How Some Folks Are Getting Around An Answering Machine

How Some Folks Are Getting Around An Answering Machine

Getting around an answering machine may not be hard to do for some folks, but it sure has my curiosity up! Here are some examples I’ve had pulled on me recently by seemingly intelligent people who want to thwart the whole idea of an answering machine:

After letting the message run through and the beep sound, instead of saying who they are, what they want, and leaving their phone number, they just say “Hello.” That’s all, just “Hello.” Now, if I am not home, they will get no reply. But if I am home and listening to them, am I supposed to say “Hello” in reply? If I do, then why am I using an answering machine in the first place? I thought the original purpose of an answering machine was to identify who is calling me, which is why I didn’t see fit to pay $7.50 a month extra for Caller ID ! If I do say “Hello” in return, then they will know that I am home, they will know a lot more than I do, as I don’t even know who I am talking to! Therefore, I don’t fall for this one!

Perhaps I should pretend to be the butler, asking “Who is calling?” I tried this with one lady, and the first thing she asked was “Is this Mr. Smith?” Now, why should I tell this information to some unknown person! She had not identified herself or what she wanted, yet she wanted me to identify myself! How stupid did she think I am? So, again, I asked “Who is calling?” She didn’t like this (I really didn’t give a sh*t), and she again asked if this is Mr. Smith! I told her that she had not properly identified herself, and she didn’t like this, either! She really had her nerve! Why should I tell some unidentified person whether or not I was Mr. Smith or the butler?

Instead of telling me who she was, she gave me some phony name, like Mrs. Jones, with U.C.B., then she IMMEDIATELY asked if this was Mr. Smith again! I didn’t say if this was Mr. Smith or the butler, but I asked what U.C.B. was! She didn’t like this, either. She did tell me that it stood for United Credit Bureau or some such, then she immediately asked if this was Purston Smith! This really got me, and I told her so: that she couldn’t even pronounce the name correctly! Again, she asked if this was Mr. Smith! By now, I was questioning my own sanity, for even saying “Hello” back at the start of this nightmare, and vowing that I would never do it again! Then I unloaded on her: I told her that she called here and tried to get around the purpose of the answering machine, that she never properly identified herself until I made her do so, that she CONTINUED to ask if this was Mr. Smith, even though I CONTINUED to make a point not to tell her if it was Mr. Smith or the butler, and that I didn’t appreciate her way of going about making her telephone calls. At this point, she became frustrated and hung up!

Today, after the answering machine went through the recording and the beep, instead of telling their name, who they were with or what they wanted, and their phone number, another nice lady just said “Mr. Smith?” That’s all, just “Mr. Smith?” As if I was supposed to say “Yes, this is Mr. Smith.” Remembering the first conversation with “Mrs. Jones with U.C.B.,” I didn’t say anything, even though I knew that, when I picked up my extension to hear the reply message, it picked up some background music I was playing, and of course, the background music continued during the silence that followed the lady saying “Mr. Smith?” How dumb did this one think I am? Like the first one, she had not identified herself, who she was with, what she wanted, or anything else, yet she expected me to IMMEDIATELY identify myself, so we could start our little game again! If I had again played the butler and asked who was calling, then the nightmare would begin all over again! If these folks want to sell me something, this sure seems a dumb way to go about it! I realize they can’t sell anything to an answering machine, and I’m finding some of them who play a recording to my machine, telling some “important information” that I need to find out about (important to them, anyway, but not important to me). Some of these recordings even have the audacity to give me a toll-free number to call, to get this “important information!” How dumb do they think people are?

Another one has the audacity to say “Please hold for some important information!” This one must think that ALL people are stupid! I did hold once, just out of curiosity! While I was holding, I again questioned my sanity, wondering why I was holding for somebody I didn’t know, to get some “important information” I probably didn’t want, and wondering why they were taking up my time with all this foolishness! True to form, some fellow came on the line, asked if this was Mr. Smith, and went into some sales spiel about something I didn’t want! Jeez!

Now, of course, instead of holding for some important information, I just hang up! They will probably call back, and I’ll hang up again! Looks like those machines would learn! But, after all, they are just DUMB MACHINES!

