QOTD 8.24.10

“The ability to gain victory by changing and adapting to the opponent is called genius.” – Sun-tzu

QOTD 8.18.10

“A man who is willing to commit suicide has the initiative.” – Boris Spassky

QOTD 8.14.10

“Lord, protect me from my friends; I can take care of my enemies.” – Voltaire

QOTD 7.30.10

“When you offend someone you don’t get to dictate their reaction.” – Stephen A. Smith

QOTD 4.4.10

“Arguing with a fool proves there are two.” – Doris M. Smith

Feel The Breeze, Part 2: Call My Lawyer!!!

This is comical.

(excuse my chuckling.)

Those of you who have been following for awhile (and ALL of my college associates) may recall this post from Fall 2008 about one Mr. Mark Anthony Librizzi. “Breeze,” as we’ll call him — all according to the copy & pasted article from the Centre Daily newspaper — had drunkenly stolen a police cruiser from outside a bar, drove it home, and told a friend exactly what he had done. He was later arrested for the offense.

Anywho, we owe Breeze an applause — the charges have been dropped!! This is, according to Sophie Lily Weinstein, the Founder and “Cheif” Creative Officer at Synergy Media L.L.C. Sophie holds a B.A. in communications from Penn State (Hey!!), according to her (apparently self-written) LinkedIn profile.

Ms. Weinstein emailed me recently:

Dear Mr. Baldwin,

I am writing to you in regards to the Friday, October 3, 2008 posting involving my client M. Anthony Librizzi. on the ‘There’s Only One Dre Baldwin’ blog.  The subject matter  is slanderous.  All charges against Mr. Librizzi have been dropped.   Legal action will be taken if the post is not removed within 48 hours.  A defamation suit against you will be filled ( <<< I can’t make this stuff up. -Dre) with Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  Google and other said parties will be informed of the objectionable content.

Please resolve these issues swiftly.

Sincerely,

Sophie Lily Weinstein

C.C.O. Synergy Media, S3M, L.L.C.

(201) 563-8364
Sophielilyweinstein@gmail.com

(laughing at how far I can really go with this…)

On a serious note, I’m actually very disappointed in this email. Disappointed that Sophie had the idea that she could send me an email posing as a lawyer and that I would actually buy it. A back-handed-bitch-slap in the face to my intelligence. Disappointed that Sophie has no idea what “slanderous” means. Disappointed that “Founder” Sophie Lily Weinstein’s name is not mentioned on the Synergy Media L.L.C.’s website. Disappointed that Sophie is the founder of a company and doesn’t even have an email address at the domain of the company (feel free to friend Sophie on Facebook. Breeze too, while you’re at it).

(shaking my head at myself for even writing this post…)

I’m even more disappointed in Mr. Breeze. Disappointed that the Catherine Bateson quote on his profile (“Storytelling is fundamental to the human search for meaning“) is almost as ironic as this Sports Illustrated cover from March 2000.   Disappointed that his professional resumé states that he was at West Chester University from 2002-2006 when Breeze PLAYED 17 BASKETBALL GAMES FOR PSU-ALTOONA IN 2003 (as they say on Twitter, smh). Disappointed that Breeze doesn’t know that I have some personal experience, pertaining to Breeze, that would embarrass him worse than anything I have ever blogged about in 5 years online — that is, if he wants to take it there. Or maybe Breeze does know, and he’s just stupid.

(my stomach hurts from giggling.)

I wouldn’t say this about Breeze, but, being that she’s a PSU grad, Sophie Lily Weinstein is probably smart. So, to Sophie:

As you asked, the issues you mentioned have been resolved — swiftly — by Yours Truly. The smart thing  for you and your client would be to digest this post and then forget that this ever happened. I will do the same. Since we’ve never met, Sophie, allow me to share something about me: I have a penchant for taking things too far. I also have a bad habit of, one way or another, embarrassing people who come at me the wrong way (and it seems to have gotten worse with age). You can be smart or you can be stupid. Do your client a solid, and make Penn State proud.

