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<p>I have a couple of restaurant clients and know that even restaurants that are busy can be on the financial edge. But this place went from packed to totally empty in a couple of weeks. Obviously things were trending downwards instead of upwards.</p>
<p>OK coupon collectors …</p>
<p>How many would email corporate offices over clerks not applying an expired coupon?</p>
<p>Really.</p>
<p>“I was at a funeral”
“I just got back my stolen wallet”
“I’ve been in the hospital”
“My bike had a flat tire”
“My husband had a doctor’s appointments”
“My son is handicapped”
“It was raining(name any inclement weather event)”
“Too hot to walk”
“My wife had the car”
“I’ve been a loyal …(name a hundred figure)shopper for years”
“I just found it”
" I ‘earned’ this coupon" </p>
<p>Just a sampling from this month. Got to love the stories.</p>
<p>As a real estate lawyer, I rarely do residential work, but one time I foreclosed on the home (of a dentist and a chiropracter) where no payments had been made for 9 years and 9 months!!! They had filed bankruptcy three times to stop foreclosure and I guess they couldn’t file anymore. On the eve of foreclosure they called me to try to get me not to foreclose because their adult son was in the hospital…okay, that might explain not paying for this month…but what about the other 116 payments they hadn’t made!!!</p>
<p>I am a total wimp and tend not to send food back unless it is really horrible. I have done that perhaps twice in my life. My reaction is to not return to the restaurant. If the service and/or food was particularly bad I write a comment on Zagat or another food blog where that restaurant is listed. </p>
<p>I DO make a phone call to customer service or send a letter or email if a product does not measure up. Maytag will forever be on my s**t list because of their Neptune washer - I spent a fortune, it was a piece of junk and their response even with a service contract was a joke. </p>
<p>I also wrote to a certain POTUS (that I voted for twice) about his behavior with an intern and how dismayed and disgusted I was with him for putting me in the position of having to define certain sexual terms to my young daughter.</p>
<p>The responses one receives from letters to politicians are laughable. One time our former senator made me furious and I wrote a scathing letter saying something to the effect that he shouldn’t be allowed to call himself an American and I got back the “Thank you so much for your support” form letter.</p>
<p>At stores, restaurants, I’ll complain about things I think can be fixed. But I’m like you, I often vote with my feet and I admit that sometimes I’m not reasonable. I haven’t returned to Plato’s Closet since I stood in line for a cashier and the girl shut her register and walked away when it was my turn, without so much as a word.</p>
<p>And missypie, if you complain online to politicians, they will send the canned response AND add you to the list for donations.</p>
<p>Only slightly off the subject: ;)</p>
<p>My New Year’s resloution this year was to write a letter each week, and I’ve done pretty well. Sometimes I write to friends of my (deseased) Mom, just to catch up. But it’s not uncommom for me to write my weekly letter to a company to either send congratulations, or to complain if something really stikes me. Sometimes I email, but I have found the personal letters really get attention. I never write to politicians (not interested in what they have to say and don’t want to get on their “list”).</p>
<p>When there is a product review involved, I do invariably get coupons in return. (D1 has sent product letter/emails from school and received free cereal coupons- roommates very impressed!)</p>
<p>My most recent letter was to the CEO of a big company alerting him to a radio comercial I found particularly horrifying. His (XXL Big) company had just purchased a smaller company that ran the radio ad. It took me a little research to figure out who to send the letter to. I have not heard back, and may not.</p>
<p>My kids laugh at me, but I enjoy writing letters. Sometimes I write “fan” letters (I heard back from Joan Baez!). I write to book authors and authors of magazine articles. Sometimes I send cards to people I have read about in the paper, when the situation arises.</p>
<p>So far, the best letter-writing experience has been when (then first-grade) D2 wrote a letter to a CEO that had recently been promoted, just sending congrats. This particular CEO happens to have the exact same name as D2, and CEO wrote back! They developed a pen-pal relationship, that has now continued for 9 years. D2 writes several letters each year, and always hears back. I can’t give more details without giving too much personal info, but it has been a wonderful experience. Birthdays, holidays never forgotten. Our family got to meet her once when she was near our town on business. A real eye-opener to be around a super big wig. (I mean super-duper : driver, bodyguards, etc.) It’s been a great thing for D2 over the years.</p>
<p>Sorry to digress…</p>
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<p>About a year ago, I emailed the head of marketing for a big Houston law firm. Their adverting materials featured a close up of hands…that happened to be in the same position as a very vulgar sign in American Sign language. She thanked me for my email, but they are still using the photograph…I guess they aren’t seeking clients from the deaf community.</p>
<p>melbert, I think that’s the neatest thing I’ve ever heard! Are your letters hand-written or typed?</p>
<p>melbert, what a wonderful story!</p>
<p>Regarding sending snail-mail to politicians… because of the anthrax scare in 2001, snail mail going into the Capitol has to be scanned; it takes a long time. You may be more likely to get a reply if you send an email.</p>
<p>My computer time is extremely limited (obviously, since it took this long to reply). </p>
<p>I do send emails for work, and occasionally for complaints/congrats. But the overwhelming number are hand-written. </p>
<p>I am financially challenged 
so I don’t even go for the beautiful stationery, much as I admire it. I just use plain white copy paper and business envlopes, for the most part. I sometimes splurge with a 50 cent card from the dollar store for a special occassion.</p>
<p>My handwriting is so-so…used to be much better (thanks to the nuns in grade school!), but my hands are banged up from the work I do. It’s hard to make the writing look smooth all the time.</p>
<p>I started when my Mom passed away, and I wanted to acknowledge the kindness of so many people who sent cards, flowers, etc. She was well loved and some of the letters I received were so heart-felt and warmly comforting. I felt the least I could do was write back. I am the oldest & only female in my family, so I felt obligated to take this on…I knew (rightly, it turns out) none of my brothers would step up to this. </p>
<p>Sad as I was, one of my best pieces of writing was my Mom’s obituary. I copied it & sent it out with all the thank-you letters. In it, I had mentioned some highlights of her early life (nursing school, military service) and the gentle treatment she received as she passed, along with her survivors, etc. So many people wrote back to me expressing their thoughts on how beautifil this was. This was the beginning of my writing letters to her friends.</p>
<p>My kids both lean more towards language/writing vs math/science, so it’s natural for them to write. They now will send cards & letters without my prompting (after years of “don’t forget to send your Thank-You cards” reminders). That is one of my minor parenting success stories. :)</p>
<p>wow- way off topic…sorry</p>