Do Your Bill Collectors Pay You?!

Have you ever heard the saying, "There's no such thing as free money"? I have and I'm not sure if I totally agree with that statement. 

Credit card companies have always offered cash-back cards that pay a teeny tiny fraction of what you charged during the year. Sometimes these deals come with a hefty interest rate attached to them.  It's not uncommon now to see debit cards offering the same kind of benefits.

My buddy FICO seems to think we need to rebuild our relationship before he signs off on a new credit card for me. No problem. I've always preferred cash. 

I just prefer to have a little bit more of it these days...

But what if you could get cash back for the stuff you really need? You know, those necessary incidentals you can't live without. Like electricity.

You're looking at an example of said program. 

Yep. For the second year in a row, my electric provider  has rewarded my expenditures. Last year it was a Visa® debit card for $50 (I went straight to MAC and bought some foundation...probably spent the rest on necklaces and/or earrings!). 

This time around it was $81.16 (I was in desperate need of a power cord for my laptop...The Girl and I had been sharing hers for months and frankly, I was tired of the dirty looks every time I asked to use it).

Oh - that reminds me. I got an Aluratek universal power cord from Fry's. Trying to decide which one to buy was a pain. So many choices and mixed reviews. I went with Aluratek because once I got to the store, out of all the brands I researched, it was the only one that hadn't been restocked due to returns. If nobody's bringing it back - it must work. I haven't had any problems with thus far.

One last thing about the power cord. It was actually cheaper at Wal-Mart, but they only sold it online. Fry's matched Wal-Mart's price so I saved $10. May as well stretch this free money as far as it'll go! 

I had $27.05 left on the card. After the gawd awful experience with the car dealership, I deserve these. So I got em:

images courtesy of target.com

I don't know what excites me more...free money or the free shopping sprees that come with!

Reading this hasn't been a total waste of time. Let me sum it up for you:

• read your mail: I still get all of mine the old fashion way - in my hard copy mailbox. There's something about holding the "Special Offer For Preferred Customers" in my hands and being able to read the fine print.
• ask for the money: Just because a business doesn't promote a loyalty reward program, that doesn't mean they don't have one. It may not be in the form of cash-back to spend at your leisure, but if you can get a credit on your bill it's definitely worth it. 
• money doesn't grow on trees: Believe me. I've searched high and low for one bearing such fruit. Even if the money is free, don't be frivolous. Comparison shop, grab your coupons, and spend wisely. 

Luxury Car - Low Budget Service

On January 30, 2012, something happened to my car. The battery died while parked and when I had the battery and alternator tested, both checked out fine. Luckily, it stalled right across the street from a repair shop where I've had work done on it before and the technician was kind enough to give me a boost.

Fast forward to today. My car has been inoperable in my driveway for three weeks now. 

This video explains why:

I can't fathom in today's technologically advanced world that the dealership can't offer any help. Wait a minute. The general manager would actually have to call back first. My bad.

Please don't allow any company to treat you this way! Hold them accountable. Make your voice heard.

Would you mind sharing this to help me get the word out?! This type of neglect has to stop.

Oh...and another thing: my next car will be a Chrysler.

**3/1 UPDATE**

Thanks to everyone who took the time to read and share this and then inquire about the status of the situation. 

After sending the above video to Jaguar's VP of Communications and Public Affairs and other corporate team members, I received a call from AJ, the GM at the Houston dealership within a couple of hours. Does leaving, "Donna you will have to answer your phone if you'd like to talk to me", on someone's voicemail sound like someone eager to help?! Sorry dude, but I don't talk on the phone while driving.

AJ said he had logged where he tried called me 17 times. I told him that was a flat out lie and asked how many messages he left. He said none - he doesn't leave messages. Wow.

Here's the deal: the Austin dealership is now involved and that process resulted in me filing a formal complaint with Jaguar. Why?! The service technician guaranteed he could fix the electrical problem in one hour at a labor rate of $125. When the car was towed (at Houston Jaguar's expense) to the Austin dealership, I received a call the next day telling me repairs to my car's electrical system would exceed the value of my car. Sorry, but that's not what the service tech said. 

I just hung up with the customer relations rep who took my complaint and she basically called to reiterate the same thing. She stated the service manager apologized for his tech giving me misinformation. 

NEXT STEPS: I'm escalating this case to the executive team at Jaguar headquarters. I refuse to go down without a fight. 

From Flab to Almost Fab...Kind Of

Before I officially get started, let me share a blogger tip. 

No - I haven't saved alot of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico, BUT I have saved a ton of time by:

1. omitting photos from my blog (no more countless hours on flickr trying to find the right one)
2. taking my own pictures whenever possible.

What you see pictured above isn't borrowed inspiration from a fitness magazine or gym. Those are my Nike walking shoes given to me by The Girl for Christmas 2010, 5 lb. weights I dug out of my mama's garage before she had a chance to say, "No...don't take those...I still use them sometime!", and a knee brace I can't possibly live without. 

You may not remember I participated in my very first 5k last year. Bonni, my then blog reader now friend turned personal trainer invited me. (Yeah...go ahead and feel free to re-read that if you need to). 

Bonni started a challenge with her regular clients in January. I was not one of them, but she was kind enough to include me because I'd mentioned to her one day while we were working together at the Crackhouse that I needed to get up and get active. Exercise is the area of my life where I lack all self-discipline. She took it a step further and volunteered to stop by Headquarters and help me with the exercises on the routine. I needed that. I really really needed that. I didn't know a side-step lunge from an oblique crunch.

Our first challenge was pushups. We had to count how many we could do without stopping. The position didn't matter so of course my outta shape ass opted for the modified-on-your-knee kind. These were called "girl pushups" back when I was in P.E. At the beginning of this month, we had to do-over and give Bonni our new number. The person who had the highest percentage increase would win. 

As I was strapping on my knee brace Wedneday night to head out for my 30 minutes of cardio, I got a text from Bonni telling me I won January's challenge. I demanded a recount immediately. Turns out I had a 48% increase and the person who came in 2nd was close behind me with 43%.

Shut your mouth wide open! Are you serious?! I can't believe it to tell you the truth. 

Bonni and I will be getting together soon so I can get my prize. It'll probably sink in at that time. 

Between now and then, I'm on to the next challenge. Wall sits. Care to join us?!

UPDATE

For those of you who said you were up to the wall squat (I called it a 'sit' - my bad!) challenge - here goes!

Position A is modified and usually easier on your knees, B is the full position.

1. Get into position and start timing. Hold the position for as long as you can and record your time. 
2. Follow your normal exercise routine over the course of the next 4 weeks and time yourself again. 
3. We'll celebrate our progress when I write the next Flab to Almost Fab post.

I'm excited!!

Disclaimer: You should consult your physician before beginning any exercise regimen.  

One Word Business Plan

What started out as a 'word of the week' turned into 'word of the month' for me. I'm not complaining because it was a good thing. It was my intention to master one thing and one thing only. Focusing on it for one week straight. 

That was a few days into January and here we are looking February dead in the eye. 

In case you forgot, my goals for 2012 are centered around the same three words from last year. And the one short-term-turned-long-term word I'm focusing on drives those three words. 

So what do you do to keep it front and center so you don't get distracted and thrown of course? 

There's only one logical answer to that question:

You write it on the bathroom mirror.