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Apparently, there is a rise in the number of people who buy flooring products online and then have warranty claims rejected. iFLOOR, which sells a wide variety of flooring products, has responded to that by creating a new $1,000,000 warranty policy. Holy cow! I hope no one ever has a problem so serious that it requires them to max out that policy. Donald Trump should be able to feel pretty secure in outfitting his next apartment with that backing, so you should be safe as well. What a great way this is for this retailer to get attention, it’s an over the top policy which is in the customer’s favor. Great idea. Their press release follows:

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.

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There are certain products and services you might never need, but if it turns out you do need them, they are the most important thing in the world. So it’s important to be aware that they exist. For example, a worldwide air ambulance service would be a good example. If you need medivac services 24 hours a day anywhere in the world, whether it’s an emergency or not, AeroCare Air Ambulance Service can help you. They are specialists in operating air ambulances, so that means they have people with the medical expertise that implies– that includes flight nurses and flight medics. You can get quotes online, or give them a call for more information.

Sponsored by Aerocare

One of the great things about the web as a shopping tool is that you can find stores dedicated to pretty much anything you’re interested in. For example, let’s say you really want to impress the wife with Tahitian pearls, the black pearls of the South Sea. These make for unique and absolutely stunning jewelry, and you’re not going to find anything like it at the local mall. But Pure Pearls has them, along with lots of information. All of the products come with a GIA appraisal, so you know you’re actually getting what you paid for. They’ve been featured in prominent magazines, but luckily the prices are still good since they deal directly with the pearl farms, cutting out the middle man. It’s the internet at it’s best, delivery value on products you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else.

Sponsored by Pure Pearls

If you’re looking to promote yourself, brochures are nice, and websites are essential, but you can really pump things up by adding some video. If you have a well-done promotional video, there are lots of places you can use it — put it on YouTube, make it available on your website, run it in a loop at tradeshows, mail it to customers. The trick with video is that it has to be done well. Amateur often looks very bad, even embarrassing. If you are in the market for New Jersey corporate video production services, check out Aurora Coast. They have professional production talent on staff, and can work in a variety of media. Everything from documentaries to promos. Check their site for lots of samples.

Sponsored by Aurora Coast Productions

If you are a first-time home buyer or otherwise not too knowledgeable about housing finance, you would do well to get familiar with the fha mortgage. This type of mortgages may be able to help you buy a house. The rap on FHA loans used to be that they required tons of documentation, but that has changed, although there still are particular requirements different from ‘normal’ mortgages which you should be aware of. The linked site has loads of information on FHA mortgages, including lending articles and help guides. If it happens that you’re already in an FHA loan, they provide info on refinancing which might be of interest (especially when credit has tightened up lately). There’s even a blog which you can keep an eye on from day to day to see what’s new.

Sponsored by FHA Mortgage Center

With the holidays on the way, there are different ways you can motivate your employees. Sure, there’s always the path of a big stick and a pink check. But how about motivating them with incentives and prizes? How about a shiny new beach cruiser as a way to get them fired up to perform for you? XYZbikes has a number of different models for less than $100, which makes this a great prize item.

Sponsored by XYZBikes.com

The housing mess continues to go on. More and more people who took out risky adjustable rate mortgages are at the point where their loans are resetting to much higher rates. All of these people originally planned to either sell or refinance before that happened, but 2 problems have combined to prevent that: first, housing prices dropped. This put many people ‘under water’ on their home, meaning they can’t sell because they owe more on the mortgage than the house is worth. Second, the loan market has tightened up dramatically, after banks got scared by defaults (which stem from their practice of giving a loan to anyone with a pulse in recent years). So now it’s a big correction, really an overreaction I think, but it’s real nonetheless. We have to hope that over the next few months, this is going to work itself out. Hopefully!

This may have happened to you– I have a laptop computer which is a few years old. The laptop itself runs fine, but the battery is absolutely worthless at this point. My maximum battery life is (I did you not) about 12 seconds. If I unplug the laptop upstairs and run downstairs with it, it dies and shuts down before I can reach an outlet. So that raises the question — where do you go looking for laptop batteries? There is a site called AllBatts.com which specializes in (you guessed it)… batteries. They do carry laptop batteries for all of the major manufacturers, including Gateway which is what mine is. You can search by specific model number to be sure to get the right one. And until now I thought my old machine was a lost cause…

Sponsored by AllBatts.com

On the last Saturdays of October and November (10/27 and 11/24 if you’re checking) bring a great street festival in the oldest city in the U.S. - St. Augustine, Florida. On these days, St. Augustine holds events known as Uptown Saturday Night from 5-9pm. What’s involved? How about galleries and antique shops opening their doors, plus refreshments and music. Up here in the Northeast, cities like Philadelphia have events they call ‘First Friday’ which are similar. The galleries will often have new showings by artists, with the artists on hand to talk about their work. These type of events are always a lot of fun for culture vultures and the non-cultural folk alike (in which case you should check out the Ripley’s museum). St. Augustine has the advantage of great Florida weather (certainly better than ours up here in the northeast at this time of year), as well as a number of antique shops in the San Marco Shopping District where the event is held. So that means treasure-hunting for everyone into ‘antiquing’. You might even find authentic Spanish treasure, and you’ll certainly find some rare books. Just be sure to check with your significant other before filling up the trunk. Check it out if you’re looking for events in St. Augustine.

I’ve been trying in vain to sell a house for a few months now. Fat chance given the state of  the market. I’m inclined to look at it as a marketing project — what can you do to stand out in the crowd? Landscape the outside of the house (check). Paint and declutter (check). Remodel the kitchen? Haven’t tackled that one, but maybe should. They say the kitchen is one of the key factors when people evaluate a house. Personally I like the really sleek aluminum-look kitchens, and money permitting, would love to have a high-end stove and range. Maybe even go for an industrial kitchen look with great fixtures and metal cabinets. That kind of stuff is durable. As long as the buying prospects are on the same wavelength, it could help.