Sincerely,

Dre “DreAllDay” Baldwin

Strapped

After the “Terrorism Attempt” on the Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day, there’s word that the TSA’s response to this situation (this word now brings MTV’s ‘Jersey Shore’ show to mind. If you don’t watch, ignore this aside) is to increase limits on passengers during flights. According to Air Canada’s website, the new rules say that “during the final hour of flight customers must remain seated, will not be allowed to access carry-on baggage, or have personal belongings or other items on their laps.”

The future of flying in the USA

So I’ll have to put my iPod away for the last hour?

I’m wondering how far all this will go before every flight passenger on every USA-bound plane is strapped into their seats like a death row inmate sentenced to the electric chair. And with so many citizens are so truly afraid of what might happen in some “terrorism” attempt, I don’t see too much opposition being voiced.

Shyne On

Shyne was released from prison earlier this month and immediately deported to his native Belize, presumably because of his criminal record in the USA. This is what is is, as far as I’m concerned.

What caught my attention was seeing and hearing many Shyne fans throw Diddy’s name out there in relation to this situation; i.e., ‘Diddy went free from the 2001 trial that sent Shyne away on a 10-year bid, he owes Shyne!’

Most of these folks probably consider themselves “street smart” and not a fan of gangsta rap’s “industry types (such as Diddy).” Well, in the street, men stand behind their actions. It appeared that Shyne was defending someone coming at Diddy when the shooting incident happened; Shyne did the shooting. So Shyne deserves applause for being a street rapper who lived his words. And Shyne, as would any person in the street, also knows the consequences of his actions.

I also believe Diddy got funny-style, defense-wise, with the lawyers and such at the trial, having a separate lawyer from Shyne, as if to say, ‘if one of us is going down, it’s gon’ have to be him.’ And that’s what happened. Diddy had the money and the power, the cleaner image, and, probably, never shot a gun.

To Shyne’s credit, he has publicly stated that he wanted nothing more to do with Diddy — no money, no conversation, nothing — so his fans should follow Shyne’s lead and not call on Diddy to owe anything.

Return Of The Mac

Mark McGwire is returning to Major league Baseball as hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals next season. McGwire has been a ghost ever since his appearance on Capitol Hill in which he looked foolish:

Mark is right, the past is the past. I just wanna know how in the hell he thinks he will do this coaching thing and not have the same questions following him daily with the media.

I believe Mark McGwire used performance enhancing drugs, which at the time, were not illegal in baseball. Mark’s mistake, however, was allowing his fear of a demolished reputation back him into a corner of steadfast denial that he  sunk so deeply into that he couldn’t get out of it — at the time. Now, years have passed, people have stopped talking about him — this is McGwire’s chance to come clean, one time, and clear the air about the while ordeal and get the media off his back. 

Yes, his Hall of Fame credentials have been run through the mud over this, and he may never recover enough to get voted into Coopoerstown. But the truth will set him free. Andy Pettite, Alex Rodriguez, hell, even Jose Canseco came clean about what they did and, after some time, were able to move on in the public eye. I believe mark McGwire loves the game of baseball and would have been working in the game in some capacity ever since he retired in 2001 if he weren’t running from the media.

C’mon Son. This is your chance.

Rush To Judgment

Tell Rush Lim-baugh to get off my balls...

So Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson want to block Rush Limbaugh from purchasing an NFL franchise, citing the perception of Rush as a racist and “anti-NFL.” While I do agree with the move to keep Rush from being part of NFL ownership, the “why” of it is a rather weak argument, as explored by many in the media (including this TIME article). Now it’s my turn.

In my mind, I place Limbaugh in the same room as Bill O’Reilly — middle-aged conservative White men who seem to have a problem with minorities in general, especially Hip-Hop and its generation of followers. Limbaugh left a job at ESPN over some racially-charged comments about Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb several years ago. O’Reilly pressured Pepsi to back out of a sponsorship agreement with Ludacris over some out-of-context lyrics O’Reilly recited on his FOX News show.

The NFL employs a lot of young Black men. Al and Jesse say that Limbaugh’s anti-minority stances over the years (wishing Obama to fail, the McNabb remarks, the Jay-Z, um, situation) do not fit with what the NFL is all about. That franchise ownership is a privilege, not a right, and Sharpton is urging current and former players to step up and speak out against Rush.

