To
subscribe to our newsletter, please click here...
Hi !!
Welcome to
the November 2003 Newsletter! Thank you so much for
being my subscriber! :)
It's
been a rough time for many communities here in California,
due to the many fires. My friend and her family had to evacuate
themselves, their dogs and 10 horses (they were moving their
neighbor's horses as well as their own).
They
spent two nights at the Mojave River with their horses, and
fortunately had a home to return to on Thursday. My best wishes
for speedy recovery go out to everyone who was affected by
these fires.
In
this newsletter you'll find info about how to keep what happened
to Wal-Mart from happening to you, info on how to avoid purchasing
slam scams and a few other items. I hope you enjoy it! Please keep
your feedback coming on the changes you see here in the
newsletter. :)
Have
an outstanding month!!
Diane
This
month:
1. Please
resubscribe to keep receiving our newsletters...
2. It happened to
Wal-Mart, can it happen to YOU?
3. Don't
get caught by a purchasing scam!
4. Knowing
your forms makes a difference...
5. Cell
Phone Freedom!!
If
you like this newsletter, please forward it to your
friends and colleagues and encourage them to subscribe... Thank
you very much... :)
1. Please
resubscribe to keep receiving our newsletters...
California
has passed new SPAM regulations in an effort to
protect consumers from the onslaught of Unsolicited Commercial
Email. In order to make sure that I stay in compliance
with the new regulations I have to ask you to please
resubscribe to my newsletter.
What'll
happen is after you subscribe you'll
receive an email asking you to confirm that you did indeed
intend to subscribe. This is often referred to as
a "Double Opt-In System". By doing this I
can be relatively certain that I am NOT subscribing anyone
who doesn't truly wish to be subscribed.
The only way
you'll be subscribed is by following the simple click instructions
that will be included in the confirmation email. If
you don't click on the link in the email to confirm your subscription
then I won't be able to send you anymore of my newsletters.
:(
Please
do this before the end of November so
that you don't miss my December issue... :)
I'm
sorry for this inconvenience but I have to do this
to make sure I stay in compliance with the SPAM laws.
Also,
the law(s) dictates that if I carry advertisements in my newsletter
that I specifically tell potential subscribers that I carry
advertisements in my newsletters. Because I do carry some advertisements
and because just about anything can be perceived to be an advertisement,
here goes...
Newsletters
distributed by TheContractorsGroup.com have advertisements
in them. :)
Please
resubscribe SOON (now is the perfect time! ;) Thank
you SO MUCH for being my subscriber! Have
a great day!
[Back
to Top]
2. Learn
from Wal-Mart's woes
Have
you heard yet what happened to Wal-Mart? They've
been accused by the government of employing illegal
aliens and they are under investigation
for it.
Wal-Mart
claims that the illegal workers were actually employed
by contractors hired by Wal-Mart. I'm not here to
dispute what they're claiming, only to tell you about something
an employer can use to protect themselves from just
this sort of problem. :)
I
was recently contacted by attorney Ted Huang about i9Check --
software that is intended to help companies complete
the I-9 form correctly and completely.
---------------------------------
Says Mr. Huang:
The
I-9 form is a deceptively simple form which, if improperly
completed, can result in fines of up to $2,000
per form!
In
the construction industry, there is often
widespread use of foreign workers and companies
are required to check work
authorization and to update soon to
expire documents before they expire.
If
a company is employing a person who does
not have proper work authorization or whose
work authorization has expired, the employer
will be fined, and can even face CRIMINAL
penalties.
Walmart
recently had 250 arrests at its stores.
These individuals did not have proper or current
work authorization and Wal-Mart now
faces fines (remember it's $2000 PER form)
as well as bad publicity.
Walmart
has pledged to review ALL 1.1 million of
its employees to ensure that its employees
have proper work authorization -- It's been stated
that those that don't have or cannot produce the
proper work authorization will be "let go" as
required by law.
This enormous
undertaking could have been a whole
lot less painful for Wal-Mart (and any company
who has ever been caught in this mess) had
they have been using the i9Check software.
Our software simplifies the process so
that users can understand what the
requirements are and easily comply with
them.
The
software guides novice users and provides detailed
instruction. In addition, it is web-based
which allows large companies with many offices
the ability to access the same database and
be confident that all offices are completing this
form correctly.
The construction
industry is a favorite target with the U.S. CIS (formerly
the INS). The agency knows that undocumented
workers are frequently employed, and the
CIS will go after companies that hire these
individuals.
Immigration
investigations of employers during January 2003
are UP 97% compared to January 2002!
Our
software will help you to demonstrate to
the U.S. CIS that your company has been complying with
the regulations, which will not only help to decrease
fines, it will also help with public perception
(many people are looking at Wal-Mart a bit differently since
these allegations have been made public).
The
software is very easy to use and it
does an excellent job of getting a company's
I-9s in compliance.
i9Check
offers a variety of services and plans to suit the
needs and budget of any employer.
Our
basic plan offers an online I-9 form that provides online
guidance that will assist new hires and employers
to quickly and properly complete an I-9 form.
The form contains instructions, samples, tips, and regular
updates affecting I-9 employment verification law.
You
can now be confident that
your I-9 forms are being completed properly and
effectively in accordance with I-9 law.
Our
most sophisticated plan includes the online
I-9 form and also assumes the arduous responsibility
of tracking and monitoring of the employer's I-9
active and terminated I-9 files.
