[caption id="attachment_220" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="The $20-Off Ramada Offer Does Not Apply Here!"][/caption]

After making an online reservation through Ramada Inn’s website, I was ready to close out when an automated chat page came up on the site implying that a $20 discount to my reservation could be obtained. 

I copied the chat in its entirety below.

By indicating the word ‘hi’, the automated chat began. When I paused too long to answer, the prompt came up ‘Just Say Hi’. Pushy.  One can see that there really was no $20 discount to be had.  I think this type of marketing is deceiving and intrusive. 

You’ll note that I typed in ‘no thanks’ more than once but the automated chat kept pushing and pushing.  I kept up with this chat because I was quite curious to see where this would lead. I’m always interested in varying ways retailers choose to market other products.  My own bank, Bank of America is using the same tactic by advertising their own products in my Bill Pay screen despite my attempts to click ‘no thanks’ on more than one occasion. 

I’m getting ‘over-marketed’.

Agent: Hi Janine, I’m Jessica and just for making an online reservation with Ramada , Travelers Advantage would like to give you the opportunity to get $20 off your  Ramada  reservation. Please type HI or HELLO in the space below to let me know you are there…
Agent: Just type HI in the space below…
You: HI
Agent: Hi Janine, I have great news!  Just for trying the exciting Ramada, Travelers Advantage program today I can increase your savings from $20 to $30! That’s a $30 cash back mail-in rebate on the reservation you just made!

(At this point, I realize that the first sentence, “…give you the opportunity to get $20 off your  Ramada  reservation….” is a farce.) Let’s play the game…

Agent: This comes along with a membership to Ramada, Travelers Advantage with the first 30 days FREE.  You’ll enjoy FULL ACCESS to our travel agency and get our LOW PRICE GUARANTEE on all of your eligible travel reservations!
Agent: And even if you decide to cancel, you can still get your $30 cash back mail-in rebate … it’s our way of saying THANK YOU just for trying Ramada, Travelers Advantage.
You: No thank you.
Agent: Remember, you’ll have 30 days to look it over and try it out… If you decide that it is not for you, cancel within the first 30 days by calling 800-678-3029, and you will owe NOTHING!
Agent: Keep in mind that by accepting this now, you are not obligated to keep your Ramada Travelers Advantage membership… we’d just like for you to look over the fantastic savings and benefits…
Agent: You have a full month to sample all the money saving benefits after joining the Ramada, Travelers Advantage program.   If you wish to take advantage of this great offer, we will obtain the reservation information that you just provided to Ramada,  including credit card number and billing address, and activate your membership, where the first 30 days are free.
You: No thank you. We don’t need this. I’d like a lower rate, though for this trip.
Agent: Okay, no problem, I’ll note that you have declined the offer and you will NOT be enrolled.  Please note that YOUR CREDIT CARD WILL NOT BE CHARGED.  Thank you for your time and have a good day!

Peculiar, cheap marketing…legal, I’m sure but sneaky nonetheless. Next time I just hit the close button.

Janine

 

After recently receiving a slew of what are known as ‘Nigerian 419 Scam’ emails in my inbox recently, I asked myself, ‘Who are these people who do this? And who are the people who respond to these fraudulent emails?”  Poking around the ‘net, I found an in-depth Washington Post article, by  Karin Brulliard which answered my questions, prompting a commentary here.

Ms. Brulliard interviewed a Nigerian man named Banjo for the article.  Banjo explains how much more difficult it has been during tough economic times to bilk naïve Americans of their monies.  “We are working harder. The financial crisis is not making it easy for them over there,” said Banjo, 24, speaking about Americans, whose trust he has won and whose money he has fleeced, via his Dell laptop. “They don’t have money. And the money they don’t have, we want.”

Banjo is a polite young man in a button-down shirt, and he is the sort of guy on the other end of that block-lettered missive requesting your “URGENT ASSISTANCE” in transferring millions of dollars. He is the sort who made Nigeria infamous for cyberscams, which experts say are increasing in these tough times.

