium for the encouragement of idleness, and you should not now wonder that it has had its effect in the increase of poverty.”

We have made it more beneficial to be on welfare in this country than to work a minimum wage job, yet there are those who are still questioning why we have poverty in this country. There should be no question that poverty exists here, but there should be much debate on how it should be overcome. The first step should be the acknowledgment that it is not blasphemy to critique the priorities and habits of the poor. The only means people have of escaping poverty is a change of habits and a desire to avail themselves of the opportunities here in this country. Aiding that change in habits and instilling that desire should be priority number one. Second, we must take the politics out of the process. Government never belonged in the role of parent to us all (in the business and private sector). The Depression warranted government intervention to assist the country out of financial ruin, but once the floodgates were opened, the money has continued to flow unchecked. Now, we remain a country of dependents, everyone feeling entitled to their piece of the pie. Unfortunately, we will all (rich, middle-class and poor) be the eventual victims of government spending that far exceeds income.

Since the New Deal, positive forward progress (on critical social and environmental issues) seems impossible without being in the government's pockets. It seems nothing of benefit to the human race is worthwhile without government approval any longer. Until we give faith-based charities the admiration we afford government hand outs, and until we learn that charity and environmental stewardship are beneficial in and of themselves and deserve our financial support (at the personal and local level), we will be forced to continue our dependence on government monies (monies our government does not even have to spend) as the provider of incentive for these worthy endeavors. Somehow, we must turn back the clock, return our government to its original purpose, and take back responsibility for governing ourselves and our communities. The current system is broken, and I challenge anyone who has not discovered their own personal way to benefit from the current system to deny this.

There is equality in access to opportunity in this country, but our ability to avail ourselves of this opportunity will always differ from person to person. Certainly, concern for our neighbor should be a priority in this country, but Utopia is not possible, and compassion is not monetary. Most welfare programs have served more as enablers, contributing to the condition of the poor rather than assisting people out of poverty, or helping them through troubled times. It is time we stop treating people as guinea pigs, abandon broken social programs, and begin progress on rebuilding our communities.

We should all be concerned with the health of our economy, as it affects each of us along with the state of all of our fellow citizens. It is only a matter of time before our economy comes to a screeching halt due to our irresponsible spending (and this is obviously not only on social programs). Pork barrel spending and big government must be reigned in. Revising a tax code that is unfair to the poorest among us and penalizes good family values such as marriage should be part of this focus. Those who criticize big businesses for fleeing the United States are often the same people who disregard and encourage the out of control bureaucracy our government has become. Attracting employers back to the United States will necessitate eliminating the bureaucracy and allowing these businesses to make a profit without forcing them to be the support system for their employees' (past and present) every need. We have become our own worst enemies, and the situation is getting worse. Blaming class divisions on politics is contributing to our problems rather than solving them. While fighting to win more benefits for the poor and downtrodden may seem an admirable crusade, we can not afford to remain ignorant of the causes and perpetuate them. The choice is whether we continue as part of the problem, or change our ways to be part of the solution.

Suggested (somewhat related) reading:
Pork Gumbo, The federal tax bill served up by Louisiana legislators

Posted by capecodcyclist at 05:50 PM | Comments (2)

November 12, 2005

Is Governor Romney's Insurance Reform Plan "Bad" for Massachusetts?

If nothing else, the scare tactics of the Massachusetts Coalition for Affordable Auto Insurance have given some of us a wake up call this week.

In between Don's rantings on WXTK during the commute to work on Wednesday, I heard an advertisement explaining that Governor Romney's auto insurance reform plan is “bad.” This coalition of auto insurance companies and agents “home grown in Massachusetts” (sounds like they are aligning themselves with cranberry growers) is actively attacking the Governor's plan, even insinuating that the plan would somehow be helping to pay Romney's way to a higher office in Washington. The advertisement claims, among other things, that Romney's plan would raise rates for:

* Families with teen-aged drivers
* Young drivers starting out on their own
* Renters
* Those carrying a balance on their credit card
* Blue collar workers
* Drivers in all of Massachusetts' cities

by over $5,000 in many cases...