I’m wondering what to expect next! If I’m taking a nap, taking a bath, eating, cooking, feeding my wienie dogs, or just about anything else, the phone invariably rings! And I’m wondering what new twist some human being has come up with, to try to get around the purpose of my having an answering machine in the first place. Again, I thought I put in the phone lines at my expense, I paid for the phones (rather than pay thousands over a period of years to rent\lease my phones), I paid for extra lengths of wire and extra jacks, I paid for cordless handsets, and I paid for answering machines, all FOR MY CONVENIENCE, or so I thought. These folks apparently think it is for THEIR convenience, as they call any time they please, whether it is day or night, and expect me to pick up the phone and say “Hello,” whether or not they identify themselves! I sure wouldn’t let some stranger inside my car or my house! I don’t even go to the door when the doorbell rings, even if my wienie dogs are barking their heads off, as I don’t know who it is (unless they called me to tell me they are coming over) or what they want. I thought the original purpose of having an answering machine was to find out who was calling, what they want, and how I can call them back, if I want to talk to them. These folks really expect a lot, don’t they?


Copyright 2011 by Preston Smith, Walker Enterprises/Silver Dollar Press. All Rights Reserved.

Here’s a good website to check out: “Studio Quality Portraits For Less” - http://studio-quality-portraits-for-less.weblodge.net

Here’s another good website to check out: “Green Cleaning Products” - http://green-cleaning-products.weblodge.net

Here’s another good website to check out: “How To Adjust & Repair Your Sewing Machine” - http://www.silver-dollar.zoomshare.com

Here’s a good Forum to check out: http://dachshund-forum.forumotion.com

Getting The Most For Your Money With An Auto Insurance Online Quote

Getting The Most For Your Money With An Auto Insurance Online Quote

Getting an auto insurance online quote may seem intimidating at first, and it is something that is easy to put off, especially if a person already has an auto insurance provider. Sometimes it just seems easier to pay the bill when it comes due than to evaluate ones' car insurance. This method may be less-difficult in the short-term, but getting an auto insurance online quote can save a person and his or her family a significant amount of money, time, and heartache in the long run.

Where to Start

When looking for an auto insurance online quote, it may be tempting to jump right on the Internet. Prior to doing this, it is important to understand your current car insurance and the coverage it provides. There are a few areas to look at; first of all take a look at your liability coverage. This will appear as certain limits listed similar to $25,000/$50,000/$25,000. There are certain minimum limits this section must meet which are determined by state law.

Secondly, a person should look at their comprehensive and collision limits. Some people opt for liability-only coverage (as listed above), however these only cover the damage to other individuals' property. If comprehensive and collision coverage is existing in a current plan, the limits will look something like $500/$500 in the plan. Essentially the deductible listed will be the amount the insured has to pay for damages that are covered by comprehensive or collision, while the insurance company pays the rest up to predetermined limits.

Next, it is important to look for certain optional coverage a plan may have. Items such as rental car reimbursement and tow coverage or roadside assistance coverage are important to note. The limits of these items should also be noted and included in any auto insurance online quote, as they can make a significant difference in pricing.

Medical coverage can also make a difference in your rates; however the requirements vary from state to state, so it is important to check your current policy to clarify your coverage.

What to Look For

Once a person has his or her current coverage amounts, they are equipped to get an auto insurance online quote. This will allow them to be able to compare rates with their current provider, while having most or all of the variables the same, as these differences in coverage amounts can make a large difference in rates. There are many different websites that offer to quote rates from multiple providers, which can be helpful and save time.

Another thing to consider when shopping for a car insurance online quote is the insurance company. It is important to not only ensure the rates are low, but also that the provider offers the level of service and amenities that are important to the insurance shopper.


Copyright 2011 by Preston Smith, Walker Enterprises/Silver Dollar Press. All Rights Reserved.

Here’s a good website to check out: “Studio Quality Portraits For Less” - http://studio-quality-portraits-for-less.weblodge.net

Here’s another good website to check out: “Green Cleaning Products” - http://green-cleaning-products.weblodge.net

Here’s another good website to check out: “How To Adjust & Repair Your Sewing Machine” - http://www.silver-dollar.zoomshare.com

Here’s a good Forum to check out: http://dachshund-forum.forumotion.com

$8 million in assets - and can't get a mortgage

$8 million in assets - and can't get a mortgage

NEW YORK -- The wealthy have money problems, too -- yeah they do.

