Tag: tips

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date September 15, 2023
No Comments on Your Reputation Is On The Line

Has Someone Tried To Impersonate You On The Internet?

Maybe they said negative things about you that were not true. They may have displayed nasty stuff to your friends or followers online. Trying to prove who you are can be frustrating and tiring. Restoring your reputation as someone tried to ruin or destroy your good name takes a lot of effort. The party that does this does not care about anyone or anything except themselves. All of us should do constructive things with our time and not hurt others. Lift people up and praise them, and do not be jealous, for you have no idea what they have had to endure to get to where they are today. Honest work and effort make for a person that people will respect and look up to. If you open a wrong message or link, your life can be turned upside down on the internet. Facebook has impostures that can ruin your business account and more.

God And Your Reputation

If you make a promise to God, you better go through with it, as I would never want to lose God’s trust in me. The saying in the bible is: “Trust And Obey, For There is No Other Way To Be Happy in Jesus But To Trust And Obey.” Being in good standing with God is a beautiful feeling that fills you with joy, happiness, and love. God relies on us to keep our promises to him as we can help spread his good works to the masses. God watches you, and he remembers what you do. Go in his name and act as he does; you cannot go wrong, and your reputation with God will blossom and grow.

Restoring Your Reputation, Once It Has Been Lost Is Very Hard Indeed

If you take advantage of someone or something, it will haunt you for many years. Gaining back the trust of a Dear friend can rip you to shreds even if you did not do anything at all. If your friend thinks you are guilty of something but can not prove that you did not have anything to do with it, they have presumed you guilty as charged. My friend finally found her money in her billfold, and I was in good standing with her again, which was a wonderful feeling.

Nasty Rumors

Unfortunately, if someone spreads rumors about you, someone will want to believe it and run with it. People ask their friends if they heard such and such about you know who. They have turned a tiny little thing into an avalanche that keeps piling up with more and more tidbits of untrue stories. The truth is too dull for people, so they have to make a mountain out of a molehill. They never once think about what they would do if someone told falsehoods about them and spread it around like a raging forest fire. Loose lips sink ships with speculation and lies. If you cannot say anything good about someone, do not say anything at all, and remember to lift people and inspire them to do great things with their lives that will help others for many years to come.

Tags Inspirations with Laura, Reputation, tips

Customer Service Problems

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date August 21, 2023
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Customer Service Is A Nightmare

I have purchased many items over the years, and I wouldn’t say I like it when I cannot talk to a human being. Sometimes you do not know how to explain your issue to an online automated being. If you do not know how to explain what you want to be resolved, and they keep asking you the same question repeatedly, you get nowhere quickly. I keep asking to talk to a human being, and eventually, they give up, and then I have to wait on hold for an hour or more, and sometimes I am disconnected. I am livid, and the next person gets a piece of my mind. I tell them I have been calling and holding for over an hour now and want a resolution ASAP. I don’t give up easily and will contact them all day until they resolve my problem.

You Didn’t Get What You Ordered

I like dealing with companies with online protection to protect you from dealing with dishonest salespeople on the internet, as buyer protection is critical. I ordered what was shown as giant metal statues to scare away birds and critters from your garden, and they were only 8 inches high when they came. I got my money back with buyer protection. I ordered items with missing parts, and the company replaced the parts after I took pictures of the package in the shipping box. I ordered a lamp one time that was broken when I unpacked it, and I received a full refund after I sent them pictures of the broken glass shade. Take pictures and keep all of your receipts if there are any warranty issues down the road.

After Market Insurance

I have never had luck with any after-market insurance I purchased for a product except once. I purchased insurance for my HP printer through Best Buy, and they handed me a brand-new printer one day before my warranty was up. I bought car insurance for breakdowns once, and they would not live up to their warranty no matter what I said or did. A mechanic friend said never to buy car breakdown insurance as they never pay out what they say they will, no matter where you purchase them.