If Romney's plan would cause these increases, I would like to see or read some facts telling me how this would result. Evidence supporting these claims is mysteriously absent from all of this group's propaganda. Families with teenage drivers and young drivers starting out on their own already pay far higher premiums than the rest of us- I don't see any change there. I can only assume they are making the rest of these claims based on questions asked of drivers in other states when purchasing insurance. The $5,000 claim must be based on someone having the worst driving record- the people that should be paying out the nose. In unregulated states, there are typically many more questions asked of potential customers that can range from what you do for work to whether or not you graduated from college. Perhaps prejudicial questions such as these should be banned here, but keeping companies that ask them elsewhere out of our state is not the solution. In other states they are entitled to factor in whatever they deem necessary into figuring your risk and rates. However, if their rates are not competitive, you are free to take your business elsewhere.

The current system does not allow us the same advantages offered our fellow citizens in other states. By discouraging national companies from doing business here we are prevented these options. The opponents of this bill argue that addressing issues of high accident rates and poor roadways will help lower premiums while preserving our current system. They also claim that the current system benefits us, the consumers. “If it ain't broke, don't fix it,” they say. Excessively high accident rates, poor roadways, and lack of public transportation obviously need to be addressed in many areas. However, we are still left with one important question. If the current system is working and set up to protect consumers, how do we explain annual premiums that are fourth-highest in the nation?

What confuses me most about the Mass. Coalition's campaign against free market insurance is that MASSPIRG, our state's most prominent public interest advocacy organization, has thrown their support behind this group. I am having a hard time understanding how consumer advocates who previously chastised a similar insurance group for statements they made in their advertisements is now supporting a group making blatant political remarks and false, unsupported claims in theirs. I am certainly no expert on insurance, but in examining the evidence I have found, I can not see how Romney's plan would hurt us as consumers. As a matter of fact, although the evidence is not overwhelming, it seems the Governor's plan would benefit the majority of good drivers, bring us a broader selection of insurance products and potentially bring fair, affordable insurance companies back to Massachusetts.

There is obviously more than one side to this debate. In supporting the Governor's plan, we may simply be choosing between the lesser of two evils. However, our power to choose as consumers would be given back to us. That local insurance companies prefer the status quo should not be the determining factor. It is obvious why local insurance companies would be against this plan- more work dealing with more companies for private agencies and less of a monopoly for local companies. I am disappointed that MASSPIRG would allow themselves to be sucked into their selfish endeavors. Massachusetts based Commerce Insurance Company, the 27th largest writer of personal automobile insurance in the United States is the driving force behind the campaign against Romney's plan. The Code of Ethics on Commerce Insurance Company's web site states that:

In accordance with law, the Companies shall not directly or indirectly give, pay, expend or contribute, or promise to give, pay, expend or contribute, any money or other valuable thing for the purpose of aiding, promoting or preventing the nomination or election of any person to public office, or aiding or promoting or antagonizing the interest of any political party.

Apparently this code of ethics does not apply to their fierce opposition to Governor Romney or this plan.

It is obvious that the current system is in need of reform. We deserve more options, and attracting national companies back to Massachusetts may be the best solution. We have gone from fifty-three companies offering auto insurance here in 1990, to nineteen today. Here on Cape Cod, we may also have additional incentive to support the Governor's measure. Many insurance industry officials suggest that the Governor's plan would attract insurance carriers back to the state who would also offer homeowner’s policies at more reasonable rates. The Governor's plan may prove to have additional benefits for us, with our current homeowner's insurance crisis. For Massachusetts' drivers and coastal community homeowners, anything would be an improvement.

Step Up America! It Takes a Country

* Claiming the war in Iraq is about greed for oil.

* Vengeful attacks on our President in the wake of hurricane Katrina.

* Blaming the inhuman behavior and bigotry of fundamentalist Muslim terrorists on America.

* Shamelessly ridiculing the religious beliefs of fellow Americans, only to defend our most vile enemies.

* Spreading anti-government propaganda across our nation's college campuses claiming the voice of patriotism

* Joking about terror alerts as though they correspond to the political climate.