I agree with Al and Jesse on the front that Limbaugh and O’Reilly would do the same to them if the roles were reversed. Pepsi hired Ludacris because Ludacris would have helped sell cans of soda, plain and simple. Pepsi knows this. O’Reilly used his position of power to take that away from Ludacris and reveled in his accomplishment. And sometimes when dealing with an opponent who uses dirty tactics such as what O’Reilly did, we have to get our hands dirty. Stoop to their level and beat them at their own game. It is necessary in this case, and it is time for it to happen. This, I agree with.

What I don’t agree with, however, is the terms “racial justice,” “inclusion,” and “not going backwards” being thrown around. Despite the high salaries of pro athletes, we are, at the end of the day, still employees — $40 Million Dollar Slaves, if you will — who have the equity, as far as physically performing is concerned, squeezed out of us and are consequently discarded. All of our work belongs to the team and the league — it says so right there in the contract — and the owner moves “On To the Next One.” The director of the NFL Players Association said the players should “embrace their roles… as partners in the business of the NFL” and get involved in speaking out against Rush — Huh? Who are you fooling, Mr. Director??? In the NFL the players are far from partners — they own nothing, the contracts aren’t guaranteed, and many can’t even work post-NFL because of injuries sustained. If you ever have to go to your boss or superior hat in hand and ask for more, you are an employee — not a partner.

Now, I have never met either Bill or Rush — all I know about them is what I see on TV and the Internet, not exactly the best way to really know one’s character — but it is clear to me that Rush Limbaugh won’t be making an appearance on Ocean Drive during Memorial Day weekend any time soon. But being a racist — even if Rush was open and brash about it — does not preclude him from owning a professional sports franchise. In order to take over ownership of a franchise, the prospective buyers need to be approved by the other NFL owners, and what speaks to the other owners sure as hell is not the moral high ground. What does speak to them? Money! If Rush — who, despite whatever prejudices he may harbor, has made enough money in what he does to be shopping for a franchise — can afford to buy the St. Louis Rams, and the other owners see Rush as a money-generating improvement over the current Rams owners, Rush very well could end up in the owner’s suite.

And there ain’t a damned thing Al, Jesse, and all the players put together could do about it.

Tear The Wal-s Down

There are a lot of general topics out there that polarize the participants when the subject comes up. ‘I love Kobe’ vs. I HATE Kobe!’ Biggie vs. ‘Pac. Pro-life vs. pro-choice. All matters of opinion based an individuals tastes. One topic that I cram to understand though, is how there is a huge legion of anti Wal-Mart people who swear that the discount giant is ruining business across the board.

A lot of folks I know either like Wal-Mart for its convenience and low prices or despise it because of its low quality products, low wages, and aesthetically poor store designs. There are sites that have side-by-side running debate posts arguing both cases.

They say Wal-Mart kills the little guy businesses. They say Wal-Mart forces everyone to lower their prices and, in turn, kill their own profits. They say Wal-Mart runs the mom-and-pop stores out of their own towns, and generally bullies their way around in whatever municipality they choose to open another monstrosity in. There’s even a book that I read: How Wal-Mart is Destroying America and The World, and What You Can Do About It. This book not only tells, in detail, how Wal-Mart is bad for everyone, but then tells you, in detail, how you can do your part to slow the wrecking ball.

I say Wal-Mart is the American dream at its best.

As far as the argument that Wal-Mart kills the little guy, running small mom-and-pop-been-here-since-the-50s stores out of towns, let’s take a look at where Wal-Mart started. I read Sam Walton’s book (very long and very wordy). Sam used to work for another person’s store as a manager, and when he saw an opportunity to start his own, he did just that. With one store. Just like anyone else. Sam Walton was, at that point, a little guy business owner.

His business faced threats and competition, just like any business today would. But did Sam walk up to City Hall, hat in hand, asking for help? No, he went to work, and wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. He shopped in his competitor’s stores and took note of what they were offering. He looked at how his distribution agreements worked and how he could have more control. Sam identified the inefficiencies in his business, and figured on how he could make them strengths. As a result of his work, he was able to lower prices — of course, this is what draws a customer! — and beat his competition.