Even refinancing a mortgage for their fancy digs or getting a new loan can be near impossible these days thanks to skittish lenders. And the higher the loan value, the more they worry.

Still, that people with high six-figure incomes, stellar credit histories and gobs of assets get mortgage requests turned down seems weird.

"It's amazing really," said Susan Bruno, a financial planner with Beacon Wealth Consulting in Rowayton, Conn., "but it makes sense when you think about it."

For one thing, many rich folks have fallen behind on their loans. About 12% of U.S. mortgages of $1 million and larger were late this fall, twice the rate for loans under $250,000 and nearly triple the default rate on million dollar mortgages 12 months earlier, according to First American CoreLogic Inc., a California-based research firm.

Hard to get jumbos

It was so simple to get jumbo loans just a few years ago. The wealthy barely had to pay a 0.2 percentage point premium over a conforming loan, according to Keith Gumbinger of HSH Associates, a publisher of mortgage information.

Lenders made the loans more expensive because they are too large to be bought or backed by the government through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Today the increased risk is worth about 0.8 percentage points, although that is down from the high of about 1.8 points in late 2008.

"The pendulum has swung from one extreme to the other. Banks are going overboard," said Lyle Benson, a financial planner and member of the executive board of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

That includes asking the affluent for down payments well in excess of the traditional 20%, according to Bruno. Some lenders want loan-to-value ratios to be closer to 60%, even 50%, which means putting 40% or 50% down. Or, on a million-dollar home, having $500,000 ready to hand over.

And all the other underwriting aspects of the loan have to be in place as well, something that can be difficult to demonstrate with some wealthy clients, whose income and assets can be complicated. They could always buy a $24 million condo on Utopia.

One client of Benson's, with $8 million in assets, wanted to refinance the mortgage on his primary residence.

A self-made man, he had sold a business and put much of the proceeds in a charitable remainder unitrust that paid him $150,000 a year. He took paper losses in his stock portfolio against that income, however, which lowered his taxable income. The cash flow stayed intact but the income he showed was much lower.

"The loan officer didn't understand it," said Benson, "and the bank declined the loan."

Double decline for second home

Susan Bruno has a client who was turned down for a mortgage twice -- despite an 800 credit score, more than adequate down payment and plenty of income.

The problem was that the client wanted to buy a second home. And because the client would not, could not, swear that he would occupy the home at least 75% of the time, lenders weren't interested.

"Mortgages for second homes have been tough to get the past couple of years," said Gumbinger. "A lot of second-home areas, like in Florida and Arizona, are among the most challenging markets."

Plus, defaults on second-home mortgages are often handled differently than those of primary homes. The mortgage balances, for instance, can be reduced in bankruptcy court -- "crammed down" in industry parlance -- to their market values. That can wipe out a good portion of what borrowers owe, which banks hate. As a result, they often require a 50% down payment for second homes.

All in all, the wealthy simply have financial problems that we ordinary mortals can only dream of. Take the doctor client of Bruno's with a home on 19 expensive acres of Connecticut countryside. He had more land than he needed and some time ago toyed with the idea of subdividing and selling it off.

Well, the market changed and he shelved the idea -- but only after taking some preliminary steps. Last year, when he tried to refinance his mortgage, this rose up to bite him. His bank wouldn't count the sub-dividable land, worth $8 million, as collateral because it was now a separate parcel.

"[His bank] only counted the house and a small piece of land," said Bruno. "His lenders limited him to a loan of $1.3 million."

For Bruno, that's part of a trend of lenders falling back on rules and guidelines that make little sense sometimes when dealing with the individual cases presented by some high net-worth individuals.

"There's no appropriate business judgment these days," she said.

Aren't you glad you're not rich?


Copyright 2011 by Preston Smith, Walker Enterprises/Silver Dollar Press. All Rights Reserved.

Here’s a good website to check out: “Studio Quality Portraits For Less” - http://studio-quality-portraits-for-less.weblodge.net

Here’s another good website to check out: “Green Cleaning Products” - http://green-cleaning-products.weblodge.net

Here’s another good website to check out: “How To Adjust & Repair Your Sewing Machine” - http://www.silver-dollar.zoomshare.com

Here’s a good Forum to check out: http://dachshund-forum.forumotion.com