The list continues. Have you been witness to this spreading doctrine America? I am certain I am not the only one observing how trendy it has become to be anti-America, anti-religion, and anti-everything. America bashing has become the new fad being flaunted about like the latest fashion. What an irresponsible waste of energy and intelligence.

These self proclaimed “patriots” are taking aim at those who are the only protection between us and a brand of hate that civil rights activists are all too familiar with. This campaign has snowballed into defending the indefensible. The incomprehensible acts of terrorists- these prejudiced, hate filled, animals who are seeking to hijack Islam, are being blindly defended by many who are flying the banner of social justice. It is one thing to campaign for peace, but another thing entirely to campaign against our defenders. We sent our military to the middle east to do battle with an enemy who brought their Muslim supremacist war to our soil. America is doing exactly what we set out to do after September 11th and this important fight continues. All of us should be showing our gratitude and doing everything in our power to support our troops in this effort.

The detractors tell us that disliking President Bush and the war on terror is not the same as disliking America. Yes, this is true. But as citizens of this country, Democrat or Republican, what price are we willing to pay for this lack of support? Will our bond as Americans, who share in the knowledge that our freedoms are a blessing worth defending, bring us together in response to these threats? Or will we allow the anti-war crowd to continue spreading their fallacious arguments? These fanatics do not just think they are the future of the Democratic party, they think they are the future of America. Their bullying tactics and self declared monopoly on goodness and intelligence must be challenged directly, for it is more than just fellow Americans they are alienating- they are driving a stake into the heart of this society that may prove a fatal blow. These social meddlers are using every human weakness as weapons in their dirty work. Natural disasters, racial tensions, wealth disparities, illiteracy, HIV... all symptoms of the human condition are seized upon as ammunition in their campaign to dismantle this republic.

I hope America wakes up to this dangerous trend. It is obvious how important we all feel it is to be in position to claim the political high ground, but there is a rotten stink about us that must be removed regardless of affiliation. Our allegiance to this country should be enough to put differences aside to teach these anti-American crusaders a lesson. It is not too late to reeducate these actively seditious citizens that we are not called the United States for nothing. Defending your country does not require that you be a Republican, approve of President Bush, or his administration's policies. However, tolerating, applauding and encouraging this mockery of our military is treasonous in my book. Defending this country requires our support. Whether we like it or not, we are all faced with a critical fight for this country and its future. We now have the responsibility to support our military and our President in this endeavor. Our leaders must be pressed to finance the security of our soldiers abroad, better support their families here at home, and moved to actively protect peace loving citizens everywhere.

Our President has responded to the threats posed us by terrorists who seek the destruction of the West and all of our allies. We may not all be ambassadors, terrorism experts, or soldiers capable of military service, but we all have the opportunity to, at the very least, accept the responsibilities of our citizenship as those in our military and our President have. We have all been called upon to step up and do our part in defending this great nation.

Originally Posted: October 13, 2005, Cape Cod Today

Posted by capecodcyclist at 09:28 AM | Comments (0)

The Enemy Within

“It is easy, however, to be patriotic in piping times of peace, and in the sunny hour of prosperity. It is national sorrow- it is war, with its attendant perils and horrors, that tests this passion, and winnows from the masses those who, with all their love of life, still love their country more.” ~ Joseph Holt

Too much energy has been wasted arguing the necessity of war in Iraq. There should be no argument. The danger is obvious. It is unfortunate, but there are enemies in our midst with whom debates of importance to America are pointless. Granted, there are true peace loving folk who hold the immature belief that if we are just kind and loving, the rest of the world will be nice in return. Their pursuit of peace is a worthy endeavor, but this child like view of the world around us is a fantasy that we can not currently afford to entertain. There is another segment of the population who is not so noble. They are willfully ignorant of the realities of the world. Should we blame their foolishness on television, biased education, mainstream media, upbringing, or some combination of, or lack in, all of the above? I would suggest all of the above; but a large part of the blame must fall on irresponsible, crackpots in the media. A sizable portion of our population is so entertainment obsessed that their politics must be spoon fed them by the media and their favorite entertainers. The alarming results are twofold. For some of our less involved citizens, current events seem to have been unwillingly accepted as an irritating interruption in their normal broadcast day. They are willing to accept everything they hear and read, just so long as politics do not interfere with their viewing enjoyment. For others, the result is much more diabolical. This seditious group is convinced their hatred of America is not only justified but an example of true patriotism. A true patriot would not blindly support their country after all. They are correct in this argument; however, a true patriot would support their country in a cause that is both just and critical to our survival!