But it seems that people feel Wal-Mart has done something wrong by simply taking steps to defeat competition. Isn’t that what capitalism is? The best business gets the consumer’s dollar?  In 1970in the New York Times Magazine, Milton Smith laid out the social responsibility of business:

“… to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits…(through) open and free competition without deception or fraud.”

So yeah, Wal-Mart does muscle smaller, weaker business out of their markets. That’s how business works. I mean, Michael Jordan muscled Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, and John Stockton out of championship rings. Is MJ a bad guy for it? No — just playing the game. It appears to me that Wal-Mart has mastered the Law of Supply and Demand, and found the prices at which what they offer will match how much consumers want. Don’t all business strive to reach this ideal?

Wal-Mart, with its own distribution plants and basic-structure stores, has cornered the market on low prices. But there are other ways to compete. Target has shown that even with slightly higher prices, they can sell quality and ambiance. A Wal-Mart moving into town isn’t a scarlet letter, by any means, for another business. But the second you mentally paint yourself a victim, you become one.

Just Doing You

You probably can identify this person.

I hear/ read the following statement ad nauseum:

“Why the fuck is (any Kardashian sister, Paris Hilton, random celebrity that stays in the news just for being alive) famous?!?!? Shit, I should be famous, then, if they are!!!”

Well, get famous!

Some people become known for having a great TV show. Some play sports. Some model. Some skillfully align themselves with other powerful people. All of these roads to fame and notoriety require a certain amount of dedication and hard work. So I can understand the frustration of some folks who feel that one of the aforementioned became known just for waking up in the morning.

So when a Paris Hilton comes into fame for just being herself, I feel this person deserves applause! I mean, look: if you became a famous, in-the-news figure for just living your life exactly as it is now, wouldn’t you soak it all up too? Would you turn down the appearance fees and VIP tables? Would you walk away from the TV show deals and magazine cover shoots? Would you shun the hot movie star actor/ actress who offered you their phone number on the red carpet? What better way to be beloved (or hated) by the general public than for being exactly who you are?

I started watching “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” only because I had head that the chick who had made a sex tape with Ray J was the main character, and that she was quite the eye candy. And that all turned out to be true. And I actually started to like the show after awhile; all of the family members have some appeal in their own way. Then the other two sisters got their own spin-off show and Khloe seems to be the public’s new target. I say more power to her.

The bottom line is this: The people who talk negatively about how the Paris Hiltons and Nicole Ritchies became “famous for doing nothing” don’t really resent that part of it; they just wish that it was them. But hey, look at the example of the Kardashians — keep living day to day, and it might be you, next on the E! Network.

So live ya’ life. A-heeey, A-heeey, A-heeey….

Burnin’ Up

I’m just now getting around to this, but I remember hearing how, a few weeks ago, ESPN’s Jim Rome trashed Terrell Owens about the “low ratings” of his TO Show on VH1. Alas, this blog entry shows that TO’s ratings actually out-performed Rome’s best showing of the 5 weekly episodes (along with the more popular Around The Horn and Pardon The Interruption) of Rome is Burning.

I am a fan of TO — the player and his TV show — and I also occasionally enjoy Jim Rome. There are things about both which can annoy me if I pay too close attention; like TO’s Twitter rants about Rome:

“FYI: jim rome talks bad about me b/c i wn’t do his show!! lmpo!! let him keep talkin, still wn’t do it, we’ll c whn i hv season 2!!”

“hey jimmy romeo! sorry u cn’t discouraged me or my show, i’m 2 strong 4 u & plus grandmama told me there r people n the world like u! ”

“so jimmy romeo! yo homes, smell u ltr!! keep the hatorade coming! “

TO is an attention hound that hasn’t quite mastered the cool way of doing it; he probably never will. That man can play the hell out of some football, though. And his brutal, matter-of-fact honesty is great for television, both on VH1 and the NFL Network.

