By anonymous511 December 18, 2012
Took my phone in for a cracked screen repair. Paid a $50 deposit. They kept my phone for 3 months, claiming the new screen hadn't come in. Said they kept sending him the wrong screen. I finally called the police to try to recover my broken phone and business owner said I had to pay and additional $30 if I wanted my phone back because he charges a minimum labor charge of $79.99 whether the item is repaired or not (this applies to phones or computers as they repair computers as well). Because I had signed a repair contract (which it's wording does not protect the consumer) I had no way of getting my phone back without paying him additional money. It was either pay they guy a total of $79.99 to recover my broken phone or leave it there, lose my phone and $50 deposit, which I opted to do. Watch out! The contract does not protect you, nor does it guarantee or indicate a time frame for repair. The guy could have my phone for a year and I am not protected in any way. Bad business! ...read more
By charlotteJ July 18, 2012
My experience with D ...read more
By Transfer Video Film VHS VCR Tape to DVD in Florida April 13, 2012
Thanks for the connection. We wish you the best. Thanks, Lee www.heckervideo.com ...read more
Though it’s good to be the ultimate power, it can sometimes be devastating as well. Who can understand this statement better than a CEO of an organization? While reading anarticleonForbes, ‘The Worst CEO Screw-ups Of 2012’, I got to know about some CEOs who have to lose their powers and influence for inefficient performance, continuous losses or for some decisions going wrong. The list includes some reputed and renowned names including Aubrey McClendon, CEO of Chesapeake Energy; Brian Dunn, former CEO, Best Buy; Robert Diamond, CEO, Barclays; Stuart Gulliver, CEO, HSBC among others. Though a CEO sits at the top in an organizational hierarchy and is the most powerful identity, he is lonely at the same time. He has a panel of experts and board members to seek advice and counseling but there are some situations when he would require the experience and expertise of someone of the same stature and role. I am talking about CEO peer groups where CEOs can seek resolution to their problems and concerns from like-minded people. No doubt, a CEO association or CEO group is a great place to help CEOs deal with their woes but the purpose can be solved only if you knock at the right door. With so many CEO associations around, it gets very difficult to zero on the right one. This article provides some suggestions on how you can choose a good CEO peer group. Attract Varied Expertise Look your CEO associations that offer a wide range of skills and expertise so that you can seek advice on different elements of business ranging from a how to build a start up to exit planning. Stay Small For a CEO group, the ideal size is 10-15 members. In a relatively larger group, it may have to wait for long to get heard or find a resolution to your query. Secrets are meant to be kept The clause of confidentiality is the most important factor to be considered before joining a CEO peer group. At times, you may have to disclose your secret strategies or plans to seek suggestions or feedback from the group. Therefore, make sure you join a reputed CEO group that strictly follows the oath of confidentiality. Non-competitors should join It is very important to ensure that your peers in the group are from non-competitor businesses so as to avoid any conflict of interests. Good Facilitators The effectiveness of aCEO associationis assessed by its facilitators. Know in advance the facilitators in your group and what expertise they possess. Ideally a facilitator should be capable of making a conversation interesting, resolving conflicts, responding to queries and building a healthy atmosphere. The Brain Trust is an Executive Peer Group constituted of up to 16 non-competing business owners/CEOs and top executives. Brain TrustCEO Conferencesbenefit you through the combined experience of other business leaders from non-competitive domains and the expert facilitators. ...read more
By The Brain Trust September 25, 2013
Why do employees leave? Answers are plenty but they do not provide complete solutions as different individuals have different needs and requirements. Some employees prefer to leave a job because they don’t like the work culture. Some may not be satisfied with the salary or appraisals. Some are not happy with their co-workers while some may have some other problems. Say for instance, you hire a new employee and his training period runs for six months. During these months, he simply adds to the cost-to-the-company as he is not fully involved in the production. If the same employee leaves after 2-3 months of being confirmed then this investment turns into a loss for the company as it fetches the company virtually no returns. Attrition to some extent is good for the organization as it helps you get rid of non-performing resources. However, it becomes a real problem when it goes beyond the desired limit or draws away your performing workers. In this blog, we will discuss the major reason of attrition – the lack of motivation – which in turn, results in employee dissatisfaction. Controlling attrition is not just about retaining employees. In fact, it is the act of retaining the resource you actually want to retain or in other words, identifying workers who are actual assets to the company! ‘How to motivate employees’ is