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Falcon International - Reason's to AVOID this Tampa Business

10/09/2012

3 Comments

 
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View Falcon's website.
I have been preparing for a Bone Marrow transplant for the last several months, and with my health failing, I have been unable to pay my car payment for the last two months. The weekend before last it was repossessed by Falcon International on Benjamin Road. I knew the repo was coming, and was prepared to go and get my car back as soon as possible. When I called the bank they gave me the phone number 1-800-874-7428 to speak with someone who could let me know when I could pick up my personal belongings. 

I called their local number 813-886-4575 and spoke to Barbara and she advised me it would cost me $40 to get my belongings back. To me, thats quite excessive, especially since they broke two kites worth over 800 by bending them to fit into a garbage back and splitting the internal fiberglass rods and causing the poles to shear through the sides of the kite rendering it useless. they were Revolution B-Series Kites, profession grade. They were completely busted.

When I had initially spoke to Natasha from my bank, she advised me that falcon had stated that their would be a $5/day charge to store my vehicle. It was in an email to Natasha at National City Bank from Heather at Falcon. National City Bank charged me $325 to cover the repossession expense to tow my car less than 10 miles away. Does that seem standard to you? Me neither, that sounds like excessive pricing outside of the scope of any other local company. 

Today on 10/09/2012 I went to pick up my vehicle expecting to pay $60, but on the way to their location, Barb advised us the fee was going to be $275 for storage fees! This was not what my bank, or I was told the price would be. They refused to release my car for any less than $25 a day, even though there is documented proof that they initially said it was going to be only $5 a day. I was unable to pickup my car even though it was completely paid off through my bank. The staff at Falcon (Barb) even went so far as to call Heather from their head office and try to make a case against us that we were advised when we were five minutes away that the price would be $275. What does that matter? I couldn't argue with her while driving, so when I got to the facility, I called Natasha from National City to ask her to Barb from Falcon know that the price quoted was $5/day, and NOT $25/day. We simply couldn't afford it. When you are told one price, you expect it to be the same when you go to pay, but instead Falcon used a bait and switch technique to cost me another day, and another $25.00 in fees. Now I'm up to $300 in just "storage fees" that were supposed to be $5/day.

DO NOT use falcon if you are a lender, and document everything if you are a consumer. Call your bank and find out the details first, have them send it to you in writing, and then call falcon to verify. They are possibly violating the Federal Fair Debt Collection Act, and also possibly using an illegal bait and switch technique to scam consumers into paying hundreds more in storage fees.

DO NOT TRUST THEM - Go through ALL of your possessions if you go to pick them up, video tape it while you are going through it, and find anything that might have been damaged or broken. Your lender will be responsible for all damages to your property. Make sure to sue them in court right away for any damages. I am filing my suit tomorrow against National City, and I advise you to leave comments on any rating site, and file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

Here is a breakdown of all the charges Falcon is attempting or has already collected from me:
$325 paid to my bank to cover the cost of the repo
$40 to get my broken property back
$275, now $300 in "Storage Fees" 
Total to Falcon: $640 - More than one car payment and half of another! What a SCAM!

They don't even have a covered or indoor storage lot. My car is sitting outside under trees getting paint damage from bird and insect droppings, and most likely being invaded by ant's or other insects.

DON'T USE FALCON AS A LENDER, YOUR CUSTOMERS WILL HATE YOU. 
IF YOU ARE A CONSUMER, RECORD EVERYTHING!

Side note for anyone in Springfield, Ohio: Never get an auto loan or line of Credit from any Park National Bank Branch, or National City Bank, which is who my loan is though. They don't know what they are doing half the time, they couldn't even tell me where my car was for a whole business day, and the same when I went to collect my car, It took them 4 hours to call me and let me know where it was now located. The only person worth talking to at National City in Springfield is Natasha Ridenour. Everyone else, including the management are all dummies. Even Natasha was unable to properly negotiate with falcon even though the email sent by falcon was sent to her, and she could have easily proved my case that they had told us via email that the cost for storage was $5/daty, she let Falcon make the rules instead of standing up for her consumer. It's sad when businesses don't take personal tragedies, and extended circumstances into account anymore. I guess even when you are dying from bone marrow failure, there are company's (national City Bank, Falcon International) and people (barb from Falcon, and the staff from National City Bank) in this world unwilling or unable to stand up for what is right.

Now they can spend their time with me in a courtroom for anything and everything I can bring a suit against them for. I also plan on running a marketing campaign in the local markets letting other consumers know of my story.

3 Comments
 

Jeremiah's Top 5 iPhone and iPad Apps For Summer

07/03/2012

8 Comments

 
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Jeremiah Ilges piloting Cessna 152


Summer is finally in full swing, and every year some of us in the IT field are able to get away for vacation. When you do, make sure you are armed with my top 5 Free App picks for summer!





#1 - Stuck on Earth - Free Travel Guide

Jeremiah's Rating: HOT!