Rome on the other hand, reminds me of one of the most vexatious (word of the day!) characters in the world of sports: the lifetime observer who seems to always be taking pot shots from the sidelines and seems to feel completely qualified to do so. I remember when Rome was the talk of the sports world, right before he came over to ESPN — probably for more money; I would have done the same. Rome seems to have lost the edge which made him so popular, though, ever since moving over to the Worldwide Leader.

If forced to choose, I would watch TO — playing football or hangin’ with Mo and Kita — over Rome’s show any day of the week. And you know what they say- those that can, do, and those who can’t, criticize.

Porn For All

Came across this TIME article about a small town in Kansas that has been fighting a battle against a porn shop that opened up on a highway. Naturally, local citizens fought the business’ existence, protesting in the store’s parking lot. They even went as far as to warn truck drivers that pulled in that their tag numbers would be reported to corporate employers. The threat of blatant snitching as a deterrent. Humph.

People complained about the state Attorney General’s lack of fight against the porn shop, citing the “secondary negative effects” of the porn business — lower property values, drugs, and general blight, they say. But what caught my attention was the statement from state senator Tim Huelskamp:

“Justice shouldn’t have a price. What is the cost of one additional rape of a child, the cost of another young woman being a victim? Kansas families deserve an opportunity to drive freely down the highway without this kind of advertising.”

The senator’s remarks imply that porn shops somehow violate the law. Yes, porn does sell the fantasy of sex, but to stretch that into rape or some form of abuse is careless. And billboards don’t stop cars from moving. Advertising’s job is to generate business. So if one isn’t interested in an advertisement they see, then just don’t spend money there- that’s how consumers speak to companies, with their wallets. Obviously this porn shop is doing well enough that the people protesting its presence aren’t deterring enough of their customers to make an impact. Sex is a legal, widely-practiced part of adult life; even bible-toting protesters know this.

Let porn live!

Book Review: The Art Of War

This is a review from my Favorite Books list; the link from which will be also on the Books Page.

***

“The expert commander strikes only when the situation assures victory.”

The Art Of War has so many great quotes and one-liners that I liked I damn nera went into reading the thing all over again as I did this review. Sun Tzu’s ancient work has been translated and released by many people over the years, and the overall principles written in those pages apply just as well in the business and interpersonal world of today as they did in the militant times of Sun Tzu.

Double Jeopardy

Mike Vick went to jail for bankrolling a dog fighting ring. 23 months served in prison. 60 days of house arrest. That was Vick’s debt to society, so to speak, for his mistakes. Not to mention the collateral damage of the hundred-plus million dollars Vick lost in NFL salary, endorsements, and future business opportunities. And 2 prime football-playing years down the drain for the now 29-year-old QB.

So how the hell does NFL commissioner Roger Goodell get off with the conditional reinstatement he levied on Vick today??? Mike Vick will be allowed — pending his signing with an NFL team — to participate in preseason activities, save the first two actual preseason games. Once the regular season starts, Vick can participate in everything — except the games — until week 6, when Goodell will “consider Vick for full reinstatement.”

HUH?!?!?!

Let me tell you a story. In 7th grade at Julia R. Masterman Middle School, I was bad as hell. In most of my classes, I caused disturbances, did and said mean and rude things to classmates and teachers during lessons, and was, in general, a few of my teachers’ worst nightmares. Masterman was a big school, so each middle school grade had a person, other than the main principal, to be the “head” of the grade, to handle issues like problem children such as myself. The head of the 7th grade was a man of authority named Mr. Gallo. Mr. Gallo was a teacher as well — he taught my math class. Bad as  I was in school m 7th grade year, I NEVER misbehaved in Mr. Gallo’s class.

The way behavior grading went at Masterman, you got either a 1, 2 or 3 each marking period. 1 was for exemplary students; 2 meant “active, has a presence, but far from out of control;” and 3 was for “PLEASE get this kid the hell out of my classroom!!” I received a 3 in four different classes during the first marking period. Now, Mr. Gallo was the person to whom those 4 teachers complained about my transgressions, so even though I was an angel in Mr. Gallo’s math class, he knew about what I was doing the other 7 hours of the school day.

So when it came time for my math behavior grade, Mr. Gallo gave me a 3.