an oft-repeated question. Is appraisal a foolproof method? But then, you can’t appraise every employee equally. Then how do you recognize the deserving person? According to an article by Josh Bersin, published inForbes, “tenure-based rewards systems have virtually no impact on organizational performance”. The article further states, “companies that scored in the top 20% for building a “recognition-rich culture” actually had 31% lower voluntary turnover rates (this is when good people leave on their own).” Make the appraisal system more flexible and broad Most companies recognize and reward their employees on the basis of productivity numbers, which however, should not be the only criteria for appraisal. You can satisfy and motivate some employees by evaluating and rewarding them under these criteria. But going simply by numbers and output to judge performance may make you ignore other deserving employees, who have say expertise in client handling or trouble-shooting during crisis, as such qualities are not exactly quantifiable. When such performances go unnoticed, it suppresses their skill and desire to work in the company. Recognize employees who are result-oriented as well as self-motivated and most importantly, well-behaved. You can reward an employee when he deals with customers efficiently at the time of a particular problem. This way, you can satisfy and motivate a broad set of employees who are specialized in one or other domain. ...read more
By The Brain Trust June 04, 2013
“The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best but legendary.” ~ Sam Walton, Founder of Wal-Mart No matter how big or small your enterprise is, customer complaints are something you can’t avoid completely. From minor to the serious, these are pinpricks you must work towards reducing to the barest minimum. Recently, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc., had to apologize for warranty issues in China. The apology came in response to the complaints of Chinese customers that U.S. customers receive full replacement for faulty phones while the Chinese customers only get their faulty sets repaired with replacement parts. According toApple Insider“Apple on Monday published an open letter from Chief Executive Tim Cook in which he formally apologized for what were described as "misunderstandings" over the company's warranty policies, and revealed new changes that aim to better serve iPhone customers.” Now check out the changes that Apple Inc. made to its existing polices to retain their customers in China. · Modified repair policies for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S · Published a "concise and clear" statement on its website pertaining to repair and warranty policies · Improved supervision and training of Apple Authorized Service providers · Now, there is a new feedback service to help customers conveniently contact the company regarding issues or complaints It gives a clear idea about how bad servicing or customers’ dissatisfaction can lead to dire consequences even for established and strong players like Apple. It is very important for a business to handle dissatisfied customers effectively. Here are some vital tips to deal with customer complaints effectively: · Listen to the customer’s complaint carefully. Don't give lame excuses. It will only frustrate him more. · Enquire about the problem in a concerned and caring manner. Ask for more details. Don’t jump to conclusions. · Think from customer’s point of view. As a business owner, you should pacify your customer if you want to retain him. Make him feel that you are on his side and provide some instant solution. · Don’t hesitate to apologize. It could be anybody’s mistake but being the leader and face of the company, it’s your responsibility to apologize. You can take some lessons from Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook. It makes big impact when the apology comes from the top of the hierarchy. · Consider customer’s suggestion in providing an acceptable solution. Choose the idea that closely matches the one suggested by customer. It will calm down the customer and will send across a positive message to other customers. · The most important aspect of handling customer’s complaint is providing a prompt solution that is accepted to the customer. As in Apple’s case, company immediately rectified their repair policies defying which they may lose around 50% percent of their customers in China. For more insights into this area, you can join a CEO peer group or aCEO associationwhere you will get important guidance and advice regarding every aspect of the business ranging from starting a business, to dealing with issues of customer complaints and even exit planning. Remember, in business, making mistakes can be dangerous but when you do not rectify mistakes it can be fatal. ...read more
By The Brain Trust April 29, 2013
Small businesses can benefit from accepting credit cards. Credit card processing companies now recognize that you may need to take a credit card while away from your office and have made that easy to do with your phone. Credit card machines come in a number of sizes, and small businesses have a variet... ...read more
Making a living from home offers independence and unlimited potential. To improve a home business strategy, explore the areas of your business that might benefit from a change. Home office organization, marketing strategies or communication with clients may be areas in need of improvement. ...read more
