WHY DON’T WE HAVE A GOOD PEOPLE ALERT?
I’m glad to know that “Hambro Sudefy” is a scam artist but I want to deal with a good mail order company. Where do I turn? What do I do?
This problem faces many of the beginners in mail order today. That’s why it’s important for publishers to not copy the news media and only report derogatory information — but publish the good stuff too.
While scams and rip-offs should NEVER be ignored and are the best ways to prohibit their growth, why don’t more people start writing about the company who “did” issue them a refund check? Or the dealer that was late processing their order but “did” put 250 extra copies in the box to compensate for the delay?
Yes folks, they’re out there! People just don’t take the time to point them out to other people. It’s really not fair! They get their order and everything is fine so they have no reason to complain. They will place another order in the future but will never tell anyone else about them unless a problem arises.
I think it’s time a lot of us started bringing out the “good” side of the coin. People need to see the “Right” and “Wrong” of an issue. Being exposed to “Wrong” all the time is a distorted way to conduct your life and your business.
In fact — here’s a partial list of some GOOD people to help you get started. Please take the time to write these people FIRST because this report may be old by the time you read it. I have taken precautions to only list people who have been in business quite awhile and are likely to stay in business for a long time to come. However, people can die, move, become ill and get out of business altogether. Keep trying until you do hook up with some of them and they will help introduce you to others like themselves.
List of Good People We Recommend:
Don Harris, PO Box 1052, Oviedo FL 32765
Artcraft Press, PO Box 225, Mankato MN 56002-0225
Ken Weiand, PO Box 624, Cherokee Village AR 72525
Harland DeGroot, 2765 W Jefferson #H, Springfield IL 62702
David Dye, PO Box 1002, Battle Creek MI 49016
Robyn Marie Hormel, 4615 Takilma Rd, Cave Junction OR 97523
Marianne Hunter, PO Box 50027, Reno NV 89513
Gary Davis, PO Box 80, Foyil OK 74031
Coal Publishing, 27 So. 4th Ave, Highland Park NJ 08904
Graphico Publishing, PO Box 488, Bluff City TN 37618
Lori Thorn, 1807 Stillwater #5, St Paul MN 55119
Glenn Bridgeman, PO Box 10150, Terra Bella CA 93270
Tom Leash, 64 W Main St, Dallastown PA 17313
C J Nelson, 1825 Domanik Dr, Racine WI 53404
William Thrailkill, Jr, 4811 - 16th Ave, Chattanooga TN 37407
Thomas McCrary, PO Box 64, South Holland IL 60473
Carl O’Shea, PO Box 700, Baldwin Park CA 91706
Jerry Goodwin, PO Box 429, Johnson City KS 67855
Gail Lamothe, PO Box 46, Derby VT 05829
Dale Rolland, 2045 Deer Trail, Floresville TX 78114
Don Smith, PO Box 7600, Newark DE 19714
Maynard Hawkins, PO Box 3403, Wichita Falls TX 76301
And Remember:
You have to ALSO be a good person to benefit the rewards and help of a good person. You can’t go into a relationship with any of these people with the sole thought of “using” them until you make some money. Instead, you should treasure these people as a breath of fresh air. Dealing with honest people will save you lots and lots of money. Treat them like the gems they really are and you and your business will certainly be successful in the long run. Good luck to you.
THE LEGITIMATE SCAM
After spending the last 2 months talking to people who don’t know anything about “our” type of mail order, I found it evident that every one of them was introduced to mail order through “The Legitimate Scam!” What is this scam and why can’t it be stopped? Basically, because it IS a legitimate scam!
Now come on Victoria, who ever heard of a legitimate scam?
EXAMPLE 1: Collect names for us. We pay $20 each. Guaranteed!
The truth is this company WILL pay you $20 for each name you collect for them. What they DON’T tell you is that each person has to spend $100 or more by placing an order before you get your $20.
The beginner is led to believe that all they have to do is get out their phone books and start sending the company names and addresses. In return, the company will send them $20 for each name and address they send them.
When they send away for the details they discover the “Legitimate Scam” and think everybody in mail order is operating this way. Result: Mail order is labeled as a scam and illegal business activity.
Here’s another example:
EXAMPLE 2: How to flood your mailbox with $1 bills. Just send $1 for information.
To the seasoned pro, he or she can recognize this scam as very obvious — but to the beginner it’s very intriguing. Besides, it only costs $1 to find out.
What the beginner finds out is that they are expected to run the same ad in newspapers and tabloids. Other people will send $1 for information and their mailbox is “supposedly” flooded with $1 bills. This ad is NOT illegal. It asks you to send $1 for information and you DO get the information.
These types of ads are all a bunch of paper-passing — and I classify them under the heading of a “Legitimate Scam.” You can’t complain that your order was not filled. You can’t complain the idea is not possible. You can’t complain the ad promised something it didn’t deliver.
Around 1965 a guy ran an ad in 1,000’s of national magazines that said: “How to make $10,000 a year. Send $1 for the complete answer.” A co-worker I knew responded to the ad and in return received a piece of paper that said: “Get a job.”
So friends, if this type of activity has been going on since 1965 — and I suspect it really started in the Garden of Eden, why do you think we can put an end to it today?
However — don’t confuse the “Legitimate Scam” with “Lead-Generating Ads.” A mail order buddy of mine will run an ad that states: “Want to make a lot of money? Call (his telephone number.)” This is NOT necessarily a scam or rip-off. Since there is no cost involved — it might be worth your time and effort to call the number and see what this dealer has to offer.
Also, some dealers run ads that don’t tell you what the product is because they have an entire package of information they want to send you. It would be too costly to advertise the complete information in a small 1″ or 2″ ad, so they run “Lead-Generating Ads” to bring them inquiries. This is also NOT illegal and is common business practice. You’ll also find that real “Lead-Generating Ads” DON’T ask you for a lot of money up front. They only tell you enough about the product to entice you to send in a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) or $1 for more information. They are unlike the “Example 2″ that basically tell you the scam before you order it! (It may take a little time for you to make the distinction between these fine lines.)
However, our duty as good mail order dealers should be to ban together and inform the public that “normal” mail order is NOT a part of the “Legitimate Scam.” And when we see one — we should cut it out and send to a mail order publisher to expose. So many people overlook the power of the PRINTED WORD. Instead of complaining, people should be writing their mail order publishers when they are ripped-off, providing them with documentation and a 2 or 3 paragraph summary of the “Legitimate Scam.”
Use wisdom. Get your facts straight. Have documentation to back-up your findings and submit them! Wouldn’t it be great if everybody in the world were honest? What a wonderful world this would be!
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