Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Universal AdCom/HomeTown Productions Scam

I'm the advertising coordinator at my workplace and I've been dealing with Universal AdCom since I started working here. They run a pretty slimy business and pit coworkers against each other, but I've finally decided to take a stand and do something about this. This post was inspired by Kina, a business owner from Oregon. When I googled Hometown Productions and Universal Adcom, her blog post came up- from 2008.

The Scam: This company cold calls companies (mostly nonprofits) and offers them ad space on various products such as maps for your city or magnets. The caller tells you that these products are distributed around the city. They usually say, "I'm calling with the City of Warrensburg (or WHS, etc).  They claim that other businesses in your area are on board with this (They name off a few for authenticity). Usually they will claim that you have already ordered this (or ordered in the past and it's an automatic renewal) and they're just calling to check on changes. When you say you don't want it, they tell you that they've already been printed, so you can get them for a cheaper price. They then say they will give you a complimentary box of the product. Months later, you get billed for $299 or $399. They come automatically, even if you've cancelled or said that you do not want them.

Whoever they're talking to, they claim that it was one of your coworkers that ordered them. In my case, they implicated my Executive Director, who doesn't order these things. When we caught onto this, we started directing everything through me- so that I could track my budget and what we have purchased. They are also not affiliated with anyone that they say they are, like the city or the high school. I have actually called the schools and Chamber to see if they are legit and when the caller calls back, I confront them. They bold-face lie. They say, "Did you talk to so- and-so?" Usually I get hung up on.

Another kicker is that you get the product, they do not distribute like they say that they do. In fact, they also only make room enough for your ad on YOUR product, and then do the same for the other companies. My coworker saw a stack of identical magnets like ours with a different business in the spot where our ad was.

What Really Happens: I have confronted them and told them that there's no way that they have already printed these if they were just calling me that day for the changes. It's all semantics with them. "Well, I didn't say they had been printed yet" (After she just did) And I say, "Then what's the problem? I don't want your product." A couple of months later (When your memory has faded a bit) you get boxes of "complimentary product". And a bill/invoice.

Last time that I spoke to them, I told them that we would not be ordering it. Three months later, I get this: Invoice and a box of "complimentary maps" for Benton and St. Clair County. We don't even SERVE St. Clair county. So, I call up HomeTown Productions.

I speak to a woman named Marlin (Who knows if that's her real name) and I ask her why we received it, as we didn't order it. I go on to tell her that the person who has been claimed ordered it wasn't even here that day.  I told her that we would not be paying for it. She looked up my account and said that these were "complimentary" and our balance is $0.00. I ask her why I got this invoice, then. She said, "We like to send out invoices for your records." I tell her that it appears that they're asking for $299.50 in payment. She says, "No ma'am, your balance is $0.00." I ask her to look at any other accounts, as we will not be purchasing anything, and they better not send us anything else either. She says all of our accounts are closed and we will not be billed. Ha. We'll see.

I look closer at the Invoice. It's very, very sneaky. For example,  it says "complimentary product" but it still says, "Total: $299.50." They have left out the word, "Due" as in, "Total Amount Due". Just "Total 299.50". This allows them to say, "Oh those are complimentary, you don't owe anything." if we're on to them. Then WHY, at the bottom, do you have a "Detach Portion with Payment" that says, "Amount: 299.50"? If this truly was honest, it would say, "0.00" due. It doesn't say "Due" anywhere.

Customer Service is hard to get ahold of- the phone number on the invoice will not take you to CS. You call them and they will give you a different number to get ahold of CS. And they defend it to the death. They really are sneaky, and shady. They're also known by 15 different names:


So at this point I decided to write this blog post, about them and their deceptive techniques. I hope people will happen upon this just as I did with Kina's post, and know what to do when they call.

Remember: Always check things out. You're not being rude by asking them to call back, by calling the school/business that they're "representing" (Plus, don't you think that if your kid's school was selling magnets, they'd let you know so you could buy from them?)

Always get their name and company and GOOGLE their phone number. You'll find some interesting information.


Links about them:
Universal Ad-Con
BBB Article about them



Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Scariest Day of My Life

This weekend, I headed down to the lake for the Fourth of July weekend. I hadn't seen my mom since late April, so I was excited to spend the weekend with her. I spoke to her Saturday morning and she sounded tired. She said that she had a fever and wasn't feeling well, not sleeping well and she was going to rest.

By the time I reached the lake, my sister called me and told me to meet her at the hospital ER, as our mother had just been taken in. My sister said that Mom was confused and she wasn't able to make complete sentences. At this point, I knew that something was terribly wrong.

My sister Kiley, who had realized that Mom was not well that morning, had insisted that she go to Urgent Care, who sent her to the hospital. Kiley and I went back to see Mom, who had been tucked into an exam room. She was hooked up to an IV, in a hospital bed, and smiled when I came in. She tried to explain how she was feeling- but got stalled on the words. She knew what she wanted to say, but it couldn't come out. Her lip quivered; I knew that she was on the verge of tears. Honestly, I was too. I've never seen my mother this way before.

