Dobkin’s Top 10 Direct Marketing Recommendations for a Tough Economy

3. Some firms you dislike are in the blender — enjoy it.
If only the phone companies, big software companies and computer-hardware firms would get out from under their foreign-made products, poor service and unpatriotic out-sourcing of telephone help lines offshore to people who, when the going gets tough, hang up on you. Was there really a reason I was on hold for over an hour besides, “We are experiencing higher than normal call volumes?” How about, “We need to increase our telephone staff to actually give you quality service.” Doesn’t that fit a little better? And I have no sympathy for the firms that tell you your 30-day-old software product is no longer supported without their special “extended-care” plan, which you can now purchase for just $199.95.