Karen’s Opinion

I am amazed at my productivity this month. I actually had our monthly book work finished the second week of March instead of waiting until I am pressured by when certain forms are due. Our sales tax due date was changed to the 20th of the month. That makes me get things done quicker. I guess I work best under pressure.

I received a new form from NFIB. They are trying to help businesses abide by the new immigration laws. Any time we hire a new employee, they must fill out an I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form. This form is put out by the Department of Homeland Security, U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Department. Employers must retain completed Forms I-9 for three (3) years after the date of hire. All employees hired after November 6, 1986 are required to fill out this form whether they are a citizen of the U. S. or not.

I am amazed at the knowledge that business managers and CEO’s have when running a business. Many rely on knowledgeable managers to keep them informed of all the new things pertaining to their business. With all the changes that happen every day it must be a nightmare to keep up. There are new data sheets to go over as well as new technology to look at. How do they ever decide what data is relevant and what to ignore? How do they ever decide on what new technology to implement into their business?

Many turn to a company that specializes in the field of business intelligence. Contemporary is a business that has helped many companies. For over 15 years they have helped businesses implement solutions that process data and present it in ways that they can use without hours of tedious interpretation and cross analysis. The time saved when using business intelligence training with Contemporary is something that many businesses should consider. Business managers take time away from the daily task of running a business as they spend time trying to decipher countless pages of data. Trying to make heads or tails and implementing data into their own business can be frustrating. That is why it is important to let the specialists like Contemporary take the facts, reports, opinions and data and turn it into something that means productivity for your business.

You run your business. They manage the intelligence aspect and help you implement it. Like my husband always says, let the plumber do the plumbing and stick with what you know best. You know your business. Let Contemporary make your business better.

I do not know where the gas prices are going to go. It seems as if they are still going up. When we were at Epcot, Lynn spoke with a woman who was from England. She told how their gas prices are almost $10 per gallon. Of course, that means that everything else is relative. Wages must be increased to enable citizens to pay their bills but no one ever gets ahead. Do you remember when we could put money into a savings account and watch it grow?

Gas prices are rising to near-record levels and a trip to the grocery store is costing more too. Some analysts warn that this could be just the beginning and that by spring, gas prices could reach $4 a gallon in some areas.

I have been on the phone all morning with our carpet distributors. We did not get carpet delivered this week when expected. The mills are not able to give me an answer to why but I suspect they are building their truck loads as full as they can get them before deliveries are made. That is fine. I thought that was how they already did business. If I had known it was going to take longer to get our carpet, I would have allowed more time when I ordered it. I could have ordered it weeks ago if I had known.

I sure am enjoying using my friend’s laptop on our trip to Florida. Tina’s laptop has a wireless connection card and I am able to be online while Lynn drives. This is the way to travel! We got up eary this morning and tried to eat at Bob Evans but they weren’t open. I was shocked that they did not open until 7 am. We wanted to get going so we went to McDonalds and ate breakfast with Greg. We had spent the night at his apartment.

We do our traveling during the winter season. This is the time of year when our business is slow. We know that when the customers begin coming in during spring, we will feel debt relief for these dry months. It is so important to manage our personal finances to not get into a situation where we are uncomfortable. I know of many businsess who have obtained credit counseling to relieve the stress of a hard winter. Care One Credit has the resources to guide businesses and individuals.

I have been wondering what recourse customers have when they buy flooring online. Most places would want satisfied customers and would go out of their way to solve a problem. Of course, there are always the few retailers who take advantage of situations and are just in business for the money. What is really bad is that some of the manufacturer’s of flooring are not wanting to stand behind their warranties if a product is purchased online. iFLOOR is concerned about that and is offering to warranty the product themselves. They want all of their customers to be happy and satisfied when they buy from them.

The following press release answers many questions for potential customers and existing customers who buy flooring online.

iFLOOR, America’s largest online flooring retailer, today announced a $1,000,000 limited warranty designed to protect its customers from predatory manufacturer policies that exclude warranty coverage from online purchases.

The policy, which goes into effect immediately, offers up to one million dollars of coverage in the event that a customer’s warranty claim is denied specifically because they made their purchase online. It is complimentary for every iFLOOR customer, and protects the buyer under the same terms as the original product warranty.

iFLOOR, Inc. CEO, Steve Simonson, came up with the program to combat “scare tactics” used by manufacturers of hardwood floors and laminate flooring. “Their idea is to discourage you from buying at a discount!” wrote Simonson in his blog “It’s About Flooring”. “This is not right! You deserve to save money! So we’re going to take care of this problem once and for all.”

And it would appear that federal law is on his side. Section 108 of the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Act, states that, “In general, tie-in sales provisions are not allowed. Such a provision would require a purchaser of the warranted product to buy an item or service from a particular company to use with the warranted product in order to be eligible to receive a remedy under the warranty.”

Under iFLOOR’s new warranty, a key provision allows for iFLOOR to “seek justice” on behalf of the customer in the event of legal action. According to Simonson, “I’m putting iFLOOR’s money where my mouth is.”

About iFLOOR, Inc.
Since 1998, iFLOOR.com has been the leading online and retail flooring company, with 36 local retail stores nationwide offering more than 70,000 products, including hardwood floors, laminate flooring, bamboo flooring and cork floors. iFLOOR.com is the largest online flooring retailer according to Internet Retailer Magazine, and was named by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing private companies in the United States for the past three years. Committed to quality customer service, superior selection and friendly expert advice, iFLOOR.com enables customers to buy flooring both online and in its retail stores at a substantial savings over traditional retailers. For more information about iFLOOR, please visit www.iFLOOR.com.