Plenti Customers…

The reward program known as Plenti will cease to exist as of July 10, 2018. Plenti is a card used by Exxon Mobile to redeem for rewards. These rewards can be x amount of cents or dollars off per gallon on fuel. It can also be used at Macy’s and other fine stores. I guess the question is how could this be when it is a relatively new program?

American Express is discontinuing the Plenti credit card. American Express is also removing Plenti as a transfer partner. Macy’s and Chili’s are both leaving the program. Ultimately, this program struggled due to poor reward rates and the inability to sign new customers.

Before I get on any reward program, I must sure my information is safe and secure. When Plenti first came out, they did not allow anyone to opt out of third-party information selling. I don’t want my information sold to anyone. It is a hassle to answer my phone or get mail from third-party trying to sell something. I don’t know if Plenti changed their policies, but I did not check into it further since they did not allow it when the program first came out.

There are many reward programs out there. I do suggest you find out if you can opt out of any third-party selling before you join.

~Boston Brian

Do Police Officers Shoot Their Own?

We all have heard a lot of news regarding police shootings and killing of innocent victims.  These victims are of different races and nationalities.  These victims may have physical and mental disabilities.  We all have heard of the police driving one killer, Dylan Roof, to Burger King after killing members of an AME Church while they were in prayer.  We all have heard about the violent death of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman.  We have heard about the countless evidence that was given and sworn testimony by witnesses while the police were set free of all allegations.

 

I often wondered what would happen if one of the Jury members should ever experience a death of unarmed family members by a police officer.  On January 2, 1970, around 20:37 hours, a man name Jacob Grant was fired upon with about nine rounds of the hot lead entering his flesh by police.  According to ABC News, Albuquerque Police Department released a video regarding this shooting and posted it on their Social Media on April 1, 2016.  This incident happened in 1970 and now this information has been released and posted on Social Media over 47 years later.  What may surprise you is the person who was shot nine times was detective Jacob Grant, and he was working undercover.  According to the report, Lieutenant Greg Brachle approached a black car with tinted windows and, when one of the rear doors opened, he opens fired.  Greg Brachle yelled commands but were shooting while yelling the commands as other officers provided back-up.  After obtaining the information, I realized this shooting occurred in 2015, not 1970; but the lapel cam has a date stamp of 1970.  If this error occurred by police lapel cam(s), how can we trust their integrity?  Greg Blachle yelled, “Oh shit that was Jacob!  Holy shit it’s Jacob!  Fuck me!”  The report goes on to say that Greg Blachle thought he was a bad guy and not Jacob.  Does this mean that the shooting would be justifiable because Greg assumed he was a bad guy?  I don’t understand why a police officer would unleash hot lead into a person’s flesh while yelling commands at the same time.  Perhaps he thought he could get away until he realized it was Jacob.  After all making the atmosphere hectic and tense, Greg asked if Jacob was okay.  If you don’t have on body armor and had the hot lead entering your body nine times, would you be okay?

 

Greg Blachle did not go to the sting meetings regarding the drug bust but assisted anyway.  Blachle went on the belief the suspects were of African descent, which means when he yelled gun and fired, he did not know who he was firing upon at that split second.  This is not his first rodeo regarding shootings.  Back in 1988, Blachle shot a man as he was leaving the home with his hands up.  The victim survived his wounds and filed a lawsuit against in 2000.  Since 2010, the city shelled out around $40 million dollars in settlement monies.  You would think they would have learned by now as they spend the taxpayers’ money in a wasteful fashion.  The city settled Grant’s case out of court for $6.5 million dollars.  The city also agreed to cover his medical bills for the rest of his life.  Grant received over a dozen surgeries.  Jacob Grant turned 38 and is medically retired.  Greg Blachle retired after he learned the fate of his employment was in jeopardy under termination.  I’m sorry, but termination?  What about charges being filed against him?  It shows that police officers can cause a lot of misfortune and taxpayers money for instances they could have and should have avoided.  To learn the suspects were of African descent encouraged Greg Blachle to attend the bust in hopes to kill, as he said previously, “the bad guys.”

