You just gotta love the internet.

I have a friend around the corner. She's a neighbor as well as a friend. She wrote this children's book. She just emailed me saying she couldn't open up an email that this publishing house had sent her.

It seems that she has written a book and desired to have it published. She does not have a computer. She has a little box on top of the tv and that's how she goes on the internet. She can't receive videos or attachments. So I help her out from time to time.

So she is asking me to print out this payment plan and I'm reading what this publishing house sent her.

They want her to pay $500 plus so they can publish her book.

I immediately went to ripoffreport.com to check out if there were any complaints against this company and BINGO, there were 14 people that were ripped off, this company took their money promising to publish their books but all they did was take their money.

I immediately phoned her and gave her the bad news. She then said 'oh really, I didn't know this about them". I told her about ripoffreport.com and to check on everybody and every thing before she sends anybody any money.

And I don't think if a publishing house wants to publish your books that you should pay them. They should send YOU an advance or something, right??

Then my other neighbor comes over to me and she needs a knee replacement. I ran into my house, looked up the Gender Knee Replacement, printed out 4 pages of info and just knocked on her door.

You should have seen her face.

She's getting her first computer soon. Her kids are buying her a laptop.

She said: "melody, I use a computer at work, but I don't know how to go on the internet, will you teach me??"

WILL I TEACH HER??? lol

Oh, she's 78 by the way.

I'm getting them old, but I'm getting them!!!! lol

Maybe you should teach classes. It would be fun! You are awesome!

I'm telling you, I am enjoying these neighbors. I live on a block where people have lived ALL of their lives. There's Lily, on the house at the end. She's 99 and still takes her push cart and goes on the bus. SHE GOES ON A BUS AT 99 YEARS OLD.

I met her in Dunkin the other day. She was hobbling along (she'll never use a wheelchair). and she was going to take the bus. We all just looked at her.

The majority of the older folks in my neighborhood don't have computers as of yet. But their grandchildren do (not their children, their GRANDCHILDREN).

So the grandchildren think it's funny to give grandma a laptop. So who do they come to. Why Melody of course.

I'm telling you, when Angie saw Alan and I singing on youtube she never saw anything like it in her life.

And when I told the 77 year old that her laptop comes with a webcam (she didn't know what a webcam was), and I said "we're going to make videos and show EVERYBODY, she said "We are??"

And I said 'We are going to have such fun".

Life should be about grabbing fun when you can.

OH BY THE WAY. TODAY IS ALAN'S BIRTHDAY!! He's 61 years young.

I'm taking him to Dunkin for Breakfast. I have a nice birthday package all made up with some new tops and shorts for him.

He'll enjoy this.

Take care,

Melody

You are an angel!

I have not heard of that website before myself! Thanks!

I am so glad you were able to get Alan some gifts that were not taken by the community's mailorder bandit(s)!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALAN!!!

Thanks again for sharing, Melody!

Before I buy ANYTHING, or if I want to investigate a company, I go to two places.

Before I make a purchase I go to:

epinions.com

If my product is there, I'll read all the praises and complaints about that particular product and I can make a good informed decision to buy or not to buy a particular product. That's how I got my Juiceman Jr. I was going to buy a JackLanne Power Juicer but there were so many complaints about that product and about the customer service that I decided against it. I had originally owned a Juiceman so I looked up Juiceman Jr on epinions.com, I was satisfied with what I read, I bought it AND WE LOVE IT.

And now let's discuss ripoffreport.com.

This has to be the single best thing on the internet if you want to investigate a company, a person, ANYTHING.

Let's say you want to buy a book by Anthony Robbins, or one of his marketing systems. You just type in his name and BINGO, you get ALL THE INFORMATION on this.

It's amazing.

I don't buy anything without researching it first. Not even a vitamin.

Best of luck

Melody