Mistakes Can Be Made At The Time Of Purchase

Ensure every purchase detail is in writing, or there will be problems later. It is always your word against their word if it is not in writing, and once you sign on the dotted line, the odds are in their favor. Put down the item’s color, size, shape, warranty length, the year it was made, and much more, depending on your purchase. You would not want to be driving a pink truck home for your husband. One party ordered a blue car and ended up with a white car because the car’s color was not in the contract, and they sold the blue car to another customer. Get every little detail in writing no matter what the salesperson tells you because word of mouth does not stand up in a court of law. Be a savvy customer.

Tags Customer service issues, tips

Picking Out People To Hire

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date July 24, 2023
No Comments on Picking Out People To Hire

I Visit With People They Have Worked For

I ask my neighbors and other people they have hired to work for them. I can find out if they did quality work, cleaned up their mess, came to work on time, if they goof on on the job, and how committed they are to their job. It pays to talk to other people before you hire someone. I asked about a roofer I was considering, and they told me he pounded large nails right through their open-beam ceiling. They had to have a lot of sheet rock done inside of their home, along with a new roof again. What should have been an easy job became a very complex job. I once had an electrician terrified of wiring, and he cut around each light fixture. He also cut a large hole in the wall for each new plugin. I had a lot of plaster to patch up after he got done. He was an older electrician but was not good at his chosen profession. He came highly recommended. He did not have to do new outlets or light fixtures for them. A worker can never have too many references. Keep good workers as they are very hard to find.

Watch Them While They Work Now And Then

After watching them cut down my neighbor’s trees, I hired people to cut down trees for me. I noticed they cleaned up their mess, swept off the sidewalks, and much more. By watching a roofer, you can see how many nails he puts in each shingle or if he lays down an extensive section without nailing it. Watch a painter at work. A painter should ensure a clean surface before applying new paint, or it will come loose quickly as it will not adhere to the surface.

Listen To Their Language

I do not like to hire and hear workers cussing and cursing while working inside my home. I have had workers say the F word right to my face. If they talk like that to me, they can work someplace else. If they want to say awful words say them while they are alone. Foul language generally lets you know they will not do quality work for you.

Car Repair Shops

One of my friends told me about a wonderful place to take your vehicles to get serviced. I have a trusted mechanic that will not sell me a part that I do not need. All the workers are very polite and friendly. I get waited on quickly; I do not have to sit around and wait for hours to get in.

Health Care Providers And More

We all want a trusted Doctor, Lawyer, or Accountant to help us when we need them the most. When you are very sick, you need a Doctor to figure out your problem quickly and efficiently, as it could be a matter of life or death. If someone files false allegations against you, your lawyer has to be able to take care of it correctly and quickly. We depend on our accountants to do our taxes correctly. We need excellent nurses that will bring us back to health while in the hospital. Check their references before you pick the wrong one and have no one to turn to for help when you are down and out.

Tags employee's, tips, workers

Abilities

All Of Us Have Hidden Talents

We may know how to play a particular instrument in a concert or remember many telephone numbers. I can write about things to see and do while on a vacation since I have been to that area and what to avoid while traveling. I love cats and like to write about having a happy and healthy cat. I love to write inspirationswithlaura as I took a lay ministry course. I write about different coffee shops and restaurants. Some of us can repair almost anything that comes our way. Hidden talents may be a talent that will turn into a lifetime job or hobby.

Abilities Are Different For All Of Us

I always like to think of people’s abilities, not their disabilities. Our abilities are what keeps us going and what we can use to teach others. I concentrate on my abilities, not the things I cannot do. To stay focused and have a happy and rewarding life, you have to focus on your abilities, which will take you to the finish line in life. One that stays focused on everything they cannot do keeps adding more and more to that list that will take them down a giant sinkhole. Always show people what you can do, and you will amaze them. Stay confident, and you will always rise to the top.

