Continue reading »]]> It seems not a single major news media source has written about the very serious and extended outage of the BillPay service provided by major U.S. Banks. Bank customers throughout the U.S. are complaining and being held hostage for nearly two days now. Evidence of this can be seen in Twitter.

This began with my own unhappy experience of not being able to log into my Suntrust BillPay on Monday night around 8pm. I tried a couple more times with no success.  On Tuesday morning, there was no error message. Only the inability to log in to my BillPay from my Suntrust Online Banking Account.

As I stayed in my home office working patiently waiting for an opportunity to input some urgent payments in addition to checking on what payments should be coming out tomorrow, I finally called the toll-free number customer service number and was politely informed that BillPay was down since 3pm on Monday afternoon. Tuesday has come and nearly gone. We are headed into Wednesday with no indication when the BillPay service will be available again.

Because there seems to be zero coverage of this extensive and widespread BillPay outage, I took to Twitter to do my own research and write this update. Hopefully, Google will pick this up and disseminate to BillPay victims being held hostage.

It appears many people are blaming their bank for the BillPay problem when in reality the BillPay problem is actually larger than any one bank.

From my Twitter research and my own accounts with four of these banks, the following banks are suffering from the same BillPay outage:

• Bank of America
• Bank Atlantic
• Charles Schwab
• First Tech Federal Credit Union
• ING Direct
• Suntrust Bank
• Synovus Banks
• Wells Fargo

There are probably many, many banks that I have not listed but affected and simply not showing up on the Twitter feed but I will add those names as I find out about them.

It tells me that the BillPay service is larger than any one bank. I am unsure if BillPay is being provided by a single vendor of which the various banks and credit unions purchase and use.

It seems apparent to me, there is going to be hell to pay because of the resulting late fees that will be incurred by the tens of thousands (perhaps even hundreds of thousands) accounts nationwide. It seems no one in customer service knows anything. The online customer service rep I spoke to said this afternoon that there were hundreds of complaints already.

Myself alone I have quite a few large payments that were due today and tomorrow. I question whether those payments will be made now despite the fact they were put in two weeks ago.

This has got to be the most severe BillPay outage that I can recall. I am still monitoring my Twitter feed in hopes there is some indication that BillPay service will be restored. I hope to provide an update later tonight or tomorrow morning.

Continue reading »]]> For nearly 5 years, this website has hosted the well-read “Incredible Discoveries” Information Page. I have had mixed emotions hosting that page but a lot of people have thanked me for it over the years. It is fundamentally related to consumer complaints and really not something I want to host on my personal site anymore.

I finally decided it was time to make some changes. Effective immediately, I have moved the Incredible Discoveries Information Page to ExtortionLetterInfo.com where we discuss legal controversies, extortion letters, and complaint matters there.There is an entire Category devoted to the Incredible Discoveries.

Once there, you can access most of the information as you have before. It is essentially the same content as before but rearranged into a blog article format.

Continue reading »]]> The recent Reality Steve lawsuit coverage I revived is happening by sheer coincidence in between seasons of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette”. In many ways, I wish this sprung up during a fully cranked up season of one of the “Bachelor” shows. We could reach more people that way and this story could potentially insert itself into the mainstream media. But it happened when it happened for a reason none of us can really fathom at this time.

The “Bachelor” producers started this conflict up for their own petty, fear-based reasons. How can one lone Texas blogger be such a threat to a multi-million dollar Hollywood operation?  It is entirely about their fear, paranoia, and pettiness. If they didn’t fear Carbone, this lawsuit would have never happened. They would have swatted or waved him away like an annoying mosquito.

ABC Network and the “Bachelor” producers may have previously dismissed him but this lawsuit validates the notion that Carbone is way more significant than they ever admitted. The lawsuit validates Carbone’s power and influence in a dramatic way. The fact that he gets more Internet traffic and followers than the “official” Bachelor show pages and accounts is telling. The “official” pages are run by corporate drones that have no clue or personality. They think that if they build it, people will come.  That is so untrue on the Internet.

Hollywood as a whole continues to be fearful of the Internet. They still don’t understand it beyond advertising their shows and throwing money at problems. They hire technically capable people that know how to create pretty websites but have no personality, presence, spirit, or personal expression. They have no clue on creating online communities or developing a readership. People may enjoy the shows but corporate drones don’t have a clue of how to interact with their fan base or cultivate a following.  Successful bloggers do.

Hollywood cannot control people as they once did. As a result, there is fear of the power of one man, one voice, and one blogger.  All this fear and disdain over someone who dares to tell and report the truth about a highly-edited, highly-distorted reality show in an entertaining way.