We talked amongst ourselves and Mom continued to try to talk to us for awhile. The doctor and nurses came and went, drawing blood, taking her blood pressure and temperature, examining her. Soon, my other sisters were there- all four of us were in the exam room with her. We huddled around her bed. Mom heard the doctor mention West Nile Virus and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

We stayed with her for hours, until they finally decided to admit her. She was taken to a hospital room at 8:30, and her speech hadn't improved. My sisters and I were panicking; the doctors were stumped at this point and we were worried that her condition would continue to worsen. At 9:30, a new diagnosis emerged: meningitis. We were told that if we wanted to see her, we had to put on hospital gowns, masks and gloves. Fearing for her condition, the doctor called for a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) that night- no need to wait for morning. When I left the hospital that night around eleven, we had no answers- my sister Lauren insisted on sleeping in the chair next to Mom's bed in case something happened overnight.

Many people who lose their parents do not get a chance to say goodbye; as my mother struggled to speak to us, I realized that this was a very real possibility- that I would have to say goodbye. What do you say to someone that may not survive the night? Panic set in and I didn't know what I should tell her- that I loved her? Of course. I briefly thought about what life would be like without her- unbearable.

I was restless that night and we returned to the hospital early the next morning- and were told that we didn't have to put on the gowns and masks. Her diagnosis was viral meningitis, but it wasn't contagious- and we'd be able to be near her without taking any other precautions. The medicine was also working wonders- she could speak with only a few stalls and she would be able to go home as soon as she felt better.

The panic that I felt the day before disappeared- I was so grateful and cheerful that my mama was going to be okay. It made me realize that all of those silly things that we think are important- squabbles and disagreements with family members- they're not worth it. Love your family members, make up with them after tiffs, and always forgive- because one day, they might be gone in a blink of an eye.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Go Dog Go

Go Dog Go is the very first book I ever read. Agreed, I probably memorized it from my dad reading it to me so many times, but still, it was my favorite. If you've never read it, you should- it's beginner's reading book and it's fantastic. It's basically about dogs in cars. And at the end they go to a party. One of my earliest memories is crawling onto my dad's lap and reading this together. To this day, it's still his favorite story to tell about my childhood.

With Father's Day coming up, I felt that I should dedicate a blog to my dad, and all dads/daddies/papas/pops out there! I am my dad's only biological child, and I got a lot of attention. I had one of those hands-on dads- he was never too busy to play, teach me how to ride my bike, read to me, or prune me to be a CMSU graduate. We baked cakes together one night a week, which would feed the family during snacks for the rest of the week.

My dad was at every school function, even when I was in 5th grade and got the "lead role" in a silly skit about the sun and the moon, and no other parents came, but both of my parents and grandparents were there! He even almost got fired when he told his boss that he'd be taking the morning off to take me to my first day of kindergarten. We played a duet together at my piano recital. We watched South Park in its very early days (much to my mother's dismay). When he bought a racecar (I'm still convinced that was a midlife crisis) I sat in the stands and cheered for him every week.

My dad's my best friend- he gets me like no one really does. I'm proud to be his daughter, and I'm proud to have a dad like him- because he's the "cool dad". Everyone who meets him tells me how awesome he is. What I really like is the way he can meet and talk to anyone and instantly that person likes him. He calls it his "salesman ability". I see a lot of my dad in Adam, even though at the beginning I didn't see it. All the things I love about my dad- I love about Adam, too.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy.

Love, Gully

Monday, June 6, 2011

I fell in love over the weekend.

I fell in love with Adam all over again this weekend. I think that there's some sort of camraderie that forms when you work side by side together. I've noticed how close I feel to him when we work out at the gym, and it was the same kind of bond that we had as we unpacked and organized donations this weekend.

We cried together as we drove through Joplin, we got angry together when we saw tourists snapping pictures of the rubble. As we met his family, he smiled at me with this geniune adoration as I told stories I've told a million times. A weekend away from the hustle and bustle of our routine and our every day lives was exactly what we needed.

When I look at his grandfather, I see Adam. I can imagine Adam at 90 years old, because that's Chester. He's wise, smart, cultured, and witty. He loves his family but he's anything but naive. Last week someone said to me, "Adam really is charming. The first time I met him, I knew he was very intelligent." That's exactly how I felt when I met him. He was well-read; an eloquent speaker; he was wonderful. He is wonderful.

He makes me smile and laugh, and I am so glad we had this weekend together because it really put us back together. The stresses of our lives melted away. It was the simple things this weekend; driving together for three hours; stopping at the cheese factory for samples and Adam telling me he'd buy me the $13 block of Gruyere if I wanted it, and me, politely declining because it was too much; getting Olive Garden desserts to go and sitting with our legs crossed on the bed, plastic silverware in front of us, Adam spooning himself a bite and then watching the look on my face when I tasted the delicious cake. He smiles- a geniune, loving, sweet, wonderful smile. It's easy. It isn't forced.

