Wedding Day Tuxes and Poor Fitting Suits

I haven't written a post in a while. I started looking through my business letters for some inspiration and remembered this little doozy from my wedding day. I wrote the CEO of Men's Wearhouse back in September of 2013. I'm not sure if is still the CEO or not. I do know there've been similar stories from others, not just with Men's Wearhouse, but all different tux and suit providers. This is what you specialize in. Why is it so hard to get a fitting done right? Dear Mr. Ewert: I am sending this letter to make you aware of some poor customer service and quality issues we recently experienced with your store. Unfortunately, I am writing this letter after the fact, so there isn’t much you can do to rectify a situation that has already occurred. My wedding was August 30, 2013 in Los Angeles. In March, my now husband and his best man went to Men’s Wearhouse, Burbank location, to choose a tux style and have an initial fitting. We had 8 men renting from Men’s Wearhouse stores in California, Rhode Island, and Minnesota. My husband communicated with all the men, letting them know what they needed to do and by what date. Everyone followed the instructions and got their fittings, as requested. A few of the men traveling to LA from other states, scheduled to pick up their tux in Burbank when they arrived. In early August, my husband went back to the Burbank location to be refitted, because he had lost 25 lbs. He scheduled the pickup date and confirmed the out-of-towners who would be picking up their tuxes from the Burbank store. Two days before the wedding, as scheduled, my husband and four others drove to the Burbank store to pick up their tuxes around 4PM. When they arrived, they were told that none of the tuxes were ready. The store was under the impression that they were there for a fitting, not for a pick up. My husband tried his tux on, which was incredibly wrinkled, and the pants had to be hemmed significantly. My father’s first fitting was at one of the Rhode Island stores. The Burbank store also had my father try on the pants, but not the jacket or the vest. My father-in-law’s shoes were way too small, which they didn’t bother having him try on at his first fitting which was in St. Paul, Minnesota. My husband reiterated that the wedding was on Friday and it was now Wednesday late afternoon. They needed to finish alterations by the end of the day and he would be back to pick up everyone’s tuxes (we were leaving the next morning to stay at a hotel close to the venue). The store responded, “we will see what we can do.” The store said to come back at closing and they hoped to have everything ready. There was no immediacy on the part of the store, no concern; not a big deal. Their attitude was unacceptable! We were hosting a dinner that night at a restaurant for all out of our out-of-town guests and my husband and groomsmen had to leave during the dinner to go back to the Men’s Wearhouse and pick up their tuxes. The tuxes were ready, but my father-in-law’s shoes had to be ordered, so they needed to be picked up the next morning. My husband did not stay at the hotel that night, so he could go back to the store and pick up the shoes in the morning and bring them to his father before the ceremony. My father put his tux on the next day, the day of the wedding, and the vest was two sizes too small, pants were too tight, his coat wouldn’t button, and the suspenders would not clamp and needed a pin. It was as if he never did a fitting in the first place! I’m not sure how something like this happens. A few recommendations for you, since you are in the ‘wedding industry’: 1. Advise your stores that when something isn’t ready when it’s supposed to be, it does cause havoc on a bride and groom, and it IS a big deal. When something like this happens two days before your wedding, yes, it is the end of the world and yes, it is critical that the issue be resolved with respect and grace. 2. If you offer the option of picking up at another store, the stores should be communicating with each other. 3. Teach your stores how to take measurements, the CORRECT way. The Burbank store should’ve been jumping through hoops to make sure things were right, as all other wedding vendors do. This isn’t something we should’ve had to worry about; in fact it’s the last thing we should’ve had to worry about. It would’ve been nice if the tuxes were ready when they were supposed to be. My husband should not have had to make three separate trips there and cause panic and uneasiness with both of us nevermind the rest of the groomsmen and our fathers. My father was so uncomfortable all day and he tried to make the best of it. I can only imagine what my photos will look like. Your reputation is definitely on the line. We have friends getting married in a few months and I will be advising them to go elsewhere. I would never recommend the Men’s Wearhouse to anyone. I will also make sure that my friends, family, colleagues, wedding coordinator friends, and social network contacts know about these issues. Men's Wearhouse response two days later: Dear Mrs. Gibis, Thank you for contacting Men's Wearhouse. We would like to offer our sincere apologies for the issues you experienced with your tuxedos on this most important day along with any inconvenience that we may have caused you. We are committed to providing top quality service and products to every customer. When picking up your tuxedos and your final fitting, it is routine for at least one return trip. We request that our wedding party members visit the store two days prior to the event date, try on the complete tuxedo, so that we can ensure accuracy and the best fit. We have informed the appropriate management of your concerns for their review and training purposes. A Manager, Elina will be in contact with you shortly, regarding the fit of your wedding party tuxedos. Men's Wearhouse has applied 1500 points to Tom's Perfect Fit Rewards account. This will generate three $50.00 reward certificates that we will mail to the home address the week of October 6, 2013. If you have additional questions or comments, our Contact Center Team is here to assist. Simply call us at the number listed below or you can respond to this email. If you would prefer to chat, click on this link http://www.menswearhouse.com/support and choose “Live Help”.

My postings have gotten away from me, but I will be posting some soon. Stay-tuned.