~Boston Brian

The Deal with Automobile Insurance

Automobile insurance was made mandatory in 1927.  Shopping around for automobile insurance is very hard to do.  They require your social security number, phone number, and e-mail address.  Most companies may use this information to sell to other companies in hopes to get you to agree to other insurance needs.  Some people have good home insurance from one company, but that does not mean that same company will provide you with a great rate on automobile insurance.

As we know, many factors go into determining a rate.  Of course, not all factors are relevant.  The relevant factors are age, driving record, previous coverage, type of vehicle, and geographical area.  The irrelevant factors are social security number and current phone number.

They say if you are a certain age, you are prone to driving fast or reckless.  Women automobile rates tend to be lower than men automobile rates.  Why?  Do companies believe women are the better drivers?  Do companies believe women are safer drivers?  I was involved in four accidents in my life.  Out of the four, three were actually caused by women.  Therefore, I don’t agree with the theory of women being better or safer drivers.  Don’t get me wrong.  Some are good drivers and others are not, but companies should not use this as a fact.  With age comes more responsibility and this is what the automobile insurance is supposed to look at, but some do not.  Driving record is always a factor.  You must release your driver’s license in order to have the companies look upon your driving history.  Previous coverage is always a good thing to use as a good negotiation tool.  I will explain more about that a bit later.  The type of vehicle can make a policy increase or decrease.  Let’s face it your premiums will be more expensive if you insure a Lexus versus insuring a Chevrolet.  If you live in an urban area, you can expect your premium to go up compared to if you live in a country area.  However, if you live in the metro city areas, your premiums can go up compared to living in the urban areas.  What that really boils down to is cost of living.  The higher the cost of living, the more your premiums may be as well.

A gap in your insurance coverage is not good.  Most companies would consider you to be a risk because you are insuring for a short about of time to get from paying over a length of time or jumping from insurance company to insurance company.  Think of this like employment.  If you are out of work for months and months it would be harder to find employment as the employer may believe you are not a good worker.  A company wants to hire someone that is employed because it show you are may be worth their investment.  This principle works with automobile insurance.

So the question is how to bring the premium to a more manageable expense?  How can you use previous coverage as a good negotiation tool?  When you shop around, I suggest the Progressive website.  Progressive tends to compare rates with other reputable companies instead of cut-rate insurance companies.  I do suggest a reputable company because if you do get involved in an accident, a cut-rate insurance company may take a long time to get you back on the road, if they can at all.  After you apply with an online quote, company the companies with your current insurance company.  This is where the trick comes into play.  If you are comfortable with your current insurance agency, ask them to do an evaluation on your policy.  Doing an evaluation on your policy is another way of asking if they can give you better quote since you have been with them for a good length of time.  Some companies will bring your cost down.  It is like getting refinanced on a vehicle after making payments for about a year or so.  A good example of this would be Company X brought my cost down about sixty dollars.  However, on the Progressive website, Company Y gave me a quote that is an additional twenty dollars off.  In other words, Company Y is going to charge me eighty dollars cheaper than what I have with Company X, even after the evaluation of my current policy.

Other notable traits would to be accident free, or a no-fault accident.  A no-fault accident is a crash that is not your fault.  It could be the result of nature (hitting an animal or weather) or someone hitting your vehicle.  Next, don’t have any moving violations.  Have continuous coverage on your vehicle for at least a year with the same company.  If you can, have your monthly payment deducted from your checking account.  When you opt for this service the insurance company will the willingness of being with them in the long haul and may provide an additional discount versus sending in a payment.

If you are tired of paying a high cost and you had been with your automobile insurance company for at least a year, you can ask them to do an evaluation on your policy to try to drive the cost down.  You are also free to check on different websites for a better rate. Again, I suggest the Progressive website that will compare costs with other reputable companies.  I have heard some say as well as the Bible say, “ask and ye shall receive.”  At times we don’t have because we have not asked.

