Archive for May, 2009

Airplane Crash at Johnson County Executive Airport – not me!

May 15, 2009

Hello all, I’ve gotten calls and emails from concerned friends and relatives that were thinking that MAYBE this was me:

Small plane crash at Johnson County Executive Airport!

Picture 10

This happened yesterday and since I’m currently working on my private pilot license, and since I fly a small airplane, and since I fly out of Johnson County Executive Airport – the possibility of this happening to me was there. I just want to set the record straight that I am fine, I did not crash my plane yesterday and that I intend to continue my training! I feel terrible for this pilot who must be in total shock at the moment. He was doing routine touch-and-go’s. . .I do them all the time. Not good but I’m not going to let it rattle me.

Thanks for the concern- let’s keep this pilot in our thoughts.

Take care,
Ryan

Paint the fence or your Toyota!

May 13, 2009

Well, I went to meet my best friend for lunch today, Darrin. I pulled up at Old Chicago’s in Olathe and saw him with the tailgate of his Toyota 4 Runner lifted up and he was “working” in the back. I parked my truck, happy to see my buddy, and I noticed that he seemed a little irritated. I didn’t get my normal handshake or buddy hug, but rather he says to me “Ask me how my day is going”.

I looked in the truck, and being the environmentally friendly guy that he is, he had loaded all of the excess paint and paint supplies that had been sitting around his house from his remodel and was intending to dispose of all that old and outdated paint at our local hazmat station. Well, here’s shot of the back of his truck after we worked on it for a while:

photo

On the trip over to lunch, one of the buckets had toppled over and was leaking.

Just picture this poor guy, in his suit, scraping out all this spilled paint from the carpet and back of his truck. He was not a happy guy. I immediately jumped in (as it seemed better to me that since I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt it was more of a “disposable” outfit) and offered my help. The problem was that I started laughing and old Darrin, bless his heart, tried to laugh with me. However I don’t think that he found it amusing at all. I was laughing because I saw my buddy in his salesman attire, out in a hot parking lot, straddling the dripping paint looking at me with those “HELP ME” eyes that you can’t really describe. I felt terrible for him but he took it all in stride. Life’s not about getting upset over spilled paint now, is it? Oh man, what an afternoon!

Anyhow, we got it pretty close (this picture looks MUCH better that is actually is.) Ol’ Darrin has a little work to do tonight!!

OK, we’re working on some new deals here at Mission Repair and I’ll be back in touch soon with more great info! Take care, Ryan

Identity theft?

May 12, 2009

Hello all out there in cyber land. Yup, scary cyber land. Who can you trust?

We just had a walk-in customer that was a victim of a Phishing scam. She received an email from what looked to be legitimate from Paypal, which directed her to “click here and update your account information”. Well, the email LOOKED legitimate, the link worked and took her to a page that LOOKED legitimate, and she filled out the online form requesting her personal information.

This is a BIG red flag. Paypal and most other large legitimate entities will NEVER ask for or send out unsolicited emails asking you for your personal information, including PIN numbers, Social Security numbers, or ANY other bank information.

Shortly after she submitted her info to the “fake” Paypal email, her computer immediately began sending emails out. Next, every webpage she went to had funny URL’s. Next, Popups would come up, even when she wasn’t browsing the internet. The final straw was when her computer took a picture of her and then emailed out. All on it’s own. All I can say is: “WOW!”

We were able to help her and we got her MacBook back on track. I’d like to suggest a great website that will help you discern between legitimate and bogus emails, websites and other identity theft red-flags. Visit http://www.onguardonline.gov/ for a ton of great information!

So, this brings me back to: “Who can you trust?”

When you do business online, make sure that the checkout is secure. Like our website at http:www.missionrepair.com. A great way to verify that you’re on a secure site is to start by looking at the URL. If the page doesn’t say “HTTPS://” then it’s not secure and you should not enter any pertinent or private information! You can always verify the security of our website by clicking this button:

Picture 9

Also, you should check to see if the business you’re working with is Accredited with the Better Business Bureau. You betcha Mission Repair is!