Come through for us Southwest Airlines

Hello Gumptionistas, As I am preparing for holiday travel next weekend to visit my husband's family in Minnesota, it reminded me of the not so fun experience with Southwest Airlines last year. I was re-reading the letter I sent last January and can only hope that a good experience is just around the corner. The results of this letter were that we received a refund for the early boarding and also two $50 vouchers for future travel. It was interesting to refer to my now husband as 'boyfriend' as he wasn't even a fiancé last January! Here's to safe and pleasant travels for everyone! Mr. Gary Kelly, CEO, Southwest Airlines Dear Mr. Kelly: I am a frequent business flyer, and Southwest has always been my preferred airline. I am not sure what has happened to your customer service, but it has recently failed me several times. I am so incredibly disappointed with Southwest that I felt inclined to write to you. As an executive myself, I thinks its very important that I know what is going on in my company, and often my customers are my eyes and ears. This is a rather long story, so I am going to abbreviate as much as possible. On December 30th, my boyfriend and I were flying back to Burbank, CA from Minneapolis, Minnesota. When we arrived at the airport, we were notified that our flight was delayed. An hour later, the gate agent announced if anyone was flying into Burbank to come to the counter. We were told that because of the delays, we would not make our connecting flight in Phoenix. Options presented were stay overnight in Minnesota or stay overnight in Phoenix. We asked if there were available flights into LAX or Orange County and were told “no.” We asked if there was cab fare or rental car vouchers available and were told “no.” We asked if there was a voucher for a future Southwest flight and were told “no.” We asked if there was any compensation for the inconvenience of not only not flying out that day, but being stuck in MN for another night and was told there was not. We took the option of staying in MN since we have family there and therefore, did not cost Southwest anything. The gate agent printed out our boarding passes for MN to Phoenix for the next morning, but said she was unable to print Phoenix to Burbank. When we saw the boarding pass, it said that we were boarding at the end of the B line. We had paid $10 for early boarding, but were told that whatever the computer spits out is what we get. The agents have no control over it. On December 31st, when we tried to do self-check in, it would not allow us to check in our luggage. After 15 minutes, we were finally acknowledged by an agent. She looked at our tickets and said that the agent, who rebooked us the day before, did it incorrectly. She not only booked us going in the wrong direction (BUR to MSP), but also put us on an illegal connection, so our luggage wouldn’t make it. She called a manager over and they apparently “fixed” it, but we were still advised that we would have to go back to the airport in Burbank to get our luggage later in the evening. We asked if she could help us board sooner or in our original boarding group since we paid extra for it, but was told there was nothing she could do. We were very frustrated, and she offered no help. We proceeded to the gate and the woman that rebooked us the day before was there. She said she remembered us and actually printed out our boarding passes for our connection when she came in at 3AM. I told her what had just happened downstairs, and that we were told she had rebooked us incorrectly. She said that the other agent didn’t know what she was talking about, that she booked us correctly, it was a legal connection, and our luggage should make it. She apologized for the mishap. We asked about boarding sooner and she said no problem. She would tell the boarding agent to let us board with preferred seating. She was the most helpful person that day. She also told us that we would be refunded for the $10 early boarding fee. When we arrived in Phoenix for our layover, we asked the agent there if we could board early. We explained the situation and the fact that the MN agent let us board with preferred seating, etc. She told us that she was not authorized to do that. We explained again, very politely, that we just wanted to board early, in our original group, so that we could sit together. She refused. She said, “the only people who can authorize that is the corporate office.” I said, “apparently MN can authorize it too.” Another person unwilling to help. We boarded at the end of the B line and we did not sit together. At the end of the flight, I asked the flight attendant if there was a way to tell if my luggage was there or if I needed to just wait for it. He sarcastically said, “now how would we be able to do that.” I responded, “I am not asking you to do it, I am asking if there is anyone at the Burbank Airport who can tell if my luggage arrived with this flight.” He then apologized, as he knew he was out of line, and said that he didn’t think so. I just want to know what the problem is with your Customer Service. Out of 5 Southwest employees we engaged with, only one was helpful, and she happened to be the one that got thrown under the bus by another agent. When you have a mission statement such as “The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit”, you damn well better be able to stand by it. While I’ve always been a big proponent of Southwest’s philosophy, I think you are really failing. I love that Southwest doesn’t nickel and dime their customers, however, I do feel when I am paying for something, I am getting better service. I flew Suncountry Airlines on my way to MN, because Southwest was unavailable at the day/time I needed. I had pulled a muscle in my back two hours before my flight and could barely walk. They went so far out of their way to assist me. I was so impressed with their customer service, their attitude, and their courtesy. We paid about $400 each, one way for our Southwest tickets and were completely inconvenienced with no viable options, the day before New Years Eve. We had to call and have my boyfriend’s 78-year old father drive to the airport in the snow to pick us up when you couldn’t accommodate us, and then turn around in 14 hours and take us back to the airport. While I understand that the holidays are busy and weather conditions are out of your control, good customer service is always within your control and the behavior of your agents and staff was unacceptable. Since we were bumped from our original flights, I would like to be compensated in addition to being refunded for the early boarding costs. I would consider some type of vouchers for a future Southwest flight, for two people, to be acceptable. Your attention to this matter would be appreciated.

I am baaaaccckkkk in fighting shape!