U.S. authorities say Americans — the easiest prey, according to Nigerian scammers — lose hundreds of millions of dollars a year to cybercrimes, including a scheme known as the Nigerian 419 fraud, named for a section of the Nigerian criminal code. Now financially squeezed, Americans succumb even more easily to offers of riches, experts say.”

The article goes on to explain how the scams began in the 1980’s “…from news reports about corrupt politicians funneling oil proceeds to foreign bank accounts.”  Sometimes the scams take advantage of lonely hearts while others promise viable work-from-home riches for simply depositing funds from overseas into personal bank accounts.  The recipient then wires the money into other overseas accounts.  The original, fraudulent checks never clear so the recipient is responsible for the final cash outlay.

Brulliard describes that other scams take advantage of naïve respondents who are typically lonely Americans who believe that if they send upfront fees for plane fare to fake women they will come to America to meet their suitors.  Of course, the “ladies” with whom the American has been corresponding is someone like Banjo on the other end of the email thread.  “She” has missed her plane 3 times, prompting the American to send more money.

Further research shows that the The Nigerian scam has infiltrated real estate using free sites such as Craigslist.  Copying current and legitimate ‘for sale by owner’ ads and photos, scammers create new ads to advertise low purchase prices enticing investors to send in down payments for properties sight unseen.  When buyers show up at the properties to take possession, they find that the transaction is not legitimate.

Of course it all boils down to the naïve individual who feels they can purchase real estate at bargain basement prices. In this time of falling real estate values with buyers not wishing to hire a real estate professional (and pay for commissions), scammers are finding it much easier to dupe vulnerable buyers. 

Janine Gregor
Real Estate Virtual Assistant
www.YourVirtualWizard.com

1) Have a good understanding of what you want the VA to do for you before you search. Keep an ongoing list next to your desk of responsibilities you really want to delegate. List those items which keep you from doing the work you enjoy.

2) Prioritize that list. Break the list down to three categories: Items which should have been done yesterday; those which need to be done this week and those which can wait until next month.

3) Decide how much your budget will allow to contract with a VA. If you can spend $200 a month then stick to that budget.

 
4) Post a request for proposal (RFP) on the Virtual Assistant Forums for free. (This is the premier virtual assistant forums website. VAs are not charged for services here, so the site is open for all VAs and business owners with diverse backgrounds.) Make your RFP as detailed as possible and do not forget to include your website address and alternate email address. Most VAs will research your business online before posting for a position so any information you offer ahead of time only helps to weed out those who may not meet your needs.

5) Give a timeline as to when your request for proposal response has to be submitted but give a fair amount of time to respond. Anyone who is really interested will respond right away but it does take time to reply properly to RFPs as they are often customized to clients’ needs. Specify what you want the VA to send you in the first pass…i.e., links to sites, blogging samples, graphic samples, articles, etc. It is not necessary to ask for a resume. This is not an employee-employer situation. A VA is a business owner as well.

6) Ask for references. And by all means send out for those references asking for feedback on the VA’s work and turnaround time.

7) If you know someone who uses a VA, then ask for a referral from that colleague. Many VAs handle multiple clients. If you like the work you see, then this can be indicative of a VA you might wish to work with.

8 When you have decided upon the right person for the job, expect that in the beginning you will need to ‘hand over’ passwords and usernames and business information to get started. Be sure that your VA has a confidentiality agreement. You will need to open up your business to another person with whom you have never been physically introduced. Trust will grow over time.

9) Review the service contract needed to begin and return back to the VA in a timely fashion. If you are not in agreement with something in the contract, say so upfront.

10) Communicate…communicate…communicate…Set aside time during the work week to answer your VAs emails and questions. The faster you return your replies, the faster the work will be completed. Share ideas…send your VA articles and blogs which spur conversation and brainstorm to grow your business. Suggest that the VA read online newsletters or mail her/him publications which are related to your business.

You will have more time to do the work you enjoy. You can focus on your business plan. Best of all you can partner with someone who has an interest in the growth of your business.

Janine Gregor