Some of you might have heard the saying, “There are no accidents.” I have embraced this idea because I find it helpful in my own life.

Let me say upfront that I am not a religious person but I do consider myself a spiritual person. I believe that there is a Higher Power greater than what we can ever see, know, or understand. For people of Christian faith, they call him, God. The American Indians call it “The Great Spirit”. People of Buddhism faith, call him Buddha. There are other equivalents depending on one’s religious/spiritual background and upbringing but hopefully you the spirit (no pun intended) of what I am saying.

This means that circumstances and events don’t happen without a Higher reason.  There are always life lessons to be learned and insights to be gained. We can choose to listen and learn from them when it happens or we can dismiss them and suffer the consequences for not doing so.

Aside from ABC network and the “Bachelor” producers’ motivations for the lawsuit, there are also reasons why this is happening to Carbone.  The naysayers and critics will say that he brought this upon himself and deserves what is happening to him. And they would be correct but NOT for the reasons they think.

The people who have been drawn into the “Reality Steve Lawsuit Saga” are involved for a reason. Certainly, there is a degree of drama involved with watching this unfold.

However, Carbone, out of everyone, has the most at stake. Most of us are simply spectators. He has a lot of personal reflection to do because he is the center of this drama.  He has openly shared that he has experienced a wide range of emotions and this has been building over time.  This is normal for anyone going through the pressure of personal crisis and dramatic change. There is a deeper meaning and a greater life lesson for Carbone. This is a very critical time in his life.

Carbone isn’t “just” a “spoilers” entertainment reporter and commentator. That is what he does now but he is destined to do and accomplish much more in his life. He just doesn’t know what it might be yet. Carbone has not yet stepped into the full potential of his personal power. In many ways, this is a test of his character and resolve. There is far more to Carbone than meets the eye. There is clearly an inner conflict going on within him. You can see it on his face when he does the video blogs.

Carbone has far more power and influence than he truly realizes. There is no way in hell a person can continue garnering the readership he has built without some level of personal power.  Certainly, reporting “spoilers” in 2009 gave him the opportunity to explode into mainstream media. But let us not forget his early years of his email reports before he launched his website.  When he launched his website in 2004, his following grew gradually until he hit a “tipping point” in 2009 when spoilers began “falling into his lap”. It was the culmination and reward for the work he had done years earlier. (I highly recommend people read Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Tipping Point” that discusses the “tipping point” phenomena.)

It took only two years of crossing the “tipping point” that Hollywood felt threatened by the power and influence of Carbone. Carbone now needs to own up this power and learn how to channel it in a way that will overcome this lawsuit. His legal team is one component of this fight. But there are other fronts to fight back on as all of us now know.

As of this writing, a Canadian article and a Squidoo lens have picked up on the revival of the Reality Steve Lawsuit story . This is just the beginning. When the new “Bachelorette” season debuts, traffic to RealitySteve.com will surge. And so will the awareness of the “Reality Steve Lawsuit Saga”.

Carbone continues to hold back but he has begun to slowly come out by acknowledging the issue more instead of hiding from it. He is asking for help from those who want to help instead of shying away from the help. He is slowly getting the word out of the growing support for his cause.

One thought I am always reminded of is that “Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is the ability to overcome fear.” Day by day, it appears that Carbone is exercising his “courage muscle”. The more a person flexes and uses it, the stronger it becomes.

Years ago, I was introduced to Ilya Prigogine’s Theory of Dissipative Structures. It is a physics theory used to analyze and explain complex systems in nature. It is used frequently in studying chemical and biological systems. The theme of pressure and irreversibility of change are important components of the theory.

In simpler terms, the idea is if enough energy and pressure is placed upon a complex system (such as a person and their brain cells), that the system will reorganize itself in such a way that it is irreversible and no longer the same.

As it relates to people and behavior, this is why people who have been through personal trauma and crisis (emotionally, physically, mentally, or spiritually) become very different people afterwards.  Their brain has been altered. People often become better and stronger for the experience.

This is why most “normal” people are in awe and amazement when handicapped, “disadvantaged”, or underdogs overcome their crushing odds to create strength, achievement, and success in their lives.  These people can’t shy away from the circumstances in their lives. They are forced to live and deal with it. The very energy and pressure they were forced to experience and endure in their lives are the very things that propelled them into achievement, strength, and success.

It will be interesting to watch how Carbone evolves in the weeks to come. As an advocate, I certainly hope he will continue to grow and evolve in an empowering way. But it is entirely his decision how and what he does. Whether he wanted to be part of this new reality show of his readership’s making (remember, I am only one of his readers in all this), “The Reality Steve Lawsuit Saga” is here to stay.

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Look for the next article in Reality Steve Extorion Lawsuit commentary section.