We are plagued with absent minded liberals who have been hanging on the edge of their seats, monitoring “the drama level” they giddily perceive to be rising in Washington and across the country. These bottom of the barrel liberals may find pleading for the return of oral sex to the White House a comical aspersion on our current President, but the state of our country is no joke. This is not entertainment people, this is our future. Step away from the reality TV and look at the world around you. News is not a late night talk show host's monologue or the cover of the National Enquirer. Unfortunately, these hopeful, juvenile yearnings for some Washington D.C. soap opera will soon be without focus. A little discontent in the ranks is necessary to remind us of our solidarity of purpose. Our common bond is our patriotic support for this country. True patriots may be found on both sides of the aisle, despite what some would have us think. Petty differences and pointed attacks by those who would rather we roll over and wait for our enemies to come to us will not sway our beliefs.

I don't think I have had any more pride and conviction in my ideals than what I have felt in recent weeks. I have also found a deeper respect for those on both sides of the aisle who remain calmly above the partisan treachery that seems rampant as of late. Thanks to those who so deeply hate our President and what America represents, we can all clearly see an enemy that we should not underestimate. Our enemies within America have exposed themselves through their dirty work. They can not help themselves, but show the true character assassins and shameless cowards they are. We can not and will not let these subversive movements or irresponsible pacifists determine the fate of our nation. There is a time for promoting peace and there is a time for standing up for what we believe in and represent. Now is the time to stand up and wave that flag. Anything less is a disgrace.

Originally Posted: October 7, 2005, Cape Cod Today

Posted by capecodcyclist at 09:07 AM | Comments (0)

Where Can We Get the News Around Here?

The Shameless Media: Reporting Only the News Fit to Ignore

Human Rights Watch came out with a detailed study of abuses by insurgent groups in Iraq this week titled: A Face and a Name: Civilian Victims of Insurgent Groups in Iraq. Yes, the study does propose that our military actions and presence are encouraging the insurgent's to commit human rights violations. The portion of the report regarding U.S. And Iraqi government forces, weakly and foolishly suggests that were we nicer to the insurgents they might be nicer in return. However, the report is very clear in detailing the war crimes being committed by the insurgents and completely debunks the “freedom fighter” justification brought to us by Cindy Sheehan, Michael Moore and company. The media, always quick to make front page headlines denouncing what they decry as U.S. atrocities has made not a peep regarding this report. But we have no bias in the mainstream media...

You Don't Have to Take Sides to Report the News

The media, particularly our local Cape Cod Times, seems to be under the impression that reporting a news story is the equivalent of choosing sides. If they disagree with something, they simply do not report it. In this effort, they often cover lackluster stories while ignoring more substantial events. On October 2nd, more than 2,000 pro-life supporters (including people from the Cape) rallied on Boston Common and more than 50 pro-choice demonstrators held their own counter protest. We had no reports of this news in our local rag. Apparently a few people promoting gay marriage is more worthy of coverage. This same anti-wind farm newspaper also insists on calling a contractor interested in the Cape Wind project a “Big Dig” contractor. The only connection the contractor has to the Big Dig is that he purchased a company a year ago that worked on it. Were they reporting the news rather than editorializing it, we would not have had to do our own “Big Dig” for this pertinent information. Every day the Cape Cod Times gives us their own version of the “Big Dig” as they shovel more onto the pile. Nope, no bias there either...