Talents That Come Late In Life

Many people have become very successful after the age of 50. Some people have started chain restaurants and become famous book writers, artists, architects, and more. I think their hidden talents stayed at rest because they were busy raising a family and did not have the time to pursue what they were truly talented at. Sometimes your talents shine just at the right time for someone to honestly notice them and appreciate them for what they are. One lady was buying groceries one day, and a TV program director asked her if she would consider being an actress for their new TV show, and she said yes. She happened to be at the right place at the right time. The TV program aired for 18 years.

God And Abilities

God picks us for things to do on earth as he can see our abilities. He puts us in a job or position that will do the best on earth. If you are good, kind, compassionate, caring, loving, and dedicated, you can help many people worldwide. People need someone to listen to whom they trust and believe in to lead them forward with the abilities God gave them. Praise people that have abilities that shine that help many people. Be a friend and a confidant that people can lean on in times of suffering, pain, and more, and give them hope and encourage them to get better by supporting them in their darkest hours. Pray for ill and suffering people and let them know that God loves them and you love them, along with their friends and family. Always think of your abilities and use them to help others.

Tags Inspirations with Laura, talents, tips

Keep Up Your Home

Roofs

Most roofs today last around 30 years, give or take. I put a 50-year shingle on my home that is resistant to wind, hail, and water buildup. I put some 50-year shingles on my garage years ago and had only one shingle tar down after 20 years had passed. I put 25-year shingles on a building, which were worn out in twenty years. Buy top-quality brand shingles if you want them to stand the test of time. Hire someone that has been in the roofing business for years and is not a fly-by-night person. Make sure your shingles come with a written warranty, and realize if they go out of business, so does your warranty on the shingles. If your home has a lot of valleys or cupolas, make sure your roofer knows how to shingle and caulk around those. I had one roofer that did not know how to do any roof except for a ranch house. A thick grade of steel roofing is good on farm buildings and homes.

Wiring

Keep the wiring up to date in your home, as bad wires could lead to fires. Hire a qualified electrician with years of experience. I have had the same electrician for years. He put new wiring in my home along with circuit breakers. He has installed ceiling fans, GFI plugs, and several main poles in the rental houses I once owned. I had a bad thermostat wire that he could not find once; otherwise, his work has been perfect over the years.

Porches And Decks

I make sure I stain my deck floor every year with an oil stain, as oil stands up much better than latex stain. Porches need the ceiling repainted every so often, along with new deck boards. Make sure your carpenter uses thick enough boards for the floor. If your boards are thin and not water treated, your floor must be replaced within five years because it will be rotten.

Siding

Wood siding will get so no paint will adhere to it eventually, or it will rot out over time. I had vinyl siding put on my home and some of the rentals I used to own. I have had good luck with vinyl siding over the years. Hire a qualified siding installer and get a written warranty from them for the siding.

Windows

I put all new vinyl windows in my home and some of the rentals I used to own. Old wood windows start to rot out or get water logged on the bottom part o the window. The wood windows also get bowed down where they hinge together. I like to use brand-name windows and windows at a medium price. Never buy cheap windows, as you get what you pay for. Hire a professional company that has professional installers. If you hire a run-of-the-mile person, you may not have enough insolation installed around your windows, and you may have quite a draft coming through your brand-new windows.

Bathrooms And Kitchens

At some point, you will want to upgrade your bathroom or kitchen. I have had new countertops put in over the years and had cupboards repaired or replaced. I went to a lumber store and picked out what I wanted, and my carpenter installed them. My bathroom only had a tub, and I had a tub surround installed and a shower. You will need new faucets and the plumbing maintained throughout your home. The older one gets, the more upgrades your bathroom may require. You may want to have a walk-in tub put in someday or a walk-in shower.

Heating And Water Heaters

I had a new tankless water heater installed recently that I purchased from a lumber store. I also had several new furnaces installed by professionals. New furnaces and water heaters only last about twelve years anymore. Keep up your home regularly so you do not have to spend all of your money at once on costly repairs. Be savvy and smart about who you hire for your home repairs.