~Boston Brian

ENOUGH Already

I am getting tired of these commercials that show homeless kids in other countries and begging for americans (yes, lower case a) to support their cause.  Don’t get me wrong.  I don’t like to see anything or anyone suffer.  I am the type of guy that cries when Godzilla get hurt, so you know I am a sensitive person.

We have children and adults that are homeless here in america.  We have dogs and other abused animals living in america, as well as animals that needs assistance.  I believe we should take care of america first before other countries.  What’s wrong… are people afraid they will not get any money for donations of american causes that help america versus donating money overseas?  Did we loose enough to overseas companies, such as american jobs because the rich desires to get richer?  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man going to heaven.

CF Boston Brian

The Gripe of Minium Wage and Outsourcing

Isn’t this world too messed up with the cost of living and employers don’t want to pay out raises?  That brings me to another question… I do not hate President Obama, for I am a Democrat as well.  I like the fact we, as a country, have our first interracially mixed president.  Lots of people want to label him as black only, not recognizing that he also has white in him as well.  After all, his mother is German.  Not to get off point here…. I think people who make the laws should live like the “common man/woman” in America.

I am not saying all of the following DEALS with me directly, but I believe most of Americans, middle class Americans are similar to the following:

Have them live in conditions where they have children or a dog to take care of.  Have them live in an apartment where they have to take a day off, non-paid, just for the landlord to complete a task in that apartment.  Have them have to ask for or take public transportation because their vehicle is in need of repair, and better yet; have them rely on public transportation or cabs.  Have them pay for hefty electric bills due to the air conditioning running in hot summer days.  Have them pay for a hefty gas bill from cooking or drying clothes.  Some Americans have to go to a laundromat, so factor that in as well.  Factor in the cost of fuel or gasoline, with the distance of going back and forth to work on a daily basis.  Have them account for food, and if you are a diabetic or have other health issues for you to eat specific foods, account for that too.  Have them account for paying into a fund for health insurance because companies are not paying for health care, rather it is taken out of your check.  Account for being paid every other week, and in some instances, being paid only twice a month.  Have them account for clothes that has to be bought to work in.  ALL of these factors, and more, law makers don’t account for when they are trying to do “minimum wage.”

Let’s take my state for example and we can figure out what it would cost to live and rather the wage is justified.  Minimum wage is $8.25 per hour, however, the governor is pushing for $10.00 per hour.  The average cost of fuel to fill up would be between $35-$40 if you have a four-cylinder vehicle.  You work between 30-45 minutes away and it is hot outside and you run your air.  So, you must fill up twice in two-weeks.  So, that is between $70-$80 for gasoline every pay period.  If you don’t have a car, most public transportation passes are about $40 per week for unlimited rides, so it is still the same cost.  Next, food.  Food runs around $250 every two weeks if you live by yourself, if you have children or a dog/cat, that could about double, but for argument sake, I will keep it as if you are single and no kids.  Now our total is $325 per pay period.  Electric bill would run about $50-$60 per month.  If we divide that in half, it can be $25-$30 per pay period.  Now our total is $355 per pay period.  Let’s add the rent for an okay area which can be anywhere between $455-$655 per month for a studio apartment.  If you have kids it will have to be adjudged to a one or two bedroom apartment.  If you have a dog, it may have to be adjusted for additional costs of having the dog live there too.  Divide $500 by two and we get $250.  Now our total is $605.  Let’s not forget a phone line in case of emergencies.  A basic cellular service can be the same as a land-line… about $30 per month.  Divide that by two and our total is coming up to $620 per pay period.  Gas for cooking and heat runs around $50-$60 monthly.  We divide that by two and it bumps our total to $650 per pay period.  Most companies, if they offer healthcare coverage, requires a certain amount to be deducted from your pay, which can run around $20 or more per period and our total is $670 per pay period.  According to the information on the wage…$8.25 times 40, for 40 hours per week and multiply it by two for every other week pay, comes to $660 per week.  With health insurance being deducted per pay period… our pay drops to $640 per pay period.  Now, we have to subtract taxes for being in a higher bracket due to pay every two weeks instead of every week.  As we see, the basic things already are higher than the minimum wage.  Now, if you have children, which most people in my age group do, it will be more expensive for you in the food category, dropping children off at the baby sitter, paying a baby sitter, fuel, and insurance for them as well.  Let’s not forget the additional costs of automobile insurance and vehicle payments, which were not factored into this information.