Hello to all the Gumptionistas out there! I took a little hiatus from writing my blog, but I am back. In the last two years, I reconnected with a man I dated 10 years ago, we were engaged on February 4th, and we were married on August 30th! It was wonderful and magical and I highly recommend it. It's never too late to get married and regardless of your age, you can have the wedding that you want. I never dreamed of my wedding day. I was not the girl who dreamed of her wedding day since she was a little girl. My dreams were to become the CEO of a company and make millions:). That hasn't happened yet but its never too late. I always wanted to be better than I was (always putting far too much pressure on myself) and wished more for myself than my parents had. This is the dream all parents have their children, but at a young age, I was accutely aware of that and wanted more for myself, too. Deep down, I knew that I would meet someone very special, but I didn't focus on it. Unfortunately, not focusing on it at all left me getting married at 46, but it happened exactly the way it was supposed to and I have no regrets of holding out for my perfect someone. I am with the man that I was always meant to be with, who supports my feistiness and crazed letter writing, and everything else that comes with it. Although I have not updated the blog in a while, I never stopped writing letters and recommending or making changes where I felt they were needed. I will work on getting those posted in the next few days. I am still out there fighting to make things right and make senior management at companies take notice of their customers and consumers. I joined Toastmasters at work and it made me realize that I still have a voice and there are still people who want to listen to my passion for ranting (all in a positive way of course).

Got Gumption in 2012?

Happy New Year! I was on a long hiatus from writing, but I am back. With the economy still glum and prices for everyday products continuing to rise, its more important than ever that we voice our opinions. I've written many letters in 2010-2011, which I will post in the next few days. I hope you enjoy the upcoming blogs and continue to fight the good fight! Best regards, JM

Target's Gift Registry is the Worst

It’s been several weeks since I’ve blogged. It’s been a hectic, but productive summer. I’ve been prepping for my sister’s upcoming wedding on October 12th in Vegas (threw a shower for 70, bachelorette fondue party/sleepover), I coordinated a friend’s wedding day a few weeks ago, consulting full-time, and running a professional organization with 1,200 members. Whew! I need a vacation.

This blog comes with heavy heart. My favorite store in the world has let me down. I am still very frustrated and angry about my experience yesterday with Target. I’ve always been a huge fan of Target, shopping there several times a week. In fact, there are four Targets in a 10 mile radius of my home and they’ve all been gracious enough to take my money each time. As long as there is a Target close by, all is good in the world.

My sister, Jen, who equally shares in my fondness of the Big Red T, registered there for her wedding. I thought it was a great idea because she would get all her essentials, her guests wouldn’t have to pay an arm and a leg to buy a gift, and there are so many stores around that you could pick it up and not have to pay for shipping charges. Awesome, right? Well, what she quickly found out was Target is not at the top of their game when it comes to gift registries. Their return policy is absolutely ridiculous. It’s so ridiculous, that I wrote a letter to the CEO last night, and woke up at 6:00 AM this morning (Sunday) to blog about this. I would highly recommend not using Target for gift registries. They are not gift recipient-friendly.

I was with Jen when she returned one item from her shower a few weeks ago, because it was a duplicate. The associate was so rude to her and said that she only had x amount of dollars worth of gifts that she could return. Um, huh? What does that mean? I remember the days when friends would return all of their wedding and shower gifts because they needed the money. In this case, my sister actually took the time to register for things they needed. She only returned something because she had already received it. This was her first clue that a Target registry may not have been a good idea.

Last night, we went shopping and of course, Target was one of our stops. Jen had a gift she needed to return, because it was another duplicate from her registry. We got to my favorite store in Manhattan Beach and proceeded to Guest Services to make the return. Since she didn’t have a receipt, the associate had to call Corporate for approval to give a gift card. We didn’t think much of it and said we would do some shopping and come back. As I was in the checkout line, my sister went back to Guest Services to check on her return. I noticed that she was visibly angry, and the associate was back on the phone. Apparently, Corporate could not approve the return without a receipt. How many people actually put gift receipts in with gifts? 10%? The gift did not show up on the registry as being purchased. Something happened where either the purchaser didn’t ask to have the gift registry updated or Target did not update it. In either case, this was no my sister’s fault and she was being penalized for it. I asked to talk to the person on the phone as a last resort. I reiterated what happened and asked what he could do to help the situation. The “gentleman” said that there was nothing he could do without a receipt, regardless if it was on the registry or not. Huh? Seriously? What? I asked to talk to his supervisor and he said he was the highest level of escalation there, and was incredibly rude. Does he realize who he’s talking to? Does he realize that this is not going to go away?

The manager of the store, who they refer to as the ETL (Executive Team Leader), was asked to call Corporate to see what she could do. We explained the situation to her and she completely agreed with us. She admitted that when she got married a few weeks ago, she didn’t even register at Target. She called Corporate and spoke to a few different people. I was shocked at what I was hearing. It was apparent that the “gentleman” on the phone was raising his voice with her. At one point, I heard her say, “I am not a team member, I am an ETL and you are out of line.” She was wonderful, helpful, and really wanted to do the right thing. She was shocked herself that this was the return policy. She kept repeating, “I have a very upset guest in front of me, and this is not her fault. This is on her gift registry and you are telling me that there is nothing we can do, as a corporation, to help her? This is a Target mistake that it’s not showing up as purchased. I think this is ridiculous. Yes, you did hear me, this is ridiculous.” When she hung up, her face was flush and she looked completely defeated. She felt so sorry and kept apologizing. She said that the man on the phone was raising his voice and was threatening to her. Not only was Corporate rude to a guest, but they were rude to their own employees. We waited about an hour, and the result was that we left with a $300 gift that my sister already had.