Tags Carpentry, remodeling, Repairs, tips

Mouse Removal

Find Out Where The Mice Are Entering Your Home

If your foundation has a crack, seal it with a cement caulk. If you do not have any caulk, stuff the hole with steel wool, as mice will not chew through that. I had the caulk give out around the air conditioner pipes, and I put new caulk in the area, so the mice could no longer get in. Caulk any rotten spots on your window trim and wrap tin around them. Never leave grass clippings next to your house; it is an excellent spot for mice to have offspring. If your clothes dryer vent happens to fall off, you will have lots of rodents entering your home. Make sure any vents are tightly secured to your home.

Perfumy Soaps

Putting a bar of soap between your door and your screen door is excellent since mice do not like the smell of scented soap. I had a mouse take up residence between a couple of entries, and the mouse left at the scent of the soap.

Do Not Feed Your Birds Next To Your Home

By feeding birds next to your home, rodents will come and eat the bird food at night. The mice will then multiply and reside in your home in the cold weather months.

Killing Mice In Your Home

Using any silverware, dishes, and tablecloths that mice have urinated on is unsafe and unsanitary. Keeping pet food in your home will attract mice as they can smell the food in your home. Use a plastic mouse trap with jaws and almond butter on the paddle. Put out rodent blocks to kill mice where no pets or children can eat them, as they are deadly if consumed. They have warfarin in them and cause the mouse to bleed out or a child or pet. Never leave any food on your countertop or in your cupboards that are not in a plastic container that the mice cannot eat through. Sticky traps will catch them, but you have to deal with disposing of the wiggling mouse on the sticky trap and hope he does not get loose. Do not store corn on the cob for squirrels in your home; Indian corn, nuts, or other seeds will attract mice.

Keep Other Buildings Mice Free

Put mouse killers and traps in your garage or storage buildings. If mice breed in these buildings, your heated home will eventually become their new favorite hangout. As the cold begins to strengthen, the mice start to come into your home.

Mice Like To Live Under Lids And Rubbish

Clean up any junk or debris next to your home. Mice like to make nests under lids and old lumber. Do not store fireplace logs next to your home; you may take a mouse or two into your home when you gather the logs.

Cats Keep Mice Down

I had an older black Tom named Onyx outdoors, and he patrolled the ditches and kept all of the building rodent-free. He lived to be eighteen years old. I have house cats that kill rodents who make the mistake of trying to live in my home. Stay proactive on any mouse problem before the mice take over your home. If things get worse, hire an exterminator—scram for your lives, mice.

Tags pests, rodent removal, tips

Unattended

Gardens And Trees

A weedy garden does not produce much, and the weeds flourish, robbing the vegetables of the necessary nutrients. The weeds will shade the plants, making your garden look 100% uncared for. Trees need constant pruning, or the suckers will grow, and the tree will get sickly looking. A tree needs a lot of light to the main branches, or the leaves may wilt up, or the fruit may drop off a fruit tree. A fruit tree will not produce much, and its fruit will be tiny and not tasteful. Dead branches left on a tree will swing back and forth in the wind, and they could fall on someone and kill them. Dead branches get bugs and insects in them, and they can fly in healthy areas of the tree and multiply and destroy the whole tree. Gardens and trees need a caretaker to be valuable and productive. If left unattended, you have no trees to put oxygen back into the air and no fresh produce to eat from your garden or fruit trees.

People

If people are left unattended, they get sick or ill. If a child is left alone, they could feel unloved or die if left in a car by someone with too much else on their mind. Never go to someone in charge of children with no experience caring for children. If a particular parent takes a child to school every morning, do not change off, or they may forget their child is in a car seat in the back seat. A person who feels well cared for heals much quicker than one that is not. Everyone needs love, compassion, and empathy in their life.

I Will Do It Tomorrow

The procrastinator keeps putting things off for another day. If you keep doing that, nothing gets done, and a mountain of things needs to get done all at once. If your sink is dripping, call the plumber today and do not put it off, or you may have a flood of water running through your house if a pipe bursts. You cannot leave things unattended. Bills must get paid promptly, or collection agencies will be calling you demanding money, or they may put a lean on your home or garnish your wages. Things have to get done to live in this World to survive and flourish.

