I’m not writing this because I want you to pity me. No, I don’t need your sympathy as far as this is concerned. I was fully aware of what was in store for me before I signed up for this divine assignment.
The reason I’m telling you about it here is because I believe that by doing so, I’ll get the understanding of my clients –– that is, my public.
But before I even tell you about why I consider my job as the co-founder of Success Attitude Development Centre [SADC] and Publisher of SuccessDigest Extra! as one of the most difficult in the entire world, let me clarify a point or two.
When I screamed on top of my voice, as it were, in the headline of this write-up about my job, take note that I’ve simply expressed a personal opinion. And, if you’re fair-minded, you’ll agree that I’m entitled to my opinion.
With that said, why do I consider my job to be one of the toughest in the world? To answer that question, I’ll give you some examples of what informed my opinion.
If you’ve been a reader of this paper for any length of time, you will know that I’ve been telling anyone who cares to listen to me a lot about Hafiz Lecky of late. In fact, I even called him Professor.
In the last edition of SDE!, one of the headlines in my column read: Again, Hafiz Lecky Did Not Disappoint!
Under that headline, I wrote: “The valedictory Me & Lecky III has come and gone. But what a sweet memory it left behind! Just take a close look at this screen shot of one of the lucky attendees’ Google account that was used for live demonstration. Awesome, isn’t it?
“So you want to know what will follow the Me & Lecky series? I’ll tell you in the next edition, plus, I’ll give you more detailed account of what transpired at the Me & Lecky III. Don’t miss it!”
I felt good after penning those words. Why? Because I wasn’t exaggerating. Lecky held the audience, which included the Publisher of Income and Vice President of Association of Information Marketers of Nigeria [AIMN], Mr. Akin Alabi, spellbound.
At the end of his demonstration, he kept his promise of generating money into the Google accounts of two people randomly picked in the audience –– the same way he did in his previous two outings at the same venue.
But in the course of last week, I received an email from one of our cherished readers, someone who is dear to our platform. The reader was very unhappy with me and SDE! –– and he didn’t hide his feelings.
Glory Bimbo, a long-time reader of our publication, writes:
“Good morning, Sir: I’m writing you with pain in my heart. And what caused the pain? First, let me tell you about myself. My name is Abimbola Blessing, an avid reader of SDE! since 2006. I’m an hearing impaired person.
This is not the first time I’ll be writing you. In fact, I wrote you in 2006, 2007, and 2008 — all of which you replied and even published in SDE! I have always appreciated you and love you to this day. But I’m not happy Daddy.
My first grievance is that you have always praised to the high heaven this Hafiz Lecky and, going by your praise of him in your column, I have fallen victim. I paid him N10,500 to set up Google Adsense Parked Domain, which he advertised in SDE! Vol 5 No. 34 dated July 26, 2010.
Up till now he has not done anything, three weeks (21-07-2010) after I paid. He’s unreachable. His phone is switched off and when it happens to be available, you will call, call, and call before he picks it up. And when he does, he will tell you he’s busy and then cut off.
The story is the same with those working with him (Jesse and Comfort). They will be asking you to call this and that number. And they will, each time you call, ask for your payment details again and again. Yet, they sent me confirmation of payment.
Lecky promised 200 euro in the advert but he never attended to me nor did he open the account to do anything there. Although I’m forwarding a complaint to Scam Buster, I need to remind you of what I have always known you for – integrity and honesty.
I don’t think he deserves all the praise you are heaping on him and you said you will be giving us the details of what traspired in “Me and Lecky III” next Monday. I’m sad about all this. The time is after 2am today [12-08-2010]. The pain and worries in my heart do not let me sleep. Please tell him to fulfil his promise or return my money. I’ve wasted a lot of money calling, texting and emailing him and please stop praising him.
The second cause of pain in my heart is the fact that I could not believe my eyes or should I say I was misled, for how could one explain it? SDE! ran a story of top class kerosene stove that works like gas and consume less fuel in Vol 5, No 34 of July 26 edition.
I have been looking for what to do to help myself out of poverty. But I was painfully disappointed. I traveled from Ibadan to Ijoko in Ogun State to see about the story SDE! ran. With excitement I thought my financial struggle is finally coming to an end.
But alas! when I got there I was surprised that the picture of the stove that appeared in SDE! was far different from what was presented to me. The stove was in no way different from the one and the popular one we all commoners use at home that always brings out smoke.
It was not even strong. My excitment vanished and I had to return to Ibadan, sullen. As a deaf man, things are hard for me and to waste little money I have on the journey was more painful and you can see why I’m more concerned about Lecky who has taken my hard earned money and not done anything while you talk much about him in your column.
Could SDE! be misled by some con men? I can hardly believe that. Or did this people just brought some picture of stove and told SDE! story from the blues? Whatever the case may be, my dream was shattered. Sir, I hold you in high regard. Don’t let anything bad happen to SDE! that will shake one’s confidence in your platform. I believe you will address this issue and please help me with Lecky. I’m so worried. Thanks. — Glory Bimbo. gloryespy@yahoo.co.uk”
Are you beginning to see why my job is extremely difficult? Not yet? Okay, keep reading.
When I downloaded this email, Hafiz Lecky was sitting right in front of me in my office. “Hafiz,” I said to him, “you’re beginning to get lots of complaints from unsatisfied customers. And I know what your challenge is: lack of efficient customer service.”
He agreed. Then I printed the email out for him to attend to the customer promptly. Soon afterwards, I was on the intercom talking to the deputy editor of SuccessDigest Extra!, Mr. Hope Eno, asking him to respond the allegation Glory Bimbo.
Here’s his reply: “Good evening Sir. Actually, Glory Bimbo is right. The picture we published concerning the cooking stove in the Vol. 5 No. 34 edition, with the headline “Multiple Streams of Income Business to do Now” is not the stove we physically saw when we did the research on that story.
But at the time we were processing our materials for press, we could not get our story source to provide the picture of the stove because he was out of town and we must meet out deadline of going to press. That was why we went online to source for pictures for the page, and of course we will always go for the best.
For the effectiveness of the stove, we were very sure of it – I even intended to buy one for myself, because I know it is a good product.
First, I want to apologize for the mix-up and appreciate Glory Bimbo for taking time out to really go down to see the kind of product he intends to buy. Many of our readers don’t do this painstaking research.
Promise: we will in future write a story on how to order products directly from manufacturers abroad and get them delivered to your home right here in Nigeria. HOPE ENO –– Deputy Editor.
As soon as I got Mr. Eno’s response, I sent it off to Mr. Glory Bimbo. I also assured him that he would definitely get what he paid for or have his money refunded in full by Mr. Lecky.
Space will not permit me to analyze the most difficult aspect of my job here. But, by GOD’s special grace, I’ll do so in the next edition.