As I’ve mentioned above a few times, I am still in shock. This is cut and dry. I could see if my sister tried to return something that was opened or clearly didn’t come from Target or was trying to get cash back. None of these were the case. The money was going to be spent right back into Target, and this was on her registry!

I came home and wrote a letter to the CEO. I wish I could hand deliver it to him, because that’s how irate I am over this. I am hopeful that I will be able to update you all in a week that this ended in a positive result. We’ll see if Target holds up to their reputation for excellent guest services. Right now, I am not convinced.

If you're interested in reading about other similar issues, check out the following:
http://www.brides.com/forums/planning-and-etiquette/thread.jspa?messageID=384477
http://www.my3cents.com/showReview.cgi?id=16519
http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/dont-use-targets-gift-registry-it-sucks.html

They Are Listening...Now's the Time

I recently wrote a review about my experience with Vonage. I still remain a very happy customer with both the product and the customer service. I was very pleasantly surprised when I received an e-mail from Vonage's publicist shortly after posting my blog, letting me know that she had read the review and would be happy to provide any information I needed in the future. In my opinion, this is good customer service and corporate awareness.

Now is the time to Twitter, blog, or just spread the word, about your experiences. Vonage, among other organizations, are listening to their customers. Publicists are being hired to search social networking sites for anything written about their clients, and the leadership in organizations are watching and listening. Reviews are being brought to the attention of the CEOs and they appear to be paying attention to what their customers have to say. This will be the difference between the companies who survive during this economy and those who do not. It all comes down to the customer and the reputation. Make yourself be heard.

A Gumptionista in San Diego fights and wins!

Happy July everyone! I hope you all had a nice 4th and are enjoying the summer.

I just received an update from a friend in San Diego, who recently asked for some advice on fighting a vendor.

"Dear Gumptionista:

I took your advice and sent a certified letter to the President of the company that did the electrical work for San Diego Gas and Electric and broke my thermostat! Guess what??? Today, I got a call from the original person who told me he was denying my claim, that they are now promptly sending me a check to cover the cost of my broken thermostat!! WOO HOOO!!

Thanks, Gumptionista for the awesome advice!"

My recommendation, as always, is to send a certified letter to the President of the company and do not take no for an answer. If you have to threaten that you will report them to the Better Business Bureau, blog, or Twitter about the issue, do it.

More Vonage Tips

In case you are interested in pursuing a Vonage phone line and you travel, I wanted to share these tips I received from Vonage:

VONAGE SUMMER TRAVEL TIPS:

The best part of summer is getting away, but even when taking a break from the real world, everyone still needs to be in touch with work, loved ones, or both. Vonage offers a number of ways to do just that:

- Domestic Travel: Did you know that if you take your Vonage adaptor with you while traveling domestically you can make and receive calls for the same cost of using the adaptor at home? Just plug in an adaptor in to a high-speed Internet connection, and your home phone number comes with you virtually.

- International Travel: If you are traveling or moving abroad this summer, Vonage offers a way to make calls back to the U.S. without getting charged an arm and a leg on your cell or using cumbersome calling cards. Plug in your Vonage adaptor and you can make calls to the U.S. for free.

- Virtual Number: While abroad, you may want to add a local phone number to your Vonage account so locals can call you for free. Vonage has you covered here, as you can add a local international number in several locations for an additional $4.99-$9.99 per month (more details here).

- Vonage’s $24.99 Residential Premium Unlimited Plan includes calls to the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and landlines in Italy, France, Spain, England and Ireland are included.

Vonage Phone Service Rules...so far

If you've been following my cell phone drama, you know how unhappy I've been with AT&T. While it appears my cell phone issues have been resolved, I can't take the chance of being held hostage again if my service decides to go out. In addition, I was paying some God awful high cell phone bill every month for unlimited calls. I liked not having to watch my minutes, but I work from home and was talking on my cell phone in my home office most of the time. I can't really justify keeping an expensive cell phone plan, and I don't feel I should be giving my money to some ungrateful corporation.

In an effort to solve my phone issues, I did some research on Vonage. They provide voiceover IP service, which is an adapter that connects to your internet box. You must have high-speed internet in order to qualify. My last company used VoIP service exclusively, because we worked from home when we weren't traveling and it was very cost efficient. A good friend of mine (you know who you are), who is my technical guru and hero, came to my rescue when my cell phone service went out. He's had Vonage for years and has never had a problem, and convinced me to give it a try.

I called and spoke to a Vonage representative on Monday and then ordered my service online. What my technical guru didn't know was that if I put him down as a referral, we would both receive two months free. What a bonus!

I received my Vonage adapter today via UPS. All that was required of me was to plug in a cable from the Vonage box to my internet box. Voila! So far, so good.

If you are considering putting in another phone line or switching to a less expensive plan, I would recommend considering Vonage. They can port over existing cell or home numbers. One of the bonuses is that you can take the Vonage box with you anywhere you move in the country (as long as you have high-speed internet) and keep the same number. It's great for those of us with home businesses, because you never have to change your number. You can also pick any area code in the country you want. If you always wanted to live in New York, pick a New York area code.

