I have always had Bob XYZ as my agent, but you are now listed on the website as my agent when I login, so I am now contacting you. In addition, I will be sending a copy of this email to Bob XYZ and posting a copy on my website. I was not able to find a general customer service email for Allstate that I could also involve.
I cancelled all three of my Allstate policies effective midnight 11/1/2011. I had paid my renters (renewed 08/11) and motorcycle (started 07/11) policies in full, but was making monthly installments on my auto policy (renewed 08/11).
When speaking with Bob regarding the cancellation of my policy, we went over the fact that there would be “penalties” for cancelling my policies, and discussed the refunds I would receive on the motorcycle and renters policies, as well as the bill that would be due for the auto policy.
Within a week of cancellation, I started receiving significant amounts of “spam” mail to my home from Allstate. I understand, but do not appreciate, these aggressive attempts to win back my business. With equal swiftness to the spam mail, I received an invoice for the outstanding balance on my auto policy. It has been less than 60 days since my policies were cancelled, and I believe I have received 2-3 notices for my outstanding balance.
“When asked “What thing about humanity surprises you the most?”, the Dalai Lama answered:
“Man…. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”
Checking out the pantry, I discovered a jar of Planters Five Alarm Chili natural flavor with other natual flavor Dry Roasted Peanuts. Such an interesting byline to put on the front label of your product. Now I’m wondering, wtf is natural flavor anyway?… and why are they mixing it with “other natural flavor”? Here are the labels:
So, on the back of the label under ingredients:
They have things you would probably expect: peanuts, sea salt, brown sugar, dried onion, dried chili pepper, dried garlic and dried tomato. But, you won’t find them in that order.
They sprinkle in things that sometimes seem silly, for example: cornstarch and modified cornstarch.. are they disguising their secret ingredient in corn starch?
There are those things I only vaguely understand their purpose: gelatin, dried corn syrup, and gum arabic.
Then, there are these two seemingly intentionally vague phrases to describe ingredients: spices and natural flavor.
Well, I don’t see the “other natural flavor”. Why is it on the front, and what is natural flavor. I wonder what other people think. I”m going to find out and come back to this.
A while back I started writing an opinion piece regarding education… I never quite finished it. My overall point in the piece was that our current education system is so ineffective that it literally makes our children less intelligent when it comes to their ability to learn and retain useful information. Moreover, it creates an environment in which it becomes practically impossible for a child to discover their passion in a manner that is healthy or conducive for expansion of that passion.
Please watch this video, as Sir Ken Robinson does an exceptionally great job of making a similar point… albeit in a way far superior to my stream of conscious rantings.
