I Bitz and Got the Bait and Switch

Come on in, the water's misleading

So I’ve been seeing these commercials for Orbitz with their offer “if you buy a ticket from us we will charge you no booking fees and guarantee your price so that if someone else books a ticket cheaper than yours we will refund you the difference.”  Fine. Sounds like a deal. Yeah right. It’s a deal all right.  Should’ve known there is a catch. See, what they don’t tell you is that when you supposedly choose seats, Orbitz does not send that information over to the airlines. It’s a ruse.

Yesterday, being a thorough and organized travel (or so I thought), I checked to see if the tickets I purchased last month were selling for less. No. Ok. So then I checked our seating assignments on the Northwest airlines site and found that I could not choose our seats even though we had secured seat assignments over a month ago.  So I called Northwest Airlines site directly.  I found that I did not have a seat assignment on the flight but my traveling companion did.  I tried to choose a site but the only seat that I could get was at the back of the plane in the center.

I discovered that when you choose a seat on Orbitz that they do not even send that information over to Northwest.  Orbitz purchases tickets in bulk and only pretends to offer you the opportunity to choose your seat.  What they don’t tell you is that you may not even be confirmed on the flight.  Unless they tell you in the small print somewhere, I don’t remember seeing anything about that. And Northwest? Refuses to do anything to help. Period. Airline policy. Whatever.

So, I called Orbitz and spoke to a lovely woman in India whose command of the English language was, well lets say interesting.  Nothing she could do. Then after much gnashing of teeth on my end she claimed that she was able to seat us together in 9A and 9B.  So, I went to the Northwest site, and again, only one seat confirmed the other with no assignment at all. Did she lie to me?

We called again and got a gentleman with better English and much compassion but no seat assignment.  We were told that the airline might be able to assign our seats together at the gate.  If we are one of the 30 or so passengers to arrive at the gate first.

Our lesson.  I find it crazy that with airlines and air travel in the tank that 1) Orbitz would mislead customers and 2) that Northwest would offer such crappy service.  Even though I was told by the NWA agent Northwest controls 70% of the seating arrangements online or over the phone I would still have to go to the airport no more than 24 hours before the flight in order to confirm a seat assignment.  So much for hanging on to customers and encouraging Americans to travel again.  So, the bottom line: 1) no seat assignment or confirmed seat as of today, 2) $35 in handling fees for 2 checked bags and 3) If I’m lucky, one of us gets to sit at the back of the plane between two strangers.  Am I being unreasonably picky? Our tickets are just under a thousand dollars round trip.  I don’t think so. Is it unreasonable to want to sit together when the chief part of the travel experience is to enjoy the exploration together?

What do you think?

May I have a minute of your time?

Last Wednesday night my client, Howard Fleischmann from Community Tire & Auto won the Better Business Bureau’s Business Ethics Award in his category. The evening, hosted at the Biltmore included a special key note speaker, Ken Blanchard, author of The One Minute Entrepreneur. Ken shared with us his brilliant insight into what makes a true entrepreneur and what success really means. Success is not about what you achieve, but what you give to the world. The content of one’s character is measured by how much one loves not how much one gets.

I wish I could go into his entire presentation but instead I urge you to read his book. These are the main points I took with me from that evening.

What every entrepreneur should practice…the four Ps.

Purpose: lengthy, sleep-inducing mission statements aside. What is your purpose? You should be able to describe it in just a few words. For me, it’s: Delivering results for my clients by telling great stories.

Principle: When faced with any decision ask your self these three questions. 1) is it legal? 2) is it fair? 3) is it something you would want to see written about you on the front page of the newspaper?

Persistence: Instead of hanging a shingle out there and expecting business to come your way you have to go after it and have the tenacity that delivers results.

Perspective: Be willing to look at the big picture and cast a critical eye on yourself, your company, your purpose and your people. Surround yourself with people that complement you. Personally, my own belief is “there is no one smarter than all of us.”

I will add one more P, Positive. Humans are the only creatures in existence gifted with the power of speech. To speak words is to give them and the ideas they express, power. We hear about the power of attraction, and of course “the secret,” was part of nearly every water-cooler conversation last year. But being positive also includes personal responsibility and action. Speak only positive things. Remove no, not and don’t from your vocabulary and instead focus on what you do want. Be kind and generous with your mind, your talent and your time. The five Ps will eventually culminate into one P

… Peace.

Happy Birthday to Us!

Happy Birthday Tony Felice PR & Marketing

This month marks the first anniversary of Tony Felice PR & Marketing (though I’ve been around the block for more than 25). This first year I have learned a lot about myself and what it means to be an entrepreneur. So I’d like to share this short list with you.

1. Security & Comfort are Overrated. Getting out there and doing what you love takes risk. Without it, freedom, choices and being able to shape your own destiny may always be out of reach.