If you try Vonage and are referred by an existing customer, make sure you click on Benefits---Benefits of VoIP---Refer-a-Friend, or mention the Refer-a-Friend if you call to order the service. You just need their phone number. This is the only way to get two months free for you and your referral. If you do not personally know someone who has Vonage, I would appreciate if you would use me as your referral. You have 30 days to try it so if you don't like it, you didn't pay for the first month, so nothing lost. Depending on the phone package you order, the adapter is usually free. If you don't want to wait to receive the adapter from Vonage, you can buy it at your local electronics store (Best Buy).

Just presenting another cost savings idea!

BMW Issue Resolution

As a follow-up regarding my letter to BMW, I received a voicemail last week from the Director of Finance indicating that she was in receipt of the letter I sent to Jim O'Donnell, CEO, BMW of North America, and would be contacting the dealership regarding my complaint. She said to expect a call from Customer Relations this week. Sure enough, I received a voicemail today from a gentleman in Customer Relations letting me know that the issue was resolved and they would be sending me out a check. I have to be honest, I didn't really expect that they would send me a check, because this is a 6 month old complaint, but obviously, they do take their customers seriously. I was really happy to see the loyalty returned. It does go a long way.

Remember, always go to the top. I know I keep saying this; it is definitely my mantra, but it works. There is no way any of my letters would be addressed had they not been sent certified to the CEO. You deserve to be heard. Also, keep in mind that you are not only fighting issues for yourself, but for others. There is more power in numbers, so never think what you are fighting for is not important. It could be impacting others, who do not think its important enough to fight, and if we all thought this way, nothing would be get fixed.

AT&T Issue Resolution

As a follow-up to my cell phone saga with AT&T, as of today, it appears to be fixed. Since the problems are now intermittent (sometimes I can make a call from my home and sometimes I need to drive a block away to make a call), I am going to bite the bullet and get a VOIP phone in my home. I will be cutting back on my monthly cell plan. AT&T's CEO's office continues to e-mail me, and are monitoring the situation. It's great to have that level of service and a contact at the top. It definitely helped with expediting a resolution. I will be getting a month of free service.

I've been Twittering on this issue for the past few days, and my Twitter updates go to my Facebook page. A dear friend of mine in San Diego, who knows me very well and who has been following this issue, posted this on my Facebook page:

Given your reputation for extracting fine customer service I'm surprised that:

(1) The CEO of AT&T hasn't personally called you to apologize.
(2) He isn't onsite personally directing the erection of the replacement cell tower.
(3) The replacement cell tower isn't named after you.
(4) He hasn't invited you to work from his office and use his personal cell phone while yours is out.
(5) You haven't rearranged his personal staff, including firing two executive VPs where just laying around to make the entire operation more efficient at a cost savings of more than $1M annually.

This is the same friend who returned from Iraq several years ago, after serving there for a year in the US Marine Corps, and turned to me and said "JM, you could get the Shiites and Sunnis to stop fighting!"

You know the personality profiles and leadership exercises where you have to ask the people closest to you to describe who you are as a person? Well, it seems pretty unanimous. I am now, and will always be, a Gumptionista.

Last But Not Least - Beware of the Gumptionista, BMW!

My car lease was coming up in December, so in November I traded in my 2006 BMW and leased a new 2009. My last four cars have been BMW’s. Since I can’t afford a house in California, I might as well drive a nice car. During the lease negotiations, I told the salesman that I had two payments left on my current lease, which they needed to take over. Somewhere along the line, he missed that fact, and when I was handed the paperwork to sign for the new lease, it did not cover the last two payments. I asked about it and he said his “manager” would not agree to that. I was not happy about it, but figured that I would take it up with BMW Financial. I spoke to BMW Financial about two things. One, the fact that the dealership would not take on the last two payments and two, about a dent in the front spoiler, which I was told I would be charged $400 for on my last bill. BMW Financial agreed to split the last two payments with me, but I was stuck paying the $400. I paid my final bill in January however I continued thinking about it and knew that I had to take some action. Finally, after 6 months, I mailed a certified letter to the CEO of BMW North America. I explained the situation about the fact that dealership would not cover payments for a car that they had in their possession, and that I had to pay $400 for a dented spoiler. One of the reasons why I am so frustrated about the dented spoiler is that these cars are built to dent at even the smallest bump. If they are going to have a faulty design, I am not going to pay for what is inevitable. I was at the dealership recently and they did a walk around my new car and told me there is a dent on the front spoiler, and I nearly went through the roof. They need to figure this out, because I am not going to pay for this again. It is only going to get worse over the next three years, too. If you look at any BMW on the road, you will notice damage underneath the front spoiler. I will guarantee it. I requested my money back for what I paid on my final bill. I will keep you posted when I receive a response.

Beware of the Gumptionista, AT&T Wireless!

I hope my hellish day today is not a reflection on what my week is going to be like. My morning started off fine. I drove to my doctor’s office and picked up the sick note to fax to Southwest Airlines so I could get a refund. I haven’t needed a sick note since second grade, but, whatever it takes. I then tried to make a phone call on my cell phone, and lo and behold, nothing. I receive a Call Failed on any outgoing call, and all incoming calls go straight to voicemail. When I try to get into my voicemail, I get a Call Failed. I went to the local AT&T store twice today. The first time, they removed the battery and waited and it seemed to work for about 5 minutes. As soon as I got home, I had the same problem. The second trip to the store, they recommended that I go to the warranty location and get a refurbished phone. Through a friend who works as a Project Manager for AT&T, I was able to get my hands on the e-mail address of the CEO. I sent him an e-mail this afternoon explaining that I am a business owner and this is the only phone I have. I paid a lot of money for this phone a mere 5 months ago, and will not accept a refurbished phone. I requested a brand new phone (Blackberry Bold is what I currently have) and also a month of free service, since the Call Failed problem happens often.