No Republican Left Unindicted

This week, the Government Accountability Office ruled that the Education Department had violated the government’s publicity or propaganda prohibition when it created reports trying to counter the National Education Association's efforts to squash the No Child Left Behind Act. It was not that long ago that prominent Democrats were crying foul that this bill had been plagiarized or stolen by President Bush. Isn't it funny that when a Democrat comes on board with a Republican bill, they are being bipartisan, but when a Republican pushes a bill that is considered worthwhile they have plagiarized it. Suddenly, after the bill passes, and having been trumpeted by those on both sides of the aisle (our Senator Kennedy included), those who championed it and many educators immediately commenced to demonize it.

The spin on this bipartisan bill as an unfunded mandate with impossible to meet demands has been forwarded by the anti-Bush crowd, and the mainstream media follows the anti-Bush crowd like its shadow. What they fail to mention is that this bill's purpose was simply to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary School Education Act of 1965 (something we have done repeatedly since its creation). The new guidelines put forth in The No Child Left Behind plan aim to reverse the growing trend of high school graduates who currently have to take job applications home for someone else to fill out for them. No Child Left Behind is making our states hold schools accountable for the competency of their students. The purpose of the bill and the bipartisan, American ideals behind it seek to insure the future of our country through the education of our children. That the administration had to promote such an idea is the sad story. Covert propaganda? What is covert about fostering the education of our young people?

If $240,000 of our tax dollars should not have been used to promote the education of our children, I can certainly come up with a thousand more ways I would rather my taxes were not wasted. The National Endowment for the Arts would be a fine example of this. I am far more offended by much of the “art” my tax dollars are supporting than any media campaign promoting education. Let private demand drive the output of art, not my tax dollars. Our elite local representative, Senator Edward “Left Said Ted” Kennedy added his two cents about this “investigation” that he spearheaded: “The taxpayer-funded propaganda campaign coming from the White House is another sign of the culture of corruption that pervades the White House and Republican leadership.” Culture of corruption indeed. The only thing that has been corrupted is the liberal left's sense of right and wrong. I consider the investigation of this promotional material a bigger waste of my tax dollars than the offense itself. How much did this “investigation” cost?

The quote of the week comes from a teacher of ethics at the Poynter Institute (a school for journalists). Aly Colon applauds the Government Accountability Office's finding as it helps to reinforce a standard that “whatever information is presented to the public is done in the most transparent way possible.” I could only laugh when I read that one.

The news we are getting lately is exceedingly transparent- a transparent effort by elite liberals to further their own agendas. They wonder why we have lost faith in mainstream media.

Originally Posted: October 5, 2005, Cape Cod Today

Posted by capecodcyclist at 08:56 AM | Comments (0)

November 10, 2005

Does Customer Service Matter Anymore?

The Next Available Customer Service Representative Will Be Horrible With You

What has happened to the importance customer service once had to businesses? People skills and customer relations don't seem to matter any more. I know it isn't just me, so lose the “Drew's whining again” bit. Type “What,” “Happened,” “Customer” and “Service” into Google and what do you get? Close to 16 million results, and a good portion of those are about dreadful customer service; that should tell us something. Consumers have it bad these days, and it seems to be getting worse. Every situation we enter into as customers seems to be suffering from the same dysfunction. From professional offices and the local bank, to home improvement contractors and tree removal companies, to Best Buy and the neighborhood restaurant, no business appears to be immune. After spending the last six months clawing my way through renovating a house here on the Cape, I keep telling myself it can't get much worse.

When we think of the Better Business Bureau, we often think of consumer complaints. However, did you know the BBB also reports on thousands of companies with unblemished, positive records? Believe it or not, there are still businesses out there that care about customer satisfaction and ethics. The Better Business Bureaus are dedicated to just what their name implies: good business practices. Despite their push for good business, our local bureau (serving eastern Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont) has received more than 5,800 complaints regarding poor customer service at local companies in the past 36 months. Previously, I had only used their services once, to check the record of a window and siding company before hiring them. Unfortunately, the results from that check did not warn me of the bait and switch practices I experienced with the windows, but that is a story for another day. Yesterday, I had to make my first-ever direct contact with the BBB, to make an unrelated complaint of my own.