Available on ITunes Here

The Scoop From iTunes: 

"This is a beautiful, well-crafted iPad app that isn’t like anything else I’ve seen on the iPad yet. It’s for people who want to explore the earth, or who want to photograph it." - Robert Scoble

Video preview at: http://www.StuckOnEarthApp.com

Features: 
➤ Discover millions of amazing places to visit - the best of the best. 
➤ A smart algorithm chooses the best locations and photos based on a combination of crowdsourcing and curation. 
➤ A wonderful map interface that allows you to zoom into any level in any country to find the best places to visit. 
➤ No ideas for future trips or places to photograph? Try our countless Top 50 Lists to get inspired! 
➤ Create trips for the future: "Florida in 2013" or "Wine escapade in France, le sigh!" 
➤ All saved trips are available offline, since I know when you are on the road, connectivity can be tough. 
➤ A customized experienced based on your personality type - Photographer, Explorer, or Daydreamer. 
➤ Professional voice actress, Karen Hutton, serves as your personal travel guide. 

Community: 
➤ A thriving community where you can submit your own geo-located photos. 
➤ Have an idea for a Top 50 List? Let our editors know in the Stuck On Earth community in Flickr! 

Even if you don't travel, you still want to find interesting places to see and experience within a short drive of your home. Or maybe there are hidden gems right in your very town that you've never discovered. Because our algorithm is a cool mix of crowdsourcing plus human-curated lists, you'll see some really good results. 

All in One: 
So, this is it, Stuck on Earth. You don't need to use multiple apps, webpages, and other resources to plan your trip. All the countries, cities, and rural areas of the world are in here -- all in one place. Add photos to your trip, and they'll be available offline. Everything you need is right here in this app.

#2: Hipmunk - Hotel & Flight Search

Jeremiah's rating: HOT

Available From iTunes Here

The Scoop From iTunes:

Hipmunk takes the agony out of flight & hotel search. With Hipmunk you'll see all the relevant flights on a timeline, helping you visualize the right choice. Unlike every other app out there, Hipmunk doesn't just show you the cheapest flight first — the app instead sorts by "agony," which incorporates important factors like how long you'll be traveling and how many stops you'll make. Hotel results are shown on a map so that you can see exactly where you'll be staying. You can also turn on heatmaps that will show you the best areas to stay based on unique interests like food, landmarks, nightlife and more.

Hipmunk also makes booking easy. When you've found the right flight or hotel, you can either book it from your mobile device, email it to someone else, or finish booking on your desktop computer.

#3: Shazam - Sample any music and Shazam will try and match you to the song in iTunes or Amazon! SWEET!

Jeremiah's Rating: HOT

Available on iTunes Here

The Scoop From iTunes:

 Shazam on iPad/iPhone offers unlimited tagging and innovative features, including:

• Display, save and manage your Tag Lists on a large screen
• Preview music and replay a track at any time
• Read track and album reviews, artist biographies and discographies and view song lyrics
• Discover what songs Shazamers around the world are identifying with the live Tag Stream feature
• Browse Shazam’s Tag Chart for the hottest tracks in your country
• Share Tags with friends on Facebook and Twitter
• Get music recommendations to discover similar tracks and add tracks to your own Tag List
• Unlimited Shazaming – don’t miss a music moment Shazam as often as you like

#4: LunchBox - LunchBox is Pinterest for FOOD!

Jeremiah's Rating: Smoking!

Available From iTunes Here 

The Scoop From iTunes: 

Lunchbox is Pinterest for food.

We'll help you discover new food around the corner, the best coffee in town, or the trendiest bar in the city.

Lunchbox helps you...

• Search for anything your heart desires!
• View beautiful photos taken by real customers.
• Read useful tips, reviews, and ratings shared by Foursquare and Yelp users.
• See how many people have been to a place before.
• Get directions, call, or visit the website for any place.
• Check In and add Photos on Foursquare.

Lunchbox is FREE and does NOT require Facebook or your Email.

#5: Pandora Radio - It's Not Summer Without Music!

Jeremiah's Rating: HOT!

Available on iTunes Here

The Scoop From iTunes:

Pandora Radio is free personalized radio that only plays music you’ll love. Just start with the name of one of your favorite artists, songs or classical composers and Pandora will create a custom "station" that plays similar music.

Already a Pandora listener? Even easier. Just log in. Pandora on iPhone is fully integrated with Pandora on the web. Enjoy all your existing stations - and create new ones right from youriPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.

You can also subscribe to Pandora One for $3.99 per month. 
Pandora One gives you:
• No Ads everywhere you listen to Pandora
Plus the following features on the web:
• Higher Quality Audio
• Desktop Application
• Custom Skins
• Fewer Interruptions

I hope my TOP 5 Free iPhone and iPad Apps makes a splash this summer for you and your family. Technology is meant to augment our social connections and help bring us closer to those around us. If you are lucky enough to vacation this summer, enjoy yourself, and leave everything work back at the office. This even applies to one-man shops. Find a backup for your customers, and go have a fun week with your family, they need you more than your customers do.

Until next time!


8 Comments
 

My Bone Marrow Has Failed! Will you help?!