A friend of mine, who sensed that I was going to slit my wrists over this issue, came over after work last night. He is my technical guru friend. As soon as he stepped foot in my parking structure, he lost his cell service. Thank God! I am not crazy after all! He called AT&T via Skype from my house, and was told that a cell tower had been down in my neighborhood since 8:00 AM. They were having issues bringing it back up and expected that it would be up with service back to normal by the morning.

This morning I woke up to the wonderful sights and sounds of Call Failed, again. I decided to get in my car and drive to see where I could get a signal. I got less than a 1/2 block from my house and was able to make a call. I called AT&T Customer Service and talked to them for 30 minutes before they switched me to technical support. Customer Service said that there was no report of an outage, but then Technical Support said there was an outage, and it was expected to be back up in 1 hour. Here we go again. While I was on the phone with technical support, the office of the CEO of AT&T left me a voicemail. I called him back and we discussed my e-mails and the situation. He was a nice guy, and very helpful. He has since called me twice today to give me updates. As of 1:00 PM, my service is still out so needless to say, I am getting frustrated. I am looking forward to a resolution. I supposed I should go back to a home phone for these types of situations, but I am fighting it tooth and nail.

Regardless of the situation or the problem, always go to the top. It may seem like a small issue, but if it's important to you, let yourself be heard. Also, it helps to blog and twitter on these issues. As someone recently told me, companies are starting to pay attention to social networking, because of the press issues.

I'll keep you posted.

Beware of the Gumptionista, Southwest Airlines!

In the past week, I have written three letters to corporations regarding service issues. Even as I write this, my blood is boiling. Usually when I am having a bad day, a friend of mine who is very into the metaphysical says, “well, that makes sense, because mars is in retrograde and everything is unaligned.” Well, I don’t think I can blame my current issues on mars, but I wish I had something or someone to blame. I am just plain irritated. This is one of three blogs of “Beware of the Gumptionista.”

My first letter was to the CEO of Southwest Airlines. As I mentioned in a previous blog, I send all letters certified to the president or CEO of the company. The letter was in regards to a few different issues. The first issue was the expiration date policy on rewards tickets. I had two rewards tickets, which I gave to my parents as a Christmas gift, to be used to fly to Las Vegas for my sister’s wedding in October 2009. The tickets did not expire until August 2009, but since I was giving them as a gift in December, I went online in November and paid the $50 to extend the expiration date. Since their was no written policy on the website, I “assumed” that when I paid the $50 it would push out the expiration date to one year from the current date. It makes sense, doesn’t it? Well, surprise, surprise, that’s not how it works. When I paid the $50 online, I immediately received a new confirmation receipt showing the expiration date as one year from the day I paid. I called Southwest Airlines and asked why it was not one year from the original expiration date. They responded that the policy was that the new expiration date was one year from the day you pay for the extension. I indicated that there was nothing in writing on the website. They said they could not give me a refund (something I regret fighting for now), but would give me a $50 voucher to be used towards a future ticket. I was furious because the new expiration date was prior to October, which meant I had to pay another $50 to stop it from expiring.

In April, I was supposed to fly to San Francisco for a conference. I purchased my ticket on the website and applied the $50 credit voucher. I ended up terribly sick in April and had to cancel. I gave the voucher to my sister to use for a flight in October and when she tried to apply it to her total it said that it was not valid, because it would be expired by October. I knew that the credit voucher would expire in August, but the other half of my ticket which was paid by credit card should be able to be applied. I called Southwest and was told that when you use a credit voucher, your entire ticket expires per the credit expiration date. The ticket defaults to the earliest expiration date. What this means is if you apply a credit voucher to your ticket and your credit expires in two weeks, and for some reason you have to cancel your travel plans, your entire ticket expires in two weeks. If you don’t use it by the expiration, you lose the entire ticket amount. Absolutely absurd policy! No wonder why they are the only profitable airline. I have not received a response from the CEO, however I did call Customer Relations and explained the situation. They said if I could get a letter from my doctor proving I was sick during this time, they would refund the amount paid on my credit card. I faxed a letter today and am awaiting a refund. I do feel that this policy will come back to haunt them. Nothing is clear as day on their website. If you don’t search for every possible scenario, you will get screwed! It’s just a matter of time before a class action suit appears. I actually e-mailed an attorney about a class action, because I really think there is something there, but I really just wanted to resolve my issue at the moment, which I did. It may be resurrected, however. You cannot take someone’s money and not deliver. Because your website is technically challenged and cannot include two expiration dates, it's ok to take someone's money and not deliver? It’s similar to expiring a gift certificate, which is against the law in California.

How Can I Help You? Key to Networking.