My Personal Customer Service Hell: The Unfit Bath Fitter

My complaint was about a bath fitting company that, although they may be able to fit a bathroom on a good day, is clearly unfit for customer relations on any day. Back in March, the local Bath Fitter franchise, Bath Inc. was an exhibitor at a Hyannis home show. Afterward, a relative invited them to her home for a quote on renovating her outdated tub and shower. She ordered one of their bathtub and shower liners, and the final result was fantastic. So, when my dream of purchasing a fixer-upper on Cape Cod finally came true several months later, it was with this amazing transformation in mind that I called the same company to give me quotes on renovating both the tired old bathtub and the shower stall in my fifties vintage ranch. A month after signing the contracts, the word “rush” having been written into the margins, and having long ago paid substantial deposits, I called to find out why we had not heard anything about scheduling the jobs. This should have been our first sign. The course of events from here were akin to the ups and downs of the New England weather, only the downs seemed far more plentiful (and memorable) than the ups.

The first phone call brought lots of fumbling and rustling of papers. It was clear that it took some digging to find our contracts. The word “rush” seems to do that to contracts in the modern business world, they just gravitate to the bottom of the pile. After finding the contracts, the customer service person finally replied.

CSR: “Oh... well, the shower base is on backorder from Canada, and will not be in for another week or more.”

Me: “We have two contracts with you for separate bathrooms. Couldn't we do the other one while we are waiting? We would rather they not both be out of service at the same time anyway.”

CSR: “Sure, we could do the other one next week.”

Well, that was easy enough. I just wish I had called earlier instead of waiting a month. The following week, my upstairs tub was refitted and all went without a hitch. I could not be happier with the results. This company is capable of excellent work. You will not find me saying otherwise here. Just don't forget. We had two contracts.

Eventually, the shower base came in and we schedule the appointment for the downstairs shower. I should preface this story by saying this bathroom is not substantial. It is more like a powder room; the term closet might even be more fitting. Is the word “fitter” or “fitting” being used too often here? How about “bath”? Anyway, back to the story. The bath is tiny, and Bath Fitter sends a guy who should be a professional linebacker to install a shower in the smallest bathroom on Cape Cod. Needless to say, the final results showed his discomfort. These people seem genuinely cautious, and lay tarps down over their path to and from their work area. The professional football player-turned bath fitter played by the same rules, only when he got to the carpeted landing at the entrance to our bath-closet, the sheer horror of the small hole he was anticipating working in for the next several hours must have caused him to forget the next play. He left the brand new, wall to wall carpeting uncovered at the entrance to his work area, and proceeded to lay all the tools of his trade all over the carpet. If you have ever had carpet or a rug that was worth taking your shoes off to protect, you may already see where the next part of this story is going.

When he was done, he warned my fiance to wait a while before vacuuming the dirt and debris that remained all over the carpet as he had left it. The dust kicked up by the vacuum could get into the silicone used on the newly installed shower covering. So, it was not until vacuuming up the debris later, shortly after I returned home, that we discovered streaks of silicone and bleach like stains all over our brand new carpet. On inspecting the shower itself, I easily noticed that the work looked horrible. I immediately got on the phone and called Bath Inc. (doing business as a franchise of Bath Fitter). I informed them of the terrible job that had been done in the shower and reported the visible damage to the carpet. I took note of the name of the woman I spoke with and was told to expect a call back first thing in the morning.

Customer Service 101: When you promise a customer a call back (especially an unhappy customer), CALL THEM BACK! This was the beginning of the tooth pulling with these people. I never, from this point forward, received one returned or unsolicited phone call without making multiple calls myself. Actually, looking back on this, my phone records at home, from work and my cell phone show my having called them close to fifteen times in the past four months, but their having never called me (not once) without multiple requests on my part. It is not as though I was impatient about waiting for call backs either. One or more days waiting for a promised, “he'll call you right back” is not impatient, it is being a doormat. Upon calling, after stating my name and asking for “Steve,” the customer service person would nicely say, “sure, can you hold for just a minute?” But eventually they would return to glumly explain that Steve was “in a meeting” or “out in the field.” Consumer Tactics 101: Ask for the supervisor, that always gets you somewhere... at least to someone else's voice mail. Asking for a supervisor may not get you another human being to speak with, but your unreturned phone calls to his or her subordinates suddenly get responses. Funny how that works.