Your Soul

If you do not make time for God in your week, you will decline in your performance. Read a daily devotion and reflect on it as someone you know is going through it. Call people who live alone, older adults, and just let them know that you love them and genuinely care about what happens to them. The people that you have in your life can help your soul stay healthy. God enables you to keep a healthy soul by leading you on the path he wants you to go. Read the Bible and follow the Ten Commandments. Never leave your soul unattended, or the Devil will love to take over your soul. If you start to go down a dark winding road and you do not get off, ask God for help and forgiveness.

Tags forgotten, Inspirations with Laura, tips

Maintenance Of All Kinds

Maintaining Your Body

Our annual physical ensures our body is in peak operating order. Our Doctor may say we have to take blood pressure pills to maintain our blood pressure or that we should lose some weight to prevent people with diabetes down the road. We must exercise our body as a body at rest stays at rest and goes downhill quickly. We should be very social as it has been proven that people that socialize live much longer than those that do not. We should have our teeth cleaned twice a year to prevent tooth decay and having to wear dentures in our old age. We need our annual exams to prevent cancer or catch it early before it spreads and is not treatable. We should keep our minds as active as possible by reading, working on crossword puzzles, putting puzzles together, and having a hobby. I like to use a treadmill in the winter months with music playing in the background. In the warmer months, I weed whack, garden, mow my lawn, trim trees, and ride my e-bike. We maintain our pets’ bodies by feeding them top-quality food and annual Vet visits for their checkups and necessary shots.

Maintaining Your Soul

Maintaining your soul is very important. If you do not keep your soul, you do not maintain your body; without your soul, you have no body. God put breath in your body and gave you a mind to survive and function. If you lose your soul to the Devil, you have lost your connection to everlasting life. Have kind, caring, loving, joyful, peaceful, hopeful, and loyal thoughts. Do not go to bed angry at someone; be slow to anger. Put God above all others and strive to do God’s will on Earth. If you see your soul drifting in the wrong direction, ask God to help you get back on track again and stay on the right path, as that is the only path that leads to redemption and everlasting life. Glory be to God our heavenly Father.

Maintaining What You Own

If you do not maintain your home soon, you will not have one to live in. Maintaining a home takes a lot of time and energy. You may have to replace your windows, put on a new roof, install a new furnace put on new siding, have your home rewired, and much more. Maintaining a home is very expensive. Maintaining your vehicle involves oil changes, batteries, new tires, and sometimes something significant. Lawnmowers need oil changes, blades sharpened, and sometimes a complete overhaul. Outdoor buildings must be repainted, and rotten boards must be replaced. I stain my deck boards yearly with an oil stain since oil paints or stains last much longer. Water and other filters need to be replaced as they get dirty and cause damage to the device they are used on. Write a list of the top 10 things you want to fix at the beginning of the year and stick to the list so you do not have many repairs to complete all at once.

Tags Inspirations with Laura, Maintenance Of All Kinds, tips

There Is Too Much Division In The World

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date March 24, 2023
No Comments on There Is Too Much Division In The World

We Must Learn To Compromise

We will never agree on everything, but we must learn to compromise. If we do not compromise, we do not move forward. We must move forward and not get stuck on a tiny detail that will stalemate us. Compromise is not that hard if you look at everyone’s point of view and make a decision that will work for the betterment of those concerned. Even children learn to compromise as they have to take turns on whose turn it is to play with specific equipment on the school ground. If there is a play at school, not everyone can have the lead part, but the other parts are necessary for the play’s success. If all the details of the space do not come together, there will be no play to watch.