The word “networking” is so overused, and people tend to define it based on their expectations. Networking is defined in the dictionary as “a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest.” Networking in the past was about showing up at events with your business cards (and resumes) and selling yourself to others, so they either want to hire you, or do business with you. With the state of affairs and so many people looking for jobs, there truly needs to be a paradigm shift from the way we used to network, to the way we need to network now. When you go into a networking situation or event, lower your expectations. Think about what you have to offer to the people you are about to meet. What can you do to support others’ needs? There will always be someone more in need than you. I’ve always approached networking in this way (which may explain why I am popular, but not rich). Whether it is connecting with people on Linked In and offering to introduce them to others, or introducing them to others via e-mail. It took me a while to get to the point where I didn’t expect that when I needed help, those same individuals that I helped time and time again, would be there for me. When I was unemployed a few years ago and reached out to my “network”, I did not receive the responses that I expected. I was disappointed and it created tension with my relationships. When you offer to help others, you have to do it from a place of giving and not expecting anything in return; no strings attached. There are some people who always ask for help and never offer it, and there are others who just don’t enjoy helping. This is a fact, whether we want to accept it or not. Everyone is different. Remember, if someone is asking for help and you do not have the energy to get involved, simply say no. It is in your right to not want to help. If you do want to help, make sure you are doing it for the right reasons.

I get asked often why I offer to revise resumes and connect people when I know I am not going to get a commission from it. I truly enjoy connecting people. I like to be a conduit for future relationships. I want to see others succeed. It makes me feel good. Why wouldn’t I help someone if it is within my power to do so? Whatever connection they make with the other person, is their connection. I know the person I am and I know whatever happens in my life, I’ll be ok.

40th Birthday Gumptionista

I’ve been single as long as I can remember. Whenever I am involved with someone, it never seems to be around Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or my birthday. Funny how that works out! I was the last to turn 40 out of my closest girlfriends, so I had already attended their surprise 40th’s at country clubs, fancy restaurants, or their beautiful homes. When I turned 40 in July of 2007, I wasn’t sure how I was going to approach it. There were a lot of things I wanted to get done, which I knew were not going to happen in the 6 months leading up to my birthday (get married, lose 50 lbs, run a marathon, write a novel, start a business, etc.). Approaching 40 made me not only think about what I hadn’t accomplished, but also what I had accomplished. I worked in the entertainment industry in my 20’s, became a business professional in my 30’s, I finally finished my last semester of college and graduated from my old school, the University of Rhode Island at 38, and walked in my graduation. I even threw myself a graduation party at my parent’s house, just as I would have done had I graduated 16 years earlier. I’ve lived a really good life, with or without that special someone. I define who I am; no one else can define you.

After all of this reflection, I decided to throw myself a big 40th birthday party. No, I didn’t have a boyfriend or husband to throw me a party at the country club, but since I was throwing the party for myself, I did have control over how, when, and where it was going to be planned. So what if I didn’t have someone else throw me a party? So what if I wasn’t married or involved with someone at 40? I was honoring me, who I had become at 40, and celebrating that. My party was held at the Elks Lodge across the street from my apartment. I made my invitations from scratch, and included an old picture of me at my 5th birthday party. I planted an idea in my sister’s head…why not e-mail the invite list and ask them to send a note about how they know me and our experiences together. It was not about my friends telling me how wonderful I was, but it was about them reminiscing about old stories, and how and why we are in each other’s lives. I wanted this book as a keepsake. Luckily, my sister did put the book together, and it was the best gift I could’ve ever received. I still pick it up and read it from time to time. My Dad, who is a very proud, manly man, even sent in an unforgettable note. As tough as I am, I am also very sentimental, and it was an unbelievable gift.

I have about 10 close girlfriends, whom I’ve known for 20 years. We are all part of the same group and celebrate our birthdays together. I don’t know how it worked out this way, but our birthdays all fall on a different month. We decided to celebrate with just our small group every month by a potluck brunch or Saturday night wine and cheese, and celebrate the bigger birthdays (21, 30, 40) with a bang. As my 40th was approaching, I decided that I would register at Crate and Barrel and Amazon. I knew that my friends and family would buy me a nice gift for this special birthday, so why not get something that I wanted? I figured I might never get married, so it was finally my chance to register. I’ve been to everyone’s showers, bachelorettes, weddings, baby showers, kid’s birthday parties, and bar mitzvah’s. It was my turn. Ask and you shall receive. It was a great party, and I got some wonderful gifts from the registry. It’s too bad that as 50 comes in a mere 8 years, I might be registering again!

