You might remember that our heroine had just gotten the news that the credit limits on both her business and personal credit cards had been reduced to slightly more than her existing balances. Though The Bank's explanations seemed self-serving, she could work with the new limits and did so. The Problem arose about a month later.

While checking her online balances one evening, she noticed that a payment she had scheduled through The Bank's bill payment service had not been made. There was an automatic email notification on her account stating there were insufficient funds in the account to make the payment. She didn't understand why her overdraft protection wouldn't have covered the $250 shortfall, since it showed an available balance of $1000. Worse still, this payment was on her credit card, the one carrying those introductory rate balances. She knew the consequences of a late payment on that account, but it was a credit card with the same bank so she thought it would be easy to resolve. She transferred funds into that account immediately and submitted an email inquiry to question the late payment and why her overdraft protection hadn't covered it.

The payment was made the next day and she did receive a response to her email. The response restated the original "insufficient funds" reasoning without addressing the overdraft protection. This wasn't very helpful, so she visited the bank and spoke to one of the representatives. After he made some phone calls he told her that her overdraft account had been closed a month ago and that's why it didn't cover that payment. He couldn't tell her why her account still showed an available balance on her overdraft protection. She was beginning to get a little frustrated.

So, she wrote to The Bank and copied the letter to The Bank's credit card customer service department restating the issues. She got a prompt reply from The Bank's credit card department stating they were operating within the law and according to the rules outlined in the agreement but nothing from The Bank. So she wrote again. Again, a prompt reply from The Bank's credit card department but nothing from The Bank. Her third letter resulted in a call from The Bank's branch manager. He wanted to know the details and said he would make some calls to try to resolve the issue. When he called back the next day he said she would need to fax a request to The Bank's credit card department asking why the account associated with the overdraft protection had been closed. He needed that information to resolve the problem.

She did so. She received a written response that they did not have that information. It had now been over three months, her account still showed overdraft protection but she couldn't use it. The payments she'd been making on that credit card now reflected an interest rate that had jumped from 5% to 24%. This situation was beginning to make her crazy. So, she decided to take it to the next level.

If The Bank wouldn't listen to her, maybe they would listen to the Feds. The Controller of the Currency regulates banks. Their website has a feature that allows anyone to file a complaint about a bank they regulate. So she did. Ten days later she got a call from the Customer Service Advocate at The Bank. The representative was very cordial, made sure she understood the issues, and said she would call back the next day. My friend was shocked when the representative actually did call back the next day. She told my friend that she had restored the introductory rates and refunded the difference between the introductory rates and the higher rate. She asked my friend if this was a satisfactory solution.

After hours of frustrating communication with The Bank, one person there had the power to resolve the issue within minutes. Of course it was a satisfactory solution, it was an unsatisfactory process. That's why my friend is now an unhappy customer of The Bank.

For any business, if you choose short term gains over long term relationships the cost might be a lot more than you think. For any person, always negotiate with the person (or authority) who has the power to give you what you want..

When I help people with strategic planning, one of the first areas we focus on is their revenue streams. You should be looking at yours every year. What's working? What's not? Has the market changed? Have our customers changed? What do we need to do, specifically, to retain and grow?

The answers to these questions will affect every aspect of your business. It will increase your focus - and your results.

The holidays are a traditional time for giving. Especially today, charities need help. They need your time and your money. By volunteering, you will meet people who have similar concerns for others and for the world. Don't you want to know more of those people? Volunteer your time.