Compromise To Save Valuable Things

We need to see historic buildings and places to learn from the past. If we do not learn from the past, we will make those same mistakes repeatedly. Some statues are thrown away because we do not like what they stand for, but we need them to learn from. Books are essential, as we know by reading about our past and the present. We must preserve things for future generations to enjoy. We should try to save the animals that are in jeopardy of becoming extinct. Our national parks are very nice to drive through, see the various animals, statures, mountains, and trees, and stop and have a picnic there.

Arguments In Goverment

There seems to be no compromise when they meet in government to solve issues. Both parties must reach a majority for the vote to go through. When neither party does not compromise, we get nothing accomplished, and we cannot move forward. As adults, we should be able to compromise easily, but we act worse than young children. A compromise is easy if you remember what will benefit most people and get your mind off your agenda.

Division Does Not Work

A house divided will not stand. If you only replaced half of the roof on your home, the other half would leak, and soon you would not have a home to live in. If you painted only the two sides of your home that most people would see, the rest would rot out, and you would be looking for a new home. The division will divide people forever that do not compromise.

God And Compromise

God knows that were are not perfect human beings. God has compromised for us dearly. God gave his only begotten son for us so that we may be forgiven for our sins. God gave the greatest of all compromises for us, so why can’t we make at least small compromises for the benefit of our fellow man? There is a lot of division in churches lately, and you would think any church would compromise to save a house of God. God wants his house United for a house divided will not stand. Once a house of God is divided against itself, the Devil will be in charge. I want God to be in the order of his house as the house of the Lord teaches God’s values and what we should stand for to the masses. Long stands the house that is United.

Tags tips, Too much division, United We Stand and divided we fall

Excellent Customer Service Is hard To Come By

Excellent Customer Service Is Hard To Come By

Post author By Laura Weers
Post date March 3, 2023
No Comments on Excellent Customer Service Is Hard To Come By

Customer Service Issues

I made an appointment for an oil change the other day, and it took them 3 hours to get my oil changed. I kept going to their main desk, asking when my car would be done, and they said nothing. The workers at the desk were playing computer games instead of supervising their workers. I called a service company that I used to go to, and they never returned any of my calls after three attempts. It is hard to find anyone to repair a broken appliance. If you find one, their labor charge is so high you might as well buy a new device. The repairman will generally bring out the wrong part and charge you to return to town to buy the correct position.

Customer Service And Warranty Issues

I purchased an extended warranty on a car for the engine and transmission. My car would not maintain the correct oil pressure, and I told them I needed a new motor, and they would not replace it. I never purchased another vehicle from them, nor have I ever purchased another extended warranty. I had a contract for a water heater, and it stopped working precisely one day after the warranty period, so I was out of luck.

Customer Service Nightmares

I once had a car that was not dependable whatsoever, and she always needed repairs. I kept spending and spending money on it, and then it was not that part but another part; I got tired of paying the mechanic as he could never get the issue fixed. A store blamed me for the fact that the item that I purchased from them did not work. They told me I had abused the thing, and I said I had not even touched the thing except to plug it in. They stuck me with an item that was never wired correctly right from the company.

Waiting For Customer Service

I waited for customer service for four hours via the telephone. I could not understand their words when I finally got someone on the phone. I told him I was very sorry and asked him to talk to his supervisor about my issue. I could understand her, but then she put me on hold for another person, and by the end of the day, I had not gained anything from my phone call. The next day I had to start the process over again until someone could talk me through the problem.

We Need To Get Old Fashioned Customer Services Back ASAP

Without customer service, your company will not grow, and people will lose faith in you and your business or service. Word of mouth spreads like wildfire on the windiest of days. Listen to people’s complaints and remember you may have a problem yourself one day that you will need help with. Put yourself in the other person’s predicament. Remember The Golden Rule: Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You. Stand behind what you sell, fix it, and remember that the customer is always right.

God Is There for Us 24/7

God is always there for us in our darkest of hours. God answers our prayers and cheers us on. God is like a lighthouse as he leads us home from harm. We should act like God with customer service.

Tags Customer service issues, Inspirations with Laura, tips, where is customer service ?