By
leaving this burden to our expert and professional
staff, clients are liberated from time-consuming I-9
paperwork duties.
In
addition to compliance services, i9Check offers
legal counsel for corporations being audited
by the BCIS . Our experienced staff is ready
to provide representation and to negotiate effectively
to minimize potential fines and penalties.
i9Check
counsel also provides training and seminars for
Employers and Human Resource departments, where we'll
teach you the proper methods of completion
and maintenance of I-9 forms and files.
We're
offering TheContractorsGroup.com readers a FREE
30-day trial to check us out. Send
us an email (or phone us) and let us know
that TheContractorsGroup.com sent you and
we'll get you set up on the road to I9 compliance
and peace of mind. :-) You MUST
mention the website TheContractorsGroup.com to
qualify for your FREE 30-Day Trial.
(626)
810-1357 email address: info@i9check.com http://www.i9check.com
Thank
you for your time and I hope to hear from you soon!
Ted
P.S. After
the 30 days, should you wish to continue,
the price is very reasonable and
is available to most small companies for only
$20.00 per month!
--------------------------------
Don't
let invalid and expired documents cost you BIG! Check
out the i9Check software today, before you process
another I-9 form!
[Back
to Top]
3. Don't
get caught in a purchasing scam!
You
have a better chance of avoiding purchasing
scams by following the guidelines listed
below.
---------------------------------
>> Clearly
EDUCATE superintendents and field officers on
company buying policies.
If
a super is not authorized to purchase then the
super should be informed that the home office will
NEVER refer a vendor to directly contact a field rep.
Supers should be instructed to immediately
refer ALL vendors, who may contact him/her
in the field, to the home office.
>> Implement
a purchase order system and STRICTLY ADHERE to
it.
Inform
ALL workers in the field (not just superintendents
because they are not always around) not to
accept any shipments unless they've been specifically
instructed to receive the package AFTER making
sure it corresponds to a valid purchase order.
If
a superintendent (or any employee) is authorized to
purchase then they should ALWAYS ask the vendor
for the total price, terms of payment, and return policy.
---------------------------------
Although the above suggestions are in no way all encompassing, always
remember to follow the suggestions above and
those companies that DO take advantage of companies
with lax policies may have less chance of taking advantage
of YOU!
[Back
to Top]
4. Knowing
your forms makes a difference...
I've
made a change to the Invoice Style #2 form
to eliminate the zeros on unused lines. If
you've purchased this form in the past, please
send me an email and I'll email you back a copy
of the updated version at no charge. :)
Also, in
the right hand column I've listed the contents
of our latest forms package, California release
forms in English and Spanish! If you work
with contractors who speak mostly (or only) Spanish, then
please click here to check out this package, it's
exactly what you need!
[Back
to Top]
5.
Cell Phone Freedom
Over
the past several weeks I've received a few mailings
from my cell phone service provider inviting me to
switch from my month-to-month plan to a yearly contract.
I'd get a $30.00 reward if I accepted their invitation
but I had to respond by the deadline date
I
put the invite aside, with intentions of returning
to it a couple days later. That was a couple weeks
ago and I still haven't found the time to go back to
it...
And,
unusual though it may be, procrastination pays
off!
I
read in today's Victorville Daily Press that the Federal
Communications Commission said effective November
24 2003, wireless carriers must implement "wireless
local number portability" in the country's top
100 largest metropolitan areas.
This
means that if you are in the top 100 largest metropolitan
areas, you can switch cell phones and cell
phone service providers without having to change your
cell phone number!
Up
'til now, if you switched service providers
you couldn't "take your number with you", you
had to get a whole new cell phone number. That
makes it difficult if you've got advertising that
can't be changed until the new printing is out, such
as the "yellow pages", or lots of business
cards distributed or stationary printed up.
We
already deal with that enough,
every single time they change our area codes on
our landlines! ;)
Now
that you can "take your number with you" you
don't have to stay with a carrier if you don't want
to. hmmm... Might there be a price war
amongst cell phone service providers looming on the
horizon?
[Back
to Top]
Special
Note:
We
have closed our construction company C and D Acoustics.
It's a good thing actually, my husband received, and
accepted, an offer from an acoustical firm in San Diego, G.A.
Rogers Acoustics, Inc. One of his (Curtis, my husband)
top goals has been to get out of the field and into
an office setting and he is SO happy to have been able
to drop his tools. :)
Our
current plans are to move to San Diego in the summer
of 2005. The kids will be switching schools at that
time anyway (elementary to middle school and middle
school to high school, yikes ;) so it seems
like a good time (if any time is ever a good time for
moving, ugh...).
I
plan on continuing on with our website, it has been
such a blast these past almost four years and I hope
to still be doing it for a long time to come! Thank
you for being a part of our group and I hope you're
still reading what I'm writing 40 years from now! 8-)
As
always, I'd love to hear from you. Drop
me a line and let me know if you have any questions
or suggestions. I always answer my email. :)
Have
an absolutely terrific day!
Diane Dennis
http://www.thecontractorsgroup.com/
TheContractorsGroup.com was created to help construction contractors and other
business owners with their day-to-day and on-going administrative
needs.
If
you like this newsletter, please tell your colleagues
about it. I will be forever grateful!
To
subscribe to our newsletter, please click here...