If you haven’t done it yet, go sign the Reality Steve Extortion Lawsuit online petition.

Become part of RED STARS and LIKE the RED STARS Facebook Page.

And don’t forget to Follow the Mission: RED STARS Twitter account.

Continue reading »]]> I have to vent here but I am really tired of Blue Cross / Blue Shield of GA (Georgia). Their rates for Blue Cross / Blue Shield of Georgia continue to spiral out of control and their payment servicing is antiquated. For years, I have been asking for the ability to pay with a credit card online.  I do not trust the auto-pay process where people can deduct from my bank account or automatically charge my credit card.  I prefer to do it manually. But they just ignore it. Without competition, they can pretty much dictate how you should do things no matter how antiquated it is.

But each and every month, I have to block out time during the day to manually call their toll-free number and enter the stupid membership number which includes alphabetic characters (phones don’t easily allow alphabetic entry). I get put on hold and then I have to start over every month by giving them all your payment information. They don’t store your email address and I have to recite it every month.

It doesn’t help that the insurance industry doesn’t allow competition. From what I hear, every state allows only a couple of insurance companies to operate in each state.  That may not be a monopoly but it is a duopoly.

I bet if the medical insurance industry was to be opened up to nationwide competition, every medical insurance company would behave better.

The deal is I have the good fortune to be healthy and have not had any major claims only getting physicals once a year and maybe another office visit for something minor. Count me in as another person who believes the health care system is broken in the U.S. I am healthy now but if I got sick, no telling what kind of grief I would have to go through.

And to add insult to injury, Blue Cross / Blue Shield of Georgia (GA) is based where I live in Columbus, Georgia.

Continue reading »]]> My office manager received a “Mystery Shopper Check-Cashing Scam” package today. I just had to share it with the world. Maybe it will “save” someone from being scammed.

Take a look at the printed check, instruction letter, and UPS envelope.

The check looks convincing except for the amateur signature.

The instruction letter is so poorly written and formatted, it is laughable.

The alleged sender is:

Sissy Wheeler
770-781-4226
Pet-Agree Grooming Supplies
1390 Weber Industrial Dr.
Cumming, GA 30041

If this information is real, the sender is real dumb. Someone spent a lot of money to send this Saturday weekend delivery.  I don’t feel bad at all. The scammer is getting scammed by the “victim’s” non-performance.  LOL.

Continue reading »]]> It has been no secret that I have had to downsize and make drastic changes to my business since late last year. The credit crunch has certainly taken its toll on me. As we are now well into 2010, I am happy to report that the big changes I made have made a difference.  I am far from making a complete turnaround or comeback but I am happy to say I have a better sense of direction going forward.

One of the big changes is deciding to expand my property management business back to Orlando, FL and to seek out some consulting opportunities. I have also tweaked my business relationships and associations.  Part of my setback was in associating with people who drank the same kool-aid which blinded me to things we should have foreseen.

The people I want to know about my business largely know.  And the people who don’t know, well, it wasn’t a priority for me to let them know.  There is an inner circle and there is everyone else.

I am looking forward to seeing how 2010 turns out.  One thing is for sure, it won’t be boring!

Continue reading »]]> Normally, I watch Larry King Live on my TIVO.  But because I am in Portland working with a business friend and associate, I was forced to see Larry King Live on YouTube. I saw the interview of Carrie Prejean by Larry King and was stunned that she actually made herself look more of an idiot than she already had shown.

That interview was an embarrassment on so many levels. She had this annoying habit of clicking her fingernails on the interview desk during the beginning of the interview. She had no ability to make the distinction or counter Larry’s question as to her motive to dropping the lawsuit.

If she wanted to walk off the set, she should have left. Everyone would have been better off for it. Larry King is traditionally very polite and flattering to his guests.  If she can’t handle being interviewed with Larry, she can’t do it anywhere.

She is an idiot for not knowing why people continue to attack her.  It is because she continues to be a lightning rod and dredging the same crap up.  Even her so-called book seems to continue this.  The news had been calm for a few weeks until she decided to enflame the situation by filing a lawsuit against the pageant officials.

Fortunately, more hypocrisy was found of a secret solo-performance tape that shut her down.  Her lack of accountability is stunning. Her ability to distort the facts is stunning.  The fact that she claims she represents conservative women is embarrassing.  I know a lot of conservative women and none would ever behave like she does.

And I about laughed out loud when I her say about how much she accomplished in her 22-years.  Like what?  Parading around showing her body? Being unaccountable for anything bad that happened?  For being an intellectual midget? For continually seeking media attention, then complaining about it?

