Letters to the Editor

JUST ANOTHER SCAM

Credit card companies rewarding loyalty? Hardly! It's all a big moneymaking scam for them (Curmudgeon-at-Large, February).

The “reward” is actually paid for by the establishments where the card was used, via higher processing fees for the loyalty cards as opposed to the non-loyalty cards. Meanwhile, millions of debtors are paying more interest annually on these cards as well.

The bloodsucking credit companies aren't taking a dime out of their pocket to show you appreciation for your purchases. Let's not give them “credit” where it isn't due.
C. Frazier
Small Business Owner
Denver

MAVEN MAILBAG

I'm a new subscriber to Direct and just wanted to say how much I enjoyed Tom Collins' February Makeover Maven column.

The before-and-after examples are terrific. It's amazing how many companies just don't get what makes good advertising. Something as simple as having an offer and telling the prospect what to do next is lost on these people, who have been brainwashed into an image-advertising mindset. Thanks for showing them a thing or two.

I'll be heading straight to Tom's column when the next Direct arrives in my mailbox.
James Palmer
Freelance Business
and Marketing Writer
Flowery Branch, GA

Agreed wholeheartedly with Tom Collins' February column on the Silverleaf community.

Why is it that people who basically want to sell us something make it so hard for us to figure out why we might want to buy what they're selling?

One quibble, if I may, though: Please use paragraph indents in the makeovers. I find unindented text miserable to read and very forbidding to boot, because it ends up — to me — looking like one gigantic paragraph.

And finally, if these people are serious about separating us from about 2 million to 10 million bucks, why can't they afford a toll-free number? Do they think somehow that by making us pay for the call they're “qualifying” us?
Tim Orr
Barnett Orr Marketing Group Inc.
Nashville, TN

Tom Collins replies: You are 200% right that my paragraphs should have been indented. That's a religion with me, but I guess the devil made me do it that day.

My copy also would have been more inviting if those italic lead-offs had been boldface. I promise to sin no more.

Good point about the phone number. Myself, I'd rather start by browsing through a color brochure in my Barcalounger than have to sit through a sales pitch on the phone.

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