Something for Everyone and Watch Out For That Clunker!

It has occurred to me that we should put some funny stuff on here. We like funny stories. People like funny stories. We have done information, happy giving stuff, mushy stuff. Funny stories will be coming soon. The story we have to share with you today is definitely, not funny. It is one of the reasons we do what we do and there is such a need for our services.

A woman needed a new refrigerator. National Grid had been advertising that they would pay you for your refrigerator and everyone is a buzz about the Appliance Clunker Rebate Program. She went out and bought a new refrigerator. She paid an exorbitant amount to have it delivered by a big box store. She called National Grid to have the old refrigerator removed.

When they arrived, they removed the refrigerator. Then they charged her for removing the old refrigerator instead of paying her. Why? The new fridge wasn't Energy Star Efficient. And she won't get the rebate either.

Some people might say it is her fault. She was trying to cash in on both ends and didn't have the right information. The large corporations involved knew what she wanted. They advertise loud and clear that they will pay you for your fridge and that rebates will be coming soon. They quietly add the stuff about Energy Star and rebates subject to blah, blah, blah. They know you hear what you want to hear and that's what they tell you.

We want everyone to know the right information, so they can make informed decisions. Lets start at the top.

1. You don't have to pay the big box store delivery and installation fees. You can find a small business delivery service that will charge you considerably less and do it right the first time.

2. National Grid is no longer paying you to pick up your refrigerator. When they were, it had to be working, it had to be replaced by an Energy Star Refrigerator and yours was sent to an out of state business that won't tell us what they have done with them.

3. The Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program has not started in Rhode Island. Different forms of it have existed in Massachusetts and Connecticut and we are constantly working to provide more information on our site.

4. You do not have to pay someone to remove your old Appliances. Working or not, we will remove them for Free. We recycle them by repairing them or disassembling them whenever possible so that less fortunate people can have decent appliances for free or at a discounted price through an Appliance Dealer.

We do what we do because we want to help people make informed decisions. We want people to do the right thing. We want people to share and preserve the environment. Many people are already working with us and more people here about us every day.

Thank you for your time. It will be rewarded with a funny story tomorrow. I promise.

Oh, Christmas Tree, Share the Sharing

Going against conventional wisdom and anyone's advice. We/I, mostly I, decided to give away some Christmas Trees this year. It would not have been possible without the assistance of our friend Danny Calise. Thank you Danny! We want to share one of the recipients with you! As with most things for us, it started with an email:

My cousin who collects disability due to many different reasons does not have a Christmas tree this year because she can not afford one. She feels horrible because she has children and grandchildren who will be visiting and not see a tree... Due to her illness, she gets depressed about things like this. I wish I could help her but I am laid off myself and barely making it. Please help her to make her Christmas better. Thank you and God Bless!

The first people who responded to our advertisment never returned our emails or calls. We still haven't figured out why, as they still haven't contacted us. We are still thinking that people believe we are too good to be true.

We are currently located in Foster, RI. Mapquest won't help and your GPS cuts out about a mile from the house. On the second attempt to find us, the woman who wanted to help her cousin was successful! Yay!

She was nice enough to take some pictures for us because we couldn't be there for the delivery. She sent us this email:

You have truly blessed my cousin and her family by donating a Christmas tree to her today! I apologize for the late response with pictures, but I was at my family's annual Christmas function. My cousin was going to send me pictures when she completed the tree, but she didnt get finished until about 11pm. She took time to pray before hanging each ornament for everyone to be blessed this holiday season as she has been throughout the year and especially with your gift of the tree. (I told you she would be very appreciative of this gift).


We receive tons of emails and phone calls from people who need help. We did this because we wanted to help people make the holidays more enjoyable for someone else. To share the sharing, so to speak.

Attached are a couple of pictures... she even took a couple of branches off the bottom to make a wreath for her front door... Thank you for your kindness and generosity.

We wish we had this blog from the very beginning. It would have helped us get the word out about what we were doing and the people that benefit from our services.

My cousin along with her children/grandchildren.. had a WONDERFUL Christmas to you. I can not thank you enough for allowing me to give her a tree... Their faces (grandchildren) were so happy that she had one.. (prior to me finding you... she had mentioned to them that as long as they were all together.. the fact that we are celebrating Jesus' birth is the most important thing.....

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!










We think everyday should be Christmas! Everyday more people find out about us and what we do. We want to help more people help more people. That is what will get our country and region out of the economic slump it is in. People helping people. It started in New England hundreds of years ago. Maybe everyone is just waiting for it to warm up to lend a helping hand. We ask that you don't wait, START NOW. Tomorrow, we will tell you a story about how a woman got taken advantage of by the Appliance Rebate Program that was supposed to help her.

It Pays to Do the Right Thing

The longer you know us, the more you will come to know that there is rarely a dull moment in our life. Our businesses are no different. At the end of November, a property owner asked us to remove items that belonged to a previous tenant. We told the property owner that we would remove the items only after the law for such action had been followed.

The property owner was not happy with our response. He filed a complaint forcing us to temporarily suspend operations in December. What a Christmas present! We even had to stop posting on the blog as technically it was considered part of our commercial operations.

We filed several complaints and criminal charges. We had our day in court on Wednesday and needless to say, we are back up and running! We received a settlement for several thousand dollars and retained the right to press criminal charges as well as other civil actions.

We love the property managers, landlords, homeowners and tenants we work with. We get to see the best part of the human condition. Occasionally, we come across someone who for whatever reason, refuses to do the right thing. We aren't Robin Hood. We won't force someone to do the right thing, but we won't help them do something that is illegal or doesn't represent common courtesy. Treat others as you wish to be treated.

In the mean time, we have found new ways to recycle (buying and selling used textbooks), save money, live greener and healthier. We even found Jewelry that is made from recycled materials. That's cool and it looks good too. Check it out at in our Buy Recycled section.

Tomorrow, we will share one of our Free Christmas Tree recipients with you. Happy New Year!