Good to know, especially since rumour has that Canada Post Customer service is headed to India before the New Year

A lot of us do not realize this option is open to us.

Any time you call an 800 number (for a credit card, banking, charter communications,
health and other insurance, computer help desk, etc. ) and you find that you're talking
to a foreign customer service representative (with an accent, difficult to understand
perhaps in India, Philippines, etc), Please consider doing the following:

After you connect and you realize that the Customer Service Representative is
not working in Canada (you can always ask, if you are not sure about the accent),
please, very politely this is not about trashing other cultures.

Say, "I'd like to speak to a Customer Service Representative in Canada."

The rep might suggest talking to his/her manager, But, again, politely say,
"Thank you, but I'd like to speak to a Customer Service Representative in Canada .."
YOU WILL BE IMMEDIATELY CONNECTED TO A REP IN CANADA .

That's the rule and the LAW.
It takes less than one minute to have your call re-directed to Canada .
Tonight when I got redirected to a Canadian Rep, I asked again to make sure
- and yes, she was from Calgary ....

Imagine what would happen if every Canadian Citizen insisted on talking to only
Canadian phone reps, from this day on.

Imagine how that would ultimately impact the number of Canadian jobs that would need
to be created ASAP.

If I tell 10 people to consider this and you tell 10 people to consider doing this -
see what I mean...it becomes an exercise in viral marketing 101.

Remember - the goal here is to restore jobs back here at home - not to be abrupt or rude
to a foreign phone rep. You will get correct answers, good advice, and solutions to your
problem - in real English.

Why the U.S. was downgraded:

• U.S. Tax revenue: $2,170,000,000,000
• Fed budget: $3,820,000,000,000
• New debt: $ 1,650,000,000,000
• National debt: $14,271,000,000,000
• Recent budget cuts: $ 38,500,000,000

Let's now remove 8 zeros and pretend it's a household budget:

• Annual family income: $21,700
• Money the family spent: $38,200
• New debt on the credit card: $16,500
• Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710
• Total budget cuts: $385

1-999-910-0152

Received a call from 1-999-910-0152.  I was told that they were working together with Microsoft and that I had several bad viruses in my computer and it was about to crash.  I right away started to laugh on the inside. 

The lady of the phone sounded like she was calling from India.  Not being able to contain myself any longer I began to laugh out loud.  I asked how did she get my phone number and she told me when I set up my computer with Microsoft I gave them my phone number.  She would not allow me to phone back because there was no guarantee that I would get her on the phone.

I then asked is it not more important for me to remove the viruses then ensuring she would receive credit on the phone.  Did not matter, I had to deal with her and only her.

To make a long story short I told her that I had a Mac computer so what she has told me thus far was a complete lie.  Needless to say she hung up.

If you get a similar call, just tell them you have a Mac computer and they won't know what to do.
Cheers.

Hydro Smart Meters

If you like smart meters you’re going to love this - more smart meter tax

 
Soon you are going to have to pay for the privilege of having it    forced on you, plus, you guessed it, you are going to have to pay HST   on the extra fee. But not until next year – not something you are   suppose to know about before an election.
 
At least the smart meters were made in Ontario right? Nope made in Korea.   Korea IT Times.
  http://koreaittimes.com/story/15485/smart-meter-shipments-totaled-174-million-units-worldwide-during-1st-quarter-2011
 
 Buried on a footnote on page 1-102, of volume 2a of the 2010 Ontario    Public Accounts is a revelation that Dalton McGuinty’s Minister of    Energy quietly approved a request from the Independent Electricity Systems Operator to apply to the Ontario Energy Board for a new tax called Smart Meter Service Fees.

Page 13 of the Independent Electricity System Operator’s 2011-2013 Business Plan confirms that the Dalton McGuinty Liberals are already budgeting to collect $33 million per year in Smart Meter Service Fees beginning in 2012. Over the next four years, this would cost Ontario families $132 million to run the smart meter super computer.
 
This new Smart Meter Tax will be applied to smart meter hydro bills above and beyond the higher costs of ‘time of use pricing’. Already under Dalton McGuinty, hydro rates have gone up 84 percent and 150 percent for homes with a smart meter, not to mention the $1 billion ($200 per household) price tag that came with installing smart meters.
 