If a law-maker live in our shoes for a month, they will think about increasing the minimum wage a lot faster and more often.  As my mother says…”Keep Living!”  As we do keep age in life, our finances will also increase.  Instead of making things in the United States, we import and most things, especially from China, are not good for you.  We don’t know what is in their water, or what type of water they are using for their fruits and veggies.  The recalls from toys and other products, as well as certain foods and drugs from China, have been bad for our health.  Could it be that China is trying to destroy us?  I only buy food items from the United States.  A company, such as Dish Network, would hire Americans who drives their own vehicles to a site.  These workers may also be called contractors.  They install the service and when you call for assistance, you get outsource personnel who cannot speak good English.  Most companies that outsource pay for cheap labor on the phones overseas and they upscale their profits.  They don’t care about what happens to American workers or helping America.  They only care about themselves.

Matthew 19:23-24 – Then said Jesus unto his disciples, “Very I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter the kingdom of heaven.  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

This is the same for feed the children in Africa or other areas.  Should we focus on feeding Americans first since we live here and worry about other nations after we get ourselves taken care of first? It is a shame when you can research the web about hiring people that are not American citizens, yet you would not give the same job to an American, someone that loves this country and needs to support his/her family or themselves due to a company that don’t want to pay a hire wage.

Don’t get me started, as I can talk on and on and on about these types of topics.

 

Don’t Bank With or Have An Account With Chase/JP Morgan

I have a car financed through Chase/JP Morgan. It is obvious that I don’t care if they read this. They say a person with a negative experience will write or tell others more than if their experiences were good with someone or a company. So, you can tell which direction this is going in.

I bought a vehicle, a 2007 Cobalt in the year of 2007 for nearly $13,000 – give or take. In the year of 2013, I have found out I paid for that vehicle twice as Chase received over $25,000 from me. I do understand everyone is in business to profit. As I heard their commercials a few years ago, they claim they are in the business of helping others, did not paint a good picture for me after this experience. In December of 2013, my loan matured and they were demanding a bit over $3,000 as a last payment. I offered to settle with them for the cost of the three payments in the rear, which would have been around $1,021.80 give or take. The payments are $340.60. I was NOT notified of the interest that would have been tacked on the end of the loan when payments were put back at the end of the loan on or around 2009. If I knew this, I would have told them to come and take the car and get a car from “buy here, pay here” locations.

Instead of agreeing with the principle that was added in the rear, since they already received doubled the amount of the vehicle, they refused it requesting full payment of said amount. Because I cannot pay the full balance, interest is still compiling daily on the owed amount. You would think they would accept the payments in the rear and be over with it, but it is a simple case of a company that is controlled by greed, not principles.

Mind you, this car has/have two recalls on it and frame damage, which I did not know upon the purchase of this vehicle.  They are still demanding over $2,000.00 for this vehicle and it is not even worth that much now.

Because of this, I am asking anyone that hears my frustrations of my words, had similar experience(s), or have honor among themselves; please, don’t do any business dealings with Chase/JP Morgan and it’s affiliates. They are not about helping customers, rather about getting more money. This is the classic of what our parents used to say “trying to get blood from a turnip.”

Sincerely,

cf Boston Brian