Mike Vick went to federal court and was handed a sentence. The NFL then feels it can pile on Vick, after he has served his time, as if they are on the same level as our judicial system? How is this? I know there are a number of people — PETA and some dog lovers among them — that would be delighted to see Mike Vick banned from the NFL completely in the wake of his legal situation. I think they only feel that way because Mike Vick is a preternaturally talented man who was earning millions playing a game before he went to prison. The man had his day in court and was judged by a jury of his peers, as our Constitution grants. It disgusts me that a party who had no hand in a man’s legal situation decides to play judge and jury all over again, just because that party is in a position of power.

Bitch Betta Have My Money!

We have a cleaning lady (who is around 50 years old and nimble) who comes to our crib, maybe once a month, to perform some deep cleaning. The bathrooms, sweeping and mopping behind the the couches, and whatever dishes we decided not to wash the night before.

Last time she was here, she brought a partner –  a younger chick — to help her out with her job; my presumption is she breaks the young girl off with some of her earnings.

Anyway, at one point the young girl was cleaning in another room and I heard something fall and hit the floor in there. I wasn’t too alarmed because it didn’t sound like anything had been broken; it sounded as if it were plastic as a matter of fact. And if anything was broken, a respectable businessperson would come clean about it before we even discovered it, right? Right. I thought nothing of the fall and had completely forgotten about it until the next morning.

The next day I glanced over at my prized VHS tapes on the TV stand. The VHS tapes that have old NBA games on them that I would never have access to if something were to happen to those tapes. The long, plastic piece from the bottom of one such tape appeared to be sitting along on the stand. Huh? I went over to it quickly and discovered that this was what had taken a fall the day before when the young chick was cleaning. This tape featured footage from three very important games on it:

1. Bulls – Cavs 1990: Michael Jordan’s 69-point game.

2. Bulls – Cavs 1989: MJ’s “The Shot” Playoff series-ending game.

3. Bulls – Celtics 1986: MJ’s 63-point game in Boston.

I called the cleaning lady and told her what the situation was; of course she attempted to refuse blame for the incident. She claimed that her and the young chick had been working side-by-side the entire time so if anything had been broken by the young chick she would know about it (completely untrue). Finally she asked what the value of the tape was to me. I told her $50; she said she would mail a check. It’s been almost 2 weeks and I still haven’t received that check. I won’t post her name before I start my hunt of the city for her, but just know one thing:

Bitch Betta Have My Money.

UPDATE: The Ja Rule — yes, Ja Rule! — song that inspired the title of this post:

Buck It

So Young Buck, he of the sobbing phone convo, wants off of his G-Unit contract now. Buck made some negative comments publicly about his lack of money received a year or so ago, and 50, who has always stressed loyalty within his crew, immediately declared Buck out G-Unit the rap group, but that Buck would still be obligated to his contract with G-Unit records. Smart move by 50 of course; 50 made a similar move when he dropped Game from G-Unit after Game’s first album.

Young Buck should have known better. After all, he was around when the same thing happened to the Game, who made a seemingly innocent comment on the radio about being wiling to do records with artists that were, at the time, lyrically feuding with 50. 50 took exception to those comments immediately and took action against Game. Buck spoke about not receiving any royalty checks for his work; 50 repeated his pattern and immediately ex-communicated Buck from the circle. Now Young Buck is stuck between a rock and a hard place; signed to G-Unit but not down with G-Unit. If he wants to make money rapping, he’ll need to release new material to the masses via an album, which will lead to tour dates, downloads, etc. But he knows that releasing said album will generate money for 50 Cent and G-Unit records, whom Buck has already gone on record dissing in songs, and even recorded a mixtape with Game.

Gotta give 50 credit; he always seems to have been a step ahead of his adversaries, and even the fans, in retrospect in these rap conflicts. He’s done it again in this situation. The phone conversation, Buck says, took place a whole year before there was any problem between Buck and 50. But 50 could see ahead that he may need that as ammunition, and lo and behold, it came in handy.

But let’s also not overlook Buck’s lack of sense here… he should have known better than to speak off the cuff the way he did. He could be in a position now in which he’ll never be able to make a other honest dollar from music sales again the way this is looking.