It is pretty rare for me to write a post of this kind about anyone but I had to vent somewhere.  Carrie Prejean is an idiot. She brought all this on herself and she deserves what she gets.  She needs to grow up. She is fooling very few people with her words.  They ring very hollow.

Continue reading »]]> Today, O2 Media President/CEO Gerald Czarnecki emailed me a PDF letter to voice his concerns of allegations and accusations against the company and business he works in.

However, my reporting on O2 Media has been relatively light and mostly indirect. Most of it was actually focused on “Incredible Discoveries”, not O2 Media itself.  What seems to be damaging to O2 Media are the apparent connections to “Incredible Discoveries”, earlier businesses, and companies through related parties that have many complaints and lawsuits.

It would seem they really want my “approval” and yet all I have done is accurately report on information I found, acquired, and corroborated:

• Florida Division of Corporations
• Broward County Clerk of Courts
• CorporationWiki
• Florida Attorney General’s Office
• My phone interviews with various defendants
• Google search engine research
• Numerous email complaints and reports I have received
• Email from O2 Media employee (jhc0615@aol.com)
• Palm Beach Post newspaper story

Getting my “approval” would certainly not change the past or my informational findings. In my open response to Gerald Czarnecki, I recommended he look within his own organization to clear up any unhappiness that is occurring.

Continue reading »]]> A recent incident made me think of how people live their lives.  There are those who try to live an open life and reach out to others.  And there are many who say they do the same but when you find out more about them, listen to their words, and watch their actions, they really live in darkness and fear.

For people who really know me, I am actually a somewhat shy, quiet, introvert. And yet, my public persona and outward personality is very much opposite of who I am inside.  I have learned to improve my personal skills. I travel, speak, socialize, publish, write books, and have several websites that I manage. Essentially, anyone that wants to find me or learn more about me can easily do so simply by Googling my name.

Interestingly, I generally get two general reactions.  There are those who find it interesting and fascinating that I have this semi-public, online life. They are attracted to it and follow it. And then there are others who are repelled by and find it offensive.  These people generally do a hit-and-run.  They say something nasty and I don’t hear from them again.

What I have learned is that “like people attract other like people” or “people are attracted to other people they aspire to be”.

I have chosen to live this semi-public life for many reasons.

#1, I am held accountable to a higher standard in both my personal and professional life if I know people are watching. After all, many of us can get sloppy, lazy, and fat in the privacy of our homes.

#2, I found that living in quiet, obscurity being an unknown actually hinders the goals I want to achieve in life. The fact is the more people you know (or those who know you) can make your life much easier.  If you do things right and stick to your convictions, people know who you are and what you stand for. They learn to believe you, respect you, and trust you.

#3, I attract those people and business opportunities that I would not have otherwise if I had not put myself out there.  It is amazing how many personal friends, business associates, and customers that have come into my life as a result of putting myself out in the light.

#4, I can better affect positive change within my life, other people’s lives, and the communities I participate in as a result of the influence a sustained personal online presence has.

To be sure, I like my privacy just like anyone else but I believe there is a such thing as living in the underground.  Most of us have some kind of skeletons in our past lives. We must all come to terms with them in our own way. Many times, those skeletons we assume that are so bad turns out to be quite common. Sometimes, we are our own worst critic and judges when it comes to those skeletons.

As I said earlier, I can quickly determine the true nature of a person by what they say, what they do, and how they respond to things. When I encounter someone who chooses to live in the dark and underground, I respect their decision but I know I will have to go another direction that is more empowering and inspiring.

And when you meet confident, powerful people who put themselves out in the light, taking risks, living life fully, who have made peace with themselves, that is extremely invigorating and inspiring.

I make it a policy to stand my ground and not let toxic and dark people impact my life. Normally, I will do my best to avoid the person or situation but if they get into my face or otherwise try to negatively impact my life, then I will not hesitate to stand my ground and assert yourself.

Unfortunately, I have learned in life that sometimes “being nice” is taken as a sign of weakness.  Some people will only respond and respect you when you take a more assertive and even aggressive stand.  To me, it is strange but true.

In any case, in the months to come, I will be ramping things up even more in a big way. I am excited by what I have planned and will soon be implementing. I am intentionally being vague because I want more time to formulate my thoughts.

People who want to live in darkness and obscurity will run like roaches into the night when the upcoming light shines even brighter.  And those people who have been interested and excited by what I have done thus far, will have even greater reason to come back and find out more.

Continue reading »]]> I am happy to announce that my friend and real estate business partner, Wes Weaver, got engaged to Brandy Sheffield.  I am very happy for the couple.  I think they will make a great couple.  I was honored and privileged to have been invited and attended the private family and close friends event at his parents house in Midland, GA.

I look forward to their wedding whenever they decide it should be.