Next, make sure that the company has a clearly stated and fair return policy. Conditions like: “as-is” or “no returns” should be a couple of red flags as well. Mission Repair has a no-questions-asked 30 day refund policy in the event you’re not satisfied with your purchase. No restocking fees ever!

Keep digging. . .is the company you’re working with Dun and Bradstreet listed? Mission Repair is! This is one more validation that a company is legitimate.

Does the company work with the local community? Mission Repair sure does! We are active members in 2 local Chamber’s of Commerce and we love supporting local business which brings me to my last point for the day:

Does the business you’re working with have a verifiable commercial location with a direct telephone number and customer walk-in support? Well, here at Mission Repair we have all of these things and more. We pride ourselves on being a legitimate, fair, trustworthy business and we encourage ALL of our customers to visit us at our Kansas City location in Olathe, Kansas. No appointment necessary and we’ll earn your trust with our customer service.

Thanks again for reading, just wanted to share a little to hopefully save a lot!

Take care, Ryan

T-Mobile Class Action Settlement!

May 11, 2009

Hello all, I got this postcard in the mail today:

tmobile

If you can’t read that scan, here’s a transcript:

Important Notice from United States District Court for the District of New Jersey about a Class Action Settlement

If you paid or were charged a T-Mobile flat-rate Early Termination Fee (“ETF”) from July 23, 1999 to February 19, 2009, or were subject to a T-Mobile flat-rate ETF on February 19, 2009, you could get benefits from a settlement.

A proposed settlement has been reached in a class action alleging that the T-Mobile flat-rate ETF (generally $200) is unlawful. The sole purpose of this Notice is to inform you of the Settlement so that you may decide what to do about it.

If the Settlement is approved, Settlement Class members who submit Claim Forms may receive monetary or other benefits. You may also choose to exclude yourself from, or object to, the Settlement.

For a full description of the Settlement, related Court documents, and deadlines and forms, please visit www.etf-settlement.com. Claim Forms are due August 23, 2009, but the date may be extended. Requests to exclude yourself from the Settlement must be submitted to the Settlement Administrator and are due June 3, 2009, and objections to the Settlement (which may be made through an attorney) are due June 3, 2009 and any objections to attorneys’ fees requested are due June 22, 2009. If you do not exclude yourself by June 3, 2009, and you are a member of the Class, you will be bound by the Settlement. Your can get a Claim Form at www.etf-settlement.com/claimform, by calling 1-800-589-1423 or by writing the Settlement Administrator at P.O. Box 945, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55440-0945. Questions may also be directed to Class Counsel, by email at info@etf-settlement.com.

Please do not contact T-Mobile or the Court with questions about the Settlement.

—————-
So, is it interesting? You bet! I paid the $200 ETF to get out of my contract to move to the iPhone with AT&T. I was a customer for 7 years and I still have two cell phones on a T-Mobile plan. I’m going to print my claim forms now. . .

Take care, Ryan

NEW OEM 15″ MacBook Pro LCD Screens in stock and shipping!

May 5, 2009

Hello there everyone-

Just finishing a busy day here at Mission Repair. It seems like the phone has been ringing non-stop (thanks everyone!) and it really makes the day fly by. I haven’t even checked my Twitter account yet today (let alone post any Tweets). I’ll get there, I promise!! TweetDeck has been beeping at me all day!

We are still amidst adding many new do-it-yourself parts and full-services to the website. It’s time consuming but it never fails. . .I put a new do-it-yourself part on the website. We sell it. We add another featured full-service repair, and it gets ordered. Things are become quite obvious to me that we need to keep adding to the site. I promise to do so!

I’m just going to do a quick blog on our 15″ MacBook Pro LCD Screens for the do-it-yourself technicians out there. We have them in stock, they come with a 1 year warranty against manufacturers defects and live technician support if the need arises. We know that do-it-yourself technicians don’t NEED any help, but we’re here just in case. 15″ MacBook Pro LCD Screens start at $239 and can ship out immediately (this excludes the Unibody MacBook Pro).

OK, going to go attend to Twitter now. Talk to you later!!

Best,
Ryan


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