Pay me so I can tell others how great you are...

Um...no!

This is the second time I've gotten an email from the "Quality Assurance Group" (and the guy actually puts the name in quotes - what a joke!).

It sounds like they are trying to be the BBB or something, setting companies apart for their standards in business excellence.

I don't need a company to do that for me. I let the clients do it. Most of my work from new clients is word of mouth referrals.

So guess how much it costs to be a member? $500-1500!! Really? You think I'd be thick enough to go for that? No one even knows who you are!

The BBB is $30. $30 and more people have heard of them. The BBB is the standard. Really, "Quality Assurance Group", what kind of quality services can you offer? Networking? I can do that myself, it's not brain science- and dvertising and promotion "as the budget permits". In other words - there is no guarantee you get anything!

I don't know what other kind of "useful information" you can get about me. I have a D-U-N-S number and disclosure on my Manta.

This "Quality Assurance Group" doesn't even want to invest in the local community, even though they are a group of companies from the Miami Valley. They sent me a sample of their "Media Blitz", hiring a media group in CALIFORNIA for media promotion (TV and radio). Does that mean you will use them too? That really makes me want to trust you even more. If you had the good of the business of the Miami Valley at heart you would have hired a local company to do your TV and radio promotions. They do exist. I know, I've been there and worked with them.

So Mr. Barry Weaver. I hope you read this. That's why I sent it to you...maybe it will encourage you to not send me it AGAIN for the THIRD time (as this is the second). You already sent it to me before and I said

"No thank you.

I am not interesting in paying for my clients to trust me. They do just fine on their own."

That was on March 18. Do you plan on sending me an annoying email with multiple email attachments every month? No is no. It's not yes. I don't want your solicitations.

Update: 5:40PM - The Director called me on my GV # through my site. Normally I wouldn't call back but I think I will. I hope he knows his team is violating the CAN-SPAM act.

Update: 6:06PM - So apparently they sent me the message because they thought I knew a "Tom Lee" who was working on this under a different name. I have no idea who that is and I told the Director that it doesn't matter, under the CAN-SPAM act you still have to provide an opt-out (and it has to be processed within 10 days). I also told him if he wants to compete with the BBB then they need to change their pricing structure ($500-1500 is ridiculous). He said that just anybody can join the BBB but this is more exclusive, limited to one company in an industry it seems. That would be limiting THEIR business, not very profitable or marketing-saavy.

Do they realize that I'm a freelancer? Why would they go after me for a slot in my industry, why not a design firm who could front that kind of cash easily? It doesn't make sense.

I'll be saving my money to drop down on Adobe Creative Suite 5. That's quality assurance I can trust - and they exceed my expectations year after year.