We all need to ask the questions and vote on Thursday October 6. 

Call Centres

Call Centres - The law in Canada
                 
Good to know, especially since rumour has that Canada Post Customer service is Headed to India before the New Year
             
A lot of us do not realize this option is open to us.
             
Any time you call an 800 number(for a credit card, banking, charter communications, health and other insurance, computer help desk, etc. ) and you find that you're talking to a foreign customer service representative(with an accent, difficult to inderstand/ perhaps in India, Philippines, etc),Please consider doing the following:
 
After you connect and you realize that the Customer Service Representative is not working in Canada (you can always ask,  if you are not sure about the accent), please, very politely this is not about trashing other cultures
 
Say, "I'd like to speak to a Customer Service Representative in Canada ."
 
The rep might suggest talking to his/her manager,But, again, politely say, "Thank you, but I'd like to speak to a Customer Service Representative in Canada .."
 
YOU WILL BE IMMEDIATELY CONNECTED TO A REP IN CANADA ..
 
That's the rule and the LAW.
 
It takes less than one minute to have your call re-directed to Canada .
 
Tonight when I got redirected to a Canadian Rep, I asked again to make sure - and yes, she was from Calgary ..
 
Imagine what would happen if every Canadian Citizen insisted on talking to only Canadian phone reps, from this day on.
 
Imagine how that would ultimately impact the number of Canadian jobs that would need to be created ASAP. Let’s slow down and possibly reverse some of our unemployment problems.
       
If I tell 10 people to consider this and you tell 10 people to consider doing this - see what I mean...it becomes an exercise in viral marketing 101.
       
Remember - the goal here is to restore jobs back here at home - not to be abrupt or rude to a foreign phone rep.  
           
You will get correct answers, good advice, and solutions  - in real English.
 
If you agree, please tell 10 people you know, and ask them to tell 10 people they know....etc...etc

LEAD GENERATION TIP #10

PRESENTING AND NEGOTIATING THE OFFER
Let’s set the stage:

You’ve written the offer and it’s time to present it to the sellers. Do you simply fax it over to the listing agent and await their response?

Let me ask you this, is that truly representing the buyer? Of course not.

Call the listing agent and let them know you would like to personally present the offer.

Here are some of the key steps to presenting and negotiating the offer:

• Give the sellers some personal background on the buyers, what they are looking for, their qualification abilities, how many homes they have looked at and what they appreciate about their home.

• Provide the sellers with a current snapshot of the marketplace (the same information you provided your buyers with when they decided on what price to offer)

• Review all of the major details of the offer; contingent or non-contingent, inspections, date of closing, etc. Then move to price. Upon presenting price, be silent and listen.

• Be sure to have all your documents and disclosures in order.

If you’ve done your job and you have a good agent on the other end, you will walk away with an accepted offer.

Your next tip will focus on listing strategies. Until then I wish you all continued success.

It’s Your Career – I’m Here to Support YOU!
Constantine Isslamow | Broker of Record

Constantine.Isslamow@gmail.com

LEAD GENERATION TIP #9

PREPARING THE OFFER

It’s typical of the real estate industry, everyone wants to submit a lowball offer. Your first step is to bring buyers to the reality of your current marketplace. How do you do this?

Is it a buyers market or is it a sellers market?

Additionally, your other responsibility is to negotiate in the best interest of your buyer. Keep in mind, negotiating in the best interest of a buyer is not a win/lose goal, you want to do the best you can for your buyer, without creating conflict between buyer and seller. Fiduciary responsibility, know where you stand!

Provide your buyer with market data that includes recent sales, current listings, sale price as a percentage of list prices and any other information that is important in their decision process.

Your next tip will focus on the negotiation process. Until then I wish you all continued success.

It’s Your Career – I’m Here to Support YOU!
Constantine Isslamow | Broker of Record

CENTURY 21 United Realty Inc. Brokerage
387 George Street South, P.O. Box 178
Peterborough Ontario. K9J 6Y8
Direct Line: 705.743.4444 | Fax: 705-743.3702
Constantine.Isslamow@gmail.com