He adores me, and I kinda like him too.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Home Sweet Home (A Reflection)

Today is the last day of my weekend, and we are finally home from Joplin. I am still so deeply troubled by what I saw there. I took a fully charged camera with me, but I didn't snap a single picture. I had intended on taking pictures and sharing what I saw with friends and family. However, once we got there, it was a whole different feeling. I felt like a voyeur as we drove past families in their yards, amid rubble and memories of their whole lives. I instantly felt that taking pictures of people's devastation and pain was disrespectful of the dead and the living.

The first day that we were in Joplin, we drove down Rangeline Rd. I thought what I saw there was the extent of the damage, but I was so very wrong. On Rangeline, part of the business district, tops of buildings were caved in, a chinese restaurants 20 ft tall metal sign was twisted and bent, lying parallel to the ground.

As we turned onto 20th St to drive to dinner,  I soon realized that Rangeline was lucky. 20th St had more damage that anything I had seen so far. Houses were flattened; naked tree branches jutted into the blue sky, with blunt edges, severed with chainsaws. Eerie sights were abound- free standing refrigerators, bricks in toppled messes, branches... street signs were gone, and the street names were spray painted onto the asphalt, giving direction to travelers who couldn't find their way... even Joplin residents who had grown up on the streets were lost on the wrecked streets.

At night we pulled into our hotel parking lot, next to a van with all of its windows blown out. They were covered with plastic bags, and the inside was filled to the brim with all of the remnants of their lives. Clothes, dishes, anything that could be salvaged from their home, was now in their van. In front of the room was the family, a man in a wheelchair with a broken leg. I gave him a sympathetic smile and he returned it. My heart ached for him.

We take our lives for granted sometimes, and my experience in Joplin has made me hold Adam a little closer, spend a little more time with my family and be grateful, and so thankful for my home, job, car, belongings. Knowing that it could be wiped away in one powerful storm is the most humbling experience of all.

I'll end on a happy note: Joplin is struggling, but they have resolve. They are a city of great courage and I admire them. God loves Joplin- people from all over have rallied together to help this city pick up the pieces. Free food was given out on every street corner- churches, civic organizations, kids, senior citizens- they gave what they could. They gave their time, energy, money, donations- as if to say, "You're not alone in this, Joplin. We love you."

Friday, June 3, 2011

A Volunteer's Heart

On May 22, 2011, a powerful tornado swept through Joplin, MO, crushing a path six miles wide. While a tornado is devastating to any town, it takes on a whole new meaning when the town is close to your heart. I had never been to Joplin before I met Adam. His family is here- his parents both grew up here- and when we started dating we started coming to Joplin to visit his aunt and grandparents. I fell in love with Joplin- and when the tornado struck, I felt helpless- but I still wanted to help. Now we're here, almost two weeks later, and the destruction can't be put into words.

We arrived this morning and went to MSSU where we reported for volunteer service. We were informed that fieldwork (IE debris cleanup) was already full, so we would be going to a "warehouse" to sort through donations. I prayed that this warehouse was air-conditioned as temperatures climbed to 98 degrees. We loaded a school bus and were let off at the Joplin Regional Airport warehouse.

As we walked in, things were a mess. There were kids toys, canned goods, toilet paper, paper towels, deodorant... anything that you could ever imagine. I was instantly overwhelmed. An older woman, Cici, announced that everything had its place and each pallet needed to be sorted. I started ripping open bags and sorting.

One of the men that was working next to me said to me, "You know, I wish they would have just donated money." That kind of struck me. I thought at first, how dare he say that! These people gave from their hearts. But then I realized- he was right.

I felt that the donations, while given with good intentions, were overwhelming for volunteers, who instead could be helping cleaning up Joplin's crushed homes. As a volunteer, you shouldn't ask, "What can I give?". Instead, you should ask, "What do they need?" The answer to that is: money. Monetary donations are going to go a lot further to rebuild Joplin than cans of tomato soup and hotel sized shampoos. Further, a lot of people sent garage sale fare- dirty, heavily used and sometimes broken toys, soiled linens, and Easter candy- melted Snickers. Sometimes, I wonder what goes through people's minds...


We worked for three hours and almost completely finished with the entire warehouse. There were about fifteen of us, including AmeriCorps workers and a man from Houston, Texas who drove 16 hours to be here after hearing about the tornado.

Being a volunteer takes patience, flexibility, and generosity- of your time and energy. After three hours, I was wiped out. I had downed two bottles of water and was about to pass out from heat exhaustion. But after three hours, seeing that warehouse transformed from an unsorted mess to a clean floor and perfectly packaged pallets, I knew that we had done something good for people that had lost everything.

PS- If you ever get a chance to volunteer with your significant other, i suggest doing so! Adam and I worked as a team today as we went through boxes and sorted items. At the end of the day, we walked hand in hand to the bus. The bus driver smiled at us. I said to him, "I'm really glad we got to do this together." He kissed my hand and said, "Me too." It's amazing how close you feel to someone when you change the world together.