Three phone calls later, when I finally got to speak with “Steve,” (late in the afternoon of the day after the shower desecration & carpet destruction), I told him very plainly: “Look, I hired you people because I didn't want this to come out looking like I did it. I considered doing this myself, but I didn't want this to come out looking amateur. That is exactly how it looks. My brand new carpet is ruined, and the shower looks horrible.” Steve seemed genuinely apologetic (although not enough so to return my calls) and offered to send someone out the next day. TWO DAYS later, a field supervisor came out, checked the poor workmanship in the shower, and took pictures of the carpet. He agreed that the shower looked horrible, and recommended that they would get somebody to try and professionally clean the carpet. We knew that the carpet was damaged beyond repair. It was obvious just looking at it. We were willing to let them satisfy their hope that they could salvage the carpet. We just wanted everything fixed. After several more phone calls it was agreed that the person who had installed our upstairs bath, would be sent back to do the reinstall of our shower. The reinstallation did not go as smoothly or as quickly as either of the previous two installations. The installer who came back to redo the shower was at our house until 1 a.m. (yes, that is in the morning) on a week day, if that tells you anything about how the job went. The manager in his infinite wisdom (he was “new”) had made the original installer (football linebacker) come and tear out his previous work. The damage caused to the underlying shower stall by this demolition was such, that the second installer had three times the work that he should have had. This became yet another traumatic home improvement nightmare, and a long night with very little sleep. The shower came out fantastic, but the carpet remained unchanged. The waiting and phone game began.

More than a month later, after numerous unreturned phone calls, I called Steve yet again, and gave him the phone number of a carpet cleaning company located in Falmouth. Miraculously, we received a call from a different carpet cleaning company the next day. The carpet cleaners came, did their job, and told us exactly what we already knew. The carpet is not cleanable. It needs to be replaced. This brings us to today, more than four months later. I call at least one day every couple of weeks, and every time I get the same response (normally after several unreturned phone calls). “The insurance company is slow.” “It is out of our hands.” “Our hands are tied.” “The insurance company handed this to an adjuster who was on vacation.” “I am going to call and get on them tomorrow.” The list of excuses has been endless for months. I asked him if he had ever made a large purchase of something new, and how he would feel if someone came along and ruined it. How would you feel if the car dealership put a large gouge in the paint of your new car? Would you expect them to fix it?

Our carpet was brand new when their installer ruined it. They have made little or no effort without threats to expedite its being repaired. I have never received a phone call asking how the third installation went (or the first or second for that matter). There have been no follow up to my phone calls. There have been no apologies. The customer service has been virtually non-existent since the day they cashed my checks. To make a long story endless, it is now four months later and there has been little or no progress. That is, until last Wednesday, when I called and mentioned my plans to call the Better Business Bureau and explained that I often post my thoughts to a popular web site on Cape Cod. We received our first phone call from an insurance company the next day. The gentleman (and I use that term loosely) rudely grilled my fiance about the carpet and why it must all be replaced. Had Bath Fitter taken care of this four months ago, just the carpet at the bottom of the stairs could probably have been replaced. However, now the dye lots have changed. Now, the entire family room, stairway and landing must be torn out and replaced to match the color. This was certainly not our intention, and something we clearly tried to avoid. Do they think I am happy that I will have to empty my bookcases, disconnect all of my computer equipment, and remove all of the furniture from our family room in order to install the new carpet? The insurance company finally gave us a claim number and said they would contact a local adjuster who would be in touch before Friday of last week. That was last week... still no adjuster.

This litigious society has often offended me, but I am now well aware of why so much of this has come to be. Too many people are not willing to take pride in their work or responsibility for their actions any more, and consumers are not left with much choice. This seems to be the only language some of these people understand. Now, four months, and many broken promises later, the rules have changed. The next available customer will not be right with you Bath Inc. (local Bath Fitter franchise). They will know better.

Posted by capecodcyclist at 07:38 PM | Comments (2)