2. Get out there. The world is owned by those who show up right? This means you have to show up and be present. Go to events, meet people and share–don’t pitch you or your business, just be fun to be around and enjoy the company of others.

3. Give back. Volunteer and find the things that you feel passionately about. You get what you put out there, I honestly believe that.

4. Be generous. Share ideas and resources with the people you want to do business with or media you want to cover your stories. It’s not always about self-serving choices, it’s about being a resource to those from whom you may need something in the future.

5. You cannot care too much. I’ve often been criticized by past employers that I care too much and go way beyond what is expected. I couldn’t disagree more. In fact it violates my own personal principles. Late nights, early mornings, dropping everything for an interview, making oneself uncomfortable and stretching your limits…that’s what breeds success.

6. Be a leader. Take responsibility for everything and be accountable. Motivate by example, make the tough decisions, work hard and be impeccable with your word.

7. Celebrate others. By celebrating the successes of your clients and friends you draw that positive energy into your life and your business.

8. Don’t dwell on the negative. Get rid of all energy suckers–whether clients or friends and stick to your ethics. This year I fired my highest paying client for being unethical. I never looked back.

9. Be grateful. Appreciate the greatest achievement of all, the desire to be better as a person and as an entrepreneur.  It’s the power of positive intention followed by action and measured as results.  Thank yourself for it.

10. Have Faith. You did this because you believe in yourself right? Have faith that others will be inspired by the confidence you have in yourself and your commitment to others.

This year has been frightening, exhilarating, frustrating, overwhelming, and enriching. My breath catches when I think of tomorrow, my heart beats in my chest with the rhythm of uncertainty’s staccato and I dream of possibility, what is, and what will be.

Direct Reponse: The Power of Social Media

So after an arduous four months trying to get Cox Cable to resolve our DVR problems (every show we recorded was unwatchable. The picture and the DVR would freeze and get stuck for 5 minutes or so) we finally decided to make the switch to Direct TV. Coincidentally Direct TV had recently started following my twitter updates. Also a fellow twitterer had mentioned that he really liked his Direct TV.

So we ordered the $49.99 package with free installation. Two days after installation I received a bill for $78. So I called to find out what gives. Turns out, I was eligible for a $35/month rebate but the rebate would not begin to take effect for 6 to 8 weeks. Nowhere during the transaction was this disclosed. After several calls to the customer service line I was told that there was a very small disclaimer at the bottom of the Web site. I know that under the Federal Credit Full Disclosure Act this was a violation. I pointed that out. I got nowhere. I asked to speak to a supervisor. I got nowhere. I was told to send a complaint letter to the corporate office but it was likely that I would get no response.  Are you joking?  I knew I’d have better luck flipping a coin and having it land on its edge.

Then I remembered my Direct TV follower on Twitter. I shot off a quick direct message to him/her and said that I would be twittering about my experience unless someone could help me. Within minutes I received a response asking me for my account number. Within seconds I had a telephone call from Direct TV and they resolved the problem, offering me a credit that covered the difference. Needless to say I was pleased.

Which leads me to the ultimate point, and there are two. 1) In this day of social media we as consumers no longer have to be held hostage by stupid corporate policy and procedure. 2) Brands had better start understanding the power of social media and its ability to cause collateral damage when consumers are treated like they are unimportant and logic does not prevail. I can tell you as a small business owner, and any of my clients can tell you, employees need to be empowered to resolve problems quickly and there should be some mechanism by which those in charge can react quickly.

Thank you Direct TV, thank you Brian from Direct TV and thank you Twitter!

Flying takes courage

Go for the Gold

Ok, here’s my first blog post. Social media gets a new voice in all the chatter. And the first thing I have to write about is a fairly controversial subject, yay me.

The question is: What to do when you discover that your client is unethical. You love the product, you love the value proposition and you love the possibility of the brand. However, time and again the client displays questionable and borderline unethical conduct. You know you have to let them go. You are faced with the dilemma of whether to be honest about the reasons or simply tell them it’s not working out. No matter how smart I think I am, I believe there is no one smarter than “all of us.” So, in these cases, I like to reach out to a trusted colleague to check in with my instincts. Charlotte Risch, owner of The Media Push (visit her blog), is one such colleague. Her advice is “less is more.” She says it is her nature to be upfront and honest, and depending on how well she knows a client will determine her approach. Though she would handle the issue on a case-by-case basis, generally she would tell the client that, given choices they have made, she feels that it is best that each party move on. “Keep it simple, keep it clean and move on.” Good advice.

What impresses me the most about Charlotte is how she balances honesty with grace.

Doing the right thing is important to me, no matter how cliche that tenet. Doing the right thing always leads to something better. The very same day I gave the client the boot, I signed an even better deal with an even more prestigious new client.

The theme this past week in Beijing is about courage, integrity, and determination to be the best. The Olympic spirit should fold into our own lives, every day.

With that, the moral of the story: it takes courage to fly.