06/27/2012

9 Comments

 
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Jeremiah Ilges
It's Official, After 15 Years of fighting Aplastic Anemia, I found out a few weeks ago that my bone marrow has completely failed. My bone marrow cellularity is now less than 1%. Calculate 100 minus your age: this should be your cellularity. Mine should be 70, not 0.5.

What does this mean? It means I must immediately have a Bone Marrow Transplant, or face a slow death over the next 6-12 months. I'm ready for a fight... join me in battle.

Here's my history:
I grew up in a small town in Ohio of about 80-100 residents. There was a landfill just a few miles away. The landfill had been used to dump toxic waste from a nearby Navistar Truck Plant such as paint, paint thinners, and motor oil in 50 gallon drums. (NEWS Story below) The toxins in my water supply as a child, I would later learn, caused my bone marrow to malfunction. 

In 1997, at age 15, I was diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anemia at Children's Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, and had to receive ATG/CYCLOSPORIN chemo therapy to try and get my immune system to function properly again. This treatment was only successful for less than 12 months, and my counts dropped again.

Over the next decade I went through spells of feast or famine. I had surgeries to take out my spleen (2004) that was destroying good blood, a craniotomy in 2000 and part of my left lung was removed in 2001 because it kept collapsing. In February 2006 my bone marrow seemed to go into arrest and I was charted for a bone marrow transplant in the summer of 2006. This was the same time I was introduced to Juice Plus. Within 4 months of taking Juice Plus Capsules on a daily basis, my counts had come up so well that I no longer qualified to have the transplant. This was Great news, and for the next 6 years, I lived a pretty healthy and active life. I never had a full recovery, but my counts were high enough to be able to function normally.

In June of 2012 however, it became apparent to my physicians that my good fortune had come to an abrupt end. After seeing a steady decline in my blood work from April-June 2012, I was called to my doctors office and told that my counts were so low that my only option was to get a transplant. I had been on drug therapy called Danazol for the last two years and it has stopped being effective. Nothing can stop my marrow from completely failing now, and that's exactly what it is doing. My likelihood of survival without a transplant is 0%. With a transplant it's between 60-80%. I'll take those odd's and fight on! With your help I can win!

Now I would like your help. I would like for anyone who is willing to be a bone marrow donor to please visit www.marrow.org and register to be a bone marrow donor. The process is simple, you swab your mouth 4-6 times with a Q-Tip and your dna is tested to see if you could be a match. No needles, no pain. It will take 5 minutes of your time. You might not be a match for me, but if you are a match to someone else, it will change their life. Think of me as your brother in a fight for my life. Will you please reach out your hand?

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Register to be a Bone Marrow Donor today!

Watch this video on how to become a bone marrow donor!


The Tremont Landfill news story: I'm actually in the broadcast!

Photos of my journey...

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Please help me and other's by going to www.MARROW.org to see if you could be my match. Every person who chooses to become a donor is extremely important to helping me and others with similar illness. Won't you please sign up today? 

9 Comments
 

Eye Surgery and the awesome image byproducts

01/08/2012

16 Comments

 
On Jan 4 I had my left eye vitrectomy performed by Dr. Michael Wells at The Ohio State University Medical Center. Dr. Wells and his staff were not just experts in their field, but also were amazing people to interact with. He was able to clear my left eye of all the old blood and my vision is on it's way to full restoration! As a byproduct of this event, I was able to procure a few images from Dr. Wells clinic of the inside of my eye after a Flouroscine dye injection. You can see the blood vessels and the affected veins that are leaking plasma into the eye. They are some of the most beautiful photos I have ever seen. In image #1 the vasular system of the eye almost seems to expand into the abyss and looks like a universe being born. The second image shows in more detail the leakage of the blood vessels and the problem areas that were repaired by Dr. Wells during surgery. 

So enough with the talk, lets see the images!

Jeremiah Ilges Eye - Pre Vitrectomy #1
Jeremiah Ilges Eye - Pre Vitrectomy #2
16 Comments
 

This world is out of control...

12/21/2011

0 Comments

 
I remember when I was young, the world seemed so awesome! I can remember going shopping with my mom at Woolworth's around Christmas and being so excited to see the displays and to be around all of the happy people ho were merrily shopping for Christmas gifts. Fast forward to today, where fighting breaks out at Walmart stores every year on black Friday. I don't understand when things started going downward, but I don't even enjoy the holidays anymore because everyone I know is trying as hard as they can to be miserable, and make everyone around them miserable (with the exception of my wife) and the whole point of the holidays has been destroyed in a bid for who can receive the most stuff. Family's can't even spend time with each other anymore because of the distractions like Facebook, YouTube, satellite TV, sporting events, having to visit 50 people to make everyone happy, etc. Can't we just go back to everyone going to grandmas house on Christmas eve, then having Christmas with your family, alone, without distractions, except the radio playing holiday tunes of course, and see what we are all missing? It's our own choices that are making the holidays more and more a commercial project than a true time of peace and love.
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    Jeremiah Ilges

    I want to help affect the changes that I want to see in this world.

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