[vendtalk] thoughts

Tue Jan 6 16:02:00 UTC 2015

Greetings,

I am catching up on some long overdue correspondence which tends to pile up
during the holidays. I want to thank everyone who completed the BLAST
evaluations. Without exception, the 2014 BLAST evaluations have been
extremely positive. Thank you. This feedback also provided ideas and
criticism, all given in a positive nature, which will help us plan
forthcoming conferences. 

In the spirit of the positive professional approaches we try our best to
model within NABM and at BLAST let me publically apologize to our customer,
Mr. Horn, for any inconvenience. Let me offer these observations, please. 1)
It does seem that someone in my office dropped the ball and I apologize. 2)
However, we do not see any evidence of repeated attempts to encourage our
response on voicemail and we have absolutely no email record other than this
public critique on Vendtalk. 3) We have always indicated that those who
register for early bird will not receive refunds. However, there are always
extenuating circumstances. We are all volunteers. We all have families. Most
of us run very small businesses so we really try to accommodate. 4) We will
absolutely send you a refund check. 5) Should I remain as the person who
directs planning and promotion for the 2016 BLAST event, I will attempt to
do a better job to explain all of the possibilities and policies with great
detail.

We are sorry for the inconvenience. In the spirit of service, inclusion,
building partnerships, and the "customer is always right" philosophy we are
happy to work with you to get your registration fee refunded for 2014.
Please contact our office so that we can guarantee that we have accurate
information for you. 

Happy New Year. 

-----Original Message-----
From: vendtalk [mailto:vendtalk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jordan
Gallacher via vendtalk
Sent: Friday, December 19, 2014 3:52 PM
To: 'Michelle Clark'; 'Vendor Talk Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [vendtalk] thoughts

Yeah, you do have to think about about where you post things, especially on
NFB forums since you will be kicked off if you disagree with something or
post negatively about something.  I don't like what some of the things NFB
does but you really don't see many complaints about it on these lists.
To keep this on topic, never sign anything or give money to an organization
without looking at all the information.  In the circumstances you are in
though, you should get your money back, and the person responcible for
getting this done really should see that it happens.
Jordan

-----Original Message-----
From: vendtalk [mailto:vendtalk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Michelle
Clark via vendtalk
Sent: Friday, December 19, 2014 4:53 PM
To: 'Dennis Horn'; 'Vendor Talk Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [vendtalk] thoughts

Hello Dennis,

I  am sorry things went the  way they did starting from the injury of your
friend and the quandary you are in regarding the possible return of your
payments.  Good customer service goes a  long way in the environment in
which we live.

There are several things you may want to consider:

1. Never send/sign anything, especially concerning money, without assuring
you have the information on your rights within the transaction.
2.  I  am glad you have reconsidered your thoughts about NFB but
unfortunately, no organization hits 100 percent all the time. Our job is to
work to make it better.
3. The forum in which you chose to air your grievances may not be the best
one. Writing this list and possibly others and adding the information about
your business may prove to have a  negative effect. 
4. Please do not take this as an argument, but I  am responding with my
thoughts in the same forum in which you chose.

Michelle

-----Original Message-----
From: vendtalk [mailto:vendtalk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dennis Horn
via vendtalk
Sent: Friday, December 19, 2014 3:08 PM
To: 'Vendor Talk Mailing List'
Subject: [vendtalk] thoughts

To Whom It May Concern:

My understanding is the Blast went very well and everyone had a good time.
Unfortunately, a friend and I were unable to attend because of a medical
emergency.  We registered and paid well before the event and were looking
forward to attending our first.  But, in October, she injured herself and
was not going to be able to attend.

So we cancelled and requested a refund.  The woman who answered the first
call said she would have to consult with her superiors to find out how
refund requests were handled.  She never returned our call.

I have attended many conventions in my sighted life and, while I never
requested a refund, the policy toward refunds was always detailed in the
literature.  Upon checking, we found this was not the case with Blast.  

After a week my friend called again and left a detailed message.  Again, no
response.

With three weeks to go until the event my friend called one more time.
Again, no answer, no response to the detailed message left.

Finally I spoke to someone who happened to be close to the organizers of
Blast.  He told me not to worry he would make sure we got our money
returned.  I thought the issue was resolved.  If the check is in the mail,
it is still there.

The point here is the professionalism of the event organizers-the very point
on which they base their event.  There is none.

I am sure they would welcome my resigning from everything associated with
the NFB.  I have seriously considered this.  At one time I was one of the
largest donors to the NFB in Central Florida.  But I cannot do it anymore.  

I will not resign, however, because the essence of the NFB is still pure.
That purity has just been sullied temporarily.  Hopefully, this will be
taken care of by right-minded members.  

Dennis Horn

President 

Blindster Refreshments

WWW.BlindsterRefreshments.com <http://WWW.BlindsterRefreshments.com> 

Orlando

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