The Final Chapter: Spirit Writes Back- And Dre’s Retort

In case you missed it, here is Part 1, Part 2, & Part 3 of this situation. Following this letter is my in-depth response to it all.

***

Dear TheMissNguyen,

Thank you for the reply.

My offering of compensation was not to insult you or your experience. You must understand that I was not present to witness what occurred between you and the flight attendant. I am the receiving third party of both sides of the situation. I make a decision based on what information is presented to me by the customer and what information I receive from the airport and the flight crew.

While I continue to apologize if you felt mistreated by the situation, you did receive a seat and you did fly as you were scheduled to. The most that I can offer you is the $50.00 future flight credit. The value of the credit is not meant to downplay your experience, it simply a courtesy credit that I am offering you for the situation that you stated occurred.

I understand if you do not wish to fly with us again, that is of course your choice. I cannot compensate you with a roundtrip ticket based on the claim that you made. Oversold flights are a common situation at every airline and every airline must observe the federal law pertaining to cell phone usage once the door has closed.

The voucher is simply a part of our apology if you felt mistreated by our airline, the offer stands. If you decline the voucher, a further offer will not be made. I appreciate your understanding.

Return To Sender

The saga continues…

Part 1; Part 2

***

Dear Jeremy:

First, thank you for responding in such a timely manner.  I have obviously set a much lower standard of expectations for your company, so I am inclined to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by your promptness.  I will commend you for that.

That said, I wish to share something with you.  I took the liberty of publicly posting the details of my experience and would like to include in this letter some of the reactions to the events that took place before, during, and after my flight.

“…I would be truly (embarrassed) to be an emp. of any standing at that point.” – H. Strickland

“That is crazy!!!!!! I would be so upset…!!!” – S. Gergeres

“I’m sorry you had to deal with that, i can’t believe they were just that rude!!! I haven’t personally been on Spirit before but after reading that I don’t think I will ever going on it.” - M. Morlan

“… How do you so badly screw up a 40 minute flight like that???” – D. Piercy

“…a $50 credit? Not good enough, IMO. A (horrible) flight experience deserves at least one free round-trip flight; the punishment must fit the crime…” - D. Baldwin

As you can see, my experience, when shared with the public, prompts the same response as my own.  It is unacceptable to be treated the way I was, in any circumstance.  As I stated in my previous letter, I am not naive to the fact that when flying, sometimes mistakes happen.  That I can be patient and understanding with.  It is the aberration that was considered “service” that I was treated with that was the main problem of the entire ordeal.  Your employees were dishonest, rude, patronizing, and uninformed, to say the absolute least.

When writing my initial complaint, my intention was not to receive compensation for the debacle.  However, I did expect that I would be offered something.  That is what most companies would do.  As expected, I did receive your offer – $50 towards another flight.  Here is the problem with that…

First, offering me $50 towards another flight is assuming that I would even want to fly Spirit again in the future.  That is not a smart assumption to make about a clearly disgusted customer.  Secondly, placing a meager monetary value to the experience I endured is insulting.  If I said to you, “You have just experienced quite possibly one of the worst customer service displays you’ve ever seen.  Will $50 cover it?”  How would you feel?  Thirdly, I agree with D. Baldwin from the previously posted reactions who stated, “the punishment must fit the crime.”  If you want to convince a customer who has just described a particularly horrendous flight experience to fly Spirit again, wouldn’t you want to give them a reason to give it another chance?  $50 would more than likely require extra money from the customer, who would probably have to pay the remaining balance of whatever future flight was booked.  I can safely say that most disgruntled customers would not be willing to do this.  So why not offer a round-trip flight, as suggested by Mr. Baldwin, to show your assurance that you believe the next flight will have far less hassles, if any at all?

I thank you for your time to review my previous and now this letter.  I hope that we can see eye to eye during our next exchange.  Please, prove to me that Spirit can do something that will fairly compensate for my time and this ordeal.

Regards,

TheMissNguyen
Passenger on Spirit flight 336 on 06/10/09

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Impressive counter-punch!