The Frugalista

I love to find a deal! I wouldn’t necessarily refer to myself as frugal, but I will say that I always look for promo codes online before purchasing, and always look for a coupon online before going shopping. If I want something bad enough and can’t find a coupon, I will, of course, buy it anyway, but there’s nothing like the feeling of getting what you want, and paying less than you expected. If there is money to be saved, why not put it back in your pocket? It just takes a little bit of effort to look around before purchasing. My favorite site for promo codes is www.retailmenot.com. It has the best promo codes. It’s really great! One of my biggest pet peeves is paying a lot for shipping, and you can usually find free shipping codes on this site. If you can’t find a code there, just Google for a coupon or promo code for whatever site or store you are shopping at. I have even called stores such as Land’s End with an expired promo code from the site, and they have honored it. I also call the store directly if I can’t find a free shipping code, and 9 times out of 10, they’ll waive the shipping. eBates.com is a site that you can earn money by shopping at stores that you normally shop at. Instead of going to the store’s website, you go through the www.ebates.com site. If you are going to shop at these stores anyway, why not get a little bit of money back for it. Membership is free, and I have never received any junk e-mails from them, which is always something to consider when you join these sites. My favorite shoe store online is Shoebuy.com. Very similar to Zappos with free shipping on both purchases and returns, but they always have promo codes available on Retail Me Not for 20% off. They also give you an extra 10% when you register, which you need to do to purchase. I purchased $80 shoes for my sister’s wedding, and ended up paying $56 and free shipping. Not bad! These same shoes were $89 at Nordstrom’s. Visit www.shoebuy.com for unbelievable sales. If you live in Los Angeles, there is a terrific Aveda salon called Vicara in El Segundo (also a location in Torrance), who offers 50% off for first visits. If you go to their website and register, they will give you a 20% coupon immediately, and then e-mail you two coupons every month. The first coupon is 25% off any appointment (which also includes waxing, massages and skin treatments). This coupon usually needs to be used for last minute appointments (same day). The second coupon they send is for 50% off and 10% off products. This coupon is good for the entire month. Although I love my Beverly Hills salon for cut and color, I can’t always get over there. I’ve started going to Becky for roots every 6 weeks, which ends up costing $35 with the 50% coupon. Amazing! During these economic times, it’s businesses like this who will prevail. I don’t know about you, but I love getting and giving magazines. One of the best magazine subscriptions sites is Best Deal Magazines at www.bestdealmagazines.com. There are popular magazines for as low as $4.69, and you can find a promo code on Retail Me Not and bring the price down even further! If you are an American Express cardholder and have Membership Rewards (www.membershiprewards.com), there are so many things you can buy with your points besides travel. If you go to www.shopamex.com, there are gift cards, books, beauty products, etc., which you can purchase using your rewards points. There are thousands of items, and if you are a person who has a lot of points and don’t want to use them for travel, you can buy pretty much anything you want here. I have purchased many gifts for friends and family using my points. My friends still tease me to this day about the overalls I got at Robinson’s-May many years ago (when overalls were in) for $.65. They were on sale for 50% off; I used a coupon, and then used my store credit card, which took it down even further. I turned around and sold them the following month at a garage sale for $5.00. There are just a few of my favorite sites. Please comment and share your favorites.

Always Ask For Options

I adore this story and wanted to share it with all of you.

My sister, Jackie, was attending a conference in Los Angeles two years ago, so decided to make a vacation out of it and brought her husband and two boys. At the time, my nephews were five and three. They were staying at a hotel for a few nights and then with me the remainder of the trip. I offered to give them a date night, and keep my nephews overnight. I had a fun night planned with Disney movies and junk food (all the food their parents won’t let them eat). The next morning I asked Charlie, the three year old, what he wanted for breakfast and he immediately answered, “I’ll have cereal.” When I asked Benjamin, the five year old, what he wanted, he simply said, “auntie, what are my options?” Trying not to laugh, I said “you can have cereal, eggs, or pancakes.” Benjamin said he wanted pancakes with bananas and whipped cream. Charlie piped up and said, “me too!” As I was preparing their breakfast, I heard the boys talking in the other room. Benjamin said, “Charlie, always ask for options. If I hadn’t asked for options, we’d be eating cereal.” Charlie, looking up to his big brother, just shook his head and agreed.

Even at a young age we have options and choices, and they are negotiable.

The Negotiating Gumptionista

You’ve heard the saying that everything is negotiable. I didn’t always think that was true, and I did push the envelope several times just to prove myself wrong, and I was wrong. I have negotiated my medical bills, rent, cable bill, car lease, etc. Ya name it, I’ve negotiated it!

In these economic times, more than ever, it is important to keep pushing the envelope. It never hurts to ask, and if it’s a no, it’s a no, but you have to try. I was recently at my dentist’s office and I overheard his assistant telling another office assistant that I was the only person she had ever met that had gotten a veneer paid for. I had completely forgotten about that story.

A few years ago, I had a tooth that kept breaking. Every few weeks it would break, I would visit my dentist, and he would glue it back on. On more than one occasion, he told me that I should get a veneer, but I was stubborn and didn’t want to pay for it. I knew that the insurance company would not cover the veneer, because veneers are always considered cosmetic, for any reason. They would, however, continue to pay for the tooth repair.

The last gluing came on Valentine’s weekend, 2005. It was the first Valentine’s day that I was actually happy to be alone and dateless. It was a Saturday night, and I was at home eating dinner. My tooth fell into my hand, and completely broke off this time. I called my dentist on his cell phone to tell him that I was, again, a toothless wonder. He was willing to leave his dinner, but I told him it could wait until the morning. I finally gave in to the veneer! It was $900! As I was writing the check, I told him that I would be submitting it to my insurance company just to see if they would cover anything. He said, “in all the years I’ve been doing this, I have never seen them cover veneers.” I reminded him who he was talking to.

I called the dental insurance company on Monday, and explained the situation. I said, “I have been getting my tooth glued back on every other month, which you have been covering. I decided to save you money and me, time, and get the veneer. I would like you to cover at least half of it.” The woman explained that veneers were not covered, but to send the claim in anyway. About a month later, I received a call from my dentist’s office indicating that they had received a check for $500 from the insurance company. I laughed to myself…I wasn’t even going to try this, because I didn’t think it would go through. Wouldn’t I have kicked myself if I hadn’t tried! Do not believe everything you hear. You just never know!