Are vendors being given a level playing field in Century Village and in the UCO Reporter. The village is a plum ripe for plucking - 12,000 people or more, many of whom are advanced in age, and highly susceptible to influence.
Does anyone think it is poor judgment to allow certain UCO persons to promote expensive products by way of the UCO Reporter, or at any UCO Committee meeting? Other community newspapers do not include these biased and unfair advantages to certain contractors/ vendors/ manufacturers. It really annoys other businesses. Let them all advertise here by buying ads only.
One VP has a disclaimer paragraph but it hardly offsets his columns of praise. He tells residents to buy the new products and describes them, I quote verbatim from the Reporter "we have had glowing reports about quality of service" "No other company in PBC performs that degree of service" "superior features" "outstanding features" "top of the line" "best for last: This company offers time payments for up to 25 years." Yeah join the irresponsible credit movement!
I think the meetings for selected products and manufacturers would also be better as a trade show, or at least have several vendors of similar products.
My condo runs without any of UCO 'essential' products, just common sense. We use Consumers Reports, info from contractors, the Home Depot, knowledgeable handymen, and PZB sources.
Disclaimer: of course this is just my opinion.
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Randall said...
ReplyDeleteThe term 'disclaimer' usually implies situations that involve some level of uncertainty, waiver, or risk.
The contents of information and opinions which follow a disclaimer, and also violates the purpose of such disclaimer, is mere pretext and of no legal effect.
"The preceding information is for educational and informational purposes only, and should not be misconstrued as legal advice".
... now THAT'S a disclaimer!
Hi all,
ReplyDeleteFor what it is worth, it is my belief that UCO should not be involved in any way whatsoever, in the promotion of any commercial product, vendor or service. Disclaimed or not!!
If you want a list of such things, open the Yellow Pages or go Online and search for the item you seek.
The INTERNET gives our citizens Power beyond your wildest dreams to reach out and "find". One example is the Google Product Search program FROOGLE; plug in an item and the software will return an ordered list of every source in the country for that item; it's price, taxes if any and shipping costs.
Apples to apples in a click of the mouse; who needs UCO for such tasks?
Dave Israel
Go Dave!
ReplyDeleteI fully believe that the meetings or lectures or whatever you want to call them should be limited to aiding and helping out the Village populace, IE:Scams, Health, County etc.
ReplyDeleteThere should not be Mdse. involved whatever it may be. (my opinion)
I agree Ken,
ReplyDeleteIf there is information in the UCO Reporter, I would like to see different style writing --
Find something being tried in the village - like the metal 'Key West' roof in Northampton.
*Write what is good about it.
*Write what is problematic.
*What does it cost.
Useful and relevant,
any volunteers to be roving reporter!
Hi All,
ReplyDeleteAs a Vice President of UCO, NO officer should recommend any product or company.
Frank Cornish
It is a slippery slope to be recommending products or businesses, even with the best of intentions. On the one hand, you want others to benefit from excellent, low-priced workmanship you have found. On the other hand, things change very fast, and a single experience with anything may not be typical. There is also, of course, the opportunity for graft and corruption, a serious consideration in a Village such as ours.
ReplyDeleteIt's gotten so that even in recommending a restaurant to a friend, I add my own disclaimer: "That's how we found it. Of course things change."
Maybe we should consider having a list with companies that do NOT do a good job and these companies we should stay away from??
ReplyDeleteAt one time back when I was Office Mgr., There was a "Venders Folder". In this folder was comments by the Villagers both pro & con. There were many more bad reports than good. I do not know if that folder still exists
ReplyDeleteThanks Ken, I will try to check!
ReplyDeleteI think Barbara and Ken could be onto something, a folder of bad reports and good reports that people could look at. These would be reports by individuals, not endorsement by UCO personnel—not unlike the sort of thing we get on the blog from time to time. Of course, UCO personnel letting someone look at the folder contents would have to be scrupulous about not leaning over the person's shoulder and saying, "Look at this one. He's done good work for several people I know." Otherwise, we're back in the same fix.
ReplyDeleteIt already exists per Ken, it is known as the Vendor 3-ring binder, it is dark burgundy color, on the shelf behind the UCO receptionists. It has good information (positive and negative comments) it could use some cleaning up, hole punch loose pages, label dividers for a couple more categories, maybe remove ancient comments.
ReplyDeleteFrom Peter Amato
ReplyDeleteEverybody here is talking about Jerry Karph!
Why is everybody afraid to use his name??
should the high ranking members of U.C.O. have put there foot down, and nipped this in the bud???
Just because the election is over, there should be no let up on the investigation of the 1st priority issue. Many CV unit owners have been hurt financially and who knows the toll it has taken on their physical well being. UCO should lend it's full support to any investigation and if wrong doing is found , the perpetrators should be exposed and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
ReplyDelete